Patent Application
20200097931
The system 100 includes a customer device 102 by which a user 103 accesses an e-commerce server 104 via the internet 105. The customer device 102 may be any type of computing device usable to allow access to the internet, and runs a browser program (not separately shown) to enable interaction between the customer device 102 and the various resources available via the internet. The customer device 102 may be, for example, a personal computer, a laptop computer, a tablet computer or a mobile-browser-equipped smartphone or other mobile device. The e-commerce server 104 is typically a server computer operated by or on behalf of a merchant to host an online store/shopping website and to allow virtual visits to the website from customer devices. The e-commerce server 104 also operates to handle online-shopping transactions, typically funded by a payment system account owned by the user 103. In an online shopping transaction, the user 103 operates the customer device 102 to select one or more items for purchase, then elects to enter a checkout phase of the transaction, in which information that identifies the user's payment system account is provided to or accessed by the e-commerce server 104.
A computer 108 operated by an acquirer (acquiring financial institution) is also shown as part of the system 100 in
One well known example of a payment network is referred to as the “Banknet” system, and is operated by Mastercard International Incorporated, which is the assignee hereof.
The payment account issuer server computer 112 may be operated by or on behalf of a financial institution (“FI”) that issues payment accounts to individual users and/or other entities. For example, the payment account issuer server computer 112 may perform such functions as (a) receiving and responding to requests for authorization of payment account transactions to be charged to payment accounts issued by the FI; (b) engaging in payment transaction clearing operations; and (c) tracking and storing transactions and maintaining account records.
The components of the system 100 as depicted in
As is well known to those who are skilled in the art, a typical payment system like that shown in
In some e-commerce transactions, the user enters the PAN (primary account number) for his/her payment card account during the checkout phase of interaction between the customer device and the e-commerce server. In other arrangements, there may be a “card-on-file” with the e-commerce server, so that the user does not have to enter his/her PAN.
One concern that arises in connection with many e-commerce arrangements is whether the user's account information may be at risk of being compromised while in the possession of the merchant.
Features and advantages of some embodiments of the present disclosure, and the manner in which the same are accomplished, will become more readily apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description of the disclosure taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate preferred and exemplary embodiments and which are not necessarily drawn to scale, wherein:
In general, and for the purpose of introducing concepts of embodiments of the present disclosure, as part of an e-commerce transaction, the merchant may supply invoice details for the transaction to a trusted remote payment services computer. The payment services computer may store the invoice details and generate an alphanumeric string to serve as an invoice token that represents the stored invoice details. The payment services computer may transmit the invoice token to the merchant, which may in turn provide the invoice token to the customer device that is engaged in the e-commerce transaction. A payment app in the customer device may transmit the invoice token to the remote trusted payment services computer, thereby requesting a download of the invoice details to the customer device. Upon receipt of the invoice details, the payment app may initiate a payment transaction via interaction with the customer's payment account issuer (i.e., the customer's bank). The payment transaction request from the payment app to the account issuer may be based on the invoice details. The account issuer may perform a “credit” payment network transaction to push the transaction amount for the e-commerce transaction to the merchant's bank account at the merchant's bank. Alternatively, an ACH (automated clearing house) transaction may be initiated via the customer's bank, charging a deposit account that the customer's bank maintains for the customer. Suitable confirmations/notifications may be sent to the customer, to the merchant and to the payment services computer, thereby completing the checkout phase of the e-commerce transaction.
With this approach to the checkout phase, the security of the customer's sensitive financial account information is enhanced in that such information is communicated only from the customer to his/her bank and through transaction processing channels, and not to the merchant. Consequently, the customer's account information is not subject to compromise in the event of a data breach affecting the merchant's data processing systems.
Moreover, suitable safeguards may be established between the payment services computer and the merchants participating in the payment system such that the merchant's identity and bona fides may be established to the satisfaction of the payment services computer in connection with the merchant's uploading of invoice details and request for the invoice token. As a result, the customer can be assured that the invoice details he/she receives from the payment services computer are indicative of a valid merchant and valid merchant banking details, thereby reducing or eliminating any risk relating to the validity of the e-commerce website with which the customer was interacting. In other words, the customer is assured that he/she is dealing with a reputable merchant.
As in the system of
Other components of the payment system 200 include the aforementioned payment network 110, the customer's bank 208 and the merchant's bank 210.
In some embodiments, the payment services computer 206 may be under common operation with the payment network 110.
As was the case with the system as depicted in
Referring now to
The payment services computer 206 may include a computer processor 300 operatively coupled to a communication device 301, a storage device 304, an input device 306 and an output device 308. The communications device 301, the storage device 304, the input device 306 and the output device 308 may all be in communication with the processor 300.
The computer processor 300 may be constituted by one or more conventional processors. Processor 300 operates to execute processor-executable steps, contained in program instructions described below, so as to control the payment services computer 206 to provide desired functionality.
Communication device 301 may be used to facilitate communication with, for example, other devices (such as customer devices and merchants' e-commerce servers). For example, communication device 301 may comprise numerous communication ports (not separately shown), to allow the payment services computer 206 to communicate simultaneously with a large number of other devices, including communications as required to simultaneously handle numerous requests for invoice tokens and invoice details
Input device 306 may comprise one or more of any type of peripheral device typically used to input data into a computer. For example, the input device 306 may include a keyboard and a mouse. Output device 308 may comprise, for example, a display and/or a printer.
Storage device 304 may comprise any appropriate information storage device, including combinations of magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disk drives), optical storage devices such as CDs and/or DVDs, and/or semiconductor memory devices such as Random Access Memory (RAM) devices and Read Only Memory (ROM) devices, as well as so-called flash memory. Any one or more of such information storage devices may be considered to be a computer-readable storage medium or a computer usable medium or a memory.
Storage device 304 stores one or more programs for controlling processor 300. The programs comprise program instructions (which may be referred to as computer readable program code means) that contain processor-executable process steps of the payment services computer 206, executed by the processor 300 to cause the payment services computer 206 to function as described herein.
The programs may include one or more conventional operating systems (not shown) that control the processor 300 so as to manage and coordinate activities and sharing of resources in the payment services computer 206, and to serve as a host for application programs (described below) that run on the payment services computer 206.
The programs stored in the storage device 304 may also include a software communications interface 310 that programs the processor 300 to facilitate communications between the payment services computer 206 and e-commerce servers (merchants). In addition, the storage device 304 may store a software communications interface 312 that programs the processor 300 to facilitate communications between the payment services computer 206 and customer devices.
The storage device 304 may also store an invoice token request handling application program 314. The payment credentials request handling application program 314 may program the processor 300 to enable the payment services computer 206 to handle numerous requests from e-commerce servers for invoice tokens, as described herein.
Still further, the storage device 304 may store an invoice details request handling application program 316. The invoice details request handling application program 316 may program the processor 300 to enable the payment services computer 206 to handle numerous requests from customer devices for invoice details, as described herein.
The storage device 304 may also store, and the payment services computer 206 may also execute, other programs, which are not shown. For example, such programs may include a reporting application, which may respond to requests from system administrators for reports on the activities performed by the payment services computer 206. The other programs may also include, e.g., database management software, device drivers, etc.
The storage device 304 may also store an invoice database 318. The invoice database 318 may store invoice details for e-commerce transactions, as uploaded from e-commerce computers to the payment services computer 206. The entries in the invoices database 318 may be indexed by the corresponding invoice tokens generated by the payment services computer 206 for each of the sets of invoice details uploaded to the payment services computer 206.
Further, the storage device 304 may also store one or more additional databases 320 required for operation of the payment services computer 206.
Other computer components of the payment system 200, including e-commerce servers, and computers operated by customers' banks, merchants' banks and the payment network, may have similar hardware architectures and components as those described herein with reference to
The customer device 202 may include a housing 403. (In cases where the customer device 202 is a desktop computer, the customer device 202 may include several housings including the “tower” housing, the keyboard housing, etc.)
The customer device 202 further includes a processor/control circuit 406, which is contained within the housing 403. Also included in the customer device 202 is a storage/memory device or devices (reference numeral 408). The storage/memory devices 408 are in communication with the processor/control circuit 406 and may contain program instructions to control the processor/control circuit 406 to manage and perform various functions of the customer device 202. Programs/applications (or “apps”) that are stored in the storage/memory devices 408 are represented at block 410 in
Physical and/or software aspects of the device user interface, including input/output (I/O) devices, are represented at block 413 in
As is typical for computing devices, the customer device 202 may include communications components as represented by block 414. The communications components 414 allow the customer device 202 to engage in data communication with other devices. For example, the communications components 414 may support mobile communications functions that include voice and data communications via a mobile communications network (not shown). The data communication capabilities of the customer device 202 may allow for online browsing sessions and interactions with webpages via the browser 411 and/or may support “in-app” communication sessions.
From the foregoing discussion, it will be appreciated that the blocks depicted in
Referring initially to
At 506, the e-commerce server 204 may transmit a request for an invoice token to the payment services computer 206. The request may include invoice details for the current e-commerce transaction, now in its checkout phase. The invoice details may include the merchant's name, address and other contact information for the merchant. The invoice details may also indicate the merchant's banking information to support the payment transaction that is to come. The banking information may include the routing number and/or other information that identifies the merchant's bank account to which the payment transaction is to be credited. The invoice details may also include transaction details such as transaction date and amount, and a list of the items purchased, possibly including per item pricing data. Applicable sales tax on the transaction may also be indicated in the invoice details. The invoice details may also include the user/customer's name and address.
At 508, the payment services computer 206 may receive the invoice details/invoice token request transmitted at 506. The interchange of data between the payment service computer 206 and the e-commerce server 204 may be suitably secured such that the validity of the purported identity of the e-commerce server is verified and confirmed to satisfy security requirements of the payment services computer 206 and of the payment system 200.
At 510, the payment services computer 206 may generate an invoice token to represent the invoice details received at 508. The invoice token may be an alphanumeric character string, and need not bear any cryptographic or other relationship to the invoice details that it will represent.
At 512, the payment services computer 206 may store the invoice details received at 508 in the invoice database 318 (
At 518, the e-commerce server 204 may indicate to the customer device 202 that the e-commerce server 204 supports the payment method described herein, and at the same time may transmit the invoice token to the customer device 202. At 520, the customer device 202 (via operation of the mobile browser 411—
At 522 in
At 526, via operation of the payment app 412, the customer device 202 transmits a request for invoice details to the payment services computer 206. The request may include the invoice token passed to the payment app 412 at step 524. At 528, the payment services computer 206 may receive the invoice details request transmitted at 526.
At 530, the payment services computer 206 may retrieve the invoice details that correspond to the invoice token received at 528. That is, the payment services computer 206 may retrieve the invoice details that correspond to the current e-commerce transaction for which the checkout phase was entered at 504.
In the process of
Continuing to refer to
At 538, the user is presented with an opportunity to select from among a number of different accounts belonging to the user, with the selection to indicate which account is to be used for the current transaction. The selected account will support the payment transaction to come (i.e., the payment transaction will be charged to the selected account). In some embodiments, the accounts available for selection may include a deposit account maintained at a bank and belonging to the user. Other account options available for selection may include credit card accounts, debit card accounts, prepaid card accounts, etc. It is further assumed at 538 that the user selects one of the available account options.
At 540, the user 103 may operate the customer device 202 so as to initiate a payment transaction to settle the current e-commerce purchase transaction. This may involve, for example, the customer device 202 presenting a “confirm payment” option to the user 103 via the user interface 413 of the customer device 202, with the user 103 actuating the “confirm payment” option by, e.g., touching a corresponding virtual button displayed on the customer device 202. Doing so may launch an interaction between the payment app 412 and a computer (not shown apart from block 208 in
At 542 in
Referring again to the payment transaction (step 540), in some embodiments, the payment app 412 in the customer device 202 may initiate the payment transaction by interacting with the payment services computer 206 rather than with the customer's bank. The payment services computer 206 may then manage consummation of the payment transaction.
In some embodiments, the invoice token referred to in the description of the process of
As noted above, a process like that shown in
As used herein and in the appended claims, the term “computer” should be understood to encompass a single computer or two or more computers in communication with each other.
As used herein and in the appended claims, the term “processor” should be understood to encompass a single processor or two or more processors in communication with each other.
As used herein and in the appended claims, the term “memory” should be understood to encompass a single memory or storage device or two or more memories or storage devices.
The flow charts and descriptions thereof herein should not be understood to prescribe a fixed order of performing the method steps described therein. Rather the method steps may be performed in any order that is practicable, including simultaneous performance of at least some steps and/or omitting one or more steps.
As used herein and in the appended claims, the term “payment card system account” includes a credit card account or a deposit account that the account holder may access using a debit card. The terms “payment card system account” and “payment card account” and “payment system account” and “payment account” are used interchangeably herein. The term “payment card account number” includes a number that identifies a payment card system account or a number carried by a payment card, or a number that is used to route a transaction in a payment system that handles debit card and/or credit card transactions. The term “payment card” includes a credit card or a debit card.
As used herein and in the appended claims, the term “payment card system” refers to a system for handling purchase transactions and related transactions. An example of such a system is the one operated by Mastercard International Incorporated, the assignee of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the term “payment card system” may be limited to systems in which member financial institutions issue payment card accounts to individuals, businesses and/or other organizations.
Although the present disclosure has been set forth in connection with specific exemplary embodiments, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions, and alterations apparent to those skilled in the art can be made to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as set forth in the appended claims.
