Acoustic Pre-staged Transaction Processing via Audio Encoding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing transaction pre-staging methods, such as those using one-time passwords or location beacons, are vulnerable to misuse and complex to implement, lacking secure and efficient mechanisms for executing pre-staged transactions like withdrawals.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the creation of an audio file with an audible and inaudible portion, where the inaudible portion encodes transaction details above 20 KHz, allowing secure execution of pre-staged transactions by validating the audible portion's duration and size, ensuring only valid transactions are executed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If one-time passwords or bar codes are used for transaction execution, then transaction pre-staging is enabled, but the codes can be copied or forgotten leading to security vulnerabilities
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces visual code-based authentication (bar codes, QR codes) with acoustic-based authentication. The transaction details are encoded into audio signals that can be played through a speaker and captured by a microphone, transforming the authentication mechanism from optical to acoustic domain. This substitution makes it harder for third parties to copy or misuse the authentication credentials.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent encodes transaction details into audio signals with specific parameters including duration, frequency range (above 20 KHz for inaudible portion), and size. These parameter constraints ensure that the audio file contains valid transaction information that can be verified by the system, preventing misuse while maintaining pre-staging capability.
2Reliability
If location beacons with device ID retrieval are used, then transaction security is improved, but the implementation becomes complex and expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential security function from complex location beacon systems and implements it through a simpler audio-based mechanism. Instead of requiring location beacons, device ID retrieval, and complex verification protocols, the system uses audio file encoding with duration and size validation to achieve the same security outcome with reduced complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a simple audio file as a disposable authentication credential that can be generated, transferred, and validated without requiring expensive infrastructure like location beacons. The audio file serves its purpose once and can be discarded, providing security through simplicity rather than through complex persistent systems.
Data Source
AI summary
A method includes receiving selection of an audible audio clip by a user, receiving transaction details including an indication of an amount and an identification of an account number associated with the user and corresponding to a pre-staged transaction, encoding the transaction details into an inaudible audio clip, and combining the audible audio clip and the inaudible audio clip into a transferrable audio file that when played, identifies the pre-staged transaction for execution. The pre-staged transaction may be initiated by receiving an audio rendering of the audio file, determining a duration and a size of the audible portion, decoding the inaudible portion to determine transaction details, including an amount and account identification, and the duration and size of the audible portion, validating the transaction based on the decoded and determined duration and size of the audible portion matching, and executing the transaction responsive to validation and the decoded transaction details.