Virtual card number as a login credential

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12450614-B2
Application number	US-202217840752-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 15, 2022
Priority date	Jun 15, 2022
Publication date	Oct 21, 2025
Grant date	Oct 21, 2025

Abstract

Disclosed embodiments pertain to systems and methods related to user authentication with a virtual payment card. A virtual card number can be requested as a login credential for a user. A virtual card number can be transmitted through a credit card payment network to a financial institution that issued the virtual card for payment authorization. The user can subsequently be authenticated in response to a granted payment authorization by the financial institution. The financial institution can execute a machine learning model trained to infer fraud based on a usage pattern associated with a virtual card number. Granting or denying payment authorization can depend on a confidence score returned by the model regarding the likelihood of fraud. A virtual card number associated with authentication can include one or more distinguishing characteristics in one instance. Further, virtual card numbers can include use restrictions in time and location.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A user authentication system, comprising:
a processor coupled to a memory that includes instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:
request a virtual card number as a login credential for a user to gain access to a third-party website, the virtual card number associated with an issued primary credit card from a financial institution;
receive, from the user, the virtual card number as the login credential for access to the third-party website;
transmit the virtual card number with a zero charge amount through a credit card payment network to the financial institution that issued the primary credit card and the virtual card number for payment authorization; and
authenticate the user to gain access to the third-party website in response to approved payment authorization by the financial institution or return an authentication error in response to a declined payment authorization.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the request for a virtual card number is initiated in response to selecting an option on a login page to use the virtual card number.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the virtual card number is provided by a browser extension in response to the request.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the browser extension requests the user login to a financial institution account prior to providing the virtual card number in response to the request for the virtual card number.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the virtual card number is customized for one-time use or a merchant website.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the virtual card number comprises different card verification values for different usage customizations.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the instructions further cause the processor to request the virtual card number login credential as a second-factor authentication after successful first-factor authentication.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein a usage pattern is analyzed to detect fraud as part of the payment authorization, wherein payment authorization is denied when fraud is detected.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein a machine learning model is trained and executed to infer the fraud based on the usage pattern.

10. A method, comprising:
executing, on a processor, instructions that cause the processor to perform operations associated with user authentication, the operations comprising:
requesting a virtual card number as a login credential for a user to gain access to a third-party website;
receiving, from the user, the virtual card number the login credential for access to the third-party website, the virtual card number associated with an issued primary credit card from a financial institution;
sending the virtual card number with a zero charge amount through a credit card payment network to the financial institution that issued the primary credit card and the virtual card number for payment authorization; and
authenticating the user to gain access to the third-party website in response to an approved payment authorization by the financial institution or returning an authentication error in response to a declined payment authorization.

11. The method of claim 10 , the operations further comprising initiating the request for the virtual card number in response to selecting an option for virtual card number authentication on a website or mobile application.

12. The method of claim 10 , the operations further comprising sending the virtual card number automatically supplied by a web browser extension program through the credit card payment network.

13. The method of claim 10 , the operations further comprising sending a virtual card number restricted to one-time use.

14. The method of claim 10 , the operations further comprising sending a virtual card number restricted for use by a website or mobile application the user seeks to access.

15. The method of claim 10 , the operations further comprising requesting the virtual card number login credential as a second-factor authentication after successful first-factor authentication.

16. The method of claim 10 , the operations further comprising:
comparing user identity information provided with the approved payment authorization with information from the user; and
returning the authentication error when the user identity information differs.

17. A computer-implemented method, comprising:
receiving a virtual card number as a login credential for a user for access to a third-party website, the virtual card number associated with an issued primary credit card from a financial institution and a payment authorization request with zero charge amount to the financial institution that issued the primary credit card and the virtual card number;
identifying the virtual card number as being associated with authentication based on at least one characteristic of the virtual card number;
executing a machine learning model trained to infer fraud based on a usage pattern associated with the virtual card number and output a confidence score that indicates a likelihood of fraud associated with the virtual card number; and
granting the payment authorization request and authenticating the user to gain access to the third-party website when the confidence score satisfies
a predetermined threshold and otherwise denying the payment authorization request.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 17 , further comprising checking available funds of an account associated with the virtual card number.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 17 , further comprising:
determining one or more restrictions associated with the virtual card number; evaluating the one or more restrictions with respect to the payment authorization request; and
declining the payment authorization request when one of the one or more restrictions is violated.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 17 , further comprising returning information associated with an identity of a user in conjunction with granting the payment authorization request.

Assignees

• Capital One Services Llc

Inventors

• Wieker Jeffrey Carlyle
• Emmott Kevan
• Johnson Clayton

Classifications

• G06Q20/407

  Cancellation of a transaction · CPC title

• G06Q20/4016

  involving fraud or risk level assessment in transaction processing · CPC title

• G06Q20/351

  Virtual cards · CPC title

• G06Q20/385

  using an alias or single-use codes · CPC title

• H04L2463/082

  applying multi-factor authentication · CPC title