Anonymous credit card transactions
US5420926A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 5, 1994 |
| Grant date | May 30, 1995 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 5, 2014 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG07F7/1016
- WIPO fieldIT methods for management
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Techniques for performing credit-card transactions without disclosing the subject matter of the transaction to the institution providing the credit card. The techniques include the use of a communications exchange so that information and funds may be transferred without the destination for the transfer knowing the source of the information or funds and the use of public key encryption so that each party to the transaction and the communications exchange can read only the information the party or the exchange needs for its role in the transaction. Also disclosed are techniques for authenticating a card holder by receiving personal information from the card holder, using the information to ask the card holder one or more questions, and using the answers to authenticate the card holder.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.