Secure payment method and system

• US 8,639,619 B1
• Filed: 12/18/2012
• Issued: 01/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SCVNGR, Inc. (GrubHub Inc.)
• Original Assignee: SCVNGR, Inc. (GrubHub Inc.)
• Inventors: Priebatsch, Seth
• Primary Examiner(s): Borlinghaus, Jason M
• Application Number:
  US13/718,466
• Publication Number:
  US 20140019358A1
• Time in Patent Office: 406 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 705/39
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/02 involving a neutral party, e.g. certification authority, notary or trusted third party [TTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/322 Aspects of commerce using mobile devices [M-devices]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3274 using a pictured code, e.g. barcode or QR-code, being displayed on the M-device
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3278 RFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/34 using cards, e.g. integrated circuit [IC] cards or magnetic cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/363 with the personal data of a user
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/385 using an alias or single-use codes

Abstract

Representative embodiments of a server-based method of facilitating payment by a user registered with the server include, at the server, generating and storing, for the user, a code readable by a merchant device, transmitting the code to a mobile device of the user, facilitating provision of information characterizing a payment instrument from the user to a payment-processing entity without storing the data at the server, receiving, from the payment-processing entity, a token indicative of the payment instrument but not encoding data that would enable use of the instrument, associating the token with the user, receiving, from a merchant, the code and a payment amount, matching the received code to the user and retrieving the token associated with the user, and providing the token and the payment amount to the payment-processing entity to facilitate completion of a transaction between the user and the merchant.

Claims

1. A server-based method of facilitating payment by a user registered with a server, the method comprising, at the server:

using a processor to generate, for the user, a code and store the code in a memory;

transmitting, via a communication module, the code to a mobile device of the user;

transferring information characterizing a payment instrument from the user to a payment-processing entity utilizing a server routing or a redirect client-side script without storing the payment-characterizing information at the server after completion of the registration;

receiving, from the payment-processing entity via the communication module, a token encoding the user'"'"'s account-identifying information;

using the processor to computationally associate the token with the user;

receiving, from a merchant device via the communication module, the code and a payment amount;

using the processor to match the received code to the user and retrieve the token associated with the user; and

providing the token and the payment amount to the payment-processing entity, via the communication module, to cause completion of a transaction between the user and the merchant,

wherein providing the code or token alone does not enable completion of the transaction.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the code is a QR code, a bar code, a radio-frequency identification, a near-field-communication signal, an audio signal, or an infrared signal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the code is a seed code that can further generates a unique mature code readable by a merchant device.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the server comprises a database for storing records, a database record being associated with the user and including user-identifying information, the code or a seed therefor, and the token.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the mobile device is selected from the group comprising a cellular phone, a smart phone, a computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), an Internet Protocol Television and an electronic gaming device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the code is transmitted from the server to the mobile device via wireless cell phone communication, Internet, ultrasound, Bluetooth, or near-field communication.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the code is reset, by the server, after a predetermined period of time or upon receiving a request, by the server, from the user.

8. A server for facilitating payment by a user registered with the server, the server comprising:

a processor;

a processor-executable code-generation module for generating, for the user, a code;

a communication module;

a web server for generating a form-containing web page and associated programming for execution on a client-side computer, the programming being executable to cause transmission of information entered on the form to a payment-processing entity utilizing a server routing or a redirect client-side script without storing the entered information at the server after completion of the registration; and

a database for storing a token received from the payment-processing entity via the communication module and associating the token with the user;

wherein the processor is configured to;

(i) operate the communication module to cause the code to be transmitted to a mobile device of the user, (ii) operate the communication module to receive, from a merchant, the code and a payment amount, (iii) match the received code to the user and retrieving the token associated with the user, and (iv) following the match, operate the communication module to provide the token and the payment amount to a payment processor to cause completion of a transaction between the user and the merchant, and

further wherein providing the code or token alone does not enable completion of the transaction.

9. The server of claim 8 wherein the transmitted form is configured to receive information characterizing a payment instrument.

10. The server of claim 8 wherein the code is a QR code, a bar code, a radio-frequency identification, a near-field-communication signal, an audio signal, or an infrared signal.

11. The server of claim 8, wherein the code is a seed code for generation, by the code-generating module, a unique mature code readable by a merchant device.

12. The server of claim 8 wherein the database comprises a series of stored records, each record being associated with a user and including user-identifying information, the code or a seed therefor, and the token.

13. The server of claim 8, wherein the communication module transmits the code from the server to the mobile device via wireless cell phone communication, Internet, ultrasound, Bluetooth, or near-field communication.

14. The server of claim 8, wherein the code-generation module resets the code after a predetermined period of time or upon receiving a request from the user.