Patent Description:
Many data transfer systems, such as financial payment processors and digital communications servers, provide processes for preventing fraudulent transfers of data, such as unauthorized payments or the transfer of private information.

One such method of preventing fraudulent data transfers is for the data transfer system to require specified authorization credentials from a sender in order to verify that the sender is indeed authorized to make the transfer. In addition to the requirement of authorization credentials, the data transfer system may also make a further assessment of the risk of processing the data transfer and may reject the data transfer if it is decided that the transfer has a sufficiently high probability of the data transfer being fraudulent.

A problem in such processes is that many legitimate data transfers are incorrectly rejected due to their being considered potentially fraudulent. Conversely, fraudulent transfers may also be processed when not correctly identified as fraudulent by the processing system.

<CIT> discloses a method for enhancing security of contactless cards. The method comprises receiving, in respect of an account, a request to enable one or more contactless cards, the account being associated with the one or more contactless cards issued to a user of the account by one or more issuers; determining an operable state of the one or more contactless cards, the operable state being one of a locked state and an unlocked state; and activating a proximity mode of a mobile device associated with the one or more contactless cards when the operable state is determined as locked state, wherein the mobile device detects a proximity with the one or more contactless cards during the activated proximity mode.

<CIT> discloses a card which functions as a credit card or a cash card, the card including: a card management section configured to (i) transmit card information to a smartphone, (ii) accept from the smartphone an instruction for activating the card, and (iii) activate the card in accordance with the instruction thus accepted; and a battery which is rechargeable and is configured to supply electric power used in the card.

According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a method, performed in a mobile device, for altering security settings in relation to a data transfer, the method as defined in claim <NUM>.

The above method allows the user to easily and instantaneously adjust security settings associated a control instrument. Security settings may be lowered for a high mode immediately before a legitimate transfer in order to prevent a false rejection of a data transfer. Security settings may set to a high level when the card is not in use to avoid unauthorized data transfers.

Preferably, the first digital message instructs the data transfer system to return to the first security mode when a predetermined period of time has elapsed after enabling the second mode.

Preferably, the method further comprises: subsequent to sending the first digital message to the server of the data transfer system: detecting, using the NFC reader of the mobile device, the presence of the control instrument in the vicinity of the mobile device, and on detecting the presence of the control instrument when a user taps the control instrument on the mobile device, providing a second digital message to the server of the data transfer system, the second digital message instructing the data transfer system to alter the security settings relating to the data transfer associated with the identifying data from the second security mode to the first security mode.

Preferably, the first security mode is a normal security mode and the second security mode is a high security mode.

Preferably, the first security mode is a high security mode and the second security mode is a normal security mode.

Preferably, prior to detecting the control instrument using the NFC reader of the mobile device, the security mode in relation to data transfers associated with the identifying data was changed from a normal security mode to a high security mode as a result of the data transfer system determining that a predetermined condition had been met.

Preferably, the predetermined condition is a data transfer determined by the data transfer system to have a high probability of being fraudulent.

Preferably, the high security mode requires that the data transfer system blocks data transfers in which the sender is identified by the secure identifying data. Preferably, the high security mode requires that the data transfer system blocks data transfers that were not initiated using the control instrument.

Preferably, the normal security mode requires that the data transfer was initiated using the control instrument or using the secure identifying data.

Preferably, the control instrument is a control card.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is also provided a mobile device as defined in claim <NUM>.

In yet another aspect, a system is provided, the system comprising: the mobile device of the second aspect being configured to perform the steps of the method defined above; a server of the data transfer system; and the control instrument. Preferably, the control instrument is a payment instrument.

Aspects of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying figures. In the figures:.

The following description is presented to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the system, and is provided in the context of a particular application. Various modifications to the disclosed embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art.

The present invention relates to a method, apparatus and system that allows a user to alter the security level applied to data transfers using their credentials. In particular, a user taps a control instrument onto a mobile device in order to activate and deactivate security features when needed by the user.

The embodiments described in detail below are provided in relation to the processing of payments. Accordingly, in the below examples, the control instrument used during the data transfers is a payment instrument, such as a debit card or credit card. However, it will be understood by the skilled person that the method described herein may be used in relation to other data transfer systems, and that in such systems the control instrument may be another suitable instrument for controlling security settings relating to a data transfer and/or initiating a data transfer.

<FIG> shows elements in a system for use in the present invention. The system comprises a payment processor server <NUM> that is configured to process digital messages received from servers financial institutions <NUM>; <NUM>.

When a user <NUM> intends to make a payment to an account at an acquiring financial institution <NUM>, a server at an issuing financial institution <NUM> generates an authorization request message (in accordance with a financial messaging standard such as ISO <NUM>), which is sent to the payment processor server <NUM> to be forwarded on to the acquiring institution <NUM>. The authorization request message comprises data indicating payment credentials <NUM> of the user, where the payment credentials <NUM> are associated with a payment instrument such as a debit or credit card <NUM>. The authorization request message further comprises various other data elements indicating further details of the transaction, such as the amount of the transaction and the recipient of the transaction.

Before forwarding the authorization request message to the acquiring institution <NUM>, the payment processing server <NUM> performs checks to determine whether the authorization may be fraudulent. The checks may include verifying that the information in the data provided in the authorization request message matches records kept by the payment processor, such as an address of a user or a card security code.

The particular checks performed by the payment processing server <NUM> before deciding whether to process an authorization request message depend on the particular payment credentials used in the transaction. The payment processing server <NUM> has access to a security control database <NUM> that indicates the particular checks to be applied to a given transaction. When the payment processing server <NUM> receives an authorization request message, the payment processing server <NUM> may access the security control database <NUM> to first determine which checks are appropriate for the transaction before performing the checks. The security control database <NUM> may, for example, comprise a number of data entries, each of which defines the appropriate checks to perform on transactions originating from a given user. The particular user may be identified in the security control database <NUM> by elements of their payment credentials, such as their primary account number (PAN).

The security control database <NUM> defines at least two security modes for each user. In a normal security mode, the payment processing server performs checks that are normally performed during a payment data transfer, such as address and card security number verification processes. In a high security mode, the payment processing server may perform stricter security checks, such as blockings transactions where transaction was initiated without the user's being in the vicinity of the merchant (cardholder not present transactions), or may block transactions from the user entirely. The normal security mode can be considered as a card "awake" mode, as the card may be used normally. Where transactions are blocked entirely, the high security mode can be considered as a card "sleep" mode, as the card is effectively disabled. A high security mode in which only certain classes of transfer (such as card not present transfers) are blocked can be considered as a "partial sleep" mode, as the card is disabled for certain classes of transfers but may be used for other transfers.

The security control database <NUM> may be updated in order to vary the specifications of the security checks that are applied to transactions originating from a given user. The payment processing sever <NUM> itself may specify certain aspects of the security checks, while the user may specify other aspects of the security checks himself. For example, the user may specify that in the high security mode a) no transactions are permitted, or b) that no card not present transactions are permitted.

In order to update the security control database <NUM>, the user may interact with the payment processing server <NUM> via a dedicated application. A server side application <NUM> communicates with a client side application <NUM> installed on a computing device of the user. The computing device may be a mobile device <NUM> of the user or a desktop computer or another such device.

The user <NUM> may register its payment credentials using the application. The application retrieves different device related and also card related details from the device in use. The data is saved at the security control database <NUM> and may be used to identify the user and the user's devices <NUM>. The user can use the application <NUM> to configure the security settings stored in the security control database <NUM>. For example, the user may configure his security settings such that the high security setting prevents for all card not present transactions and ATMs, while only normal security checks are used in transactions that take place at a merchant premise. Additional security controls may be also applied to the normal security mode, though the remainder of the detailed description will assume that the normal security mode applies only standard security controls to transactions.

A mobile device <NUM> of the user has the above described application <NUM> stored in its memory. The mobile device <NUM> may be the same computing device used to set the security controls associated with the user in the security control database <NUM>. Alternatively, it may be separate device having the application <NUM> stored thereon and having logged in with the same log in credentials.

The mobile device <NUM> comprises a near field communication (NFC) reader <NUM> and a communication node <NUM> configured to communicate (directly or indirectly) with a communication node <NUM> of the payment processing server <NUM>. The NFC reader is suitable for detecting the presence of a payment instrument <NUM> (such as a debit or credit card) associated with a payment account of the user <NUM> at an issuing financial institution <NUM>. The payment instrument comprises a NFC readable identification tag <NUM> that comprises identifying data the payment instrument <NUM>. The identifying data may, for example, comprise the PAN of a credit or debit card.

The mobile device <NUM> is configured such that upon identifying the presence of the payment instrument having payment credentials registered to the application <NUM>, the mobile device sends a message to the payment processing server <NUM> (either directly or indirectly from communication node <NUM> to communication node <NUM>) instructing the payment processing server <NUM> to switch from using (with respect to payments initiated using payment credentials of the user) either the high security controls to the normal security controls or from the normal security controls to the high security controls. Thus, by tapping the payment instrument <NUM> on the mobile device <NUM>, the user <NUM> is able to change the security controls on payments using payment credentials <NUM> of the payment instrument <NUM>. This allows the user <NUM> to effectively "wake" or put to "sleep" the payment credentials <NUM> associated with the payment instrument <NUM>. Rather than a simple tap, other activation requirements may be chosen, such as a "tap and hold", which requires that the payment card <NUM> is detected by the NFC reader of the mobile device <NUM> for a minimum time period, for example <NUM>.

The user <NUM> may use the application <NUM> to specify the effect of tapping the card on the phone with respect to the security settings. The following examples provide examples of possible configurations of security settings and tap functionality that could be specified by a user. The skilled person will understand that features from the different examples can be combined or modified as desired within the scope of the present disclosure.

The user <NUM> decides to configure the security settings relating to a payment card <NUM> in the security control database <NUM> such that the default security setting is a high security settings that rejects all transactions associated with the payment credentials <NUM>. The payment card <NUM> is, therefore, in a "sleep" mode. The security settings are further configured such that tapping the payment card <NUM> to the mobile device <NUM> causes the mobile device <NUM> to send a message to the payment processing server <NUM> resulting in the security mode changing to a normal security mode. The user <NUM> has further specified that the security mode remains in the normal security mode for fifteen minutes time before the security setting automatically returns to the high security mode. Thus, the payment card is "woken" for a fifteen minute time period by tapping the payment card on the mobile device <NUM>. The security settings may be further configured such that the payment card automatically "sleeps" (i.e. returns to the high security mode) after a payment has been made using the payment credentials <NUM>.

An illustration of a use of this example is as follows. The user <NUM> goes to a merchant store to obtain goods. At the time of payment, the user <NUM> taps the payment card <NUM> to his mobile device <NUM>. The mobile device <NUM> detects the presence of the NFC tag <NUM> of the payment card <NUM> and sends a message to the payment processing server <NUM> to change security settings for the payment credentials <NUM> from a high setting to a normal setting for fifteen minutes. The payment card <NUM> "wakes up" for fifteen minute, in which time the user <NUM> pays for goods from the merchant using an authorization request message which is processed by the payment processing server <NUM> according to the normal security controls. After the purchase, the payment card <NUM> automatically goes back to sleep after fifteen minutes when the payment processing server <NUM> changes the security settings from the normal security mode to the high security mode.

If the user <NUM> subsequently loses the payment card <NUM>, or if a malicious party steals and uses the payment credentials <NUM>, the payment card <NUM> cannot be used to make payments as the payment card <NUM> will be in a "sleep" mode.

The user specifies that in the high security mode, the card "partially sleeps", such that card not present transactions are blocked, whereas cardholder present transactions are allowed. The user <NUM> further specifies that a first tap of payment card <NUM> on the mobile device causes the security settings to change from the high security mode to a normal security mode. A second tap of the payment card <NUM> on the mobile device <NUM> causes the security settings to change from the normal security mode to the high security mode. There may or may not be a predetermined time limit after which the security settings return from the normal security mode to the high security mode.

The user <NUM> is able to purchase goods in shops and use ATMs in the high security mode. When the user <NUM> wishes to make a card not present payment, such as a payment transaction in which the payment credentials <NUM> associated with the payment card <NUM> are provided over the telephone, the user <NUM> taps the payment card <NUM> on the mobile device <NUM>. The mobile device <NUM> then sends a message to payment processing server <NUM> causing the security settings to change to the normal security mode. The user <NUM> then makes a telephone payment while the card is in the normal security mode and, subsequently, taps the payment card <NUM> to the mobile device <NUM> again to restore the high security mode.

The user specifies that the mobile device <NUM> is in a normal security mode by default. The security settings are configured such that the security mode is automatically changed by the payment processing server <NUM> to a high security mode on detection of an event fulfilling a predetermined alert condition indicating that activity may be fraudulent. The predetermined alert condition may be, for example, authorization requests for amounts of more than $500USD made in quick succession in a certain shop in a certain country. The high security mode blocks all transactions made using the payment credentials <NUM>. Thus, the card may automatically enter a "sleep" mode when a fraudulent payment is suspected.

The security settings specify that tapping the payment card <NUM> to the mobile device <NUM> causes the payment credentials <NUM> to be returned to the normal security level.

This process allows false declines of cards to be avoided when fraud is incorrectly suspected by the payment processing server <NUM>. Instead of declining the payment card <NUM>, the payment card <NUM> is put into "sleep" mode when a fraud is suspected. The user may discover that the payment card is in a "sleep" mode at a subsequent use (at an ATM, for example) without having been explicitly requested to enter said mode. The user may determine that the sleeping of the card is an anti-fraud measure that user specified in the security settings. The user may then hold the payment card <NUM> to the NFC enabled mobile device <NUM> to reactivate the card.

<FIG> shows a flow diagram illustrating the steps performed by a mobile device <NUM> in example of this invention.

In step <NUM>, the mobile device <NUM> detects, using an NFC, the presence of the payment instrument in the vicinity of the mobile device <NUM>. The payment instrument <NUM> comprises a NFC readable element <NUM> having identifying data thereon. Step <NUM> occurs when a user taps a payment instrument (such as a payment card <NUM>) registered with the security control application <NUM>;<NUM> against a mobile device <NUM> having an NFC reader and the security control application <NUM> stored thereon. The identifying data may indicate payment credentials <NUM> associated with the payment card <NUM>.

In step <NUM>, the mobile device <NUM>, on detecting the presence of the payment instrument <NUM>, provides a first digital message to a server of a data transfer system. The digital message instructs the data transfer system to alter security settings relating to a data transfer associated with the identifying data from a first security mode to a second security mode.

The first security mode may be a high security mode and the second security mode may be a normal security mode. Alternatively, the first security mode may be a normal security mode and the second security mode may be a high security mode. Thus, by tapping the payment instrument <NUM> on the mobile device <NUM>, a user may either cause the payment instrument <NUM> to "wake" or to "sleep" depending on the chosen security settings as configured by the user <NUM>.

Other embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the embodiments disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only.

In addition, where this application has listed the steps of a method or procedure in a specific order, it could be possible, or even expedient in certain circumstances, to change the order in which some steps are performed, and it is intended that the particular steps of the method or procedure claims set forth herein not be construed as being order-specific unless such order specificity is expressly stated in the claim. That is, the operations/steps may be performed in any order, unless otherwise specified, and embodiments may include additional or fewer operations/steps than those disclosed herein. It is further contemplated that executing or performing a particular operation/step before, contemporaneously with, or after another operation is in accordance with the described embodiments.

The methods described herein may be encoded as executable instructions embodied in a computer readable medium, including, without limitation, non-transitory computer-readable storage, a storage device, and/or a memory device. Such instructions, when executed by a processor (or one or more computers, processors, and/or other devices) cause the processor (the one or more computers, processors, and/or other devices) to perform at least a portion of the methods described herein. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium includes, but is not limited to, volatile memory, non-volatile memory, magnetic and optical storage devices such as disk drives, magnetic tape, CDs (compact discs), DVDs (digital versatile discs), or other media that are capable of storing code and/or data.

The methods and processes can also be partially or fully embodied in hardware modules or apparatuses or firmware, so that when the hardware modules or apparatuses are activated, they perform the associated methods and processes. The methods and processes can be embodied using a combination of code, data, and hardware modules or apparatuses.

Examples of processing systems, environments, and/or configurations that may be suitable for use with the embodiments described herein include, but are not limited to, embedded computer devices, personal computers, server computers (specific or cloud (virtual) servers), hand-held or laptop devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based systems, set top boxes, programmable consumer electronics, mobile telephones, network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers, distributed computing environments that include any of the above systems or devices, and the like. Hardware modules or apparatuses described in this disclosure include, but are not limited to, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), dedicated or shared processors, and/or other hardware modules or apparatuses.

Claim 1:
A method, performed in a mobile device (<NUM>), for altering security settings in relation to a data transfer, the method comprising:
detecting, using a near field communication, NFC, reader (<NUM>) of the mobile device, the presence of a control instrument (<NUM>) in the vicinity of the mobile device when a user (<NUM>) taps the control instrument on the mobile device, the control instrument comprising a NFC readable element (<NUM>) having identifying data thereon, and
on detecting the presence of the control instrument, providing by the mobile device, a first digital message to a server of a data transfer system (<NUM>), the digital message instructing the data transfer system to alter security settings relating to a payment data transfer of the control instrument associated with the identifying data from a first security mode to a second security mode, wherein the first digital message instructs the data transfer system to return to the first security mode when a predetermined period of time has elapsed after enabling the second mode, wherein the first security mode indicates the data transfer system to block certain classes of transfers or any payment data transfer, and wherein the second security mode indicates the data transfer system to perform normal security checks on the payment data transfer.