# US 10,373,153 B2 · Method and system for maintaining privacy and compliance in the use of account reissuance data > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,373,153 B2 - Document ID: US10373153B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/323,362 - Filed: 2014-07-03 - Published: 2016-01-07 - Granted: 2019-08-06 - Earliest claimed: 2014-07-03 - Assignees: Mastercard International Incorporated - Applicants: MasterCard International Incorporated - Inventors: Andrew Reiskind - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10373153B2 ## CPC - G06F 16/27: Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor - G06Q 20/383: {Anonymous user system} - G06Q 20/40: Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists - G06Q 40/02: Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance (credit or loans G06Q40/03) - G06Q 20/34: using cards, e.g. integrated circuit [IC] cards or magnetic cards - G06Q 20/354: {Card activation or deactivation} - G06Q 2220/00: Business processing using cryptography - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR ## Abstract A method for linking payment accounts includes: storing a plurality of account profiles, each profile including data related to a payment account including an account number and account data; encrypting the account number included in each account profile using a method of encryption to obtain an encrypted account number; receiving account linkage data, the data including a plurality of encrypted account identifiers, each identifier being indicated as being linked to another identifier, and each identifier being encrypted using the method of encryption; matching each of the encrypted account identifiers to an encrypted account number; and updating one or more account profiles to indicate a link to another account profile where the encrypted account number included in the profile being updated matches an encrypted account identifier that is indicated as being linked to an encrypted account identifier that matches the encrypted account number included in the other profile. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for linking accounts, comprising: storing, in an account database of a payment processing server, a plurality of account profiles, wherein each account profile includes data related to a transaction account including at least an account number and account data; encrypting, by a processing device of the payment processing server, the account number included in each account profile of the plurality of account profiles using a method of encryption to obtain an encrypted account number; subsequent to the encryption of account numbers in account profiles, receiving, by a receiving device of the payment processing server, account linkage data, wherein the account linkage data includes (i) a plurality of encrypted account identifiers and (ii) indications of linkages between encrypted account identifiers of the plurality of encrypted account identifiers included in the account linkage data, and wherein each encrypted account identifier is encrypted using the method of encryption used by the processing device of the payment processing server to encrypt account numbers; matching, by the processing device of the payment processing server, each of the encrypted account identifiers included in the received account linkage data to an encrypted account number included in an account profile stored in the account database; and updating, in the account database of the payment processing server, one or more account profiles to indicate a link to another account profile where the encrypted account number included in the account profile being updated matches an encrypted account identifier that is indicated as being linked to an encrypted account identifier that matches the encrypted account number included in the another account profile. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the account data includes a plurality of transaction data entries, wherein each transaction data entry includes data related to a payment transaction involving the related payment account including at least transaction data. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein each encrypted account identifier corresponds to a payment card associated with a payment account, and wherein the another encrypted account identifier indicated as being linked to the encrypted account identifier corresponds to a reissued payment card associated with the payment account. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein updating the one or more account profiles to indicate a link to another account profile includes merging each of the one or more account profiles with the linked another account profile. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the received account linkage data is de-identified prior to receipt by the receiving device. ### Claim 6 A method for linking accounts, comprising: storing, in a memory of a first computing device, a plurality of account profiles, wherein each account profile includes data related to a transaction account including at least an account number and account data; encrypting, by a processor of the first computing device, the account number included in each account profile of the plurality of account profiles using a method of encryption to obtain an encrypted account number; receiving, by a receiver of a second computing device, from the first computing device, the encrypted account number included in individual account profiles of the plurality of account profiles; receiving, by the receiver of the second computing device, account linkage data, wherein the account linkage data includes (i) a plurality of encrypted account identifiers and (ii) indications of linkages between encrypted account identifiers of the plurality of encrypted account identifiers included in the account linkage data, and wherein each encrypted account identifier is encrypted using the method of encryption used by the processor of the first computing device to encrypt account numbers; matching, by a processor of the second computing device, at least one of the plurality of encrypted account identifiers included in the received account linkage data to an encrypted account number encrypted by the first computing device; and identifying, by the processor of the second computing device, one or more account number pairs, wherein each account number pair includes a first account number whose corresponding encrypted account number matches a first encrypted account identifier and a second account number whose corresponding encrypted account number matches a second encrypted account identifier that is indicated as being linked to the first encrypted account identifier. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, further comprising: storing, in a memory of the second computing device, the plurality of account profiles, wherein each account profile includes at least the respective encrypted account number and account data; and updating, by the processor of the second computing device, one or more account profiles stored in the memory to indicate a link to another account profile, wherein the account number included in the account profile being updated is a first account number in a specific account number pair, and the account number included in the another account profile is a second account number in the specific account number pair. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein each encrypted account identifier corresponds to a payment card associated with a payment account, and wherein the another encrypted account identifier indicated as being linked to the encrypted account identifier corresponds to a reissued payment card associated with the payment account. ### Claim 9 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein updating the one or more account profiles to indicate a link to another account profile includes merging each of the one or more account profiles with the linked another account profile. ### Claim 10 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein the received account linkage data is de-identified prior to receipt by the receiver of the second computing device. ### Claim 11 A system for linking accounts, comprising: an account database, of a payment processing server, configured to store a plurality of account profiles, wherein each account profile includes data related to a transaction account including at least an account number and account data; a processing device, of the payment processing server, configured to encrypt the account number included in each account profile of the plurality of account profiles using a method of encryption to obtain an encrypted account number; and a receiving device, of the payment processing server, configured to receive, subsequent to the encryption of account numbers in account profiles, account linkage data, wherein the account linkage data (i) includes a plurality of encrypted account identifiers and (ii) indications of linkages between encrypted account identifiers of the plurality of encrypted account identifiers included in the account linkage data, wherein each encrypted account identifier is encrypted using the method of encryption used by the processing device of the payment processing server to encrypt account numbers, and wherein the processing device is further configured to: match each of the encrypted account identifiers included in the received account linkage data to an encrypted account number included in an account profile stored in the account database, and update, in the account database of the payment processing server, one or more account profiles to indicate a link to another account profile where the encrypted account number included in the account profile being updated matches an encrypted account identifier that is indicated as being linked to an encrypted account identifier that matches the encrypted account number included in the another account profile. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein the account data includes a plurality of transaction data entries, wherein each transaction data entry includes data related to a payment transaction involving the related payment account including at least transaction data. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein each encrypted account identifier corresponds to a payment card associated with a payment account, and wherein the another encrypted account identifier indicated as being linked to the encrypted account identifier corresponds to a reissued payment card associated with the payment account. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein updating the one or more account profiles to indicate a link to another account profile includes merging each of the one or more account profiles with the linked another account profile. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein the received account linkage data is de-identified prior to receipt by the receiving device. ### Claim 16 A system for linking accounts, comprising: a first computing device including a memory configured to store a plurality of account profiles, wherein each account profile includes data related to a transaction account including at least an account number and account data, and a processing device configured to encrypt the account number included in each account profile of the plurality of account profiles using a method of encryption to obtain an encrypted account number; and a second computing device including a receiver configured to receive the encrypted account number included in individual account profiles of the plurality of account profiles stored in the memory of the first computing device, and account linkage data, wherein the account linkage data includes (i) a plurality of encrypted account identifiers and (ii) indications of linkages between encrypted account identifiers of the plurality of encrypted account identifiers included in the account linkage data, and wherein each encrypted account identifier is encrypted using the method of encryption used by the processing device of the first computing device to encrypt account numbers, and a processor configured to match at least one of the plurality of encrypted account identifiers included in the received account linkage data to an encrypted account number encrypted by the first computing device, and identify one or more account number pairs, wherein each account number pair includes a first account number whose corresponding encrypted account number matches a first encrypted account identifier and a second account number whose corresponding encrypted account number matches a second encrypted account identifier that is indicated as being linked to the first encrypted account identifier. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The system of claim 16, wherein the second computing device further includes a memory configured to store the plurality of account profiles, wherein each account profile includes at least the respective encrypted account number and account data, and the processor of the second computing device is further configured to update one or more account profiles stored in the memory to indicate a link to another account profile, wherein the account number included in the account profile being updated is a first account number in a specific account number pair, and the account number included in the another account profile is a second account number in the specific account number pair. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The system of claim 16, wherein each encrypted account identifier corresponds to a payment card associated with a payment account, and wherein the another encrypted account identifier indicated as being linked to the encrypted account identifier corresponds to a reissued payment card associated with the payment account. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The system of claim 16, wherein updating the one or more account profiles to indicate a link to another account profile includes merging each of the one or more account profiles with the linked another account profile. ### Claim 20 (depends on 16) The system of claim 16, wherein the received account linkage data is de-identified prior to receipt by the receiver of the second computing device.