Peer-to-peer mobile device payment network

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11030605-B2
Application number	US-201615562702-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 31, 2016
Priority date	Mar 31, 2015
Publication date	Jun 8, 2021
Grant date	Jun 8, 2021

Abstract

A computer-implemented method of communicating payment data. The method includes receiving at a server, via a digital communication network, payment data transmitted from a first computing device that is connected to a peer-to-peer network and not in direct communication with the server. The payment data is received directly from a first peer computing device that is in communication with the peer-to-peer network and the server. The method also includes, at the server, analyzing, via one or more processors, the payment data to determine a payment response message. The method also includes transmitting from the server, via the digital communication network, the payment response message to a second peer computing device that is in communication with the server and in communication with the peer-to-peer network. The payment response message is communicated from the second peer computing device to the first computing device through the peer-to-peer network.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method of communicating payment data, the method comprising:
periodically receiving, by a wireless computing device associated with a merchant, a wireless heartbeat signal from at least one of a plurality of peer computing devices, the plurality of peer computing devices at least in part making up a peer-to-peer network wherein at least one of the plurality of peer computing devices is a connected device that is in communication with a payment server;
based on receiving each of the at least one wireless heartbeat signal, updating, on the wireless computing device, a table of nodes to include a node identifier for each of the at least one peer computing device from which the at least one wireless heartbeat signal has been received within a predetermined time period and removing a node identifier for each of the at least one peer computing device from which the at least one wireless heartbeat signal has not been received within the predetermined time period, the table of nodes including an immediately available set of peer computing devices of the plurality of peer computing devices;
initiating, via the wireless computing device, a payment transaction with a customer;
in response to initiating the payment transaction, analyzing, by the wireless computing device, wireless signals to determine whether a known network is available to the wireless computing device;
if the known network is available, controlling the wireless computing device to automatically transmit payment data associated with the payment transaction to the payment server via the known network to initiate a transaction;
if the known network is not available to the wireless computing device:
querying the table of nodes to determine the immediately available set of peer computing devices,
automatically transmitting, by the wireless computing device, the payment data to each peer computing device of the immediately available set of peer computing devices,
wherein each respective peer computing device of the immediately available set of peer computing devices queries a table of nodes associated with that device and transmits the payment data to each peer computing device of an immediately available set of peer computing devices, and
wherein the at least one connected device in communication with the payment server receives the payment data from at least one of the plurality of peer computing devices and transmits the payment data to the payment server to initiate the transaction; and

receiving, by the wireless computing device, a payment response message from the payment server via the peer-to-peer network.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the at least one wireless signal includes an updated table of nodes from the peer computing device providing the wireless signal.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the payment response message is one of an approval or a denial of a transaction.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein payment data may include a request for authorization.

5. A computer-implemented method of communicating with a payment server, the method comprising:
periodically receiving, by a wireless computing device associated with a merchant, a wireless heartbeat signal from at least one of a plurality of peer computing devices, the plurality of peer computing devices at least in part making up a peer-to-peer network wherein at least one of the plurality of peer computing devices is a connected device in communication with a payment server;
populating, by the wireless computing device, a table of nodes including a node identifier associated with each peer computing device of the plurality of peer computing devices from which the computing device has received a wireless heartbeat signal within a predetermined amount of time, and removing a node identifier for each of the at least one peer computing device from which the at least one wireless heartbeat signal has not been received within the predetermined amount of time;
periodically receiving, by the wireless computing device, a wireless signal from a first peer computing device of the plurality of peer computing devices, the wireless signal including a first peer table of nodes including at least a second node identifier for a second peer computing device indicating that the first peer computing device is in communication with the second peer computing device;
based on the wireless signal from the first computing device, updating, on the wireless computing device, the table of nodes to include the first and second node identifiers;
initiating, via the wireless computing device, a payment transaction with a customer;
in response to initiating the payment transaction, analyzing, by the wireless computing device, wireless signals to determine whether a known network is available to the wireless computing device;
if the known network is available, controlling the wireless computing device to automatically transmit a request for authorization of the payment transaction to the payment server via the known network;
if the known network is not available to the wireless computing device:
based on the table of nodes, mapping, by the wireless computing device, a wireless communication path from the wireless computing device to the connected device via at least the first and second peer computing devices, and
automatically transmitting, by the wireless computing device, the request for authorization of the payment transaction along the mapped wireless communication path to the connected device, wherein the connected device is configured to transmit the request for authorization to the payment server;

receiving, at the wireless computing device and in response to the request for authorization, a payment authorization from the payment server; and
controlling the wireless computing device to complete the payment transaction based on receiving the payment authorization.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein receiving the payment authorization includes receiving the payment authorization via at least one of the plurality of peer computing devices on the peer-to-peer network.

7. The method of claim 5 , further comprising receiving a wireless signal including a respective table of nodes for each of the plurality of peer computing devices from which the wireless computing device has received a wireless heartbeat signal within the predetermined amount of time.

8. The method of claim 5 , wherein the plurality of peer computing devices in the peer-to-peer network each maintain a routing table of other active peer computing devices.

9. The method of claim 5 further comprising periodically searching, by the wireless computing device, for wireless heartbeat signals from the plurality of peer computing devices on the peer-to-peer network.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of peer computing devices in the peer-to-peer network each maintain a routing table of other active peer computing devices.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising periodically searching, by the wireless computing device, for wireless heartbeat signals from the plurality of peer computing devices on the peer-to-peer network.

12. A wireless computing device comprising:
at least one processor, and
at least one memory storing computer executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform the steps of:
periodically receiving, by the wireless computing device, a wireless heartbeat signal from at least one of a plurality of peer computing devices, the plurality of peer computing devices at least in part making up a peer-to-peer network wherein at least one of the pluralit

Assignees

• Visa Int Service Ass

Inventors

• Keshan Surendra
• Sankolli Sanjay

Classifications

• G06Q20/401

  Transaction verification · CPC title

• G06Q20/32

  using wireless devices · CPC title

• G06Q20/3223

  Realising banking transactions through M-devices · CPC title

• G06Q20/12

  specially adapted for electronic shopping systems · CPC title

• G06Q20/223 Primary

  based on the use of peer-to-peer networks · CPC title