Pre-set Readable Indicia for Offline Payment Transactions

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Solution Overview

Problem

In situations where either the user or the merchant lacks network connectivity, performing transactions using mobile devices becomes difficult or impossible due to the lack of immediate reconciliation options.

Innovation Solution

The system employs pre-set readable indicia, such as QR codes, stored on a user's mobile device, which include payment instructions and account information, allowing for transactions to be facilitated even without connectivity. These indicia can include a predetermined payment limit or one-use payment tokens, and require user authentication to authorize payments, enabling transactions to be processed and reconciled later when connectivity is restored.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If network connectivity is required for transaction processing, then transaction security and reconciliation accuracy are improved, but transaction availability and user convenience deteriorate in areas with limited connectivity

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetransaction reconciliation accuracyVSAvoidtransaction availability

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system pre-loads readable indicia (QR codes, barcodes, or NFC data) containing payment account information onto the user's mobile device before network connectivity is lost. This preliminary action enables the device to present valid payment information offline, resolving the contradiction by ensuring transaction availability while maintaining the ability to reconcile accurately when connectivity is restored.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The readable indicia acts as an intermediary carrier that stores payment information locally on the user's device. This intermediary enables transaction initiation without direct network connectivity, while the merchant's system can later reconcile the transaction through the indicia data, thus maintaining both availability and reconciliation accuracy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Measurement precision

If real-time network reconciliation is performed, then transaction verification accuracy is improved, but transaction processing speed and efficiency deteriorate in low-connectivity environments

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetransaction verification accuracyVSAvoidtransaction processing speed

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

Payment account information and verification data are pre-loaded onto the device in advance. This allows the transaction to be initiated and processed immediately without waiting for real-time network verification, thus improving processing speed while maintaining the ability to verify accurately when connectivity is available.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system dynamically adapts its verification process based on network availability. When connected, full real-time verification is performed for maximum accuracy. When disconnected, the system uses locally stored indicia data to enable immediate processing, with reconciliation deferred until connectivity is restored, thus optimizing processing speed for the current environmental conditions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

3Ease of operation

If payment account information is stored on the device, then transaction convenience is improved, but device security requirements and data protection complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetransaction convenienceVSAvoiddata protection complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of storing sensitive payment account information directly on the device, the system creates readable copies (indicia such as QR codes, barcodes, or NFC data structures) that contain the necessary payment information in an encoded format. These copies can be presented for transaction processing without exposing the actual account details, thus improving convenience while managing security through indirect representation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

Solution Approach 2:

The payment information is transformed from its original sensitive format into a different parameter representation (visual codes or structured data) that can be safely stored and transmitted. This parameter change allows the information to be used for transactions while reducing the security risk associated with storing plain-text account details.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS8925805B2Pre-set readable indicia to facilitate payment during a transaction with a merchant when there is limited network connectivity

Publication Date: 2015.01.06 BANK OF AMERICA CORP

AI summary

Embodiments are directed to processing a pre-set readable indicia associated with a user. Embodiments receive and store one or more pre-set readable indicia including instructions for providing a payment during a transaction; and presents one or more of the pre-set readable indicia to a merchant during a transaction for payment. In some embodiments, the pre-set readable indicia comprises a one-use payment token for payment during a transaction not to exceed a predetermined payment limit, and in some embodiments, the pre-set readable indicia comprises payment account information and the invention receives authentication credentials from the user and authenticates the user to approve payment using the payment account information from the pre-set readable indicia.