US-12619986-B1 - Orientation sensor-enabled authentication

Abstract

Authentication systems and methods using orientation sensor-enabled payment cards are disclosed herein where a server receives an authorization request from a web server or an electronic terminal. The server then transmits an instruction to the orientation sensor to determine whether the payment card has an orientation that is consistent with a predetermined orientation. When the payment card has an orientation consistent with the predetermined orientation, the server executes a first authentication protocol. However, if the payment card has an orientation that is not consistent with the predetermined orientation, the server executes a second authentication protocol that is more restrictive than the first authentication protocol.

Inventors

• Kelly Q. Baker
• David M. Jones, Jr.
• Robert Andrew Massie
• Bryan J. Osterkamp
• Ryan Thomas Russell

Assignees

• UNITED SERVICES AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION (USAA)

Dates

Publication Date

20260505

Application Date

20240102

Claims (16)

1. 1 . A method, comprising: receiving, via a server, a request to authorize a payment associated with a payment card from a point of sale (POS) terminal; transmitting, via the server, an instruction to an orientation tracking module of the payment card to determine an orientation of the payment card; receiving, via the server, the orientation of the payment card from the orientation tracking module of the payment card; determining, via the server, an authentication protocol based at least in part on the orientation of the payment card; transmitting, via the server, an instruction relating to the authentication protocol to the POS terminal; receiving, via the server, confirmation from the POS terminal that the instruction relating to the authentication protocol has been followed via interaction with the POS terminal; and processing, via the server, the payment in response to the confirmation that the instruction relating to the authentication protocol has been followed via the interaction with the POS terminal.
2. 2 . The method of claim 1 , comprising: identifying, via the server, an authorized electronic device associated with the payment card; transmitting, via the server, an instruction to the authorized electronic device to display a prompt requesting an authentication input; receiving, via the server, the authentication input from the authorized electronic device; and authorizing, via the server, the payment in response to matching the authentication input with a predetermined authentication input associated with the payment card.
3. 3 . The method of claim 2 , comprising transmitting, via the server, a notification to the authorized electronic device, the notification comprising at least one of a payment amount, identification information associated with a web server or the POS terminal from which the request originated, and a timestamp of the request.
4. 4 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the authorized electronic device is at least one of a mobile phone, computer, and wearable device.
5. 5 . The method of claim 1 , comprising: identifying, via the server, a unique identifier associated with the orientation tracking module of the payment card; and transmitting, via the server, the instruction to the orientation tracking module of the payment card to determine the orientation of the payment card based at least in part on the unique identifier.
6. 6 . The method of claim 1 , comprising transmitting, via the server, an authorization request to a payment facilitation server, wherein the authentication protocol is dependent upon whether the payment facilitation server approves the authorization request.
7. 7 . The method of claim 1 , comprising: receiving, via the server, at least one of a speed of movement, a direction of movement, an acceleration of movement, and a gyration associated with the payment card from the orientation tracking module of the payment card; and determining, via the server, the authentication protocol based at least in part on the at least one of the speed of movement, the direction of movement, the acceleration of movement, and the gyration associated with the payment card.
8. 8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the payment card comprises an orientation tracking sensor and a transmitter/receiver integrated into the payment card, wherein the orientation tracking sensor is configured to detect the orientation of the payment card and the at least one of the speed of movement, the direction of movement, the acceleration of movement, and the gyration associated with the payment card, and the transmitter/receiver is configured to transmit the orientation to the server.
9. 9 . A server comprising at least one processor configured to execute processor-executable instructions stored on at least one non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of the server, wherein the processor-executable instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the server to: receive a request to authorize a payment associated with a payment card from a point of sale (POS) terminal; transmit an instruction to an orientation tracking module of the payment card to determine an orientation of the payment card; receive the orientation of the payment card from the orientation tracking module of the payment card; determine an authentication protocol based at least in part on the orientation of the payment card; transmit an instruction relating to the authentication protocol to the POS terminal; receive confirmation from the POS terminal that the instruction relating to the authentication protocol has been followed via interaction with the POS terminal; and process the payment in response to the confirmation that the instruction relating to the authentication protocol has been followed via the interaction with the POS terminal.
10. 10 . The server of claim 9 , wherein the processor-executable instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the server to: identify an authorized electronic device associated with the payment card; transmit an instruction to the authorized electronic device to display a prompt requesting an authentication input; receive the authentication input from the authorized electronic device; and authorize the payment in response to matching the authentication input with a predetermined authentication input associated with the payment card.
11. 11 . The server of claim 10 , wherein the processor-executable instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the server to transmit a notification to the authorized electronic device, the notification comprising at least one of a payment amount, identification information associated with a web server or the POS terminal from which the request originated, and a timestamp of the request.
12. 12 . The server of claim 10 , wherein the authorized electronic device is at least one of a mobile phone, computer, and wearable device.
13. 13 . The server of claim 9 , wherein the processor-executable instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the server to: identify a unique identifier associated with the orientation tracking module of the payment card; and transmit the instruction to the orientation tracking module of the payment card to determine the orientation of the payment card based at least in part on the unique identifier.
14. 14 . The server of claim 9 , wherein the processor-executable instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the server to transmit an authorization request to a payment facilitation server, wherein the authentication protocol is dependent upon whether the payment facilitation server approves the authorization request.
15. 15 . The server of claim 9 , wherein the processor-executable instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the server to: receive at least one of a speed of movement, a direction of movement, an acceleration of movement, and a gyration associated with the payment card from the orientation tracking module of the payment card; and determine the authentication protocol based at least in part on the at least one of the speed of movement, the direction of movement, the acceleration of movement, and the gyration associated with the payment card.
16. 16 . The server of claim 15 , wherein the payment card comprises an orientation tracking sensor and a transmitter/receiver integrated into the payment card, wherein the orientation tracking sensor is configured to detect the orientation of the payment card and the at least one of the speed of movement, the direction of movement, the acceleration of movement, and the gyration associated with the payment card, and the transmitter/receiver is configured to transmit the orientation to the server.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS The present disclosure is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/103,110, titled “Orientation Sensor-Enabled Authentication,” which was filed on Nov. 24, 2020, which is related to, and claims priority to, U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/939,911, titled “Orientation-Sensor-Enabled Authentication,” which was filed on Nov. 25, 2019, both of which are herein incorporated by reference in their entireties for all purposes. BACKGROUND The present disclosure relates generally to authentication systems and methods for authorizing electronic transactions and, more particularly, to systems and methods for authorizing payments based on orientations of payment cards. With the emergence of electronic commerce, consumers are increasingly purchasing products and services using cashless payment methods, such as credit cards, debit cards, and so forth. Conventional authentication methods rely on matching a credit card number with a cardholder's account number and determining whether the transaction is authorized. Some conventional authentication methods also rely on authentication protocols, such as entering a pin code at a point of sale (POS) terminal or while shopping online. Conventional authentication methods are relatively static and have become outdated. As a result, a cyber attacker may spoof a user's payment information (e.g., credit card number or CVV) or may have unauthorized access to a cardholder's pin code. Using this information, a cyber attacker may easily facilitate an unauthorized transaction. Therefore, conventional authentication methods are inadequate and outdated. This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present techniques, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art. BRIEF DESCRIPTION For the aforementioned reasons, there is a desire to reduce risk of fraudulent activity associated with electronic transactions. In particular, there is a desire for a new software solution to automatically and securely authenticate a user and authorize a transaction without interfering with the flow of data. For example, in certain embodiments, to authenticate a user conducting a transaction using a payment card, a central server may transmit an activating signal to an orientation sensor integrated into the payment card. Based on an orientation of the payment card, the central server may execute various authentication protocols. For example, in certain embodiments, the central server may display a prompt on an electronic device (e.g., cellular phone) of the user asking the user to input a passcode if the central server determines that the payment card is in the user's pocket, but simultaneously being used at a point of sale (POS) terminal. Disclosed herein are systems and methods capable of addressing the technical shortcomings described above. The systems and methods described herein may also provide any number of additional or alternative benefits and advantages. As described in greater detail herein, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to systems, apparatuses, methods, and computer program products for authenticating electronic transactions. In an embodiment, a method includes receiving, via a server, a request to authorize a payment associated with a payment card. The method also includes transmitting, via the server, an instruction to an orientation tracking module of the payment card to determine an orientation of the payment card and to transmit a signal corresponding to the determined orientation to the server. The method further includes receiving, via the server, the determined orientation of the payment card from the orientation tracking module of the payment card. In addition, the method includes executing, via the server, an authentication protocol based on the determined orientation of the payment card. In another embodiment, a server includes at least one processor configured to execute processor-executable instructions stored on at least one non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of the server. The processor-executable instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the server to receive a request to authorize a payment associated with a payment card. The processor-executable instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, also cause the server to transmit an instruction to an orientation tracking module of the payment card to determine an orientation of the payment card and to transmit a signal corresponding to the determined orientation to the server. The processor-executable instructions, when executed by the at