Bi-directional Calendar Feed for Credit Card Fraud Detection

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional credit card fraud reduction techniques do not consider a user's calendar events, relying solely on location or requiring user interaction with the credit card company for travel planning, which limits their effectiveness in detecting fraudulent transactions.

Innovation Solution

A bi-directional feed system that integrates calendar data with credit card transaction information to assess fraud risk, using a calendar reading device, purchase detection device, and risk detection device to correlate user activities with transaction data, allowing for real-time authorization decisions and learning user tendencies for improved fraud detection.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If conventional location-based fraud detection is used, then fraud detection capability is provided, but detection accuracy is insufficient because calendar events are not considered

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefraud detection accuracyVSAvoiduser activity information

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges calendar event data with transaction location data by integrating a calendar reading device with the fraud detection system. The calendar data storage unit stores both transaction information and calendar event information, allowing the system to combine these previously separate data sources into a unified fraud assessment process, thereby improving detection accuracy without losing valuable user activity context.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary reading and storage of calendar event data before fraud detection occurs. The calendar reading device proactively retrieves calendar information and stores it in advance, so that when a transaction is analyzed, the calendar context is already available for immediate comparison with transaction location and time data.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If user must contact credit card company for travel planning, then travel-related transactions can be authorized, but user convenience deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetransaction authorization reliabilityVSAvoiduser operation convenience

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system enables self-service fraud detection by automatically retrieving and analyzing the user's calendar events without requiring user intervention. The calendar reading device and fraud detection unit work autonomously to determine whether transactions occur during scheduled travel periods, eliminating the need for users to manually contact the credit card company to report travel plans.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The system provides automatic feedback by comparing transaction data with calendar event data and making real-time authorization decisions. When a transaction is detected, the system automatically checks the calendar for scheduled travel events and provides immediate authorization or rejection without requiring user action, thus maintaining reliability while improving convenience.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Reliability

If GPS enabled device with range definition is used, then fraud detection is provided, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefraud detection reliabilityVSAvoidsystem structure complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies multi-functionality by using the calendar application, which users already have on their devices, to provide fraud detection capabilities. Instead of requiring a separate GPS-enabled device with range definition features, the system leverages the existing calendar functionality to store and retrieve event data, thereby reducing system complexity while maintaining fraud detection reliability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The calendar data serves as an intermediary between the user's travel plans and the fraud detection system. Rather than directly implementing complex GPS tracking and range definition mechanisms, the system uses calendar events as a mediator to represent user location and activity context, simplifying the overall system architecture while preserving detection effectiveness.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS11301820B2Bi-directional feed between electronic calendar and credit-card authorization unit

Publication Date: 2022.04.12 INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINE CORPORATION

AI summary

A method, system, and non-transitory compute readable medium for a fraud detection including a calendar reading device configured to read calendar data of a calendar for a user, a purchase detection device configured to detect an attempted purchase using a credit-card of the user, and a risk detection device configured to detect fraud by calculating a risk based on the calendar data and data related to the attempted purchase.