Passing payment tokens through an hop/sop

• US 9,704,155 B2
• Filed: 07/26/2012
• Issued: 07/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Visa International Service Association (Visa, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Visa International Service Association (Visa, Inc.)
• Inventors: McCullagh, Niall, Cushley, Seamus
• Primary Examiner(s): Chang, Edward
• Application Number:
  US13/559,250
• Publication Number:
  US 20130031006A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,811 Days
• Field of Search: 705 44
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/36 using electronic wallets or electronic money safes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/363 with the personal data of a user

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention are directed to methods, a computer-readable medium, servers and systems for enabling merchants to pass payment tokens, instead of actual payment information, to third party HOPs and SOPs. This, for example, enables a merchant to charge a consumer, such as on a recurring basis or for a one-off purchase, without having the consumer enter payment information each time and without the merchant actually having to handle payment information. As such, merchants can avoid costs and responsibilities associated with handling and storing consumer payment data, while at the same time it also gives merchants the benefit of engaging in purchase transactions with consumers without requiring that the consumers reenter payment data each time they want to make a purchase.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a service provider server computer, order information and a request to create an account record from a merchant computer over a first network communication channel, the order information associated with a transaction between a user computer and the merchant computer, the account record storing user information at the service provider server computer;

rendering, by the service provider server computer, a hosted page on behalf of the merchant computer, the hosted page presenting at least a portion of the order information and at least an input field into which the user information may be input via the user computer;

providing, by the service provider server computer, the rendered hosted page to the user computer, wherein the rendered hosted page is displayed on the user computer for the user to input the user information;

receiving, by the service provider server computer, the user information from the user computer over a second network communication channel via the rendered hosted page;

processing, by the service provider server computer, the transaction between the user computer and the merchant computer using the user information;

creating, by the service provider server computer, an account record for the user if the user does not already have an account record, wherein the account record includes entries for one or more accounts of the user;

tokenizing, by the service provider server computer, the user information, the tokenizing including;

creating a unique token for each one of the one or more accounts of the user stored in the account record, wherein the unique token represents the user information, and

storing the user information and the token in the account record; and

sending, by the service provider server computer, a copy of the token to the merchant computer, wherein the sending causes the merchant computer to submit the token in a future transaction between the merchant computer and the user computer without requiring the user to provide the user information;

during the future transaction;

receiving, by the service provider server computer from the merchant computer, the copy of the token and a request to process a transaction involving the user;

identifying, by the service provider server computer, the token in the account record of the user that matches the copy of the token provided by the merchant computer;

obtaining, by the service provider server computer, the user information associated with the token; and

responsive to the obtaining, processing, by the service provider server computer, the transaction using the user information associated with the token in the account record of the user instead of providing another rendered hosted page to the user computer for the user to input the user information.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the merchant computer generates a hash of the order information and transmits the hash along with the order information.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

verifying the hash to ensure that the order information was not tampered with during transmission from the merchant computer.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein creating an account record for user, if the user does not already have an account record, comprises:

determining whether the user already has an account record.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

if it is determined that the user already has an account record, updating the account record with the user information received from the user computer.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

obtaining hosted page configurations designated by the merchant computer, wherein the hosted page is rendered in accordance with the hosted page configurations.

7. A method, comprising:

receiving, at a service provider server computer, order information and a request to create an account record from a merchant computer over a first network communication channel, the order information associated with a transaction between a user computer and the merchant computer, the account record storing user information at the service provider server computer;

receiving, at the service provider server computer, user information from the user computer over a second network communication channel, wherein the user information is sent to the service provider server computer from the user computer and wherein the user information bypasses the merchant computer;

creating, at the service provider server computer, an account record for the user wherein the account record includes entries for one or more accounts of the user;

storing, at the service provider server computer, the user information in the account record of the user;

tokenizing, at the service provider server computer, the user information in the account record of the user, the tokenizing including;

creating a unique token for each one of the one or more accounts of the user stored in the account record, wherein the unique token represents the user information, and

storing the user information and the token in the account record; and

transmitting, from the service provider server computer, a copy of the token to the merchant computer, wherein the transmitting causes the merchant computer to submit the token in a future transaction between the merchant computer and the user computer without requiring the user to provide the user information;

during the future transaction;

receiving, by the service provider server computer from the merchant computer, the copy of the token and a request to process a transaction involving the user;

identifying, by the service provider server computer, the token in the account record of the user that matches the copy of the token provided by the merchant computer;

obtaining, by the service provider server computer, the user information associated with the token; and

responsive to the obtaining, processing, by the service provider server computer, the transaction using the user information associated with the token in the account record of the user instead of receiving the user information from the user computer.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the service provider server computer is a hosted order page (HOP) service provider server computer.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

rendering, at the HOP service provider server computer, a hosted page on behalf of the merchant computer, the hosted page displaying at least a portion of the order information, the hosted page comprising an information entry section for collecting user information; and

providing, by the service provider server computer, the rendered hosted page to the user computer, wherein the rendered hosted page is displayed on the user computer.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

obtaining, at the HOP service provider server computer, hosted page configurations designated by the merchant computer, wherein the hosted page is rendered in accordance with the hosted page configurations.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the user information is received from the user computer via the user information entry section of the hosted page.

12. The method of claim 7 wherein the merchant computer generates a hash of the order information and transmits the hash to the service provider server computer along with the order information.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

verifying, at the service provider server computer, the hash to ensure that the order information was not tampered with during transmission between the merchant computer and the service provider server computer.

14. A system, comprising:

a processor;

a memory device including instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

receive from a merchant computer order information and a request to create an account record over a first network communication channel, the order information associated with a transaction between a user computer and the merchant computer, the account record storing user information at a service provider server computer;

receive user information from the user computer over a second network communication channel, wherein the user information is sent to the service provider server computer from the user computer and wherein the user information bypasses the merchant computer;

create an account record for the user, wherein the account record includes entries for one or more accounts of the user;

store the user information in the account record of the user;

tokenize the user information in the account record of the user, tokenizing including;

creating a unique token for each one of the one or more accounts of the user stored in the account record, wherein the unique token represents the user information, and

storing the user information and the token in the account record; and

transmit a copy of the token to the merchant computer, wherein the transmitting causes the merchant computer to submit the token in a future transaction between the merchant computer and the user computer without requiring the user to provide the user information;

during the future transaction;

receive, from the merchant computer, the copy of the token and a request to process a transaction involving the user;

identify the token in the account record of the user that matches the copy of the token provided by the merchant computer;

obtain the user information associated with the token; and

responsive to the obtaining, process the transaction using the user information associated with the token in the account record of the user instead of receiving the user information from the user computer.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to:

render a hosted page on behalf of the merchant, the hosted page displaying at least a portion of the order information, the hosted page comprising an information entry section for collecting user information; and

provide the rendered hosted page to the user computer, wherein the rendered hosted page is displayed on the user computer.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to:

obtain hosted page configurations designated by the merchant, wherein the hosted page is rendered in accordance with the hosted page configurations.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein the user information is received from the user computer via the information entry section of the hosted page.