# US 10,373,169 B2 · Enhancing information security via the use of a dummy credit card number > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,373,169 B2 - Document ID: US10373169B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/823,156 - Filed: 2015-08-11 - Published: 2017-02-16 - Granted: 2019-08-06 - Earliest claimed: 2015-08-11 - Assignees: Paypal, Inc. - Applicants: Paypal, Inc. - Inventors: Michael Charles Todasco - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10373169B2 ## CPC - G06Q 20/4097: {using mutual authentication between devices and transaction partners} - G06Q 20/3224: {Transactions dependent on location of M-devices} - G06Q 20/40145: {Biometric identity checks} - G06Q 20/4016: {involving fraud or risk level assessment in transaction processing} - H04L 63/0414: {during transmission, i.e. party's identity is protected against eavesdropping, e.g. by using temporary identifiers, but is known to the other party or parties involved in the communication} - H04L 63/0876: {based on the identity of the terminal or configuration, e.g. MAC address, hardware or software configuration or device fingerprint} - H04L 63/107: {wherein the security policies are location-dependent, e.g. entities privileges depend on current location or allowing specific operations only from locally connected terminals} - H04L 63/126: {the source of the received data} - G06F 21/62: Protecting access to data via a platform, e.g. using keys or access control rules - H04L 2463/102: applying security measure for e-commerce - 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 - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract The present disclosure is directed to enhancing electronic information security. An electronic device is registered in a registration process. The registration process of the electronic device includes at least one of: obtaining a device identifier that is unique to the electronic device and storing the device identifier as a registered device identifier; or obtaining a location of the electronic device via Global Positioning System (GPS) and storing the location as a registered location of the electronic device. A dummy credit card number is generated. After the registration process and after the dummy credit card number is generated, a request to conduct a transaction electronically is received. The request contains the dummy credit card number. A determination is made as to whether the request was sent from the registered electronic device. The request is processed if the request has been determined to come from the registered electronic device. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system of enhancing electronic information security, the system comprising: a non-transitory memory storing instructions; and one or more hardware processors coupled to the non-transitory memory and configured to read instructions from the non-transitory memory to cause the system to perform operations comprising: accessing an account associated with an electronic device of a user, wherein the accessing comprises at least one of: retrieving a first device identifier that is unique to the electronic device obtained during a registration of the electronic device; or retrieving a first location of the electronic device via Global Positioning System (GPS) obtained during the registration of the electronic device; generating a dummy credit card number for the user; communicating the dummy credit card number to the registered electronic device; receiving, after the accessing, the generating, and the communicating, a request to conduct a transaction electronically, the request containing the dummy credit card number; determining whether the request was sent from the registered electronic device, wherein the determining comprises: in response to the retrieving the first device identifier, extracting a second device identifier from a machine that sent the request and matching the second device identifier with the first device identifier; or in response to the retrieving the first location, extracting a second location from the machine that sent the request and matching the second location with the first location; and processing the request if the request has been determined to come from the registered electronic device. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the extracting the second device identifier further comprise: extracting, from the machine that sent the request, a Media Access Control (MAC) address, a Bluetooth address, a serial number, or an International Mobile Station Equipment Identity (IMEI) as the second device identifier. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the extracting the second location further comprise: extracting, from the machine that sent the request, a geographical location of the machine as the second location, wherein the extracting the geographical location is performed using GPS coordinates of the machine or a cellular network triangulation of the machine. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein: the registration of the electronic device associates a user-specified time slot with the electronic device; and the processing of the request is performed when the request is sent at a time that falls within the user-specified time slot. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein: the registration of the electronic device associates a user-specified retailer with the electronic device; and the processing of the request is performed when the request includes a purchasing transaction involving the user-specified retailer. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the generating of the dummy credit card number comprises storing a user-specified number as the dummy credit card number. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the generating of the dummy credit card number comprises storing a randomly generated number as the dummy credit card number. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the generating of the dummy credit card number comprises communicating, to a plurality of users including the user, a generic number is to be used as the dummy credit card number for each of the plurality of the users. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise: authenticating an identity of a person sending the request to conduct the transaction, the authenticating including a biometric identification process or asking the person to verify a secret code, wherein the processing of the request is performed only if the person has been successfully authenticated. ### Claim 10 A method of enhancing electronic information security, comprising: accessing an account associated with an electronic device of a user, wherein the accessing comprises at least one of: retrieving a first device identifier that is unique to the electronic device obtained during a registration of the electronic device; or retrieving a first location of the electronic device via Global Positioning System (GPS) obtained during the registration of the electronic device; generating a dummy credit card number for the user; communicating the dummy credit card number to the user; receiving, after the accessing, the generating, and the communicating, a request to conduct a transaction electronically, the request containing the dummy credit card number; determining whether the request was sent from the registered electronic device, wherein the determining comprises: in response to the retrieving the first device identifier, extracting a second device identifier from a machine that sent the request and matching the second device identifier with the first device identifier; or in response to the retrieving the first location, extracting a second location from the machine that sent the request and matching the second location with the first location; and processing the request if the request has been determined to come from the registered electronic device. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the extracting the second device identifier further comprise: extracting, from the machine that sent the request, a Media Access Control (MAC) address, a Bluetooth address, a serial number, or an International Mobile Station Equipment Identity (IMEI) as the second device identifier. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the extracting the second location further comprise: extracting, from the machine that sent the request, a geographical location of the machine as the second location, wherein the extracting the geographical location is performed using GPS coordinates of the machine or a cellular network triangulation of the machine. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, further comprising: associating a user-specified time slot with the electronic device, wherein the processing of the request is performed when the request is sent at a time that falls within the user-specified time slot. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, further comprising: associating a user-specified retailer with the electronic device, wherein the processing of the request is performed when the request includes a purchasing transaction involving the user-specified retailer. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the generating of the dummy credit card number comprises storing a user-specified number as the dummy credit card number. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the generating of the dummy credit card number comprises storing a randomly generated number as the dummy credit card number. ### Claim 17 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the generating of the dummy credit card number comprises communicating, to a plurality of users including the user, a generic number is to be used as the dummy credit card number for each of the plurality of the users. ### Claim 18 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, further comprising: authenticating an identity of a person sending the request to conduct the transaction, the authenticating including a biometric identification process or asking the person to verify a secret code, wherein the processing of the request is performed only if the person has been successfully authenticated. ### Claim 19 A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon machine-readable instructions executable to cause a system to perform operations comprising: accessing an account associated with an electronic device of a user, wherein the accessing comprises at least one of: retrieving a first device identifier that is unique to the electronic device obtained during a registration of the electronic device; retrieving a first location of the electronic device via Global Positioning System (GPS) obtained during the registration of the electronic device; associating a user-specified time slot with the electronic device; or associating a user-specified retailer with the electronic device; generating a dummy credit card number for the user, wherein the generating of the dummy credit card number comprises one of: storing a user-specified number as the dummy credit card number, storing a randomly generated number as the dummy credit card number, or assigning a generic number to be used as the dummy credit card number; communicating the dummy credit card number to the user; receiving, after the accessing, the generating, and the communicating, a request from a machine to conduct a transaction electronically, the request containing the dummy credit card number; extracting information from the machine; and processing the request when the following conditions are met based on the information extracted from the machine: a second device identifier extracted from the machine matches the first device identifier; a second location extracted from the machine matches the first location; the request is sent at a time that falls within the user-specified time slot; and the request includes a purchasing transaction involving the user-specified retailer. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the operations further comprise authenticating an identity of a person sending the request to conduct the transaction, the authenticating including a biometric identification process or asking the person to verify a secret code, wherein the processing of the request is performed only after the person has been successfully authenticated.