Researchers Submit Patent Application, “Facilitating Transactions With A User Account Using A Wireless Device”, for Approval (USPTO 20230214817): Patent Application

2023 JUL 21 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- From Washington, D.C., NewsRx journalists report that a patent application by the inventor Maragoudakis, Zachary (Cupertino, CA, US), filed on March 31, 2021, was made available online on July 6, 2023.

No assignee for this patent application has been made.

News editors obtained the following quote from the background information supplied by the inventors: “The present disclosure relates generally to wearable electronic devices and in particular to a wearable device that can facilitate access to another (host) device.

“Mobile electronic devices, such as mobile phones, smart phones, tablet computers, media players, and the like, have become quite popular. Many users carry a device almost everywhere they go and use their devices for a variety of purposes, including making and receiving phone calls, sending and receiving text messages and emails, navigation (e.g., using maps and/or a GPS receiver), purchasing items in stores (e.g., using contactless payment systems), and/or accessing the Internet (e.g., to look up information).

“However, a user’s mobile device is not always readily accessible. For instance, when a mobile device receives a phone call, the device may be in a user’s bag or pocket, and the user may be walking, driving, carrying something, or involved in other activity that makes it inconvenient or impossible for the user to reach into the bag or pocket to find the device.”

As a supplement to the background information on this patent application, NewsRx correspondents also obtained the inventor’s summary information for this patent application: “Certain embodiments of the present invention relate to wearable electronic devices that can be connected (e.g., via wireless pairing) with another device (referred to herein as a “host device”), such as a smart phone, other mobile phone, tablet computer, media player, laptop computer, or the like. When paired, the wearable device can provide access to various functionalities of the host device.

“Certain embodiments relate to using a wearable device to facilitate a purchase transaction with a point-of-sale terminal in a store. In some embodiments, the wearable device can facilitate creation of a purchase order, e.g., by obtaining product information for products of interest as selected by the user. As the user selects products to purchase, the user can operate the wearable device to add each product to a purchase order. After selecting one or more desired products, the user can proceed to a point-of-sale (“POS”) terminal located somewhere in the store. The wearable device can establish communication with the POS terminal, e.g., using a near-field communication (“NFC”) transceiver. The wearable device can provide the purchase order to the POS terminal, which can determine a final price for the transaction.

“In some embodiments, a wearable device can also facilitate payment for products in a purchase transaction. For example, a user can store financial account identifying information (e.g., credit card or debit card numbers and related information) in a wearable device, e.g., by transferring the information from a host device during a verified session. At a POS terminal, the user can select a financial account to be used for a purchase transaction by interacting with the wearable device, and the wearable device can transmit the financial account identifying information to the POS terminal, e.g., using an NFC communication channel. The POS terminal can send a transaction request to a payment processor associated with the financial account and receive a response, e.g., an approval of the transaction.

“In some embodiments, a host device that is paired with the wearable device can also participate in the purchase transaction. For example, a wearable device at the POS terminal can communicate with a host device (e.g., in a verified session) to obtain financial account identifying information in real time. As another example, the host device can communicate with the payment processor to verify the transaction request.

“To facilitate payment transactions and/or other transactions involving access to a user’s accounts, a user can store account identifying information (also referred to as an “account identifier” or “account ID”) in a wearable device. The account identifying information can be obtained from a host device during a verified session in which the wearable device is being worn while the host device and the wearable device are confirmed to be in proximity to each other and in communication with each other. The wearable device can store the account identifying information, e.g., until it ceases to be worn.

“In some embodiments, a wearable device can facilitate a purchase transaction. For instance, the wearable device can obtain product information (e.g., product name and/or price) for one or more products to be purchased (e.g., by reading a computer-readable tag such as a UPC bar code, QR code, or RFID tag as described below) and can add the product information to a purchase order. The wearable device can transmit the purchase order to a point-of-sale terminal (e.g., using a near-field communication channel) and can further communicate with the point-of-sale terminal to complete a purchase transaction for the products.

“In some instances, the wearable device can provide account information for the user’s payment account to the point-of-sale terminal. For example, the wearable device can interact with the user to obtain a user selection of a payment account, and the wearable device can provide the account identifying information for the selected payment account to the point-of-sale terminal. If the account identifying information has been pre-loaded onto the wearable device (e.g., in a verified session as described below), the wearable device can retrieve the stored information. Alternatively, the wearable device can communicate with a paired host device to obtain account identifying information on an as-needed basis. In either case, the wearable device can provide account identifying information to the point-of-sale terminal, allowing the point-of-sale terminal to perform a purchase transaction with a payment processor.

“In some embodiments, a wearable device can facilitate management of user account data, e.g., by aiding the user in making the data available when it is needed. For example, a wearable device that is being worn can establish a verified communication session with a host device. During the verified communication session, the wearable device can receive user account data from the host device during the verified communication session and can store the received user account data in a local storage medium. The host device can provide the account data in an encrypted form (e.g., using a session key that is specific to the verified communication session). The wearable device can continue to store the user account data until the wearable device ceases to be worn, at which point the data can be deleted from the wearable device’s local storage. While the data is stored, the wearable device can, upon request, provide a selected subset of the received user account data to a checkpoint device (which can be any electronic device capable of reading account data provided by the wearable device). In some instances, the selection can be based on input from the user; for instance, the user can operate a user interface of the wearable device to select an account for which data is to be provided at a checkpoint. In some instances, the selection can be based on information received from a particular checkpoint device, and the wearable device can automatically select an account, e.g., based on the identity of the checkpoint device.

“Various types of account data can be managed. Examples include identifying information for any of the user’s financial accounts, membership accounts (e.g., gyms, libraries), health insurance accounts, accounts maintained with a service provider (e.g., a doctor’s office), public transit passes or debit-based transit accounts, security credentials that may grant the user access to restricted areas of a facility (e.g., an office building), and so on. Examples of checkpoint devices capable of receiving account data can include a point-of-sale terminal at a store, a security barrier in a facility, a check-in desk (e.g., at a gym, doctor’s office, or the like), and so on.

“The following detailed description together with the accompanying drawings will provide a better understanding of the nature and advantages of the present invention.”

The claims supplied by the inventors are:

“1. A method of managing user account data of a user, with a wearable device in communication with a host device, the wearable device comprising one or more sensors for detecting whether the wearable device is worn and detecting whether the wearable device has been taken off, the method comprising: detecting, by the wearable device, that the host device is within a threshold distance from the wearable device; when the host device is within the threshold distance from the wearable device, pairing the wearable device with the host device or determining that the wearable device is already paired to the host device; receiving, by the wearable device, an alert of a sign-in event or a notification of a sign-in event from the host device while the wearable device is being worn, whilst the wearable device and host device are paired, the sign-in event corresponding to the host device being unlocked by a correct passcode or credential from the user; and determining, by the wearable device, whether the wearable device is in a trusted state, the trusted state being that the wearable device is currently being worn and that the host device is within the threshold distance from the wearable device at a time correlated with the sign-in event; while the wearable device is in the trusted state, establishing, by the wearable device, a session key and a verified communication session with the host device; receiving, by the wearable device, user account data from the host device during the verified communication session, the user account data comprising identifying information for a financial account of the user and authorization credentials; storing, by the wearable device, the received user account data in a storage medium of the wearable device, for providing a subset of the received user account data to a checkpoint terminal; while the received user account data is stored in the storage medium, periodically determining, by the wearable device using one or more of the sensors of the wearable device, whether the wearable device has been taken off; and in response to a determination by the wearable device that the wearable device has been taken off: automatically deleting, by the wearable device, the stored user account data from the storage medium; and automatically ending, by the wearable device, the verified communication session.

“2. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying information is sufficient to perform a financial transaction using the financial account of the user.

“3. The method of claim 1, wherein the user account data is received in an encrypted form, the method further comprising: decrypting the received user account data using the session key.

“4. The method of claim 1, further comprising: subsequently to storing the received user account data, receiving, by the wearable device, a request from the checkpoint terminal for account data; and selecting the subset of the stored account data to be transmitted to the checkpoint terminal based at least in part on the request.

“5. The method of claim 4, wherein the checkpoint terminal comprises a point of sale terminal and wherein the identifying information is usable by the point of sale terminal to perform a purchase transaction with a payment processor.

“6. The method of claim 1, further comprising: subsequently to storing the received user account data, receiving, by the wearable device, a user selection of an account for which account data is to be sent to the checkpoint terminal; and selecting the subset of the stored account data to be transmitted to the checkpoint terminal based at least in part on the user selection.

“7. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving, by the wearable device, a user request to load account data onto the wearable device; and transmitting, by the wearable device, a request for user account data to the host device in response to the user request, wherein the wearable device transmits the request during the verified communication session.

“8. A wearable device, comprising: a communication interface; a storage medium; one or more sensors to detect whether the wearable device is being worn or has ceased to be worn; and a processor coupled to the communication interface, the storage medium, and the one or more sensors, the processor configured to: detect that a host device is within a threshold distance from the wearable device; when the host device is within the threshold distance from the wearable device, pair the wearable device with the host device or determine that the wearable device is already paired to the host device; receiving, by the wearable device, an alert of a sign-in event or a notification of a sign-in event from the host device while the wearable device is being worn, whilst the wearable device and host device are paired, the sign-in event corresponding to the host device being unlocked by a correct passcode or credential from the user; and determine whether the wearable device is in a trusted state, the trusted state being that the wearable device is currently being worn and that the host device is within the threshold distance from the wearable device at a time correlated with the sign-in event; while the wearable device is in the trusted state, establish a verified communication session with a host device, receive user account data from the host device during the verified communication session, the user account data comprising identifying information for a financial account of the user and authorization credentials; store the received user account data in the storage medium for providing a subset of the received user account data to a checkpoint terminal; while the received user account data is stored in the storage medium, periodically determine, using one or more of the sensors, whether the wearable device is being worn; and in response to a determination by the wearable device that the wearable device ceases to be worn: automatically delete the stored user account data from the storage medium; and automatically end the verified communication session.

“9. The wearable device of claim 8 wherein the checkpoint terminal comprises a point of sale terminal and wherein the identifying information is usable by the point of sale terminal to perform a purchase transaction with a payment processor.

“10. The wearable device of claim 8, wherein the communication interface comprises a near-field communication interface and the account data is sent to the checkpoint via using a near field communication interface.

“11. The wearable device of claim 8, wherein the identifying information is sufficient to perform a financial transaction using the financial account of the user.

“12. The wearable device of claim 8, wherein the user account data is received in an encrypted form, the method further comprising: decrypting the received user account data using the session key.

“13. The wearable device of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to: receive, by the wearable device, a user request to load account data onto the wearable device; and transmit, by the wearable device, a request for user account data to the host device in response to the user request, wherein the wearable device transmits the request during the verified communication session.

“14. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program instructions that, when executed by a processor in a wearable device, cause the wearable device to execute instructions comprising: detecting, by the wearable device, that the host device is within a threshold distance from the wearable device; when the host device is within the threshold distance from the wearable device, pairing the wearable device with the host device or determining that the wearable device is already paired to the host device; receiving, by the wearable device, an alert of a sign-in event or a notification of a sign-in event from the host device while the wearable device is being worn, whilst the wearable device and host device are paired, the sign-in event corresponding to the host device being unlocked by a correct passcode or credential from the user; and determining, by the wearable device, whether the wearable device is in a trusted state, the trusted state being that the wearable device is currently being worn and that the host device is within the threshold distance from the wearable device at a time correlated with the sign-in event; while the wearable device is in the trusted state, establishing, by the wearable device, a session key and a verified communication session with the host device; receiving, by the wearable device, user account data from the host device during the verified communication session, the user account data comprising identifying information for a financial account of the user and authorization credentials; storing, by the wearable device, the received user account data in a storage medium of the wearable device, for providing a subset of the received user account data to a checkpoint terminal; while the received user account data is stored in the storage medium, periodically determining, by the wearable device using one or more of the sensors of the wearable device, whether the wearable device has been taken off; and in response to a determination by the wearable device that the wearable device has been taken off: automatically deleting, by the wearable device, the stored user account data from the storage medium; and automatically ending, by the wearable device, the verified communication session.

“15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the identifying information is sufficient to perform a financial transaction using the financial account of the user.

“16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the user account data is received in an encrypted form, the method further comprising: decrypting the received user account data using the session key.”

There are additional claims. Please visit full patent to read further.

For additional information on this patent application, see: Maragoudakis, Zachary. Facilitating Transactions With A User Account Using A Wireless Device. U.S. Patent Application Number 20230214817, filed March 31, 2021 and posted July 6, 2023. Patent URL (for desktop use only): https://ppubs.uspto.gov/pubwebapp/external.html?q=(20230214817)&db=US-PGPUB&type=ids

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