Biometric Remittance Authentication for Automated Bill Payment

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Solution Overview

Problem

Overseas remittances often lead to issues such as declined bill payments due to insufficient funds, resulting in penalty charges and credit impacts, and delays due to physical distances between remittance receivers and bill payment authorities, as existing systems lack coordination between remittance receipt and bill payment processes.

Innovation Solution

A system that links bill payment services with remittances by using a biometric authentication system to confirm successful fund receipt before automatically initiating bill payments from the recipient's financial account, leveraging a workflow engine to couple the bill payment, remittance, and authentication systems.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If automated bill payment is initiated without confirming remittance receipt, then payment processing speed is improved, but transaction reliability deteriorates due to insufficient funds leading to declined payments and penalty charges

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepayment processing speedVSAvoidtransaction success rate

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary verification by checking remittance receipt status and confirming fund availability before initiating automated bill payment. The workflow engine validates that the remittance has been successfully received and funds are available in the financial account before triggering the payment process, preventing declined transactions due to insufficient funds.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements feedback mechanisms where the authentication system provides real-time information about remittance receipt status to the bill payment system. The workflow engine continuously monitors fund availability and payment status, adjusting the payment initiation timing based on feedback about actual fund receipt, ensuring payments are made only when funds are confirmed available.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Ease of operation

If physical distance between remittance receiver and bill payment authority is bridled, then accessibility is improved, but security risk increases due to automated access to financial accounts

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebill payment accessibilityVSAvoidaccount access security risk

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system introduces multiple intermediary layers including biometric authentication system, workflow engine, and authentication system that mediate between the remote receiver and the bill payment authority. These intermediaries verify identity through biometric challenges, confirm remittance receipt, and validate payment parameters, providing secure remote access without direct physical presence while maintaining strong security controls.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system enables self-service bill payment for remote receivers through automated workflows that allow individuals to enroll in biometric authentication, link their financial accounts, and manage bill payments remotely. The automated system performs verification and execution without requiring physical presence at payment authorities, providing convenient remote access while maintaining security through automated authentication and verification processes.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

3Reliability

If biometric authentication is implemented before remittance, then security is improved, but system complexity increases due to integration of multiple systems

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveauthentication securityVSAvoidsystem integration complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The workflow engine serves as a universal multi-functional component that coordinates authentication, remittance verification, and bill payment operations. The authentication system provides universal biometric verification across different operations (remittance receipt confirmation, bill payment authorization). This multi-functionality reduces overall system complexity by using shared components rather than separate dedicated systems for each function.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The workflow engine acts as an intermediary that simplifies integration between the biometric authentication system, remittance system, and bill payment system. It handles the complexity of system coordination, data exchange, and process sequencing, allowing the individual systems to remain relatively simple while achieving complex integrated functionality through the mediating workflow engine.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS11276063B2System and method for linking bill payment service with remittance

Publication Date: 2022.03.15 MASTERCARD INT INC

AI summary

An enrollment of a receiver in a biometric authentication system is obtained. The receiver is challenged with a pre-remittance biometric challenge from the biometric authentication system prior to initiating a remittance to the receiver. An indication is obtained that the remittance has at least been initiated to a financial account of the receiver. The indication includes successful completion of the pre-remittance biometric challenge by the receiver. Responsive to obtaining the indication, at least one payee is automatically paid from the financial account.