Retail Terminal Transaction Security via Interchange Mediator
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current mobile communication systems lack efficient methods for facilitating secure and convenient online transactions, particularly in scenarios where direct communication with mobile phones is required for payment confirmations and fund collection.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a retail terminal with a user interface, memory, and data communication interface that transmits phone numbers to a server to confirm transactions and send premium messages to mobile phones for fund collection, utilizing an interchange to interface with various mobile communication controllers and secure account information for payment processing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If account information is transmitted to merchants for payment processing, then transaction convenience is improved, but security is worsened due to exposure of sensitive account information
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an interchange as an intermediary component that receives account information from mobile devices and forwards payment requests to merchants without exposing the actual account details. The interchange acts as a trusted mediator that handles the sensitive information processing, allowing merchants to process payments without directly handling or storing account information, thus resolving the contradiction between transaction convenience and security.
2Speed
If mobile communication protocols are used for transaction confirmation, then transaction speed is improved, but reliability is worsened due to potential message delivery failures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the system monitors SMS message delivery status and automatically retries failed deliveries. The interchange tracks whether confirmation messages reach mobile devices and initiates retransmission if delivery fails, ensuring reliable transaction confirmation while maintaining fast processing speeds through automated error handling.
3Ease of operation
If SMS messaging is used for fund collection, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity is worsened due to integration with multiple communication protocols
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the interchange to support multiple communication protocols (SMS, email, and other messaging systems) through a unified interface. The interchange can adaptively select the appropriate protocol based on the user's device capabilities and preferences, allowing fund collection to work across different mobile devices without requiring each device to handle multiple protocols independently, thus reducing overall system complexity while maintaining ease of operation.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods are provided to facilitate retail transactions via mobile communications. In one aspect, a retail terminal includes: a user interface to receive a phone number of a customer; a memory; a data communication interface; and a processor coupled with the memory and the data communication interface to transmit the phone number to a server computer to cause the server computer to communicate with a mobile phone at the phone number to confirm a transaction at the retail terminal and to transmit one or more premium messages to the mobile phone to collect funds for the transaction, and to receive from the server computer a message indicating that the funds are available for the transaction. The retail terminal is to perform the transaction in response to the message from the server computer.