Provisioning platform for machine-to-machine devices

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Solution Overview

Problem

Households face inconvenience due to regular paper bills for goods and services, and existing technologies do not effectively enable machines to interact with each other for resource management and transactions without human intervention.

Innovation Solution

A system and platform that provision consumer information and access credentials to machine-to-machine devices, allowing them to perform transactions autonomously by using payment tokens and policy sets, enabling interaction and resource management among devices.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If machines are equipped with autonomous transaction capabilities, then convenience and productivity are improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveconvenienceVSAvoiddevice complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a provisioning platform as an intermediary system that manages the complexity of autonomous transactions. This platform handles credential issuance, policy management, and transaction coordination, allowing machines to interact autonomously without requiring complex built-in transaction logic in each device. The intermediary absorbs the complexity while enabling simple machine-to-machine operations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The provisioning platform serves multiple functions including credential issuance, policy management, transaction authorization, and device provisioning. By consolidating these diverse functions into a single universal system, the patent reduces overall system complexity while enabling autonomous machine transactions across different contexts and devices.

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

2Productivity

If machines can autonomously conduct transactions, then productivity increases, but security risks increase

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveproductivityVSAvoidsecurity risks
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by issuing credentials and establishing policies before autonomous transactions occur. The provisioning platform pre-configures access credentials, defines spending policies, and sets transaction parameters in advance. This preliminary setup enables autonomous productivity while maintaining security through pre-established controls and authorization rules.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The provisioning platform implements feedback mechanisms that monitor and control autonomous machine transactions. Policies define acceptable transaction parameters, and the system provides feedback by authorizing or rejecting transactions based on these policies. This continuous feedback loop maintains security while allowing productive autonomous operations within defined boundaries.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentEP3231157B1Provisioning platform for machine-to-machine devices
Publication Date: 2020.05.20 VISA INTERNATIONAL SERVICE ASSOCIATION
  • EP3231157B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3231157B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3231157B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Techniques described herein include a platform and process for provisioning user information onto a machine-to-machine device in order to enable the machine-to-machine device to conduct transactions utilizing the user information. In some embodiments, a user device is used to relay information between a machine-to-machine device and a provisioning service provider computer. In some embodiments, a machine-to-machine device is connected to the provisioning service provider computer via a network connection. Upon receiving a request to provision the machine-to-machine device, the service provider computer may identify the device from a device identifier. The service provider computer may generate an access credential or token for the machine-to-machine device. The access credential, token, and/or one or more policies may be provisioned onto the machine-to-machine device.