Credit card system and method
AssigneeOrbis 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.
Claims37
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;
- means for associating said at least one limited-use credit card number with limited-use conditions, said conditions including permitting multiple uses and a use-triggered condition, the occurrence of which causes deactivation of said limited-use credit card number;
- and
- 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.
A computer-readable medium having embodied thereon a computer program executable on a computer for implementing for a credit card system comprising:
- maintaining a pool of credit card numbers which share identical formatting;
- assigning at least one credit card number from said pool of credit card numbers to be a master credit card number;
- assigning at least one credit card number from said pool of credit card numbers to be a limited-use credit card number;
- associating said at least one limited-use credit card number with limited-use conditions, said conditions including permitting multiple uses and a use-triggered condition, the occurrence of which causes deactivation of said limited-use credit card number;
- and
- 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.
A computer program resident in physical signals transmitted over a transmission medium, said computer program executable on a computer for use in a credit card computer system, comprising:
- maintaining a pool of credit card numbers which share identical formatting;
- assigning at least one credit card number from said pool of credit card numbers to be a master credit card number;
- assigning at least one credit card number from said pool of credit card numbers to be a limited-use credit card number;
- associating said at least one limited-use credit card number with limited-use conditions, said conditions including permitting multiple uses and a use-triggered condition, the occurrence of which causes deactivation of said limited-use credit card number;
- and
- 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.
A credit card system for performing a credit card transaction based on one of a master credit card number or a limited-use credit card number, wherein said limited-use credit card number is randomly chosen with respect to said master credit card number, but said limited-use credit card number includes identical formatting to said 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 master credit card number or said limited-use credit card number to generate a transaction message;
- 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 use-triggered condition associated with permitted use of said limited-use credit card number has occurred, and if so, generates said deactivation command when said limited-use event has occurred, and if not, authorizes said transaction and does not generate said deactivation command;
- and
- means for deactivating the limited-use credit card number based on the deactivation command.
A method for performing a credit card transaction based on one of a master credit card number or a limited-use credit card number, but said limited use credit card number includes identical formatting to said master credit card number and is associated with said master credit card number, said method comprising:
- entering a transaction on the basis of said master credit card number or said limited-use credit card number, wherein said limited-use credit card number having no mathematical relationship with respect to with said master credit card number, to generate a transaction message;
- receiving said transaction message and processing said transaction, including:
- authorizing or denying said transaction;
- determining whether to deactivate the limited-use credit card number when said limited-use credit card number was used to perform the transaction, and generating a deactivation command in response thereto, wherein said determining step determines whether a use-triggered condition associated with permitted use of said limited-use credit card number has occurred, and if so, generates said deactivation command, and if not, authorizes said transaction and does not generate said deactivation command;
- and
- deactivating the limited-use credit card number based on the deactivation command.
A credit card system, comprising:
- a database of credit card numbers which share identical formatting;
- a master credit card number selector that can select at least one credit card number from said database to be a master credit card number;
- a limited-use credit card number selector that can select a least one credit card number from said database to be a limited-use credit card number that is deactivated upon a use-triggered condition subsequent, wherein said condition includes permitting multiple uses and said limited-use credit card number is generated by a random, pseudo-random or algorithmic process;
- a credit card number processor that can associate 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;
- a credit card number distributor that can send said limited-use credit card number to a user associated with said master credit card number;
- and
- means for receiving information from said user, said information specifying limited uses for the limited-use credit card number, said uses including said use-triggered condition.
A credit card system, comprising:
- means for maintaining a pool of credit card numbers which share identical formatting;
- means for assigning a number of said credit card numbers from said pool to be master credit card numbers;
- means for assigning a number of said credit card numbers from said pool to be limited-use credit card numbers, each of which are designated to be deactivated upon a use-triggered condition, wherein said condition includes permitting multiple uses;
- means for maintaining a first queue of the limited-use credit card numbers, each available for association with one of the assigned master credit card numbers;
- means for maintaining a second queue containing assigned master credit card numbers requiring association with limited-use credit card numbers;
- and
- means for associating, for each master credit card number at the front of the second queue, one or more limited-use credit card numbers from the first queue, wherein said one or more limited-use credit card numbers associated with a same master credit card at different times when the same master credit card number reaches the front of the second queue are random with respect to one another.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.