In-Vehicle Payment Interface Using Short-Range Token Transfer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vehicle occupants face the inconvenience of having to carry cash and financial cards and manually interact with employees for payments while inside or near their vehicles, making transactions time-consuming.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle is used as a payment device by storing financial cards in its infotainment system, transmitting data to a POS terminal via short-range communication, with electronic circuitry on the exterior facilitating secure token transfer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If vehicle occupants manually carry cash and financial cards to make payments, then payment capability is ensured, but transaction time increases and convenience decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The vehicle itself performs the payment function by storing financial card data in its infotainment system and automatically transmitting payment information to the POS terminal, eliminating the need for occupants to manually handle cash or cards
Solution Approach 2:
The infotainment system is extended to perform multiple functions including entertainment, navigation, and payment processing, allowing the vehicle to serve as both a transportation device and a payment device
2Ease of operation
If occupants exit the vehicle to make payments, then payment interaction is possible, but time consumption increases and user experience deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The vehicle autonomously completes the payment transaction by transmitting data from its infotainment system to the POS terminal without requiring the occupant to exit or physically interact with the payment terminal
Solution Approach 2:
The infotainment system acts as an intermediary between the occupant's financial accounts and the POS terminal, enabling contactless payment transmission while the occupant remains inside the vehicle
3Productivity
If financial card data is stored in the infotainment system, then payment speed increases, but security requirements become more stringent
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of storing actual financial card data, the system uses tokenized representations or encrypted copies that can be transmitted for payment processing but cannot be used for unauthorized transactions
Solution Approach 2:
The system transforms sensitive financial data into a different format (tokens or encrypted data) that maintains the functional capability for payment while eliminating the security risks associated with storing actual card numbers
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, systems, apparatus, and non-transitory computer readable media are described for using a vehicle as a payment device. Various aspects may include receiving a selection of a stored financial card or financial account at a vehicle head unit. The selected financial card or financial account may be transmitted to a point-of-sale (POS) terminal for making a payment by transmitting a tokenized card number to the POS terminal. The tokenized card number may be transmitted over a very short-range communication link to ensure that the transmission is secure. For example, electronic circuitry may be attached to the exterior of the vehicle, where the electronic circuitry may be within a threshold distance (e.g. one inch, three inches, six inches, one foot, three feet, etc.) of the POS terminal. The tokenized card number may be transmitted from the vehicle head unit to the electronic circuitry and then to the POS terminal.