Empty Card Virtual Number Mapping for Secure Financial Transactions

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing payment systems face issues with card number leakage and user identification, particularly with magnetic cards, and existing virtual solutions like OTPs are cumbersome and difficult to implement across various platforms.

Innovation Solution

A system and method for using an 'empty card' that generates a virtual card number based on empty card data, allowing secure transactions by linking to a real card number through a server, with features like fingerprint recognition and dynamic account number display.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a real card number is recorded on the card surface as in magnetic cards, then the card can be used for transactions, but the real card number is visually exposed and leaked to other people

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetransaction capabilityVSAvoidcard number leakage
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses a virtual card number as a copy or substitute for the real card number. The virtual card number contains the same transactional functionality but does not expose the actual card number stored on the card surface, thereby preventing leakage while maintaining transaction capability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

Solution Approach 2:

The virtual card number acts as an intermediary between the real card number and the transaction system. It mediates the transaction process without revealing the real card number, solving the contradiction between transaction capability and security.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Object-affected harmful factors

If a virtual card number is used to prevent real card number leakage, then security is improved, but user identification data is needed to search for the real card number corresponding to the virtual card number

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecard number leakage preventionVSAvoiduser identification and search procedure
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the user identification function from the card number itself. The empty card contains only transactional data without user identification information, separating the identification function to the server side where it can be processed securely without exposing sensitive data.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The server automatically performs the matching of virtual card numbers to real card numbers using stored correspondence data. This self-service mechanism eliminates the need for manual user identification procedures, reducing complexity while maintaining security.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

3Reliability

If OTP code is used for user identification, then user verification is possible, but a login procedure is needed to determine the algorithm assigned to the user and it is difficult to apply to various areas

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuser verificationVSAvoidapplication across various platforms
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The virtual card number system provides universal functionality across different transaction platforms and areas. Unlike OTP which requires platform-specific implementation and login procedures, the virtual card number can be used universally for transactions without requiring users to understand or input complex verification algorithms.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

4Object-affected harmful factors

If the virtual card number changes in real time, then security against leakage is improved, but a device capable of searching for the real card number based on the virtual card number is needed without providing user identification information

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvereal-time securityVSAvoidsearch mechanism without user ID
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The server pre-stores the correspondence between virtual card numbers and real card numbers before transactions occur. This preliminary preparation allows the server to quickly resolve any virtual card number to its corresponding real card number without requiring complex real-time search algorithms or user identification information.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP4350651B1Method and system for providing financial transaction using empty card
Publication Date: 2026.04.01 SSENSTONE INC
  • EP4350651B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4350651B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4350651B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4

AI summary

A method and a system for providing a financial transaction using an empty card are provided. The method for providing a financial transaction using an empty card includes receiving, by a server, a virtual card number generated by a program included in a user terminal, searching, by the server, for an empty card storage location at which the empty card is registered, in a storage location search algorithm based on the virtual card number, searching, by the server, for a real card number storage space linked to a user identification (UID) assigned to the found empty card storage location, extracting, by the server, a real card number stored in the real card number storage space, and performing, by the server, a financial transaction progress or a financial transaction progress request with the extracted real card number.