Travel Identity Tokening via Central Server Mediation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing systems for travel arrangements expose travelers' identities to multiple entities, increasing the risk of identity theft despite security measures, as personal information is passed to various third-party systems during flight and hotel reservations and check-ins.
Innovation Solution
A tokening system is implemented where a traveler's identity is represented by a token, managed by a secure central server, allowing entities to authenticate the traveler without exposing personal information, using a mobile token application on a user's device, which is activated and stored securely, and only accessible through direct communication with the central server.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the traveler's identity is passed to multiple third-party systems for travel reservations and check-ins, then the travel arrangements can be completed, but the risk of identity theft increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a token as an intermediary that mediates between the traveler's personal information and third-party systems. The token contains no personally identifiable information but serves as a credential that enables authentication and travel arrangements. This intermediary layer allows travel operations to proceed while preventing direct exposure of the traveler's identity to multiple external systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the personally identifiable information from the travel transaction process by replacing it with a token. The token is a simplified representation that contains only the necessary authentication credentials without any sensitive personal data. This extraction removes the harmful element (personal information) while preserving the functional element (authentication capability).
2Reliability
If the traveler's personal identification data is stored and accessed by multiple entities, then authentication can be performed, but the anonymity of the traveler is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a copy of the authentication credential in the form of a token that replicates the necessary verification functionality without containing the original personal information. The token is a functional copy that enables authentication but does not reveal the underlying personal data, thus preserving anonymity while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The token serves as an intermediary between the traveler's identity and the authentication systems. It allows multiple entities to verify the traveler's credentials without any entity actually accessing or storing the traveler's personal identification data, thereby maintaining both authentication capability and traveler anonymity.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a tokening system is implemented to protect traveler identity, then anonymity is maintained, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The mobile device automatically manages the token through a token application that handles generation, storage, and transmission of the token without requiring user intervention. The system performs self-service operations including automatic authentication with third-party systems and secure storage management, reducing the operational complexity burden on the traveler while maintaining strong identity protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The token serves multiple functions: it acts as an authentication credential, a privacy protection mechanism, and a portable identifier. This multi-functionality consolidates what would otherwise require multiple separate systems into a single universal token, thereby reducing overall system complexity while maintaining comprehensive identity protection.
Data Source
AI summary
A system for leveraging a tokening system to authenticate a traveler while maintaining anonymity of the traveler is provided. The system may include a secure central server configured to store identification data associated with a plurality of users. The system may also include a mobile token application for providing a token identifier representing a user's identification data. The mobile token application may be activated by the central server on a mobile device of the user registered with the central server and stored in a secure storage on the mobile device of the user. The system may also include a travel service provider. The travel service provider may be configured to enable reserving a travel reservation file. The travel service provider may be enabled to retrieve a token identifier from the user's mobile device as representing the identification of the user and verify the token identifier with the central server.