Payment Credential Selection via Intermediary Mediator

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing payment systems face challenges in securely and efficiently allowing consumers to dynamically select a preferred funding account during a transaction, especially when the cryptogram associated with the payment card or token differs from the cryptogram associated with the funding account, leading to authentication and verification issues.

Innovation Solution

A method and system that enables consumers to update secondary payment credentials linked to a main set of payment credentials, allowing for real-time selection of preferred payment credentials for transactions, using a credential selection database and tokenization service to process authorization requests based on dynamically selected payment credentials.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If a consumer uses a single payment card to access multiple funding sources, then the consumer can reduce the number of cards to carry and select preferred funding accounts dynamically, but the system complexity increases due to cryptogram mismatches between the payment card and funding accounts

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveAbility to link multiple funding sources with a single payment cardVSAvoidSystem complexity due to cryptogram authentication issues

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces an intermediary system (payment network processor) that mediates between the payment card and the funding account. This intermediary receives the authorization request with the payment card cryptogram, retrieves the corresponding funding account cryptogram, performs the authentication against the funding account, and completes the transaction. This resolves the cryptogram mismatch problem by acting as a bridge between the payment card and the selected funding account.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary actions by pre-establishing the relationships between payment cards and funding accounts, and pre-storing the necessary authentication data. When a transaction occurs, the system has already prepared the mapping and authentication credentials needed, allowing rapid real-time selection and authentication without introducing significant delay to the transaction process.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Ease of operation

If the system allows real-time selection of funding accounts during a transaction, then the consumer can dynamically choose the preferred payment method, but the transaction processing time increases

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveReal-time dynamic selection of preferred payment credentialsVSAvoidTransaction processing delay

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system efficiently processes the real-time selection by skipping unnecessary intermediate steps. The payment network processor directly retrieves the funding account information using the payment card identifier, performs the authentication, and completes the transaction in a streamlined manner that minimizes processing time while still allowing dynamic selection.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #21Skipping (Rushing through)

3Reliability

If the system stores and processes multiple payment credentials and their associated cryptograms, then the authentication accuracy improves, but the data security requirements and system complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveAuthentication verification accuracyVSAvoidData storage and security management complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the authentication system into distinct components: the payment card holder's credentials, the funding account credentials, and the payment network processor that manages the mapping between them. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently, with the payment network processor securely storing and managing multiple credential mappings without requiring the consumer device to handle all the cryptographic data.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentEP3933730A1Realtime selection of payment account

Publication Date: 2022.01.05 MASTERCARD INT INC

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AI summary

The invention provides a method and system allowing a consumer to update (secondary) payment credentials linked to a single set of main (first) payment credentials. This allows consumers to initiate transactions using such first set of payment credentials, which are treated by the merchant and acquirer as the payment credentials for the transaction, while the transaction is funded using payment credentials that the consumer dynamically selected. The selection may be performed before the transaction begins, or in some cases the selection can be made in real time whilst the transaction is ongoing.