Electronic payment method

Abstract

The invention relates to an electronic payment method, comprising the following steps, implemented by a payment server: a) receiving a sales message from a client terminal, the sales message including information relating to a transaction amount and information relating to a merchant's identity; b) comparing the transaction amount to a payment capacity contained in a client account stored in the payment server and determining if the transaction amount is less than or equal to the payment capacity; c) sending a transfer message to a central server for the transaction amount such that the central server credits a merchant's operating account with the transaction amount less a commission, debits a client's operating account, and credits a central operating account with the commission;c) Issuance to the central server of an order to debit the debit balance of the customer's operating account from the customer's bank account to the central bank's central operating account; d) Issuance of an order to transfer the balance of the merchant's operating account to the merchant's bank account; e) Receipt from the central server of a notification that the debit balance of the customer's operating account has been debited. No figure;

Description

Title of the invention: Electronic payment method Technical field

[0001] The invention relates to the field of electronic payment and relates in particular to an electronic payment method not requiring a bank card. STATE OF THE ART

[0002] We know about payment by bank card where a customer presents his bank card to a merchant's electronic payment terminal.

[0003] Payment by bank card, however, presents a certain number of disadvantages for both merchants and consumers.

[0004] For traders: • high transaction fees, • it requires a large number of intermediaries, • a transaction is relatively long (around 15 s) • bank card fraud is significant, • need to have a payment terminal to collect bank card payments (rented or purchased), • the complexity of online payments due to the 3DSecure™ system and strong authentication required to validate payments, • loss of turnover for e-merchants (or Internet merchants) due to significant cart abandonment at the time of payment. • For consumers. • an annual fee depending on the type of bank card, • possible invoicing of fees on cash withdrawals, • limited acceptance by certain merchants (minimum amount requirement), • payment and withdrawal limits, • the impossibility of making payments between individuals, • Not being able to manage a deferred or immediate debit on the same card, • payment limits for contactless payments.

[0005] To avoid using bank cards, solutions using a smartphone (for smart phones) have appeared. These solutions allow the bank card to be dematerialized but still have the disadvantages of paying by bank card.

[0006] There is a need to simplify payments by avoiding the system of payment by credit card. Statement of the invention

[0007] An aim of the invention is to propose a payment and collection solution which is simple, fast, secure and which does not use a bank card for payments made both physically and for online payments.

[0008] To this end, the invention proposes, according to a first aspect, an electronic payment method, comprising the following steps, implemented by a payment server:

[0009] a) receiving a sales message from a client terminal, the sales message comprising information relating to an amount of a transaction and information relating to the identity of a merchant;

[0010] b) comparing the amount of the transaction to a payment capacity contained in a customer account stored in the payment server and if the amount of the transaction is less than or equal to the payment capacity;

[0011] b) sending to a central server a transfer message of the amount of the transaction so that the central server credits an operating account of the merchant with the amount of the transaction less a commission, debits an operating account of the customer and credits a central operating account with the commission;

[0012] c) sending to the central server an order to withdraw the debit balance of the customer operating account from the customer bank account to the central operating account of the central banking institution

[0013] d) issuing an order to transfer the balance of the merchant's operating account to the merchant's bank account;

[0014] e) receiving from the central server a notification that the debit balance of the customer's operating account has been debited.

[0015] The invention, according to the first aspect, is advantageously supplemented by the following characteristics, taken alone or in any of their technically possible combinations:

[0016] - prior to step a):

[0017] aO) receiving a transaction message from a merchant terminal, the transaction message comprising an amount of a sale;

[0018] al) generating a transaction fingerprint from the received transaction message, the fingerprint comprising the sale amount and an identity of the merchant known to the payment server;

[0019] a2) emission of the imprint generated at the merchant terminal.

[0020] - the imprint is a QR code, a near field communication label or a 6-digit numeric code.

[0021] - receipt of the sales message follows validation of the transaction by the client via the client terminal following reading by the client terminal of the fingerprint and authentication of the client at the client terminal.

[0022] - if the transaction amount is greater than a payment capacity contained in the customer account, sending to the merchant terminal a notification of abandonment of the transaction and sending to the customer terminal a notification of refusal of the transaction.

[0023] - the collection order is issued at each transaction or periodically at a determined frequency.

[0024] According to a second aspect, the invention relates to a payment server comprising a processing unit configured to implement a method according to the first aspect of the invention.

[0025] According to a third aspect, the invention relates to a computer program product comprising instructions, which when the program is executed by a computer, lead the latter to implement the steps of the method according to the first aspect of the invention.

[0026] The invention makes it possible to definitively eliminate the use of a bank card presented, even if dematerialized, to an electronic payment terminal.

[0027] The invention allows: - very fast payment because by freeing itself from the bank card, the solution frees itself from all the usual intermediaries of payment by bank card. - A more secure payment than a payment by credit card: • Use of the security elements of the bearer's terminal (PIN code or biometric identification elements), • Use of the security elements of the cardholder's application (PIN code or biometric identification elements) for payments above a specific amount, for example €50, • The amount of the payment without PIN code can be set between €0 and a specific amount, for example €50 in the application depending on the security requirements of each cardholder, • It is no longer necessary to enter or save your bank card codes to make online payments. • No need to save your bank card in a dematerialized wallet (called a wallet, such as Apple Pay™, Google Pay™), • No transmission to the merchant of sensitive information relating to the holder (account number for example) - The customer using the payment application according to the invention can manage the debit of his payments by choosing whether he wishes to switch from a deferred debit payment to an immediate debit payment. - To obtain a spending capacity based on your resources, determined automatically during the registration process. - It is not necessary to preload your account from the application according to the invention to make purchases PRESENTATION OF FIGURES

[0028] Other characteristics, aims and advantages of the invention will emerge from the following description, which is purely illustrative and non-limiting, and which must be read in conjunction with the appended drawings in which:

[0029] - [Fig.l] illustrates an architecture for implementing an electronic payment method electronics according to the invention;

[0030] - [Fig.2] illustrates steps of an electronic payment method in accordance with the invention.

[0031] Throughout the figures, similar elements bear identical references. DETAILED DESCRIPTION Architecture

[0032] [Fig.l] illustrates an architecture for implementing an electronic payment method in accordance with the invention.

[0033] A customer C1 accesses a point of sale POS of a merchant C2 to make a purchase. The customer C1 has an electronic terminal T1 such as a smartphone. The terminal T1 is more generally any equipment suitable for connecting to a payment server SP: touchscreen tablet, laptop, games console, etc.

[0034] The POS point of sale can be a website, a physical location, etc. The POS point of sale is notably materialized by an electronic terminal T2 also adapted to connect to the payment server SP.

[0035] The terminals T1, T2 can connect to the payment server SP by means of a wireless connection, for example via the Internet R. This connection can be implemented by a wired connection (for example via a fiber optic connection, ADSL, network, etc.), wireless Wi-Fi type or via a mobile communication network (3G, 4G, 5G, etc.).

[0036] The payment server SP is typically configured to implement processing and as such comprises a calculator. Preferably, the payment server SP and the terminals T1, T2 are configured to exchange data securely via the Internet connection. Advantageously, the payment server SP and the terminals T1, T2 are configured to exchange data in a highly secure manner according to communication standards well known to those skilled in the art. In addition, the payment server SP includes one or more memories to allow the storage of different data.

[0037] To access the payment server SP, a payment application is installed on the terminal T1 of the client C1 and the client C1 creates a client account 10 allowing him to use the application.

[0038] Similarly, the merchant C2 uses a dedicated application to enable it to interact with the terminal T1 of the customer C1, the merchant C2 having a merchant account 20 to access the payment server SP. The customer and merchant accounts 10 and 20 respectively are stored by the payment server SP and include all the information relating to the customer and the merchant and make it possible to trace all the transactions.

[0039] The payment server SP is associated and connected to a central server SC of a central banking establishment EC which makes it possible to manage banking flows such as interbank transfers of funds by bank transfer in particular. The connection between the central server SC and the payment server SP is implemented in a similar manner to the connection between the payment server SP and the terminals T1, T2. The payment server SP is associated with the central server SC of a central banking establishment EC which will manage all banking flows.

[0040] As this is an application enabling electronic payment, the client C1 has a client bank account 11 managed by a server SI of a client banking establishment E1 and the merchant has a merchant bank account 21 managed by a server S2 of a merchant banking establishment E2.

[0041] In [Fig.l] three separate banking establishments are represented but one or more banking establishments may be combined depending on the preferences of the customer and the merchant.

[0042] As will have been understood, communications between the different servers and the merchant's terminal and that of the customer pass through the R Internet network and are secured according to standards well known to those skilled in the art. The connections implemented will not be detailed further.

[0043] The terminal T1 of the customer C1 and the terminal T2 of the merchant C2 can also be configured to communicate with each other using Near Field Communication (NFC) technology. Electronic Payment Process Initialization

[0044] An electronic payment method described in relation to [Fig.2], requires the installation on the client side Cl of an application on the client terminal Tl. Once the application is installed to access the payment service, the client Cl registers (Init Cl step) on the application by creating his client account 10. To do this, he needs to enter his identity and communicate a debit authorization from his bank account 11 hosted in the banking establishment El which can be any. It can be seen that the client Cl does not have to have a bank card to register and finalize the opening of an account. The client account 10 is stored in the payment server SP and includes, in addition to the identity and bank details, a payment capacity. Such a payment capacity limits the amount that the client can use monthly (in one or more transactions) implementing the electronic payment method described here.This payment capacity is initially capped at a low value and raised once the customer's external bank account 11 is confirmed.

[0045] Similarly, merchant C2 has registered for the service (step Init C2) and . has a merchant account 20 stored in the payment server SP. This merchant account 20 includes the identity of the merchant but also his bank details associated with his merchant bank account 21.

[0046] The bank details will allow the initiation of banking operations required by the payment server SP to the central server SC which is authorized to implement this type of operation.

[0047] To do this, when creating the customer and merchant accounts 10, 20, a customer operating account 12 (payment account type) and a merchant operating account 22 (payment account type) are created in the central server SC of the central banking establishment EC. These operating accounts will make it possible to manage the banking flows initiated exclusively at the time of payment, in a transparent manner for the customer and the merchant. Initiating a payment

[0048] As illustrated in relation to [Fig.2], a customer C1 goes to a POS point of sale to purchase one or more goods (step 100). The customer C1 goes to the POS point of sale so that the merchant C2 can enter the sale (step 101). This is, for example, a conventional checkout. The sale is entered by the merchant C2 on his merchant terminal T2 and leads to the generation of a transaction message M1 including the amount of the sale (step 102). The merchant C2 via his terminal T2 validates the sale which triggers the transmission (step 103) of the transaction message Ml to the payment server SP.

[0049] Upon receipt (step 104) of this transaction message M1, the payment server SP generates (step 105) a transaction EPI fingerprint such as a QR code or an NFC label. This EPI fingerprint contains the amount of the sale as well as the identity of the merchant C2 known to the payment server SP.

[0050] This EPI fingerprint is stored (step 106) in the payment server SP to enable traceability of the transactions and is returned (step 107) to the terminal T2 of the merchant C2 to carry out the transaction with the customer Cl. Transaction session

[0051] The EPI imprint is presented to the customer C1 (step 108) in particular via the merchant terminal T2. Then, the customer C1 confirms the transaction according to one of the following methods: - Payment by QR code: Prior authentication of the customer Cl is implemented by the customer's terminal T1 before a transaction can be validated. This authentication can be done, for example, by fingerprint recognition or facial recognition, or by entering a code. The customer Cl brings his customer terminal T1 close to the terminal T2 to acquire (step 109) the EPI fingerprint. The terminal T1 reads the QR code by acquiring an image of the QR code. The acquisition of the transaction fingerprint triggers a request for validation of the transaction by the customer Cl, which takes the form of authentication of the customer Cl (step 110). In practice, the acquisition of the fingerprint triggers the opening of the payment application on the customer terminal T1, which requests authentication of the customer CL. - Contactless payment by NFC: The customer Cl brings his client terminal T1 close to the terminal T2 to acquire (step 109) the EPI fingerprint. The terminal T1 reads the fingerprint via NFC. In practice, the acquisition of the fingerprint triggers the opening of a payment application on the client terminal T1 which requests authentication of the customer CL. This authentication is implemented by the customer's terminal T1, for example, by recognition of a fingerprint or facial recognition or by entering a code. The acquisition of the transaction fingerprint triggers a request for validation of the transaction by the customer Cl which takes the form of authentication of the customer Cl (step 110). - Payment by entering a transaction code: The customer Cl enters the 6-digit code associated with the imprint presented by the merchant on his terminal TL The amount requested by the merchant is then displayed and the customer Cia has the option of validating or canceling the transaction.

[0052] Once the client C1 has been authenticated, the latter validates the transaction (step 111) which triggers a generation (step 112) by the client's terminal T1 of a sales message M2 followed by its transmission (step 113) to the payment server SP. The sales message M2 includes in particular information relating to the amount of the transaction, information relating to the identity of the client and information relating to a merchant's identity. Such an M2 sales message will allow the payment SP server to process the transaction.

[0053] The sales message M2 received (step 114) is then decoded (step 115) by the payment server SP to extract the information relating to the transaction. The payment server SP then carries out a comparison (step 116) of the amount of the transaction with a payment capacity entered in its customer account 10. Such a capacity is defined when the customer account 10 is created and is variable according to the information communicated by the customer, depending on the financial data collected. The payment capacity can be between 0 and 200 euros by default and beyond after analysis of the data collected and bank account (11) confirmed.

[0054] If the amount of the transaction is greater than the customer's payment capacity, the transaction is abandoned, the payment server SP sends a message to the merchant terminal T2 as well as to the customer terminal T1. The customer C1 and the merchant C2 are thus notified simultaneously of the refusal of the transaction (step 117, step 118).

[0055] If the amount of the transaction is less than or equal to the payment capacity of the client C1 then the payment server SP sends (step 121) to the central server SC a transfer message M3 which allows the central server SC to execute the following operations (step 122): credit the merchant's operating account 22 with the amount of the transaction less a commission which is transferred to a central operating account 30 also stored in the central server SC, debit the customer's operating account 12 with the amount of the transaction.

[0056] Once the transfer has been made to the operating account of the merchant 22, the transaction is completed and the merchant C2 is notified (step 123).

[0057] At the end of the transaction, the customer's operating account is therefore in debit for the amount of the transaction while the merchant's operating account is positive for this amount less the amount of the commission.

[0058] It is understood that several transactions can be credited or debited to the merchant and customer operating accounts. Bank transfer session

[0059] When the transaction is completed, the payment server SP issues a first debit order (step 124) to the central server SC of the central banking institution EC. This first order aims to recover the debit(s) from the customer operating account 12. Such a debit order can be initiated daily or monthly.

[0060] The central server SC then executes a collection of the total debits from the customer operating account according to the known standards in force. The execution of this first collection order implies that the central server SC sends the first order to the customer banking institution E1 and in particular to the server SI of the customer banking institution. The server of the customer banking institution SI transfers (step 126) therefore from the customer's bank account 11 to the central operating account 30 the total of the debits from the customer's operating account 12. The payment server SP is then notified of the coverage of the customer's debits (step 127, step 128).

[0061] At the same time, the amounts credited to the merchant's operating account 22 during each transaction are then transferred to the merchant's bank account 21. This operation is sent by the payment server SP (step 129) to the central server SC of the central banking institution EC. This second order aims to credit the merchant's bank account 21 with the amount credited to its operating account 22.

[0062] The central server SC then executes (step 131) a transfer from the merchant's operating account 22 of the amount to be credited to the merchant's bank account 21 (step 132).

Claims

Claims

1. Electronic payment method, comprising the following steps, implemented by a payment server (SP): a) receiving (114) a sales message (M2) from a client terminal (T1), the sales message (M2) comprising information relating to an amount of a transaction and information relating to the identity of a merchant; b) comparison (116) of the transaction amount with a payment capacity contained in a customer account stored in the payment server (SP) and if the transaction amount is less than or equal to the payment capacity; b) sending (121) to a central server (SC) a message (M3) transferring the amount of the transaction so that the central server (SC) credits an operating account of the merchant with the amount of the transaction less a commission, debits an operating account of the customer and credits a central operating account with the commission; c) sending (124) to the central server (SC) an order to withdraw the debit balance of the customer operating account from the customer bank account (11) to the central operating account (30) of the central banking establishment (d) issuing an order to transfer the balance of the merchant's operating account (22) to the merchant's bank account (21); e) receipt (127) from the central server of a notification that the debit balance of the customer's operating account has been debited.

2. Method according to claim 1, comprising prior to step a): aO) receiving (104) a transaction message (Ml) from a merchant terminal (T2), the transaction message (Ml) comprising an amount of a sale; al) generation (105) of a transaction fingerprint (EPI) from the received transaction message (Ml), the fingerprint (EPI) comprising the amount of the sale and an identity of the merchant (C2) known to the payment server (SP); a2) emission (107) of the imprint (EPI) generated at the merchant terminal.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the fingerprint (EPI) is a QR code, a near field communication (NFC) tag or a 6-digit numeric code.

4. Method according to one of claims 2 to 3, in which the reception of the sales message (M2) follows a validation (103) of the transaction by the customer via the customer terminal (T1) following a reading by the customer terminal of the imprint (EPI) and an authentication (110) of the customer at the customer terminal.

5. Method according to one of claims 1 to 4, in which if the amount of the transaction is greater than a payment capacity contained in the customer account, sending (117) to the merchant terminal (T2) a notification of abandonment of the transaction and sending (118) to the customer terminal (T1) a notification of refusal of the transaction.

6. Method according to one of claims 1 to 5, in which the collection order is issued at each transaction or periodically at a determined frequency.

7. Payment server (SP) comprising a processing unit configured to implement a method according to one of the preceding claims.

8. Computer program product comprising instructions, which when the program is executed by a computer, cause the latter to implement the steps of the method according to one of claims 1 to 6.

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