Mobile transit fare payment

• US 8,523,069 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2006
• Issued: 09/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Visa USA, Inc. (Visa, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Visa USA, Inc. (Visa, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hammad, Ayman, Dixon, Phil
• Primary Examiner(s): Mai, Thien T
• Application Number:
  US11/536,296
• Publication Number:
  US 20080116264A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,532 Days
• Field of Search: 235/384, 235/451, 235/380, 235/375, 235/379, 455/456.3, 455/456, 455/457, 455/451, 340/539.18, 340/994, 370/312, 370/313, 705/14, 705/26, 705/27, 705/7.18
• US Class Current: 235/384
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/045 using payment protocols involving tickets
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/32 using wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/322 Aspects of commerce using mobile devices [M-devices]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/327 Short range or proximity payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3278 RFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4015 using location information
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/00 Arrangements or apparatus for collecting fares, tolls or entrance fees at one or more control points handling coins or valuable papers, e.g. banknotes, G07D; apparatus for vending or hiring articles or services activated by coins, credit cards, paper currency or the like G07F7/00, G07F17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/02 taking into account a variable factor such as distance or time, e.g. for passenger transport, parking systems or car rental systems G07B15/06 takes precedence; taximeters G07B13/00; parking meters per se G07F17/24; car rental systems per se G07B15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0014 for vending, access and use of specific services not covered anywhere else in G07F17/00 meter-controlled dispensing of liquid, gas or electricity G07F15/00

Abstract

A system, apparatus, and method for facilitating the payment and collection of transit system fares using a mobile device. The inventive system utilizes a contactless element embedded within a mobile wireless device, such as a mobile phone, PDA, or the like. The smart element is integrated with the circuitry of the mobile device to permit the data to be accessed and manipulated (e.g., read, written, erased) using the wireless communications network as the data transport channel. The data required to enable a user to access a transit system and for the system to conduct fare calculations may be provided to the memory in the contactless element using the wireless network. Such data may include access control data (keys, passwords, identification data) or data required for fare calculations (rates, historical data on system use).

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining a first location of a mobile device operated by a user;

based on the first location of the mobile device, determining a first transit system in the vicinity of the mobile device;

in response to determining the first transit system, automatically pushing first access data comprising a first encryption key and first fare computation data for the first transit system to the mobile device before the user pays to access the first transit system, the first encryption key being stored in a dynamically configurable memory in the mobile device, wherein the first encryption key is configured to generate a first code to obtain access to the first transit system when the mobile device interacts with a first reader at the first transit system and passes the first code to the first reader via a contactless element in the mobile device;

determining a second location of the mobile device;

based on the second location of the mobile device, determining a second transit system in the vicinity of the mobile device;

in response to determining the second transit system, automatically pushing second access data comprising a second encryption key and second fare computation data for the second transit system to the mobile device before the user pays to access the second transit system, the second encryption key being stored in the dynamically configurable memory in the mobile device, wherein the second encryption key is configured to generate a second code to obtain access to the second transit system when the mobile device interacts with a second reader at the second transit system and passes the second code to the second reader via the contactless element in the mobile device; and

providing a control instruction to the mobile device, the control instruction causing an operation to be performed on the dynamically configurable memory in the mobile device, the operation including altering a file structure or memory allocation of the dynamically configurable memory specific to the second transit system, and deleting the first encryption key stored in the dynamically configurable memory in the mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the first location of the mobile device further comprises determining the first location using one or more of global positioning satellite (GPS) data or wireless communications network infrastructure data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein pushing the first access data for the first transit system to the mobile device further comprises pushing the first access data to the mobile device using a wireless communications network.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device is a mobile phone.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein when executed by the mobile device, the control instruction causes a partitioning of the dynamically configurable memory.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the control instruction causes a partitioning of the dynamically configurable memory into a plurality of data storage regions, with each of the plurality of data storage regions associated with a specific transit system.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the dynamically configurable memory includes a dynamically configurable first data storage region containing transit system data and a second data storage region containing payment transaction account data, the payment transaction account data including a payment account identifier for a payment account, the payment transaction account data used to enable the mobile device to operate as a payment device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the payment transaction account data includes user security data for the payment account.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the dynamically configurable memory is contained in the contactless element.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first transit system is one of a train station or a bus station.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the second location of the mobile device is determined at least in part by a user of the mobile device using the first transit system.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the first fare computation data comprises a fare schedule for the first transit system.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the first fare computation data further comprises a transit fare account balance.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising, receiving preferences of the user regarding data that is pushed to the mobile device.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein determining the first location and determining the second location are performed by a server computer.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the server computer is in a payment processing system.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the payment processing system is configured to process authorization requests and clearing and settlement.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the payment processing system is in communication and an acquirer and an issuer.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the dynamically configurable memory includes a dynamically configurable first data storage region containing transit system data and a second data storage region containing payment transaction account data, the payment transaction account data including a payment account identifier for a payment account, the payment transaction account data used to enable the mobile device to operate as a payment device, wherein the payment account is held by the issuer.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the payment account is a debit card account.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the mobile device is a mobile phone.

22. The method of claim 16 wherein the payment processing system is configured to process credit and debit card transactions.