Single-Tap Contactless Authentication Using a Pre-Stored Secret

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing methods for user device interactions, such as double tap interactions, are inefficient and cumbersome when high-value interactions require offline PIN authentication, leading to the need for contact-based interactions instead of contactless ones.

Innovation Solution

A method for performing an offline contactless interaction using a secret with a single tap, where the contactless access device receives and verifies a secret, encrypts it, and sends it to the user device for verification, allowing seamless processing upon successful verification.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If double tap interaction method is used for high-value interactions requiring offline PIN authentication, then security is improved, but interaction speed and efficiency deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveauthentication securityVSAvoidinteraction speed
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSSpeed

Solution Approach 1:

The secret is transmitted and stored in the access device before the actual interaction occurs. When a high-value interaction requires PIN authentication, the pre-stored secret enables immediate verification without requiring a second tap, thus maintaining security while improving interaction speed

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

A secret (encrypted representation of PIN) is introduced as an intermediary element that bridges the user device and access device. The secret is stored in the access device and serves as a mediator that enables fast authentication verification without requiring repeated physical contact between devices

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If double tap interaction method is used, then offline PIN verification is achieved, but operational complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovePIN verification capabilityVSAvoiduser operation simplicity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The secret is pre-transmitted and stored in the access device before the interaction. This preliminary action eliminates the need for the user to perform a second tap operation, reducing operational complexity while maintaining PIN verification capability

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The secret verification process is extracted from the interaction flow and performed independently using pre-stored data. This separation allows the main interaction to proceed with a single tap while the verification occurs in the background using the pre-stored secret

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Reliability

If contact-based interaction is used for high-value transactions, then authentication security is improved, but loss of time increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveauthentication securityVSAvoidinteraction time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The mechanical contact-based authentication system is replaced with a contactless system using wireless transmission of the secret and cryptographic verification. This substitution maintains the security of offline PIN verification while eliminating the time loss associated with physical contact requirements

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The secret is pre-transmitted and stored before the interaction occurs. This preliminary action enables the authentication process to complete rapidly during the actual interaction, reducing the time loss while maintaining the security benefits of offline PIN verification

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP4396707B1Efficient interaction processing using secret
Publication Date: 2025.10.22 VISA INTERNATIONAL SERVICE ASSOCIATION
  • EP4396707B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4396707B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4396707B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A method includes an access device determining an interaction value associated with an interaction. The access device prompts a user operating a user device for a secret. The access device receives the secret. The access device receives an initial communication then a user device certificate comprising a public key from the user device. The access device then verifies the certificate. The access device concatenates at least the secret and an unpredictable number to form a concatenated value. The access device encrypts the concatenated value with the public key, then transmits the encrypted concatenated value. The user device decrypts the encrypted concatenated value with a private key, verifies the unpredictable number, verifies the secret, determines whether or not the interaction is approved, produces an interaction authorization result, and then provides the interaction authorization result to the contactless access device. The access device receives the interaction authorization result.