Browser Extension Ghost Card Creation for Secure Payments

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Solution Overview

Problem

Online shopping poses challenges due to security breaches and lack of immediate access to payment card information and budget details, leading to potential overspending and compromised data.

Innovation Solution

A browser extension that provides interactive financial information and generates a secure 'ghost card' linked to a user's payment instrument, ensuring only eligible cards are used and protecting against data breaches by anonymizing the actual payment card information.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If payment card information is stored for online purchases, then purchase convenience is improved, but security risk increases due to potential data breaches

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepurchase convenienceVSAvoidsecurity risk

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system creates a ghost card that is a copy of the real payment card, containing only necessary transaction information (card number, expiration date, CVV) while excluding sensitive personal data. This copy enables online purchases without exposing the user's actual payment card information, thus maintaining purchase convenience while reducing security risk.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

Solution Approach 2:

The ghost card acts as an intermediary between the user and the merchant. Instead of directly sharing real payment card information with merchants, the system uses ghost cards as a medium that enables transactions while protecting the user's sensitive data from exposure.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Device complexity

If real payment card information is shared with merchants, then transaction processing is simplified, but data breach impact increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetransaction processing complexityVSAvoiddata breach impact

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system generates ghost cards that contain only the minimum necessary information for transaction processing (card number, expiration date, CVV). This copying approach simplifies transaction processing by providing merchants with usable payment information while limiting the exposure of sensitive data that would be impacted by breaches.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

3Productivity

If payment card balances are verified before purchases, then budget control is improved, but time required for verification increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebudget control efficiencyVSAvoidverification time

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by pre-generating ghost cards with predefined spending limits and by providing balance verification capabilities through the browser extension. Users can check their account balances and budget status before making purchases, enabling informed spending decisions without requiring time-consuming manual verification during the checkout process.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS12062036B1Systems and methods for ghost card creation via a browser extension

Publication Date: 2024.08.13 UNITED SERVICES AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION (USAA)

AI summary

Embodiments described herein disclose methods and systems for identifying that a user is accessing a retailer or service provider website and automatically enabling an interactive window that includes personalized user information. The system can detect that the user is accessing a payment webpage associated with the website, and, in response, generate a selectable list of payment instruments associated with the user. When the user selects a payment instrument, the system can create an electronic ghost card linked to the payment instrument and the electronic ghost card information can be input into the payment webpage.