Mobile Device Automatic Tab Payment Security
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Solution Overview
Problem
Point of sale transactions at merchant locations expose customers to risks of lost payment methods and unauthorized use, as well as identity theft when using conventional forms of payment.
Innovation Solution
An automatic tab payment application hosted on a user device enables secure electronic payment processing by storing and managing payment information locally, allowing users to review and pay for goods and services without exposing payment details to merchants.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional forms of payment (cash, credit card, check) are used at merchant locations, then point of sale transactions can be completed, but customers face risks of lost payment methods, unauthorized use, and identity theft
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a mobile device as an intermediary between the customer and the merchant's payment system. The mobile device stores payment information locally and communicates with the merchant's system through a secure channel, preventing direct exposure of payment details to the merchant while enabling transaction completion. This intermediary approach resolves the contradiction by maintaining payment security without compromising transaction capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a copy of the payment card information stored on the mobile device rather than using the actual physical card or transmitting raw card data. This copy is encrypted and stored locally, allowing multiple transactions without exposing the original payment information. The copying principle enables repeated use of payment information while maintaining security, resolving the contradiction between payment reliability and protection against loss/unauthorized use.
2Reliability
If payment information is stored and managed locally on user device, then security is improved by preventing exposure to merchants, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the payment information storage and management function from the merchant's system and places it on the customer's mobile device. This extraction simplifies the overall system architecture by removing the need for complex centralized payment processing systems at merchant locations, while the mobile device's existing processing capabilities handle the security functions. This resolves the contradiction by reducing system complexity while maintaining security.
Solution Approach 2:
The mobile device serves multiple functions: it stores payment information, processes transactions, communicates with the merchant's system, and manages encryption keys. By making the mobile device multi-functional, the patent avoids adding dedicated complex hardware systems, thereby reducing overall device complexity while maintaining payment security through the universal platform's existing capabilities.
Data Source
AI summary
A user device receives, from a server associated with a merchant, a menu of items offered for sale by the merchant. The menu permits a user, of the user device, to place an order associated with the merchant. The user device receives, from the server, information, associated with the order, that includes at least one item and a price associated with the item. The user device receives a user instruction to pay for the order and retrieves, from a memory associated with the user device, payment information to pay the price associated with the at least one item. The user device sends, to the server, the payment information to permit the server to process the payment information. The sending is performed in a manner that does not permit an attendant associated with the merchant to access the payment information. The user device receives an indication the payment information was processed.