Payment Terminal Secure Processing System Architecture

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional payment terminals lack effective mechanisms to securely process sensitive and non-sensitive payment information while maintaining standard compliance, leading to potential security breaches and limitations in flexible module adjustments.

Innovation Solution

A payment terminal system with a separate secure processing system that operates in secured and unsecured modes, isolating sensitive information processing from non-sensitive processing, and enabling standard-compliant payment processing while allowing unrestricted software module interaction with non-sensitive information.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a single processing system is used for all payment information, then device complexity is reduced, but security is compromised due to inability to isolate sensitive information processing

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovesecurityVSAvoidprocessing system structure

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The payment terminal is divided into two independent processing systems: a secure processing system for sensitive payment information and a main processing system for non-sensitive transaction information. This segmentation allows each system to operate with appropriate security measures while maintaining overall system functionality.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The secure processing system is extracted as a separate, isolated component from the main processing system. This extraction ensures that sensitive payment information processing is physically and logically separated from other terminal operations, preventing unauthorized access while allowing the main system to handle general transaction management.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Ease of operation

If software modules have unrestricted access to all information, then ease of operation is improved, but security is compromised due to potential unauthorized access to sensitive information

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemodule interaction flexibilityVSAvoidinformation security

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

Different access rights and security levels are assigned to different software modules based on their specific needs. Modules requiring access to payment information receive controlled access through the secure processing system, while other modules operate with appropriate restrictions. This localized quality control maintains security while enabling necessary operational flexibility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

3Reliability

If separate secure processing system is implemented, then security is improved by isolating sensitive information, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesensitive information securityVSAvoiddual processing system architecture

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The secure processing system and main processing system are merged into a single integrated payment terminal device that operates in coordinated fashion. This merging allows the terminal to function as a unified system while internally maintaining the security benefits of separate processing paths for sensitive and non-sensitive information.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentUS20230252440A1Payment terminal operation method and system therefor

Publication Date: 2023.08.10 POYNT LLC

AI summary

A method of payment terminal operation, including: receiving a payment collection request for a payment from an application, generating a payment initiation request for the payment, sending the payment initiation request to a secure processing system, switching the secure processing system from operation in an unsecured mode to operation in a secured mode in response to receipt of the payment initiation request, facilitating payment information entry, and receiving a payment response notification, generated based on the payment information, at the main processor.