Method of notifying the occurrence of a transaction

Abstract

A method (1) for notifying the occurrence of a transaction, particularly, though not exclusively, involving the data relating to the setting and location data. The method (1) further includes the use of an electronic device such as an automatic teller device, a speed point or a personal electronic device such as a mobile telephone used as part of the transaction to record the setting and location data (2). A further step includes transmitting the recorded data (3), such as an audio or video recording and the location information associated with the occurrence of a transaction to a preselected third party (4) such as an emergency contact or the owner of an account.

Description

[0001] METHOD OF NOTIFYING THE OCCURRENCE OF A

[0002] TRANSACTION

[0003] FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0004] This invention relates to a method for notifying the occurrence of a transaction, particularly, though not exclusively, involving the data relating to the setting and location data. The method further includes transmitting the recorded data and the location information associated with the occurrence of a transaction.

[0005] BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

[0006] As known in the art, notification messages are regularly sent from a banking institution to a client to confirm / inform of transactions taking place. Details such as recipient, amount and balance usually form part of these messages.

[0007] Increasingly more people are being high-jacked and the high-jacked and / or kidnapped people are forced to either open their mobile banking apps and to transfer money to the high-jackers’ and / or kidnappers’ nominated bank accounts. In other instances, high-jacked and kidnapped people have their bank cards confiscated from them whilst monies are either withdrawn from the high-jacked and kidnapped people’s bank accounts. i There is a trend, at least amongst the people areas where these types of crimes are on the rise, to delete their cell phone banking apps and / or to leave bank cards at home. Should a need arise to transact on either one’s mobile banking app or with one’s bank card(s) a person may be stranded without a means to pay for services such as a taxi, e-hauling service or the like.

[0008] The present invention relates to a GPS-based location confirming system and, more specifically, to a system that utilizes a mobile device’s GPS technology to determine the user's or at a very least the user’s mobile device’s location when a transaction takes place and send a message to a selected contact indicating the user's whereabouts or the whereabouts of the transaction should the user not be present.

[0009] Some mobile applications allow a person to share their location temporarily or permanently with any number of nominated, trusted persons, however this may only be a “semi live” location, or only a location of where the mobile device is as it is only assumed that the mobile device is with, or on the person.

[0010] US patent number US8682793B2 entitled " Mobile alert transaction system and method” in the name of Visa International Service Association describes a method and system for providing geographic location notifications of payment transactions is disclosed. One embodiment of the invention is directed to a method including receiving an authorization request message associated with a transaction, the transaction associated with a portable consumer device and an access device at a merchant. A geographic location of the transaction is determined. It is determined whether a notification message indicating that the transaction is occurring is required. Upon determining that the notification message is required, the notification message is sent to a notification device operated by a consumer and the notification device receives the notification message substantially simultaneously with the merchant's receipt of an authorization response message. A graphical depiction of the notification message is displayed on a map on the notification device.

[0011] This method merely describes an authorisation request, containing a location indicator, which is sent to a consumer to authorise a transaction.

[0012] In today's interconnected world, ensuring the safety and well-being of individuals is of utmost importance. It is often desirable to have a system that can promptly inform selected contacts about a person's current location. GPS technology has become a widely used method for determining precise location coordinates. However, existing systems do not provide a comprehensive solution that allows users to have location confirmation messages automatically sent based on various triggers, such as locations of transactions taking place, transactions taking place in specific areas, or transactions taking place at specific times. The present invention addresses these limitations. OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

[0013] It is an object of this invention to provide a method of notifying the occurrence of a transaction which, at least partially, alleviates some of the above- mentioned difficulties.

[0014] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0015] In accordance with this invention there is provided a method of notifying the occurrence of a transaction including the steps of:

[0016] - recording data relating to the setting of where a transaction takes place;

[0017] - sending a notification including the data

[0018] - to contact particulars of a pre-selected third-party.

[0019] The method wherein the setting refers to the place or type of surroundings where something is positioned or where an event takes place.

[0020] The method further including the step of the data relating to the setting being geo location information..

[0021] The method further including the step of the data relating to the setting being a picture.

[0022] The method further including the step of the data relating to the setting being an audio recording. The method further including the step of the data relating to the setting being a video recording.

[0023] The method further including the step of the data relating to the setting is being recorded by a microphone, a digital camera or any other recording device such as ones which forms part of a mobile device, a computer, an automatic teller machine or any other device which can be used to perform transactions

[0024] The method further including the step of the geo-location being determined by Global Positioning Systems (GPS), triangulation of a transceiver such as one which forms part of a mobile device or point of sale device, an Internet Protocol (IP) address, Wide Area Network (WAN) connections or Wireless connections such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or LoRaWAN etc. the invention is not limited in this regard and any location information may be collected.

[0025] The method further including the step of the transaction being made by utilizing a transactional or credit card issued by a bank or similar financial institution.

[0026] The method further including the step of the transaction being made a by utilizing a mobile banking app, mobile phone banking, Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) or Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) protocol. The method further including the step of the transaction being made a by utilizing an internet browser or other means for accessing a bank’s internet banking portal.

[0027] The method further including the step of the transaction being made by a mobile payment application or mobile money transfer application or any other means for sending cash between accounts or from an account to a cash machine or other place for collecting cash.

[0028] The method further including the step of the notification being a text message such as a Short Message Service (SMS), a message on a messaging Mobile application such as WhatsApp, Telegram, etc. or any other push notification, email, voice or data notification service.

[0029] The method further including the step of the contact particulars are that of a person or persons selected by the owner of an account associated with the transaction.

[0030] The method further including the step of the data relating to the setting being recorded for all transactions to which the account is associated.

[0031] The method further including the step of the notification only being sent if the transaction takes place inside a specific area, or outside a specific area or in any number of predetermined areas. The method further including the step of the notification only being sent if the transaction takes place inside a specific time period, or outside a specific time period or in any number of predetermined time periods.

[0032] The method further including the step of the notification including any information which the owner of the account may wish to share and includes but is not limited to transaction type, goods purchased, parties to the transaction, location of the transaction, time of the transaction, balance of the account, etc.

[0033] The method further including the step of the contact particulars of a preselected third-party being that of an emergency contact, group of contacts, or any other person who an owner of the account may want to inform.

[0034] The invention further provides for a method of notifying the occurrence of a transaction including the steps of: recording the biometric data captured by a device when a transaction takes place; sending a notification including the biometric data to contact particulars of a pre-selected third-party.

[0035] The method further including the step of the biometric data being recorded by a fingerprint scanner, an iris scanner, a facial recognition scanner, a digital camera or any other device which may be used to capture biometric data. These and other features of the invention are described in more detail below.

[0036] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] One embodiment of the invention is described below, by way of example only, with reference to the drawings in which:

[0038] Figure 1 shows a flow chart representation of a method of notifying the occurrence of a transaction;

[0039] Figure 2 shows a schematic representation of the method of notifying the occurrence of a transaction;

[0040] Figure 3 shows the method of notifying the occurrence of a transaction of figures 1 and 2 in use;

[0041] Figure 4 shows the method of capturing information relating to the setting of a transaction, by means of a camera which forms part of a mobile device.

[0042] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS With reference to the drawings, a method of notifying the occurrence of a transaction is generally depicted by reference numeral 1 .

[0043] The method 1 includes the steps of recording information relating to the setting , in this instance the geo-location information 2 of where a transaction takes place. This transaction will make use of an electronic device 5 such as a point of sale card machine, automatic teller machine, or internet connected devices. A GPS-based geo-location confirming system will collect data relating to the location of the transaction.

[0044] The setting encompasses the place or type of surroundings where something is situated or where an event occurs. It includes all contributing factors, such as sounds, sights, movements, and other environmental elements, that collectively create the atmosphere and context for the action or experience.

[0045] In this instance the device 5 includes a transceiver 9 which will record the geo-location information received by GPS satellites 6, however, should the GPS reception be unavailable a secondary location determining service will be used.

[0046] The GPS-based geo-location confirming system offers accurate and reliable determination of the transaction’s location, seamless communication capabilities for transmitting location confirmation messages to selected contacts 10 as the device already has a communication system used to connect to a cellular network 7. A notification 4 which includes the geo-location information 2 is then sent 8 via a cellular network 7 to contact particulars such as a mobile phone number of a pre-selected third-party 10.

[0047] When a person uses their card at a point of sale machine 5 or automatic teller machine 11 , that machine 5 will collect location data and send an instant notification to a person 10 other that the owner of the account debited, or the account credited (where applicable). This is to allow the third party 10 to know exactly where the transaction takes place and to know where to send help or provide assistance in case of an emergency.

[0048] The notification 4 is a text message such as a push notification to ensure that the intended recipient 10 receives and reads the notification as soon as possible. The intended recipient being a person, or persons selected by the owner of an account associated with the transaction.

[0049] The geo-location information 2 is always recorded, however the owner of the account can preselect which typed of transaction will require notifications to be sent. This means that only transactions which happens outside of a specific radius after a specific hour in the evening for amounts above a threshold will trigger notifications 4 to be sent. However the owner of the account may opt that all or no transactions will trigger notifications.

[0050] The user also has other options to preselect other information to be sent as part of the notification 4 and includes but is not limited to transaction type, goods purchased, parties to the transaction, location of the transaction, time of the transaction, balance of the account, etc.

[0051] In another embodiment the method includes the step of the geo-location being determined a means other than Global Positioning Systems (GPS), such as triangulation of a transceiver which forms part of a mobile device or point of sale device, an Internet Protocol (IP) address, Wide Area Network (WAN) connections or Wireless connections such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or LoRaWAN etc. any location information may be collected.

[0052] The method is not limited to recording only location information, and the use of geo-location data is only used as an example.

[0053] Most mobile devices are linked to a clients banking profile or makes use of mobile applications such as mobile banking apps. If a transaction associated with a clients banking profile occurs, especially a transaction which may be of a suspicious nature, the mobile device may make use of any one or more of the sensors, microphones, cameras, biometric scanners etc. to record information relating to the setting of a transaction. These sensors, microphones, cameras, biometric scanners etc. already form part of most mobile devices and permissions may be granted in advance

[0054] As such the method may include the steps of recording the data relating to the setting of where a transaction takes place. This transaction will make use of an electronic device such as a mobile phone or any other appropriate internet connected devices. The sensors, microphones, cameras, biometric scanner will collect data relating to the setting in which the user of the mobile device is in at the time of the transaction.

[0055] The mobile device may then make use of its already existing transceivers and existing network connections to send an emergency notification or message to any number of predetermined contacts. These contacts could then receive either a digital message containing all of the recorded data, or a URL or clickable link which would take the recipient to a point where the data may be accessed electronically.

[0056] The method could form part of a mobile application that is installed on the mobile device and make use of all storage whether physical or on the cloud associated with the mobile device. The mobile device’s operating system and processors can be used for processing the data recorded and for packaging, transmitting or storing the data.

[0057] Alternatively, the method provides that the transaction can be made by using a mobile banking app, mobile phone banking, Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) or Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) protocol. It is also possible for transaction to be made by internet browser or any other transactional method using a payment app or money transfer app or any other means for sending cash between accounts or from an account to a cash machine or other place for collecting cash (this method also known as e- wallet or cash send). The system may store a history of the user's previously confirmed locations, allowing for quick access and reference or to track and predict movement of the party to the transaction.

[0058] In a further embodiment, a Short Message Service (SMS), a message on a messaging mobile application such as WhatsApp, Telegram, or any other push notification, email, voice, or data notification service can be used to convey the notification to the third party.

[0059] There is further provided for the method to include the step of the contact particulars of a pre-selected third-party being that of an emergency contact, group of contacts, or any other person who an owner of the account may want to inform.

[0060] It is envisaged that incorporating the concept described herein to form part of all new future banking options.

[0061] This should have a significant improvement on the safety and security of banking clients.

[0062] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to the precise details as described or shown herein and that many other embodiments are possible without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims

CLAIMS.

1. A method of notifying the occurrence of a transaction including the steps of: recording data relating to the setting of where a transaction takes place; sending a notification including the recorded data to contact particulars of a pre-selected third-party.

2. The method of claim 1 further including the step of the data relating to the setting being geo location information.

3. The method of claim 1 further including the step of the data relating to the setting being a picture.

4. The method of claim 1 further including the step of the data relating to the setting being an audio recording.

5. The method of claim 1 further including the step of the data relating to the setting being a video recording.

6. The method of any of the preceding claims further including the step of the data relating to the setting is being recorded by any one or more of the following: a microphone, a digital camera, a biometric scanner, a gyroscope or any other recording device such as ones which forms partof a mobile device, a computer, an automatic teller machine or any other device which can be used to perform transactions.

7. The method of any of the preceding claims further including the step of the geo-location being determined by any one or more of the following: Global Positioning Systems, triangulation of a transceiver such as one which forms part of a mobile device or point of sale device, an Internet Protocol address, Wide Area Network connections or Wireless connections such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or LoRaWAN.

8. The method of any of the preceding claims further including the step of the transaction being made by utilizing a card issued by a bank.

9. The method of any of the preceding claims further including the step of the transaction being made a by utilizing a mobile device.

10. The method of any of the preceding claims further including the step of the transaction being made a by utilizing a mobile application.11 .The method of any of the preceding claims further including the step of the transaction being made a by utilizing an internet browser.

12. The method of any of the preceding claims further including the step of the notification being a text message.

13. The method of any one of claim 1 to claim 12 further including the step of the notification being a message on a mobile messaging application.

14. The method of any one of claim 1 to claim 12 further including the step of the notification being an electronic message.

15. The method of any one of the preceding claims further including the step of the notification containing a link to a platform where any of the recorded data can be accessed as a live stream.

16. The method of any of the preceding claims further including the step of the contact particulars are that of a person selected by the owner of an account associated with the transaction.

17. The method of any of the preceding claims further including the step of the data relating to the setting being recorded for all transactions to which the account is associated.

18. The method of any of the preceding claims further including the step of the notification only being sent if the transaction takes place inside a specific area.

19. The method of any one of claim 1 to claim 16 further including the step of the notification only being sent if the transaction takes place outside a specific area.

20. The method of any of the preceding claims further including the step of the notification only being sent if the transaction takes place inside a specific time period,21 .The method of any one of claim 1 to claim 18 further including the step of the notification only being sent if the transaction takes place outside a specific time period22. The method of any of the preceding claims further including the step of the notification including any information which the owner of the account may wish to share.

23. The method of any of the preceding claims further including the step of the notification including any one or more of the following: the transaction type, the goods purchased, the parties to the transaction, the location of the transaction, the time of the transaction, the balance of the account, a sound clip of the setting of the transaction, a video clip of the setting of the transaction.

24. The method of any of the preceding claims further including the step of the contact particulars of a pre-selected third-party being that of an emergency contact.

25. The invention further provides for a method of notifying the occurrence of a transaction including the steps of:recording the biometric data captured by a device when a transaction takes place; sending a notification including the biometric data to contact particulars of a pre-selected third-party.

26. The method of claim 25 further including the step of the biometric data being recorded by any one or more of the following: a fingerprint scanner, an iris scanner, a facial recognition scanner, a digital camera or any other device which may be used to capture biometric data.

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