Smartcard Bridge for Digital Wallet Interoperability
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Solution Overview
Problem
The transition from smart cards to virtual wallets in mobile payments requires significant investment from merchants and dual support for both solutions, as smartphones lack ISO7816 connectivity and often rely on NFC, which necessitates additional infrastructure and complex online connectivity for secure transactions.
Innovation Solution
Integrating a smartcard with ISO 7816 and/or ISO 14443 connectivity to enable communication between smartphones, POS terminals, and clouds, using BLUETOOTH Low Energy for authentication and data transfer, allowing the smartcard to act as a bridge between incompatible technologies and facilitating transactions without requiring a Secure Element in the smartphone.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If NFC technology is used for mobile payments, then secure transactions are enabled, but significant additional investment by merchants and dual support for both virtual and physical cards are required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a bridge device that mediates between the smartphone and POS terminal. This intermediary contains a secure element and NFC interface, translating Bluetooth Low Energy communications from the smartphone into ISO 7816 or contactless card protocols that the POS terminal can process, thereby enabling secure transactions without requiring the POS to support multiple card types simultaneously
Solution Approach 2:
The bridge device creates a virtual representation of the secure element functionality. Instead of requiring the POS terminal to physically handle both contact and contactless cards, the bridge copies the necessary card protocols and security functions, allowing the system to process virtual wallet transactions through infrastructure designed for physical cards
2Adaptability or versatility
If smartphones are equipped with NFC capability for virtual wallet transactions, then mobile payment capability is improved, but the cost and complexity of the system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The bridge device serves as an intermediary that allows smartphones with Bluetooth Low Energy to communicate with POS terminals through NFC-compatible interfaces. The bridge contains the necessary secure element and protocol translation capabilities, enabling mobile payment capability without requiring smartphones to have NFC hardware
Solution Approach 2:
The bridge device performs multiple functions: it acts as an NFC card reader, a secure element, a protocol translator, and a Bluetooth Low Energy communicator. This multi-functionality allows a single device to enable virtual wallet transactions across different POS terminal types without requiring changes to the smartphones or POS terminals themselves
3Reliability
If cloud connectivity is used for virtual wallet transactions, then secure online connectivity is enabled, but ISO 7816 connectivity is required which smartphones lack
Solution Approach 1:
The bridge device mediates between the cloud-based virtual wallet and the POS terminal. It receives authentication and transaction data from the smartphone via Bluetooth Low Energy, processes it through its secure element, and communicates with the POS terminal using standard ISO 7816 or contactless protocols, thereby providing ISO 7816 connectivity functionality that the smartphone lacks
Data Source
AI summary
A smartcard communicating simultaneously with a smart phone and a point of sale, thereby allowing the smartcard to act as a bridge between the point of sale and the smart phone. The smart card is typically powered by the point of sale and typically communicates with the smart phone using BLUETOOTH Low Energy (BLE).