Apparatus, system, and method to process transaction requests

Abstract

An apparatus to process a request to authorize a payment transaction includes a communications interface coupled to a payment network that is configured to receive a first transaction authorization request originating from a merchant point-of-sale (POS) system, and to transmit a transaction approval or decline response, at least one storage device to store a database including user accounts, wherein each user account contains at least one linked payment account number and at least one token account number, and a processor configured to receive the first transaction authorization request, select a user account using the token credential, select a payment account number, transmit a second transaction authorization request for the selected payment account, receive an approval or decline authorization message in response, and transmit a transaction approval or decline authorization message to the payment network in response to the first transaction authorization request.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An apparatus to process a request to authorize a payment transaction using a token credential, the apparatus comprising:
 a communications interface coupled to a payment network that is configured to receive a first transaction authorization request including the token credential originating from a merchant point-of-sale (POS) system, and to transmit a transaction approval or decline response;   at least one storage device to store a database including user accounts, wherein each user account contains at least one linked payment account number and at least one token account number that is used to authorize a payment transaction between the merchant POS system and the apparatus; and   a processor configured to receive the first transaction authorization request originating from the merchant POS system via the communications interface, select a user account from the user accounts stored in the database using the token credential contained in the received transaction authorization request, select a payment account number linked to the selected user account, transmit a second transaction authorization request for the selected linked payment account, receive and identify an approval or decline authorization message in response to the second transaction authorization request, and transmit a transaction approval or decline authorization message to the payment network in response to the first transaction authorization request.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein at least one token account number corresponding to the selected user account is one of a plurality of information included in the token credential. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the at least one token account number is within a Bank Identification Number (BIN) range associated with at least one of a payment card issuer and a payment network. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein the at least one token account number within the designated BIN range enables transaction authorizations to be routed from the merchant POS system to an acquirer, to the applicable payment network, and to an applicable token credential issuer system for approval. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the user accounts within the database have at least one linked payment account from one of a credit account, debit account, or stored value account payment type. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein a token account number included in the token credential is mapped to a single linked payment account or a plurality of linked payment accounts. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein one or more linked payment accounts within the user account are changeable according to input received from a user. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein the one or more linked payment accounts are changeable by linking a new account to replace an existing one, or deleting an existing linked account. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein a token account number assigned to the user account is updated within the database by an issuer. 
     
     
         10 . An apparatus to process a request to retrieve a payment account linked to a token credential during payment transaction authorization processing, the apparatus comprising:
 a storage device to store a database including a plurality of token accounts that each contain a mapping between at least one token account number corresponding to a token account and at least one linked payment account number corresponding to a payment account;   a communications interface to receive a request including the token credential from a first payment network system for authorization of at least one token account number corresponding to the at least one linked account number, wherein the token credential includes the at least one token account number, and to transmit an authorization response to the first payment network system for the received at least one token account number corresponding to the at least one linked payment account number; and   a processor to perform a lookup within the database using the received at least one token account number, to retrieve the at least one linked payment account number, and to submit the retrieved at least one linked payment account number for transmission to a second payment network system in response to the received request.   
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein the at least one token account number linked to the at least one payment account number corresponds to one of a credit account, a debit account, and a stored value account. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein payment token data and data within a payment account corresponding to the linked payment account number each comprise at least one of an account number, an expiration date, and credential security information. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein the linked payment account number is retrieved in real-time in response to receiving the request containing the at least one token account number from the first payment network system. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein the authorization requests received from the first payment network system are approved or rejected based on at least one of a state of the token account or a received payment transaction authorization response associated with the at least one linked payment account number that is received from the second payment network system. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein at least one of the plurality of token accounts is updated within the database. 
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 15 , wherein the updating of the at least one of the plurality of token accounts includes updating at least one of the at least one token account number and the at least one linked payment account number. 
     
     
         17 . The apparatus of  claim 15 , wherein the updating of the at least one of the plurality of token accounts comprises at least one of adding information to the at least one token account, deleting information from the at least one token account, and changing information within the at least one token account. 
     
     
         18 . The apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein the first payment network system comprises at least one of an acquirer system, a card network system, or an issuer card management system. 
     
     
         19 . The apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein the second payment network system comprises at least one of an acquirer system, a card network system, or an issuer card management system. 
     
     
         20 . A system to secure a mobile payment transaction, the system comprising:
 a communications interface capable of communicating with a payment network, wherein the communications interface is configured to receive transaction authorization requests originating from a merchant point-of-sale (POS) system, and to transmit a transaction approval or decline response;   a database, stored on at least one storage device, configured to store a plurality of user accounts, such that each of the plurality of user accounts includes at least one token account number associated with a financial payment account;   a processor configured to process transaction authorization requests received from the payment network via the communications interface, select the financial payment account associated with the token account number contained in each received transaction authorization request from the plurality of user accounts stored in the database, route an authorization request for the selected financial payment account to an issuer, identify an approval or decline authorization response based on at least the state of the selected financial payment account and an authorization response from the issuer associated with the selected financial payment account, and transmit a transaction approval or decline authorization response to the payment network.   
     
     
         21 . The system of  claim 20 , wherein the token account number is within a Bank Identification Number (BIN) range associated with at least one of a payment card issuer and the payment network. 
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 20 , wherein the financial payment account stored in the database is at least one of a credit account, a debit account, and a stored value account. 
     
     
         23 . A method of processing a request to authorize a payment transaction using a payment token, the method comprising:
 transmitting, to a merchant point-of-sale (POS) system, payment token data from a payment device, wherein the payment token data is linked to a payment account number, and wherein the payment token data corresponds to a token account from an applicable token management system;   receiving a first payment transaction authorization request that includes the payment token data;   routing a second payment transaction authorization request to an issuer of the payment account number, wherein the second payment transaction authorization request includes at least the payment account number that is linked to the payment token data;   receiving a first payment authorization response in response to the second payment transaction authorization request, wherein the payment authorization response includes at least an approval or decline message from the issuer of the payment account number;   transmitting a second payment authorization response in response to the first payment transaction authorization request to the POS system.   
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 23 , further comprising: retrieving the linked payment account number from the token management system in real-time in response to receiving the first payment transaction authorization request. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 23 , further comprising: approving the first payment transaction authorization request based on at least one of a state of the token account and the first received payment authorization response associated with the linked payment account. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 23 , further comprising:
 storing the payment token data in the payment device; and   conveying the payment token data to the merchant POS system via at least one of a wired connection, wireless interface, bar code scanner, magnetic stripe reader, or chip card reader.   
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 26 , wherein the conveying the payment token to the merchant POS system comprises conveying the payment token to the merchant POS system via Near Field Communication (NFC). 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 26 , wherein:
 the payment device is a wireless device configured for short range wireless communications; and   the conveying the payment token to the merchant POS system comprises conveying the payment token wirelessly from the payment device to the merchant POS system.