Dynamic Parental Control for Payment Transactions

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing methods for authorizing monetary transactions using smart cards are limited, as they rely on a whitelist of merchants, preventing children from making purchases at unregistered merchants.

Innovation Solution

A method involving a server of the issuing bank that receives parameters of a payment transaction, sends a decision request to a guardian device, which determines approval or refusal based on input from a second user, and then sends a decision response back to the server to authorize or refuse the transaction.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a whitelist of merchants is used to control transactions, then parental control and transaction security are improved, but the ability to make purchases at unregistered merchants is lost

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveparental controlVSAvoidpurchase flexibility
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The system transitions from a static whitelist approach to a dynamic real-time authorization model. The guardian device receives transaction requests and provides approval or refusal decisions dynamically based on current parental preferences, allowing the control mechanism to adapt to changing circumstances without requiring predefined merchant lists.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The guardian device acts as an intermediary between the payment terminal and the issuing bank server. It receives transaction parameters, applies parental control logic, and returns authorization decisions, thereby enabling flexible parental control without restricting purchases to a fixed whitelist of merchants.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If real-time guardian approval is required for transactions, then transaction security and parental control are improved, but transaction processing time increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetransaction securityVSAvoidtransaction processing time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The guardian device is pre-configured with parental control preferences and authorization rules before transaction time. During a transaction, the device quickly evaluates the request against pre-established criteria and returns a decision, reducing the time required for real-time approval while maintaining security.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements a feedback loop where the guardian device receives transaction parameters, applies control logic, and returns authorization decisions to the server, which then communicates the final authorization to the payment terminal. This structured feedback mechanism ensures security while maintaining efficient processing.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentEP4535266A1Method for authorizing a monetary transaction
Publication Date: 2025.04.09 THALES DIS FRANCE SA
  • EP4535266A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4535266A1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4535266A1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The invention is a method for authorizing a payment transaction involving a payment instrument (10) assigned to a first user (41) and issued by an issuing bank (50). During the payment transaction, a server (55) of the issuing bank receives transaction parameters (71). Upon receipt of the parameters, the server sends a decision request (72) comprising the parameters to a guardian device (30) assigned to a second user (42). The guardian device provides the parameters to the second user, determines an approval or a refusal of the second user for the payment transaction then sends to the server a decision response (73) reflecting the approval or refusal. The server generates a decision message (74) either authorizing the payment transaction to continue only in case of approval or refusing the payment transaction only in case of refusal; then send it to a payment terminal coupled to the payment instrument.