Unified Session Data Network for POS Payment and Loyalty Processing

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current point-of-sale (POS) terminals face inefficiencies in processing payment and loyalty rewards transactions due to the need for separate communication sessions with payment and loyalty cards, which increases processing load and compromises security.

Innovation Solution

A session data network and method where a POS terminal establishes a secure communications session to receive session data, extracts a ledger identifier and token, and transmits authorization and rewards requests to a server, confirming transaction authorization and loyalty points rewards within a single communication session, enhancing security and reducing processing load.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If separate communication sessions are established with payment and loyalty cards, then both payment authorization and loyalty rewards can be processed, but the processing load on POS terminals increases and security is compromised

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecapability to process payment and loyalty rewardsVSAvoidprocessing load on POS terminal

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines separate payment and loyalty card communication sessions into a single unified communication session. The POS terminal establishes one session that handles both payment authorization and loyalty rewards processing, eliminating the need for separate sessions and reducing processing complexity while maintaining full functionality.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The unified communication session is designed to perform multiple functions: it can process payment card data for authorization and simultaneously handle loyalty card data for rewards processing. This multi-functional approach allows a single session to replace what previously required two separate sessions, reducing the processing load on the POS terminal.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Adaptability or versatility

If separate communication sessions are established with payment and loyalty cards, then both payment authorization and loyalty rewards can be processed, but security is compromised

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecapability to process payment and loyalty rewardsVSAvoidsecurity of data communication

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges separate communication sessions into a single secure session, reducing the attack surface and potential security vulnerabilities associated with multiple session management. By consolidating communication channels, the system maintains security while preserving the ability to process both payment and loyalty data.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Adaptability or versatility

If multiple separate communication sessions are used for payment and loyalty processing, then complete functionality is achieved, but processing time increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecomplete payment and loyalty processing functionalityVSAvoidprocessing time

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines payment and loyalty processing into a single communication session, allowing both operations to occur concurrently or in a streamlined sequence. This eliminates the time required to establish, manage, and terminate separate sessions, reducing overall processing time while maintaining complete functionality.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The unified session enables continuous processing of both payment and loyalty operations without interruption or session transitions. The POS terminal can flow through both authorization and rewards processing in a single continuous communication stream, eliminating idle time between separate session operations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #20Continuity of useful action

Data Source

PatentUS12008553B2Session data network and method of processing session data

Publication Date: 2024.06.11 THE TORONTO DOMINION BANK

AI summary

A session data processing network includes a POS terminal and at least one computer server. The POS terminal is configured to establish a secure communications session with a communications appliance, receive session data from the communications appliance via the communications session, extract a ledger identifier and a token from the session data, transmit an authorization request message and a rewards request message to the server. The authorization request message includes the ledger identifier and an authorization value. The rewards request message includes the token and requests a reward of loyalty points to a secondary ledger associated with the token. The server is configured to receive the authorization request message and the loyalty rewards request message, confirm authorization of a transaction in an amount equal to the authorization value from an account associated with the ledger identifier, and transmit to the POS terminal an authorization response message confirming the authorization.