Token Broker System for Secure Payment Data Conversion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing security systems face challenges in facilitating secure and efficient payment transactions between entities that use tokens and those that require real account numbers, leading to security vulnerabilities and inefficiencies.
Innovation Solution
A token broker system is introduced to facilitate communication between upstream and downstream trading partners by converting account tokens to account identifiers and vice versa, enabling secure payment transactions while maintaining compliance with PCI standards.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a merchant uses tokens instead of real account numbers to conduct payment transactions, then data security is improved, but the merchant cannot receive or make payments to entities that require real account numbers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a tokenization service system as an intermediary between merchants using tokens and trading partners requiring real account numbers. The system receives real account numbers from merchants, generates tokens, and stores the mappings securely. This intermediary enables secure token-based transactions while maintaining compatibility with systems requiring real account numbers through the token mapping mechanism.
2Ease of operation
If an upstream merchant stores real account numbers to process payments, then payment processing is simplified, but PCI compliance requirements increase system complexity and security risks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the real account number data from the merchant's system by implementing a tokenization service. The service receives real account numbers, generates tokens, and stores the mappings in a secure external system. This extraction removes sensitive PCI data from the merchant's environment, simplifying their system while maintaining payment processing capability through token references.
3Reliability
If entities implement tokenization to improve security, then PCI compliance is enhanced, but communication with non-compliant trading partners becomes problematic
Solution Approach 1:
The tokenization service system provides multiple functions: it generates tokens for PCI-compliant transactions, stores token mappings, and enables both token-based and real account number transactions. This multi-functional system allows entities to maintain PCI compliance while seamlessly communicating with both compliant and non-compliant trading partners through the same infrastructure.
Data Source
AI summary
One embodiment of the invention is directed to implementing a broker system to accept confidential information from upstream trading partners, retrieve tokens from the tokenization service, send tokens to the merchant ordering system, and forward confidential information to downstream trading partners. By using a broker system, the merchant ordering system could store and use tokens to identify orders in its system instead of confidential information, which can help protect the confidential information in the event of a security breach. Also, the broker system may provide an amenable solution for the merchant to continue doing business with the upstream and downstream trading partners without causing these entities to substantially change their current processing systems.