Patent Application
20130297507
1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates generally to electronic transactions and, more specifically, to a system and method for transaction authentication using a wireless communication device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Credit card transactions are relatively new in the world of commerce. A traditional credit card transaction was executed with the presentation of a plastic card (i.e., the credit card) that is embossed with the name of the credit card holder, an account number, and an expiration date, as well as other possible information. The back of the card traditionally includes an indelible area for the card owner's signature. To complete a transaction, the credit card was inserted into a mechanical imprinter along with a multi-page carbon copy form. The mechanical device creates an imprint of the embossed surface of the credit card and the consumer signs the imprinted credit card form.
The transaction was generally authenticated by comparing the signature on the back of the credit card with the signature made on the credit card form. In addition, a periodically generated book of invalid credit card numbers was manually searched to determine if the credit card was invalid. Furthermore, some condition might be attached to the transaction, such as a dollar threshold, which would cause the person authenticating the transaction to call a customer service representative of the credit card issuing company to determine whether the transaction could be authenticated or authorized.
As credit cards evolved, a recordable magnetic strip was added to the back of the card. The magnetic strip included encoded data for at least the same information as was embossed into the card and, in some cases, contained additional information. The mechanical credit card imprinting machine was replaced with a magnetic strip reader that allowed the card to be “swiped” to read the encoded data on the magnetic strip. The card reader was connected to a computer server that authenticated or authorized the transaction. The magnetic strip eliminated the step of impressing the card in many cases and reduced or eliminated the need to consult a book of invalid credit card numbers or the need for making an authorization phone call. However, initially, it did not eliminate the process of comparing signatures.
As computer and credit card systems evolved, numeric keypads were added to the magnetic strip reading apparatus such that the signature checking process took a secondary role to the credit card owner entering a number known only to them and the credit card owner. The purchaser would enter a personal identification number (PIN) on a keypad and the PIN data was matched at the credit card owner computer to authenticate the credit card. This process was the beginning of the movement from manual to automatic authentication of the user and subsequent approval of the transaction.
A subsequent generation of plastic cards includes an embedded near-field communication (NFC) chip embedded into the card to augment or replace the magnetic strip. Although not widely used in the U.S., the NFC chip allowed the data that was previously on the magnetic strip, as well as optional additional data, to be read by an NFC reader when the card was placed near the surface of the NFC reader. Thus the step of swiping the magnetic strip is eliminated. However, the authentication mechanism for these transactions still includes the entry of the PIN by the card user. Due to the development of more sophisticated computer systems to analyze the risk of fraud, the entry of PIN data has been eliminated for both the magnetic strip cards as well as for cards with the NFC chip for transactions involving small amounts. The adoption of NFC technology has been slow because of the cost of augmenting or replacing the magnetic strip readers with NFC readers.
While the introduction of NFC chips into credit cards has enabled a new generation of authentication technologies, a more recent development has been the addition of NFC chip functionality into wireless phones. However, the use of the NFC chip in a wireless phone still requires a new NFC reader at the site of the transaction, thus reducing the adoption of this technology.
Therefore, it can be appreciated that there is a significant need for a technique that will permit the simple, reliable, and secure authentication for financial transactions. The present disclosure provides this, and other advantages, as will be apparent from the following detail description and accompanying figures.
As discussed in the background section, some new wireless communication devices include an NFC chip. While such technology may improve the automation of the authentication process, it requires the introduction of new technology in the form of NFC chips to be installed in wireless communication devices. In contrast, the present invention utilizes the communication functionality already present in many phones. As will be described in detail below, the exchange of data through multiple different communication pathways provides a greater degree of security in the authentication process.
Although illustrated in
The authentication station 110 is coupled to a wide area network (WAN) 120 by a communication link 122. The WAN 120 can be, by way of example, the Internet. However, the WAN 120 may also be a private network. The communication link 122 can be a wired link using protocols, such as TCP/IP, Ethernet, SONET, or the like, fiber-optic link, or a wireless communication link, such as IEEE 802.16D, microwave, or the like, alone or in combination.
In addition to the communication capability with the WAN 120, the authentication station 110 can communicate directly with the mobile unit 102 using two different short-range communication links 122 and 124. The first and second wireless communication links 124-126 may be implemented using known technologies, such as Bluetooth, WiFi, Zigbee, or the like. The operational data exchanged via the first and second wireless communication links 124-126 will be described in greater detail below.
The system 100 also includes a transaction processor 130, which is communicatively coupled to the WAN 120 via a communication link 132. The transaction processor 130 is configured to process the actual financial purchase transactions. It is the transaction processor 130 that approves or rejects the actual financial transactions. For example, if the transaction exceeds the credit limit of the user account, the transaction processor will send a transaction rejection message to the authentication station 110.
An authentication processor 134 is also communicatively coupled to the WAN 120 via a communication link 136. As will be described in greater detail below, the authentication processor 134 is responsible for verifying the identity of the mobile unit 102. The authentication processor 134 can communicate a verification of the identity to the transaction processor 130 via the WAN 120 and the communication links 136 and 132. Alternatively, the authentication processor 134 may be coupled to the transaction processor 130 via a communication link 140. In this embodiment, the communication link 140 may be, by way of example, a local area network (LAN).
The mobile unit 102 also includes a number of conventional I/O devices 154, such a display, keyboard, audio output, video input, and the like. These many possible devices are referred to generically herein as the I/O devices 154.
The mobile unit 102 also has a PLMN transceiver 156. The PLMN transceiver 156 is configured to communicate with the base station 106 via the wireless communication link 108 shown in
The mobile unit 102 also includes a first short-range transceiver 158 and a second short-range transceiver 160. As discussed above, the short-range transceivers 158-160 may be implemented in accordance with conventional communication protocols, such as, by way of example, Bluetooth. The short-range transceivers 158-160 are used to establish the first and second wireless communication links 124-126, respectively (see
The transceivers 156-160 are coupled to an antenna system 162. Because the PLMN transceiver 156 may operate on frequencies significantly different from those of the short-range transceivers 158-160, the antenna system 162 may comprise multiple antenna elements. However, for the sake of brevity, those are illustrated herein as the antenna system 162.
The various components described above are coupled together by a bus system 166. The bus system 166 may include an address bus, data bus, control bus, power bus, and the like.
The authentication station 110 also includes first and second short-range transceivers 186 and 188. The short-range transceivers 186-188 are used to establish the short-range wireless communication links 124-126 respectively, with the mobile unit 102. The short-range transceivers 186-188 are coupled to an antenna system 190. As discussed above with respect to
As will be described in greater detail below, the authentication station 110 will communicate with the mobile unit 102 to derive information therefrom. That information will be relayed to the authentication processor 134 via the WAN 120. If the mobile unit 102 is authenticated by the authentication processor 134, and the transaction processor 130 approves the transaction, the authorization to proceed with the transaction will be transmitted to the authentication station 110 via the WAN 120 and the NIC 192.
The various components of the authentication station 110 are coupled together by a bus system 194. The bus system 194 may include an address bus, data bus, control bus, power bus, and the like.
The exchange of data by the various components in
In an exemplary embodiment, the Identity is transmitted from the mobile unit 102 to the authentication processor 140 prior to initiating any transaction at the authentication station 110. As will be explained in greater detail below, following any transaction, the Identity is retransmitted to the authentication processor 134 for the next subsequent transaction.
The authentication processor 134 transmits the Identity to the database 138 for storage. The authentication processor 134 may also provide additional information about the user. For example, it could include flags regarding the type of user (e.g., individual user, corporate user, and the like) or any other information related to the mobile unit 102. That information is also stored in the database 138.
The authentication processor 134 uses the identity to create a Hash and Identifiers, which are also stored in the database 138. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that a Hash is a cryptographic Hash function or similar method of encrypting the Identity.
The authentication processor 134 also creates security data in the form of Identifiers. The Identifiers are data strings that are broadcast by the authentication station 110 over the short-range communication links 124-126. The Identifiers identify an air link to devices (e.g., the mobile unit 102) listening for an Identifier and for an air link. In the system 100, there are two types of Identifiers. The first type of Identifier, used in the short-range communication link 124, is a Common Identifier (e.g., FinancialProcessingNetwork). The authentication station 110 broadcasts the Common Identifier over the short-range communication link 124 for detection by the mobile unit 102. The Common Identifier may remain fixed, or may be changed from time to time either administratively or by the authentication processor 134. It may be used by multiple devices for multiple transactions. In contrast, the second type of Identifier is a Private Identifier, which is unique to each authentication, and is dynamically assigned by the authentication processor 134. In an exemplary embodiment, the Private Identifier is comprised of a random combination of alphanumeric characters (e.g., b4m73xxfxlc24). The Private Identifier is broadcast only for the duration necessary for the mobile unit 102 to establish a connection and exchange any (optional) data. The Hash, and Identifiers are relayed back from the database 138 to the authentication processor 134 and transmitted back to the mobile unit 102 via the PLMN 104. The mobile unit 102 stores the Hash and Identifiers in the memory 182. At this point, the mobile unit 102 contains information, in the form of a Common Identifier, a Private Identifier and a Hash of its Identity. These data are stored in the mobile unit 102 in preparation for a future transaction. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that, at this point in time, only the mobile unit 102 and the authentication processor 134 know the Hash and the Identifiers.
Following each transaction, this process is repeated so that the mobile unit 102 always contains a different Private Identifier for each transaction. This reduces the possibility of an unauthorized device mimicking the Identity of the mobile unit 102. In one embodiment, the Hash can also be changed for each transaction thus providing an additional layer of security in the authentication process.
The data, such as the Hash and the Identifiers are delivered to the mobile unit 102 via a first wide-area network (e.g., the PLMN 104) and are safely stored in the mobile unit. This data may now be used for authentication during a transaction. As shown in
In response, the authentication station 110 transmits an authentication station ID and the received Hash to the authentication processor 134 via the WAN 120. The authentication station ID is a unique permanent Identifier for the authentication station. The authentication station ID can be compared to a list of valid authentication station IDs as a further means of security during the authentication process. In addition, the authentication station ID can be used in a confirmation process to determine the precise location of a financial transaction if questions arise at a subsequent time. The authentication processor 134 derives the Identity from the received Hash and looks up the Identity in the database 138. If the Identity derived from the Hash is valid, the database 138 returns an indicator that the Identity is valid. If not, the authentication fails and the transaction cannot proceed.
In response to a valid Identity, the authentication processor 134 transmits the Private Identifier to the authentication station 110 via the WAN 120. In response, the authentication station 110 transmits the Private Identifier on the wireless communication link 126. At the same time, the authentication station 110 instructs the mobile unit 102, using the wireless communication link 124, to connect to a Private Identifier.
In response to the instruction, the mobile unit 102 detects the Private Identifier broadcast from the authentication station 110 and connects to the authentication station via the wireless communication link 126. If the mobile unit 102 and the authentication station 110 are capable of simultaneously maintaining both air links (e.g., the wireless communication links 124 and 126 in
During the transaction, the authentication station 110 receives the Private Identifier via the WAN 120. The mobile unit 102 has previously received the Private Identifier via the PLMN 104 in the process described above. As noted above, the Private Identifier is unique for that mobile unit 102 and that particular transaction. In turn, the authentication station 110 has now received the matching Private Identifier, which will be valid only for the ongoing transaction. Thus, the possible interception of the Private Identifier by a third party will not be useful in subsequent financial transactions because the Private Identifier and, in one embodiment, the Hash will be altered upon completion of the current transaction.
In response to the command to connect to the Private Identifier, the mobile unit 102 connects to the authentication station 110 via the wireless communication link 126. Upon connection using the Private Identifier, the authentication station 110 transmits a message to the authentication processor 134 via the WAN 120 to indicate that the connection using the Private Identifier was successful. This means the authentication of the mobile unit 102 has been successfully completed.
With the successful completion of the authentication process, the authentication processor 134 transmits a message to the transaction processor 130 that the authentication was successful. The transaction processor 130 operates in a conventional manner to determine whether the transaction itself can proceed. That is, the transaction processor 130 can check the amount of the transaction, credit limits, and the like to determine whether or not to allow the transaction to proceed.
Thus, the system 100 uses multiple different communication links and different networks to uniquely identify the mobile unit 102 and to pre-send a Private Identifier (and, optionally the Hash) that will be uniquely determined for each transaction. Because different portions of the data for the transaction are transmitted at different times and via different communication pathways, it makes it difficult to intercept data and mimic the mobile unit.
In step 204, the authentication processor 134 receives the Identity and stores the Identity in the database 138. The database 138 stores the Identity and, in step 206, generates the Hash and Identifiers. The Hash and Identifiers are also stored in the database 138. In step 208, the authentication processor 134 transmits the Hash and the Identifiers to the mobile unit 102 using the PLMN 104. As previously discussed, these steps all occur in a pre-authentication process. That is, the Hash and Identifiers are generated, based on the Identity of the mobile unit 102 and stored in the mobile unit prior to the initiation of any transaction.
The following steps describe the authentication process during a transaction. In step 210, the authentication station 110 broadcasts the Common Identifier. When the mobile unit 102 is within a short range of the authentication station 110, it detects the Common Identifier broadcast by the authentication station and connects with the authentication station via the wireless communication link 124. Upon connection, the mobile unit 102 transmits the Hash to the authentication station 110 using the wireless communication link 124.
The authentication station 110 transmits the Hash received from the mobile unit 102, and an authentication station ID, to the authentication processor 134 via the WAN 120. In step 214, the authentication processor 134 uses the Hash to derive the Identity of the mobile unit 102 and looks up the mobile unit Identity in the database 138. If the Hash is a bogus set of data from an unauthorized device, it will not produce the correct Identity and the authentication process will fail. As an additional security measure, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the mobile unit 102 must be in close proximity with the authentication station 110 to detect the Common Identifier and to transmit its Hash thereto. Because the Hash has been previously transmitted to the mobile unit 102 via the PLMN 104, an unauthorized user would have to intercept that Hash and also be in proximity with the authentication station 110. These independent processes make that prospect exceedingly difficult.
In step 216, the authentication processor 134 sends the Private Identity to the authentication station 110 using the WAN 120. Furthermore, the authentication processor 134 verifies the authentication station ID on a list of valid authentication stations. In addition to the Private Identity transmitted to the authentication station 110, the authentication processor 134 transmits a command instructing the mobile unit 102 to connect to the Private Identifier. The authentication station 110 transmits the connect command to the mobile unit 102 via the wireless communication link 124.
In step 218, the mobile unit 102 switches to the Private Identifier wireless communication link 126.
In step 218, the mobile unit responds to the command and switches to the Private Identifier air link using the wireless communication link 126. In decision 220, the authentication station 110 determines whether it has successfully connected with the mobile unit 102 using the Private Identifier air link. If the result of decision 220 is YES, the authentication station 110 sends a success message to the authentication processor 134 and, in step 222, the authentication processor transmits an “authentication confirmed” message to the transaction processor 130. The authentication process ends at step 224. If the result of decision 220 is NO, the authentication fails at step 226.
As previously discussed, the mobile unit 102 communicates with the authentication processor 134 and completes steps 202-208 prior to any transaction. Similarly, upon successful completion of the authentication process in step 224, steps 202-208 may be repeated so that the mobile unit 102 now stores a new Hash and new Identifiers (a new Common Identifier and a new Private Identifier).
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the use of two different wide area networks (i.e., the PLMN 104 and the WAN 120) at two different times, as well as the communication via different air links (i.e., the Common Identifier air link and the Private Identifier air link) makes it virtually impossible for an unscrupulous individual to mimic the mobile unit 102 or the authentication station 110. Thus, the system 100 provides improved authentication and security for financial transactions using the mobile unit 102.
The foregoing described embodiments depict different components contained within, or connected with, different other components. It is to be understood that such depicted architectures are merely exemplary, and that in fact many other architectures can be implemented which achieve the same functionality. In a conceptual sense, any arrangement of components to achieve the same functionality is effectively “associated” such that the desired functionality is achieved. Hence, any two components herein combined to achieve a particular functionality can be seen as “associated with” each other such that the desired functionality is achieved, irrespective of architectures or intermedial components. Likewise, any two components so associated can also be viewed as being “operably connected”, or “operably coupled”, to each other to achieve the desired functionality.
While particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that, based upon the teachings herein, changes and modifications may be made without departing from this invention and its broader aspects and, therefore, the appended claims are to encompass within their scope all such changes and modifications as are within the true spirit and scope of this invention. Furthermore, it is to be understood that the invention is solely defined by the appended claims. It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,” etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to inventions containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an” (e.g., “a” and/or “an” should typically be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one or more”); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, typically means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations).
Accordingly, the invention is not limited except as by the appended claims.
