Vending Platform Mediator for Contactless Mobile Payments
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vending machine transactions are inefficient due to high costs for vendors and poor user experience, especially since many vending machines lack connectivity and require preloading of funds for mobile payment systems like PayRange.
Innovation Solution
A system enabling mobile payment devices to transact with vending machines through a vending platform and wireless payment device interface, using authorization tokens and secure protocols like Bluetooth and Digital Secure Remote Payment (DSRP), allowing transactions without precommitment of funds and maintaining low infrastructure costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a mobile payment application with preloaded credit is used for vending machine transactions, then transactions can be enabled without connectivity requirements, but customer funds are committed in advance and user experience deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a vending platform as an intermediary between the mobile payment device and payment infrastructure. This platform receives transaction details from the mobile device, obtains authorization tokens from the payment infrastructure, and relays them back to enable transactions. This mediator approach allows standard payment card transactions to work in vending machines without requiring preloaded funds or specialized vending-specific payment applications.
2Reliability
If a payment card interface with communications interface is provided in vending machines, then authorization can be obtained, but the cost of ownership and operation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the complex communications and authorization logic from the vending machine itself and places it in a separate vending platform. The vending machine only needs basic wireless communication capability to exchange transaction details and authorization tokens with the mobile payment device, while the platform handles the complex interaction with payment infrastructure. This separation significantly reduces the cost and complexity requirements for vending machines.
Solution Approach 2:
The vending platform serves multiple functions: it acts as a communication bridge between vending machines and payment infrastructure, manages authorization tokens for multiple transactions, and supports various payment card types. This multi-functional platform can serve many different vending machines, amortizing the cost across multiple devices rather than requiring each machine to have full payment processing capability.
3Device complexity
If many vending machines are not connected to communications infrastructure, then infrastructure costs are reduced, but transaction capability is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adds a wireless communication dimension to vending machines, allowing them to communicate with mobile payment devices via Bluetooth or NFC. This alternative communication path bypasses the need for traditional wired communications infrastructure while enabling modern contactless payment capabilities. The system works in the wireless dimension rather than requiring wired connectivity infrastructure.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This system provides secure, cost-effective, and user-friendly transactions for vending machines, leveraging mobile device connectivity to support low-value transactions without preloading funds and reducing operational costs for vendors.
Implementation Method 1
NFC is a development upon RFID, and NFC-enabled devices are able to operate in the same manner as RFID devices—though an NFC-device is active rather than passive, as it is powered by the mobile phone battery rather than relying on inductive pickup from a reader device.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of transaction between a mobile payment device and a vending machine is described, together with a system and elements of a system supporting such a method of transaction. The method comprises establishing wireless contact between the mobile payment device and the vending machine. Vending machine transaction details are established between the mobile payment device and the vending machine. These vending machine transaction details are sent to a vending platform associated with a payment infrastructure where the vending machine transaction is authorized. The vending platform then provides an authorization token for the vending machine transaction, allowing the vending machine to enable vending when the authorization token has been received.