Back to results
US 6,636,833 B1Granted
Credit card system and method
AssigneeObis Patents Ltd.
InventorsDaniel I. Flitcroft, Graham O'Donnell
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A credit card system is provided which has the added feature of providing additional limited-use credit card numbers and/or cards. These numbers and/or cards can be used for a single transaction, thereby reducing the potential for fraudulent reuse of these numbers and/or cards. The credit card system finds application to “card remote” transactions such as by phone or Internet. Additionally, when a single use credit card is used for “card present” transactions, so called “skimming” fraud is eliminated. Various other features enhance the credit card system which will allow secure trade without the use of elaborate encryption techniques.
Claims24
A credit card system, comprising:
- means for maintaining a pool of credit card numbers which share identical formatting;
- means for assigning at least one credit card number from said pool of credit card numbers to be a master credit card number;
- means for assigning at least one credit card number from said pool of credit card numbers to be a limited-use credit card number which is deactivated upon a use-triggered condition which occurs subsequent to assignment of said at least one credit card number;
- means for associating said master credit card number with said limited-use credit card number, while ensuring that said master credit card number cannot be discovered on the basis of said limited-use credit card number;
- means for determining whether to deactivate the limited-use credit card number when said limited-use credit card number was used to perform a transaction, and for generating a deactivation command in response thereto, wherein said means for determining whether to deactivate the limited-use credit card number determines whether a limited-use event pertaining to the use of the limited-use credit card number has occurred, and if so, generates said deactivation command when said limited-use event has occurred;
- and
- means for deactivating the limited-use credit card number based on the deactivation command wherein said limited-use credit card number is valid for a predetermined number of payments for a transaction with a single merchant.
4 more elements
A credit card system for performing a credit card transaction based on a limited-use credit card number, wherein said limited-use credit card number includes identical formatting to a master credit card number and is associated with said master credit card number, said system comprising:
- transaction means for entering a transaction on the basis of said limited-use credit card number to generate a transaction message;
- and
- processing means for receiving said transaction message and processing said transaction, including:
- means for authorizing or denying said transaction;
- means for determining whether to deactivate the limited-use credit card number when said limited-use credit card number was used to perform the transaction, and for generating a deactivation command in response thereto, wherein said means for determining whether to deactivate the limited-use credit card number determines whether a limited-use event pertaining to the use of the limited-use credit card number has occurred, and if so, generates said deactivation command when said limited-use event has occurred;
- and
- means for deactivating the limited-use credit card number based on the deactivation command wherein said limited-use credit card number is valid for a predetermined number of payments for a transaction with a single merchant.
4 more elements
A method for implementing a credit card system, the method comprising:
- maintaining a pool of credit card numbers which share identical formatting;
- assigning at least one credit card number from the pool of credit card numbers to be a limited-use credit card number which is deactivated upon a use-triggered condition which occurs subsequent to assignment of the at least one credit card number;
- associating a master account number with the limited-use credit card number, while ensuring that the master account number cannot be discovered on the basis of the limited-use credit card number;
- determining whether to deactivate the limited-use credit card number when the limited-use credit card number was used to perform a transaction, and for generating a deactivation command in response thereto, wherein the determining step of whether to deactivate the limited-use credit card number determines whether a limited-use event pertaining to the use of the limited-use credit card number has occurred, and if so, generates the deactivation command when the limited-use event has occurred;
- and
- deactivating the limited-use credit card number based on the deactivation command wherein the limited-use credit card number is valid for a number of payments for a transaction with a single merchant.
3 more elements
A method for performing a credit card transaction based on a limited-use credit card number, wherein the limited-use credit card number includes identical formatting to a master credit card number and is associated with the master credit card number, the system comprising:
- entering into a transaction on the basis of the limited-use credit card number to generate a transaction message;
- receiving the transaction message;
- and processing the transaction, wherein the processing step comprises:
- authorizing or denying the transaction;
- determining whether to deactivate the limited-use credit card number when the limited-use credit card number was used to perform the transaction;
- generating a deactivation command in response thereto, wherein determining whether to deactivate the limited-use credit card number determines whether a limited-use event pertaining to the use of the limited-use credit card number has occurred, and if so, generates the deactivation command when the limited-use event has occurred;
- and
- deactivating the limited-use credit card number based on the deactivation command,
- wherein the limited-use credit card number is valid for a number of payments for a transaction with a single merchant.
6 more elements
A credit card system comprising:
- means for allocating a limited-use credit card number from a pool of credit card numbers which share identical formatting;
- means for associating the limited-use credit card number with a customer account number and a set of conditions, wherein the means for associating prevents the customer account number from being discovered from the limited-use credit card number;
- means for issuing the limited-use credit card number;
- means for detecting a transaction using the limited-use credit card number, wherein use of the limited-use credit card number is valid for transactions with a specific merchant as determined by a first use;
- and
- means for processing the transaction in accordance with the set of conditions associated with limited-use credit card number.
3 more elements
A credit card system, comprising:
- means for assigning at least one credit card number to be a master credit card number;
- means for assigning at least one credit card number to be a limited-use credit card number which is deactivated upon a use-triggered condition which occurs subsequent to assignment of said at least one credit card number and which shares identical formatting to said master credit card number;
- means for associating said master credit card number with said limited-use credit card number, while ensuring that said master credit card number cannot be discovered on the basis of said limited-use credit card number;
- means for determining whether to deactivate the limited-use credit card number when said limited-use credit card number was used to perform a transaction, and for generating a deactivation command in response thereto, wherein said means for determining whether to deactivate the limited-use credit card number determines whether a limited-use event pertaining to the use of the limited-use credit card number has occurred, and if so, generates said deactivation command when said limited-use event has occurred;
- and
- means for deactivating the limited-use credit card number based on the deactivation command,
- wherein said limited-use credit card number is valid for a predetermined number of payments for a transaction with a single merchant.
4 more elements
A credit card system comprising:
- means for allocating a limited-use credit card number which share identical formatting as a non-limited-use credit card number;
- means for associating the limited-use credit card number with a customer account number and a set of conditions neither specific to the merchant nor the transaction, wherein the means for associating prevents the customer account number from being discovered from the limited-use credit card number;
- means for issuing the limited-use credit card number;
- means for detecting a transaction using the limited-use credit card number, wherein use of the limited-use credit card number is valid for transactions with a specific merchant as determined by a first use;
- and
- means for processing the transaction in accordance with the set of conditions associated with limited-use credit card number.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.