System and method of providing tokenization as a service

• US 9,830,595 B2
• Filed: 01/28/2013
• Issued: 11/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Visa International Service Association (Visa, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Visa International Service Association (Visa, Inc.)
• Inventors: Anderson, Lisa, Cushley, Seamus
• Primary Examiner(s): KIM, STEVEN S
• Application Number:
  US13/751,523
• Publication Number:
  US 20130198080A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,765 Days
• Field of Search: 705 64- 67
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/26 Debit schemes, e.g. "pay now"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3821 Electronic credentials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/38215 Use of certificates or encrypted proofs of transaction rights
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/383 Anonymous user system
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/385 using an alias or single-use codes

Abstract

Systems, devices, apparatuses, and methods for providing tokenization as a service are provided. Embodiments of the invention involve decoupling a “tokenization service” from other services offered by a merchant service provider, and offering the tokenization service as a stand-alone service. In accordance with an embodiment, a merchant service provider can receive payment data associated with a transaction between a consumer and a first entity. The merchant service provider can generate a payment token that represents the payment data and transmit a copy of the payment token to the first entity. The first entity can then transmit the payment token and order information to a second entity specified in the transaction. The merchant service provider can subsequently receive a request to complete the transaction from the second entity. The request can include the copy of the payment token from the second entity.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, at a merchant service provider computer including a computer readable medium and a processor, order information from a first entity for a transaction to be fulfilled by a second entity;

receiving, at the merchant service provider computer, payment data from a consumer, the payment data associated with the transaction initiated between the consumer and the first entity, wherein the payment data is received at the merchant service provider computer from the consumer through an interaction between the consumer and a webpage of the first entity;

generating, at the merchant service provider computer, a payment token that represents the payment data;

storing the payment token at the merchant service provider computer;

transmitting, from the merchant service provider computer, a copy of the payment token to the first entity;

receiving, at the merchant service provider computer from the first entity, data describing a trust relationship between the first entity and one or more different entities;

receiving, at the merchant service provider computer from the second entity, a request, including the copy of the payment token and context information received by the second entity from the first entity, to complete the transaction initiated between the consumer and the first entity, wherein the context information includes merchant identifiers for the first entity and the second entity;

authorizing the request, based on the context information, by comparing the trust relationship to the merchant identifiers in the context information;

in response to authorizing the request, comparing the copy of the payment token to the payment token stored at the merchant service provider computer to verify the copy of the payment token; and

sending the payment data and the order information associated with the transaction initiated between the consumer and the first entity to a payment processing computer for processing on behalf of the second entity.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein comparing the trust relationship to the merchant identifiers in the context information comprises:

determining whether the first entity has indicated that the second entity is a trusted entity.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining whether the merchant service provider computer has indicated that the second entity is a trusted entity.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the context information further includes an expiration time/date for the payment token and a transaction identifier.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the request to complete the transaction includes a request for the merchant service provider computer to process the transaction on behalf of the second entity.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the request to complete the transaction includes a request to return the payment data corresponding to the payment token to the second entity.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the merchant service provider computer is a hosted order page (HOP) service provider computer and the payment data is received through a HOP.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the merchant service provider computer is a silent order post (SOP) service provider computer and the payment data is received through a SOP.

9. A system, comprising:

a merchant service provider computer, including an electronic processor and a memory coupled to the electronic processor, wherein the merchant service provider computer includes

a redirection service provider, programmed to receive order information from a first entity for a transaction to be fulfilled by a second entity and receive payment data from a consumer through an interaction between the consumer and a webpage of the first entity, the payment data associated with the transaction initiated between the consumer and the first entity;

a tokenization module, configured to generate a payment token that represents the payment data received through the redirection service provider, and to store the payment token in a token data store;

a network interface programmed to;

transmit a copy of the payment token to the first entity;

receive, from the first entity, data describing a trust relationship between the first entity and one or more different entities; and

receive from the second entity a request, including the copy of the payment token and context information received by the second entity from the first entity, to complete the transaction initiated between the consumer and the first entity, wherein the context information includes merchant identifiers for the first entity and the second entity;

a token request authorization module programmed to authorize the request, based on the context information, by comparing the trust relationship to the merchant identifiers in the context information; and

a token verification module programmed to in response to the token request authorization module authorizing the request, compare the copy of the payment token to the payment token stored at the merchant service provider computer to verify the copy of the payment token;

wherein, in response to verifying the copy of the payment token by the token verification module, the merchant service provider computer is programmed to send the payment data and the order information associated with the transaction initiated between the consumer and the first entity to a payment processing computer for processing on behalf of the second entity.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the token request authorization module is further programmed to:

determine whether the first entity has indicated that the second entity is a trusted entity.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein the token request authorization module is further programmed to:

determine whether the merchant service provider computer has indicated that the second entity is a trusted entity based on the merchant identifiers.

12. The system of claim 9 wherein the context information further includes an expiration time/date for the payment token and a transaction identifier.

13. The system of claim 9 wherein the request to complete the transaction includes a request for the merchant service provider computer to process the transaction on behalf of the second entity.

14. The system of claim 9 wherein the request to complete the transaction includes a request to return the payment data corresponding to the payment token to the second entity.

15. The system of claim 9 wherein the redirection service provider is a hosted order page (HOP) service provider and the payment data is received through a HOP.

16. The system of claim 9 wherein the redirection service provider is a silent order post (SOP) service provider and the payment data is received through a SOP.

17. A system comprising:

at least one client device;

a first entity server of a first entity, in communication with the at least one client device, wherein the first entity server is programmed to receive a request from the at least one client device to initiate a transaction on behalf of at least a second entity via a webpage of the first entity server;

a merchant service provider server comprising a token data store, a token request authorization module, and a token verification module, wherein the merchant service provider server is programmed to receive order information from the first entity server for the transaction to be fulfilled by the second entity and payment data from the at least one client device, generate a payment token that represents the payment data, and transmit a copy of the payment token to the first entity server, wherein the payment data is received by the merchant service provider server from the at least one client device through an interaction between the at least one client device and the webpage of the first entity server;

a second entity server of the second entity, in communication with the first entity server and the merchant service provider server, wherein the second entity server is programmed to receive the copy of the payment token from the first entity server; and

wherein the merchant service provider server is further programmed to receive, from the second entity server, the copy of the payment token and a request to complete the transaction initiated between the at least one client device and the first entity server;

wherein the merchant service provider server is further programmed to receive, from the first entity server, data describing a trust relationship between the first entity and the second entity, and

wherein the token request authorization module is programmed to authorize the request to complete the transaction, received from the second entity server, based on the trust relationship.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the request to complete the transaction initiated between the at least one client device and the first entity server further causes the merchant service provider server to send, to the second entity server, the payment data that corresponds to the copy of the payment token.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the request to complete the transaction initiated between the at least one client device and the first entity server further causes the merchant service provider server to process a payment transaction on behalf of the second entity using the payment data corresponding to the payment token.