Method and system of tracking and providing an audit trail of smart card transactions

• US 6,913,193 B1
• Filed: 01/28/1999
• Issued: 07/05/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Citicorp Credit Services Incorporated (Citigroup Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Citicorp Development Center Incorporated (Citigroup Incorporated)
• Inventors: Kawan, Joseph C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Akers, Geoffrey R.
• Application Number:
  US09/238,996
• Time in Patent Office: 2,350 Days
• Field of Search: 705/41, 705/34
• US Class Current: 235/380
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/341 Active cards, i.e. cards including their own processing means, e.g. including an IC or chip
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/346 Cards serving only as information carrier of service
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/363 with the personal data of a user
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/389 Keeping log of transactions for guaranteeing non-repudiation of a transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/084 Additional components relating to data transfer and storing, e.g. error detection, self-diagnosis
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/0866 by active credit-cards adapted therefor G07F7/1008 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system

Abstract

A method and system for tracking and providing an audit trail for off-line smart card transactions includes storing information representing a monetary transaction in a permanent memo on an smart card microprocessor and holding the transaction amount in escrow until the stored information is transmitted from the smart card, for example, at an on-line terminal, to a host on-line system for logging to a tracking system. The monetary transaction includes a transaction with an off-line device, such as another smart card. The escrowed transaction amount represents, for example, a load transaction to one of the smart cards and an unload transaction to other smart card. Once the memo is deleted from the respective smart cards, the load values of the respective smart cards are incremented or decremented by the transaction amount. Alternatively, the smart cards may be provided with a card-to-card key, in which case, a permanent memo is stored only on the receiving smart card.

Claims

1. A method of tracking and providing an audit trail of transactions with a smart card, comprising:

storing information representing a monetary transaction consisting at least in part of a transaction amount in a permanent memo on an application of a microprocessor chip of the smart card of at least a first cardholder;

reconciling a load value on the smart card by transmitting the stored transaction information from the permanent memo on the smart card application to an on-line host system;

deleting the permanent memo from the smart card application;

wherein storing information further comprises holding the transaction amount in escrow on the smart card application and excluding the escrowed transaction amount from the load value of the smart card until the permanent memo is deleted;

wherein the escrowed transaction amount represents one of a load transaction to the smart card and an unload transaction to the smart card, and deleting the permanent memo further comprises increasing the load value on the smart card by the escrowed transaction amount if the escrowed transaction amount represents a load transaction and decreasing the load value of the smart card by the escrowed transaction amount if the escrowed transaction amount represents an unload transaction; and

wherein the monetary transaction comprises an off-line transaction with the smart card.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the escrowed transaction amount is displayable from the smart card at a terminal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the escrowed transaction amount represents a load transaction to the smart card.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the escrowed transaction amount represents an unload transaction to the smart card.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the off-line transaction comprises a transaction between the smart card and an off-line device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein transmitting the stored transaction information further comprises transmitting the information at a terminal.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the stored transaction information further comprises a load key of the off-line device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein deleting the permanent memo further comprises authenticating the load key of the off-line device by the host on-line system.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein deleting the permanent memo further comprises logging the transaction to a tracking system by the host on-line system.

10. The method claim 9, wherein deleting the permanent memo further comprises transmitting a message by the host on-line system to the smart card application authorizing the deletion.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein deleting the permanent memo comprises increasing the smart card load value by the transaction amount.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein deleting the permanent memo comprises decreasing the smart card load value by the transaction amount.

13. The method of claim 5, wherein the off-line device comprises a smart card of a second cardholder.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein storing information further comprises storing the information representing the monetary transaction in a permanent memo on an application of a microprocessor chip of the smart card of the second cardholder.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein storing information further comprises posting a transaction amount for the transaction on the respective applications of the smart cards.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein posting the transaction amount further comprises holding the transaction amount in escrow on the respective smart card applications until the permanent memo is deleted.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the escrowed transaction amount is excluded from the load value of the respective smart cards.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the escrowed transaction amount is displayable from the respective smart cards at a terminal.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the escrowed transaction amount represents a load transaction to the smart card of one of the first and second cardholders and an unload transaction to the smart card of the other of the first and second cardholders.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein storing information further comprises storing a load key for the smart card of each of the first and second cardholders in the permanent memo of the smart card of the other of the first and second cardholders.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein transmitting the stored transaction information further comprises transmitting the information from the respective smart card applications at a terminal.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein deleting the permanent memo further comprises authenticating the respective load keys by the host on-line system.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein deleting the permanent memo further comprises transmitting a message by the host on-line system to the application of the respective smart cards authorizing the deletion.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein deleting the permanent memo further comprises deleting the permanent memo from the respective smart card applications.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein deleting the permanent memo further comprises increasing the load value of the smart card of one of the first and second cardholders by the transaction amount.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein deleting the permanent memo further comprises decreasing the load value of the smart card of the other of the first and second cardholders by the transaction amount.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein deleting the permanent memo further comprises logging a reconciliation of the transaction between the smart cards to a tracking system of the host on-line system.

28. The method of claim 3, wherein the monetary transaction comprises an off-line transaction with a smart card of a second cardholder.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein storing information further comprises storing the information representing the monetary transaction in a transaction log on an application of a microprocessor chip of the smart card of the second cardholder.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein storing the information further comprises storing a card-to-card key for the smart card of the second cardholder in the permanent memo on the smart card of the first cardholder.

31. The method of claim 30, therein storing the information further comprises posting a transaction amount for the transaction on the respective applications of the smart cards of the first and second cardholders.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein posting the transaction further comprises holding the transaction amount in escrow on the smart card application of the first card holder until the permanent memo is deleted.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the escrowed transaction amount is excluded from the load value of the smart card of the first cardholder.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein transmitting the stored transaction information further comprises transmitting the information from the application of the smart card of the first cardholder at a terminal.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein deleting the permanent memo further comprises authenticating the card-to-card key by the host on-line system.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein deleting the permanent memo further comprises transmitting a message by the host on-line system to the application of the smart card of the first cardholder authorizing the deletion.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein deleting the permanent memo further comprises logging a reconciliation of the transaction between the smart cards to a tracking system by the host on-line system.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein deleting the permanent memo further comprises increasing the load value of the smart card of the first cardholder by the transaction amount.

39. A system for tracking and providing an audit trail of transactions with a smart card, comprising:

means for storing information representing a monetary transaction consisting at least in part of a transaction amount in a permanent memo on an application of a microprocessor chip of the smart card of at least a first cardholder;

means associated with the smart card for reconciling a load value on the smart card by transmitting the stored transaction information from the permanent memo on the smart card application to an on-line host system; and

means associated with the smart card for deleting the permanent memo from the smart card;

wherein the means for storing the information is adapted for holding the transaction amount in escrow on the smart card application and excluding the escrowed transaction amount from the load value of the smart card until the permanent memo is deleted;

wherein the escrowed transaction amount represents one of a load transaction to the smart card and an unload transaction to the smart card, and the deleting means is adapted for increasing the load value on the smart card by the escrowed transaction amount if the escrowed transaction amount represents a load transaction and decreasing the load value of the smart card by the escrowed transaction amount if the escrowed transaction amount represents an unload transaction; and

wherein the monetary transaction comprises an off-line transaction with the smart card.

40. The system of claim 39, wherein the means for storing information comprises an off-line terminal.

41. The system of claim 39, wherein the transmitting means comprises an on-line terminal.

42. The system of claim 39, wherein the deleting means comprises an on-line terminal.

43. A method of tracking and providing an audit trail of transactions with a smart card, comprising:

posting information representing an off-line monetary transaction between a smart card of a cardholder and an off-line device consisting at least in part of an amount for the transaction in one of a permanent load memo and a permanent unload memo on an application of a microprocessor chip of the smart card;

holding the amount of said one of the permanent load memo and the permanent unload memo in escrow on the smart card application upon completion of the off-line transaction between the smart card and the off-line device and prior to a reconciliation with an on-line host system;

if the transaction information is posted in the permanent load memo on the application of the microprocessor chip of the smart card, allowing the cardholder to view the amount of the permanent load memo without allowing the cardholder access to the amount of the permanent load memo prior to the reconciliation with the on-line host system;

if the transaction information is posted in the permanent unload memo on the application of the microprocessor chip of the smart card, allowing the cardholder to view the amount of the permanent unload memo while reducing a load balance on the smart card by the amount of the permanent unload memo prior to the reconciliation with the on-line host system;

on an occasion subsequent to completion of the off-line transaction between the smart card and the off-line device, allowing the cardholder to make a connection between the smart card application and the on-line host system to reconcile the smart card load balance by transmitting the information in said one of the permanent load and unload memo to the on-line host system;

if the information in said one of the permanent load and unload memo is transmitted to the on-line host system to reconcile the load balance on the smart card, deleting said one of the permanent load memo and the permanent unload memo from the smart card application; and

if the information transmitted to the on-line host system is from the permanent load memo, incrementing the load balance on the smart card by the amount of the permanent load memo.