Secure mobile device transactions
AssigneeIntermec IP Corp.
InventorH. Sprague Ackley
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Systems and methods are described for communicating private user information from a mobile device to a transaction terminal or other external device. More specifically, systems and methods are described for improving authentication through the use of mobile devices used to facilitate transactions with external devices. The authentication described herein can be adaptive, thereby providing a flexible level of automatic on-the-spot transaction security. Unlike prior art systems, the mobile device is not required to have network connectivity. Additionally, the systems and methods described herein are easily adapted to most current systems.
Claims23
A method performed by a transaction terminal, the method comprising:
- receiving, by the transaction terminal, a first machine-readable symbol indicating a financial transaction;
- decoding, by the transaction terminal, the first symbol to identify the transaction;
- determining, by the transaction terminal, that an enhanced security policy is required for authentication of the transaction based, at least in part, on an authentication trigger,
- wherein the enhanced security policy includes using one or more challenge questions for the authentication;
- requesting, by the transaction terminal, a first response to a first challenge question of the one or more challenge questions;
- receiving, by the transaction terminal, a second machine-readable symbol indicating the first response;
- and
- decoding, by the transaction terminal, the second symbol to identify the first response.
A computer-readable medium storing instructions to be implemented by a terminal having one or more processors, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the terminal to:
- decode a first machine-readable symbol to identify a transaction;
- determine that an enhanced security policy is required for authentication of the first transaction based, at least in part, on an authentication trigger,
- wherein the enhanced security policy includes using one or more challenge questions for the authentication;
- request a first response to a first challenge question of the one or more challenge questions;
- and
- decode a second machine-readable symbol to identify the first response.
A terminal comprising:
- an input device configured to receive a first machine-readable symbol encoding a corresponding communication indicating a transaction and a second machine-readable symbol encoding a corresponding communication indicating a response to a challenge question;
- a processing device configured to:
- decode the first and second symbols to identify the transaction and the response to the challenge question, respectively,
- determine an authentication trigger, and
- select an adaptive security policy for authentication of the transaction based, at least in part, on the authentication trigger,
- wherein the adaptive security policy includes using one or more challenge questions for the authentication;
- and
- an output device configured to solicit a first response to a first challenge question of the one or more challenge questions from a mobile device user.
A method performed by a mobile device, the method comprising:
- receiving, by the mobile device, information to authenticate a mobile device user,
- wherein authentication of the mobile device user is required prior to facilitating a transaction;
- converting, by the mobile device, the information into a machine-readable authentication symbol;
- and
- presenting the authentication symbol on a display of the mobile device for reading by a terminal,
- wherein the transaction is performed responsive to the reading of the authentication symbol.
A mobile device comprising:
- battery means for providing power to the mobile device;
- input means for receiving mobile device user input to facilitate a communication between the mobile device user and a computing device having a symbol scanner configured to read machine-readable symbols displayed on the mobile device;
- transformation means for transforming the user input into the machine-readable symbols,
- wherein the machine-readable symbols include a communication symbol indicating the communication and an authentication symbol indicating authentication of the communication;
- presentation means for presenting the symbols to the symbol scanner of the computing device,
- wherein the communication is completed responsive to the reading of the symbols.
A mobile device comprising:
- battery means for providing power to the mobile device;
- input means for receiving mobile device user input to facilitate a communication between the mobile device user and a computing device having a symbol scanner configured to read machine-readable symbols displayed on the mobile device;
- transformation means for transforming the user input into at least one machine-readable symbol;
- presentation means for presenting the at least one symbol to the symbol scanner of the computing device,
- wherein the communication is completed responsive to the reading of the at least one symbol.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.