Method and system for correlating diverse transaction data

• US 9,524,501 B2
• Filed: 06/05/2013
• Issued: 12/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Visa International Service Association (Visa, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Visa International Service Association (Visa, Inc.)
• Inventors: Weber, Lance
• Primary Examiner(s): Robinson, Kito R
• Application Number:
  US13/910,970
• Publication Number:
  US 20130332344A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,294 Days
• Field of Search: 705/39
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/02 involving a neutral party, e.g. certification authority, notary or trusted third party [TTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/042 characterized in that the payment protocol involves at least one cheque
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/38 Payment protocols; Details thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/383 Anonymous user system
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/385 using an alias or single-use codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 2220/00 Business processing using cryptography postage metering system using cryptography G06Q2250/05
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0281 Customer communication at a business location, e.g. providing product or service information, consulting

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention are directed to methods, systems, and apparatuses for matching e-commerce and physical point-of-sale transaction data. In one embodiment, a method includes receiving, by a computer, first transaction data comprising a payment token or second transaction data comprising a primary account identifier, wherein the payment token is derived from the primary account identifier, and providing, by the computer, a universal account identifier after receiving the payment token or the account identifier, wherein the universal account identifier is a substitute for the payment token and the primary account identifier.

Claims

1. A computer system comprising:

a processor; and

a non-transitory computer-readable medium coupled to the processor, the computer-readable medium comprising code executable by the processor for performing a method, the method comprising;

receiving first transaction data comprising a payment token from a merchant computer, wherein the payment token is generated for a transaction involving a primary account identifier;

determining a universal account identifier associated with the payment token, wherein determining the universal account identifier after receiving the payment token further comprises;

sending a de-tokenization request to a merchant processor associated with the first transaction data, the de-tokenization request including a tokenized version of the primary account identifier, wherein the tokenized version of the primary account identifier is included in the payment token;

receiving the primary account identifier associated with the first transaction data from the merchant processor; and

generating the universal account identifier by applying a cryptographic conversion to the primary account identifier, wherein the cryptographic conversion produces a unique universal account identifier for the primary account identifier;

providing the universal account identifier to the merchant computer after receiving the payment token;

receiving second transaction data comprising the primary account identifier;

determining the universal account identifier associated with the primary account identifier; and

providing the universal account identifier to the merchant computer after receiving the primary account identifier, wherein the universal account identifier is a substitute for the payment token and the primary account identifier, and wherein the payment token, the primary account identifier, and the universal account identifier are associated with a same account at an issuer.

2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the receiving, determining, and providing are performed during a payment transaction conducted using the payment token or the primary account identifier.

3. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the receiving, determining, and providing are performed after a payment transaction conducted using the payment token or the primary account identifier.

4. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the universal account identifier is stored at a merchant analytics database, and wherein the universal account identifier is associated with e-commerce transactions of a consumer and retail transactions of the consumer.

5. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the cryptographic conversion includes a one-way hashing algorithm such that neither the payment token nor the primary account identifier may be determined from the universal account identifier.

6. The computer system of claim 5, wherein the cryptographic conversion is referentially transparent such that a consistent result is provided every time the cryptographic conversion is applied to the primary account identifier.

7. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the cryptographic conversion is unique to requests associated with the merchant computer.

8. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the tokenized version of the primary account identifier is de-tokenized by the merchant processor, and wherein the primary account identifier associated with the first transaction data is received from the merchant processor when the tokenized version of the primary account identifier has been de-tokenized.

9. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the primary account identifier is associated with an account, and wherein the universal account identifier represents the account for a plurality of transaction types or channels.

10. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the cryptographic conversion includes a cryptographically secure hash.

11. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the cryptographic conversion is customized for each of a plurality of merchants such that each merchant has a different conversion algorithm and the conversion algorithm for the different merchants is not shared between the different merchants, and as such the universal account identifier between the different merchants is unique.

12. A method comprising:

receiving, by a computer, first transaction data comprising a payment token from a merchant computer, wherein the payment token is generated for a transaction involving a primary account identifier; and

determining, by the computer, a universal account identifier associated with the payment token, wherein determining the universal account identifier after receiving the payment token further comprises;

sending a de-tokenization request to a merchant processor associated with the first transaction data, the de-tokenization request including a tokenized version of the primary account identifier, wherein the tokenized version of the primary account identifier is included in the payment token;

receiving the primary account identifier associated with the first transaction data from the merchant processor; and

generating the universal account identifier by applying a cryptographic conversion to the primary account identifier, wherein the cryptographic conversion produces a unique universal account identifier for the primary account identifier;

providing, by the computer, the universal account identifier to the merchant computer after receiving the payment token;

receiving, by the computer, second transaction data comprising the primary account identifier;

determining the universal account identifier associated with the primary account identifier; and

providing the universal account identifier to the merchant computer after receiving the primary account identifier, wherein the universal account identifier is a substitute for the payment token and the primary account identifier, and wherein the payment token, the primary account identifier, and the universal account identifier are associated with a same account at an issuer.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the receiving, determining, and providing are performed during a payment transaction conducted using the payment token or the primary account identifier.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the receiving, determining, and providing are performed after a payment transaction conducted using the payment token or the primary account identifier.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the universal account identifier is stored at a merchant analytics database, and wherein the universal account identifier is associated with e-commerce transactions of a consumer and retail transactions of the consumer.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the cryptographic conversion includes a one-way hashing algorithm such that neither the payment token nor the primary account identifier may be determined from the universal account identifier.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the cryptographic conversion is referentially transparent such that a consistent result is provided every time the cryptographic conversion is applied to the primary account identifier.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the cryptographic conversion is unique to requests associated with the merchant computer.

19. A computer system comprising:

a processor; and

a computer-readable medium coupled to the processor, the computer-readable medium comprising code executable by the processor for performing a method, the method comprising;

receiving e-commerce transaction data including a payment token from a merchant computer, wherein the payment token is generated for the e-commerce transaction involving the primary account identifier;

determining a universal account identifier associated with the payment token, wherein determining the universal account identifier comprises;

determining the primary account identifier associated with the payment token; and

generating the universal account identifier by applying a cryptographic conversion to the primary account identifier, wherein the cryptographic conversion produces a unique universal account identifier for the primary account identifier; and

sending the universal account identifier to the merchant computer, wherein the merchant computer stores the universal account identifier in a database comprising e-commerce transaction data and retail transaction data, wherein the universal account identifier is a substitute for the payment token and the primary account identifier, and wherein the payment token, the primary account identifier, and the universal account identifier are associated with a same account at an issuer.

20. The computer system of claim 19, wherein determining the primary account identifier further comprises:

sending a de-tokenization request to a merchant processor associated with the e-commerce transaction, the de-tokenization request including a tokenized version of the primary account identifier, wherein the tokenized version of the primary account identifier is included in the payment token; and

receiving the primary account identifier from the merchant processor.

21. A method comprising:

receiving, by a computer, e-commerce transaction data including a payment token from a merchant computer, wherein the payment token is generated for the e-commerce transaction involving the primary account identifier;

determining, by the computer, a universal account identifier associated with the payment token, wherein determining the universal account identifier comprises;

determining the primary account identifier associated with the payment token; and

generating the universal account identifier by applying a cryptographic conversion to the primary account identifier, wherein the cryptographic conversion produces a unique universal account identifier for the primary account identifier; and

sending, by the computer, the universal account identifier to the merchant computer, wherein the merchant stores the universal account identifier in a database comprising e-commerce transaction data and retail transaction data, wherein the universal account identifier is associated with e-commerce transaction data and retail transaction data of a consumer, wherein the universal account identifier is a substitute for the payment token and the primary account identifier, and wherein the payment token, the primary account identifier, and the universal account identifier are associated with a same account at an issuer.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein determining, by the computer, the primary account identifier further comprises:

sending, to a server computer, a de-tokenization request to a merchant processor associated with the e-commerce transaction, the de-tokenization request including a tokenized version of the primary account identifier, wherein the tokenized version of the primary account identifier is included in the payment token; and

receiving, by the computer, the primary account identifier from the merchant processor.