# US 12,182,776 B1 · Systems and methods for identity verification of math-based currency account holders

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- Number: US 12,182,776 B1
- Document ID: US12182776B1
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B1
- Application number: 17/521,591
- Filed: 2021-11-08
- Granted: 2024-12-31
- Earliest claimed: 2014-05-20
- Assignees: Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.
- Applicants: Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.
- Inventors: Ashish B. Kurani; Andrew Martinez
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12182776B1

## CPC

- G06Q 20/065: {using e-cash}
- G06Q 20/02: involving a neutral party, e.g. certification authority, notary or trusted third party [TTP]
- G06Q 20/108: {Remote banking, e.g. home banking}
- G06Q 20/3829: {involving key management}
- G06Q 40/02: Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance (credit or loans G06Q40/03)
- G06Q 20/042: {characterized in that the payment protocol involves at least one cheque}
- G06Q 20/4014: {Identity check for transactions}
- G06Q 2220/00: Business processing using cryptography
- 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

Math-based currency (“MBC”) transactions are inherently quasi-anonymous. Systems and methods of registering customers with a financial institution for the purposes of opening a MBC account are described. During the registration process, the financial institution gathers and stores certain information relating to the customers having MBC accounts. This information may later be used to provide verification of MBC transactions to other parties involved in the MBC transactions.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of verifying an identity of a party in a math-based currency (“MBC”) transaction, the method comprising:
receiving, by a processor of a financial institution computing system, a customer preference associated with a customer MBC account of a known customer, the customer preference including a permitted disclosure level;
generating, by the processor, the customer MBC account and a corresponding customer public key associated with the customer MBC account;
storing or causing a storing of, by the processor, the customer preference, the customer MBC account, and the customer public key;
receiving, at the processor, a transaction verification request during the MBC transaction from a third-party computing device of a sending party sending MBC funds in the MBC transaction, the transaction verification request requesting an identification of a receiving party receiving the MBC funds in the MBC transaction, the transaction verification request including a receiving party public key associated with the receiving party;
comparing, by the processor, the receiving party public key associated with the receiving party with the customer public key associated with the customer MBC account retrievably stored in a customer database;
identifying, by the processor, the known customer as the receiving party based on the receiving party public key associated with the receiving party matching the customer public key associated with the customer MBC account;
determining, by the processor, the permitted disclosure level based on the identified known customer with the customer preference including the permitted disclosure level;
providing, by the processor, an identity confirmation of the receiving party to the third-party computing device of the sending party during the MBC transaction in accordance with the permitted disclosure level; and
initiating, by the processor, a transfer of the MBC funds from a sending MBC account associated with the sending party to the customer MBC account using the customer public key.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the customer database includes an overlay ledger structured to maintain information relating to account balances of a plurality of MBC accounts, at least one of the plurality of MBC accounts associated with one of a plurality of customers.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the customer public key is stored in a public key database maintained by a financial institution associated with the financial institution computing system.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the permitted disclosure level does not permit a financial institution associated with the financial institution computing system to disclose a full identity of the known customer.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, wherein the identity confirmation is a verification that the party is a customer of the financial institution.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, wherein the identity confirmation only includes a name of the party.

### Claim 7

A banking system for maintaining deposit accounts of math-based currency (“MBC”) and for verifying identities of parties involved in MBC transactions, the banking system comprising:
a network interface configured to facilitate data transmission over a network;
an overlay ledger structured to maintain information relating to a plurality of MBC accounts, at least one of the plurality of MBC accounts associated with one of a plurality of customers;
a database of private key and public key pairs associated with various amounts of MBC held by the banking system; and
at least one processor configured to:
receive a customer preference associated with a customer MBC account of a known customer, the customer preference including a permitted disclosure level;
generate the customer MBC account and a corresponding customer public key associated with the customer MBC account;
store or cause a storing of the customer preference, the customer MBC account, and the customer public key;
receive a transaction verification request during an MBC transaction from a third-party computing device of a sending party sending MBC funds in the MBC transaction, the transaction verification request requesting an identification of receiving party receiving the MBC funds in the MBC transaction, the transaction verification request including a receiving party_public key associated with the receiving party;
compare the receiving party_public key associated with the receiving party with the customer public key associated with the customer MBC account customer information retrievably stored in a customer database;
identify the known customer as the receiving party based on the receiving party public key associated with the receiving party matching the customer public key associated with the customer MBC account;
determine the permitted disclosure level based on the identified known customer with the customer preference including the permitted disclosure level;
provide an identity confirmation of the receiving party to the third-party computing device of the sending party during the MBC transaction in accordance with the permitted disclosure level; and
initiate a transfer of the MBC funds from a sending MBC account associated with the sending party to the customer MBC account using the customer public key.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The banking system of claim 7, wherein the customer database includes the overlay ledger.

### Claim 9 (depends on 7)

The banking system of claim 7, wherein the customer public key is stored in the database of private key and public key pairs.

### Claim 10 (depends on 7)

The banking system of claim 7, wherein the permitted disclosure level does not permit a financial institution associated with the banking system to disclose a full identity of the known customer.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The banking system of claim 10, wherein the identity confirmation is a verification that the party is a customer of the financial institution.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The banking system of claim 11, wherein the identity confirmation only includes a name of the party.

### Claim 13

One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by at least one processing circuit of a financial institution computing system, cause the at least one processing circuit to:
receive a customer preference associated with a customer MBC account of a known customer, the customer preference including a permitted disclosure level;
generate the customer MBC account and a corresponding customer public key associated with the customer MBC account;
store or cause a storing of the customer preference, the customer MBC account, and the customer public key;
receive a transaction verification request during an MBC transaction from a third-party computing device of a sending party sending MBC funds in the MBC transaction, the transaction verification request requesting an identification of a receiving party receiving the MBC funds in the MBC transaction, the transaction verification request including a receiving party public key associated with the receiving party;
compare the receiving party public key associated with the receiving party with the customer public key associated with the customer MBC account retrievably stored in a customer database;
identify the known customer as the receiving party based on the receiving party public key associated with the receiving party matching the customer public key associated with the customer MBC account;
determine the permitted disclosure level based on the identified known customer with the customer preference including the permitted disclosure level;
provide an identity confirmation of the receiving party to the third-party computing device of the sending party during the MBC transaction in accordance with the permitted disclosure level; and
initiate a transfer of the MBC funds from a sending MBC account associated with the sending party to the customer MBC account using the customer public key.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 13, wherein the customer database includes an overlay ledger that maintains information relating to account balances of a plurality of MBC accounts, at least one of the plurality of MBC accounts associated with one of a plurality of customers.

### Claim 15 (depends on 13)

The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 13, wherein the customer public key is stored in a public key database maintained by a financial institution associated with the financial institution computing system.