# US 2019/0172061 A1 · System and Method for Tokenization > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2019/0172061 A1 - Document ID: US20190172061A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/266,571 - Filed: 2019-02-04 - Published: 2019-06-06 - Earliest claimed: 2015-07-17 - Assignees: CardinalCommerce Corporation - Applicants: CardinalCommerce Corporation - Inventors: Michael A. Keresman, III; Chandra Balasubramanian; Gary Bender; Mark Carlson; Ed Katzin; Francis M. Sherwin - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190172061A1 ## CPC - 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 20/02: involving a neutral party, e.g. certification authority, notary or trusted third party [TTP] - G06Q 20/382: {insuring higher security of transaction} - G06Q 20/385: {using an alias or single-use codes} - H04L 63/0428: {wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload} - 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) ## Abstract A method for obscuring a value of a sensitive data element includes: (a) receiving the sensitive data element, the sensitive data element being received over a data communications network (110) at a hardware computing device (142) of a trusted tokenization service provider (140); (b) generating a token corresponding to the received sensitive data element; (c) storing the token and sensitive data element in a memory device (146) such that they are correlated with one another; (d) providing the generated token to a first party (130) that uses the token in place of the sensitive data element in a request for authorization to complete a transaction, the request being sent from the first party (130); (e) intercepting the request for authorization including the token; (f) using the token contained in the intercepted request to look-up and retrieve the correlated sensitive data element in the memory device (160); (g) replacing the token contained in the request with the sensitive data element retrieved from the memory device (160); and (h) forwarding the request containing the sensitive data element to a second party (160 and/or 162) which employs the sensitive data element to determine whether completion of the transaction should be authorized or declined. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of obscuring a value of a sensitive data element, said method comprising: receiving, over a data communications network and from a consumer, the sensitive data element to initiate a transaction, the sensitive data element being received by a merchant system; storing, by the merchant system, the sensitive data element; communicating, by the merchant system, a token request to a tokenization service provider, the token request comprising the sensitive data element; in response to the tokenization service provider determining that a token correlated with the sensitive data element does not already exist in a memory device of the tokenization service provider, receiving, by the merchant system, a token corresponding to the sensitive data element; generating, by the merchant system, an authorization request comprising the token, the authorization request not containing the sensitive data element; communicating, by the merchant system and to a payment network, the authorization request; and receiving, by the merchant system, an authorization response to the authorization request. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the sensitive data element is received by the merchant system through a merchant website. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the merchant system and the tokenization service provider are operated by separate entities. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the sensitive data element is one of a primary account number, a credit card number, a debit card number, an e-mail address, a biometric identifier, or an account indicator. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the token further comprises at least one of additional information about a user associated with the sensitive data element, information about a device of the user, or information about the sensitive data element which information does not actually include the value thereof. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein the additional information comprises a device ID, fingerprint data, or an IP address. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: sending, by the tokenization service provider, the payment network a message which maps the token and the sensitive data element to one another. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the data communications network is a public data communications network. ### Claim 9 A system for obscuring a value of a sensitive data element, comprising a merchant system comprising at least one processor programmed or configured to: receive, over a data communications network and from a consumer, the sensitive data element to initiate a transaction; store the sensitive data element; communicate a token request to a tokenization service provider, the token request comprising the sensitive data element; in response to the tokenization service provider determining that a token correlated with the sensitive data element does not already exist in a memory device of the tokenization service provider, receive a token corresponding to the sensitive data element; generate an authorization request comprising the token, the authorization request not containing the sensitive data element; communicate, to a payment network, the authorization request; and receive an authorization response to the authorization request. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9, wherein the sensitive data element is received by the merchant system through a merchant website. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9, wherein the merchant system and the tokenization service provider are operated by separate entities. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9, wherein the sensitive data element is one of a primary account number, a credit card number, a debit card number, an e-mail address, a biometric identifier, or an account indicator. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9, wherein the token further comprises at least one of additional information about a user associated with the sensitive data element, information about a device of the user, or information about the sensitive data element which information does not actually include the value thereof. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13, wherein the additional information comprises a device ID, fingerprint data, or an IP address. ### Claim 15 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9, wherein the tokenization service provider is configured to communicate to the payment network a message which maps the token and the sensitive data element to one another. ### Claim 16 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9, wherein the data communications network is a public data communications network.