Hash-Based Consumer Profile Linking in Unattended Retail Payments
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vending systems face challenges in effectively tracking consumer purchases and implementing loyalty programs across various mobile wallet applications and payment methods, as existing systems often lack efficient methods to associate and update consumer profiles without explicit consumer IDs.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that generate hash values from card numbers, create card identifiers, and associate them with consumer profiles, allowing for purchase history tracking and loyalty program implementation across multiple wallet applications and payment methods, even when consumer IDs are not provided.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If the system uses card numbers directly to identify consumers, then purchase tracking is simple, but consumer privacy is compromised and payment security is weakened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces hash values as an intermediary between card numbers and consumer profiles. Instead of directly storing or processing card numbers, the system generates hash values from card numbers using a key module, then uses these hash values to identify and retrieve consumer profiles. This intermediary layer protects consumer privacy while enabling purchase tracking.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a cryptographic copy (hash value) of the card number that preserves the ability to identify the consumer without exposing the original card number. The hash value serves as a surrogate that maintains the functional capability of consumer identification while eliminating security risks associated with storing or transmitting actual card numbers.
2Measurement precision
If the system creates unique card identifiers for each transaction, then purchase tracking accuracy improves, but system complexity and processing time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent generates card identifiers and their corresponding hash values in advance and stores them in a database before transactions occur. When a transaction happens, the system simply retrieves the pre-generated hash value from the card number using the key module, rather than generating it during the transaction processing. This preliminary preparation significantly reduces processing time while maintaining tracking accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The key module automatically generates hash values from card numbers through cryptographic operations without requiring manual intervention or complex processing. The system uses built-in key management capabilities to perform the hashing operation efficiently, allowing the system to serve itself in generating unique identifiers without external assistance.
3Reliability
If the system stores hashed card values, then consumer security is improved, but the ability to link purchases to consumer profiles becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the system generates a hash value from the card number, uses this hash value to query the database for matching consumer profiles, and then links the transaction to the found profile. The deterministic nature of cryptographic hashing ensures that the same card number always produces the same hash value, providing reliable feedback that enables consistent profile association while maintaining security.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms the card number parameter into a different form (hash value) that maintains the one-to-one correspondence needed for identification while changing the parameter's properties to be more secure. The hash function changes the parameter from a sensitive, exposed value to a secure, non-reversible representation that can still be used for reliable matching and association.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods for generating a consumer profile. The method may include receiving a purchase authorization request including a card number from a consumer, generating, with a key module, a hash value of the card number and generating, at the server, a card identifier. The method may also include associating the generated card identifier with the generated hash value, storing, at a server database, the associated card identifier, and associating, with a processor, the card identifier with the consumer profile.