Method and apparatus for managing credentials through a wireless network

A system to transmit a credential from an issuer to a wireless device, and from the wireless device to a reader device, the system comprising:

• a wallet application running on the wireless device;
• a network comprising a non-wireless network portion and a wireless network portion over which to transmit the credential to the wireless device;
• an address resolution apparatus to obtain an address on the network of the wallet application from a unique E.164 phone number assigned to the wireless device on the wireless portion of the network;
• a credential issuing server to receive a request for the issuance of a credential, the request including the unique E.164 phone number associated with the wireless device;
• a wireless credential manager in a secure communication with the wallet application to securely transmit the credential from the issuer to the wireless device through the network under cooperative control of the wireless credential manager and the wallet application in response to an authorized request for the credential, the wireless credential manager to receive the issued credential and a corresponding reader key from the issuer, and the wallet application of the device to map the reader key to the issued credential;
• and
• a reader device to receive the credential via radio frequency (RF) in response to the reader device transmitting the reader key to the wireless device via RF so as to select the associated credential.

A wireless device comprising:

• a user interface to accept input from a user and to display information to the user;
• a wallet application to send a request for the issuance of a credential, the request including a unique E.164 phone number associated with the wireless device and to selectively receive at least one credential transmitted to the wireless device from a credential issuer via a network comprising both wireless and non-wireless portions, wherein:
• the wireless device comprises at least one of an integrated near field (NFC) communications technology interface and a radio frequency identification (RFID) interface to communicate with an external reader device;
• the wireless device further comprises a wallet application operating thereon;
• the wireless device further comprises a secure memory module to store the credential;
• the user interface comprises at least one wallet button mapped to at least one credential contained in the wireless device to control the wallet application and a user control to selectively transmit one or more credentials to the external reader device only upon activation thereof;
• and
• the secure memory to include a reader key associated with the issued credential, the reader key received from the issuer card management system with the issued credential;
• the external reader device transmits the reader key to the wireless device to select the associated credential from the credential database during the transaction;
• and
• the wireless device receives the reader key from the external reader device to select the associated credential from the memory.

A method of issuing a credential to a wireless device over a data network, the issued credential to be transmitted from the wireless device to a reader device, the method comprising:

• receiving at a credential issuing server a request for the issuance of a credential, the request including a unique E.164 telephone number associated with the wireless device;
• accepting data defining an issued credential upon approval of the request;
• sending to a domain name system (DNS) server an E.164 number mapping (ENUM) query on the unique E.164 telephone number;
• receiving one or more Naming Authority Pointer (NAPTR) records in response to the ENUM query;
• locating an NAPTR record associated with a mobile wallet Enumservice on the wireless device;
• retrieving a uniform resource identifier (URI) from the NAPTR record associated with the mobile wallet Enumservice;
• translating a domain name in corresponding fields of the retrieved URI to an Internet Protocol (IP) address using a DNS resolver;
• establishing a communications session between the credential issuing server and the wireless device using the IP address;
• providing the issued credential to the wireless device in the communications session through a secure transmission path comprising the data network and a wireless link;
• and
• providing the wireless device associated with the unique E.164 telephone number and incorporating a memory storage medium, with the wallet application and the issued credential for storage therein;
• mapping a reader key to the issued credential, wherein the reader key is received from an issuer with the issued credential;
• and
• receiving the issued credential via radio frequency (RF) with a reader device in response to the reader device transmitting the reader key to the wireless device via RF so as to select the associated credential.

A system to conduct a transaction with a credential issued by a credential issuer over a communications network, the system comprising:

• a wireless device on a wireless subnetwork of the communications network;
• an issuer card management system associated with the credential issuer to issue the credential upon approval of the issuance thereof in response to a request therefor;
• a credential database on the wireless device in which to store the issued credential;
• a credential manager in secure communication with the issuer card management system through the communications network and with the wireless device through the wireless subnetwork, the credential manager to establish a secure communication channel with the wireless device and to transmit the issued credential to the wireless device via the secure communication channel;
• a resolver to determine the address on the communication channel from an E.164 phone number assigned to the wireless device;
• a transaction terminal at which to conduct the transaction with the wireless device using the issued credential stored in the credential database;
• a wallet application to execute on the wireless device so as to control access to the credential database, the wallet application having assigned thereto an address on the secure communication channel;
• and
• a credential reader at the transaction terminal to receive the issued credential in a peer- to-peer communication session with the wallet application,
• wherein the peer-to-peer communication session occurs through a near-proximity interface that is one of a Near Field Communication interface and a Radio Frequency Identification interface, and
• wherein the credential database includes a reader key associated with the issued credential, the reader key received from the issuer card management system with the issued credential, and
• wherein the credential reader transmits the reader key to the wireless device to select the associated credential from the credential database during the transaction.

A method for conducting a transaction with a credential issued by a credential issuer over a communications network, the method comprising:

• approving a request for issuance of the credential by the credential issuer to a wireless device associated with the request;
• receiving the issued credential at a credential manager through the communications network;
• establishing a secure communication channel between the credential manager and the wireless device;
• resolving an address on the secure communication channel through which to access a credential database from an E.164 phone number assigned to the wireless device and assigning the address on the secure communication channel to a wallet application on the wireless device;
• transmitting the issued credential to the wireless device via the secure communication channel;
• storing the issued credential in a credential database on the wireless device;
• conducting the transaction with the wireless device using the issued credential stored in the credential database;
• executing the wallet application on the wireless device and controlling thereby access to the credential database;
• establishing a peer-to-peer communication session between the wallet application and a credential reader during the transaction through a near-proximity interface that is one of a Near Field Communication interface and a Radio Frequency Identification interface;
• receiving the issued credential at the credential reader through the peer-to-peer communication session,
• providing a reader key associated with the issued credential in the credential database, the reader key received from the issuer card management system with the issued credential;
• and
• transmitting the reader key to the wireless device to select the associated credential from the credential database during the transaction.