Configuring Verification Information At Point-of-Sale Devices

Abstract

Techniques and arrangements for dynamically modifying a cardholder verification method (CVM) implemented at a point-of-sale (POS) device. In some instances, the techniques instruct a POS device to determine an attribute associated with a received payment instrument and determine, based on this information and via the issuing entity, whether to implement a default or static CVM or whether to apply a modified or dynamic CVM such that the POS device requests different verification information than if the POS device did not modify the CVM. The modified or dynamic CVM may be implemented if a customer's device, present at the location of the payment transaction, has installed thereon an application of the entity that has issued the payment instrument.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for verifying a payment card at the time of a payment transaction between a merchant and a customer, the method comprising:
 receiving, at a point-of-sale (POS) device and from the user, the payment card for satisfying a cost of the payment transaction between the merchant and the customer;   receiving, by the POS device, information from the payment card, including information related to a card network processor associated with the received payment card;   detecting, by the POS device, a location of the POS device or one or more communication devices, wherein the location indicates a current location of the payment transaction;   sending, to a processor of an issuing entity of the payment card and via a payment processing system, the information from the payment card;   determining, by the processor of the issuing entity and based on the information from the payment card, if the user has installed an application on at least one registered communication device, the application configured for user management of the payment transaction using the payment card;   obtaining, by the processor of the issuing entity, a device identifier corresponding to the registered communication device, wherein the device identifier is capable of indicating a location of the registered communication device on which the application is installed, and wherein the device identifier having been generated when the application is installed on the registered communication device;   comparing, by the payment processing system, the location of the registered communication device as indicated by the device identifier with the location of the POS device or any of the communication devices at the current location of the payment transaction;   if the location of the registered communication device as indicated by the device identifier is substantially similar to the location of the POS device or any of the communication devices at the current place of the payment transaction, configuring a cardholder verification method (CVM) for verifying the payment card received at the POS device irrespective of the CVM for the card network processor associated with the received payment card; and   if the location of the registered communication device as indicated by the device identifier is substantially dissimilar to the location of the POS device or any of the communication devices at the current place of the payment transaction, presenting to the user the CVM specified by the card network processor associated with the received payment card.   
     
     
         2 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the payment processing system further determines a level of risk associated with the payment transaction based at least on the location of the registered device being substantially dissimilar to the location of the POS device or any of the communication devices. 
     
     
         3 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the configuring is further based at least in part on at least one of hardware associated with the POS device or a capability of the POS device, and wherein the hardware includes a touch screen to receive signature of the user or a dedicated hardware device for receiving personal identification numbers (PINs). 
     
     
         4 . One or more computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed on one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform acts comprising:
 receiving, by an entity issuing a payment instrument, a request to authorize the payment instrument at a point-of-sale (POS) device, the entity issuing the payment instrument programmed to selectively implement a dynamic cardholder verification method (CVM) at the POS device, wherein the dynamic CVM is configured based on an identifier associated with the payment transaction;   receiving, the identifier associated with the payment transaction, the identifier including information corresponding to the payment instrument and/or one or more communication devices in proximity to the payment instrument;   determining, by an entity issuing the payment instrument and based on the identifier, whether at least one of the communication devices is registered with the entity issuing the payment instrument;   determining, by the entity issuing the payment instrument, whether to implement a static CVM specified by a card network associated with the payment instrument or whether to apply the dynamic CVM, wherein the dynamic CVM is generated and applied if the communication device is registered with the entity issuing the payment instrument; and   requesting, on the POS device, an input in response to the dynamic CVM generated by the entity issuing the payment instrument.   
     
     
         5 . The one or more computer-readable media as recited in  claim 4 , wherein the identifier comprises a location of the communication device with respect to a location of the payment instrument or the POS device. 
     
     
         6 . The one or more computer-readable media as recited in  claim 4 , wherein the identifier comprises whether the payment instrument includes a magnetic strip storing payment information associated with the payment instrument or a chip storing the payment information associated with the payment instrument. 
     
     
         7 . The one or more computer-readable media as recited in  claim 4 , wherein the dynamic CVM comprises a specific order of a personal identification number (PIN) or a signature of the user associated with the payment instrument followed by another PIN or a signature. 
     
     
         8 . The one or more computer-readable media as recited in  claim 4 , wherein the determining whether to implement or modify the static CVM specified by the card network is further based at least in part on a capability of the POS device or the communication device. 
     
     
         9 . The one or more computer-readable media as recited in  claim 4 , the acts further comprising:
 submitting the dynamic CVM and an identifier associated with the payment instrument to a remote entity for authorizing the payment instrument;   receiving an indication that the payment instrument has not been authorized; and   requesting the static CVM from a user associated with the payment instrument after receiving the indication.   
     
     
         10 . A payment device comprising:
 one or more processors; and   one or more computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:
 obtain an attribute associated with the payment instrument received by the payment device, wherein the payment instrument is used towards satisfying a cost of a payment transaction; 
 obtain information corresponding to at least one communication device associated with the payment device or the payment instrument; 
 detect, based on the information of the communication device and the attribute of the payment device, whether there is a pre-existing relationship between the communication device and the payment instrument; 
 on detecting the pre-existing relationship between the communication device and the payment instrument, generate a verification order different from a default verification order set by a card network processor, wherein the verification order is presented to a customer of the payment instrument to authorize the payment transaction; and 
 request an input from the customer of the payment instrument according to the generated verification order. 
   
     
     
         11 . The payment device as recited in  claim 10 , wherein the pre-existing relationship is established at a time of registration of the payment instrument or the communication device with the payment device issuing the payment instrument. 
     
     
         12 . The payment device as recited in  claim 10 , further includes a rule engine to determine a risk level associated with the payment transaction, based in part on the pre-existing relationship between the communication device and the payment instrument, 
     
     
         13 . The payment device as recited in  claim 12 , wherein the rule engine is configured to:
 query a device registered with the payment instrument;   compare the location of the registered device with the communication device in proximity to the payment instrument or the payment device; and   determine that the relationship is pre-existing based at least on the comparison.   
     
     
         14 . The payment device as recited in  claim 10 , wherein the attribute comprises whether the payment instrument includes a magnetic strip that stores payment information or a chip that stores the payment information. 
     
     
         15 . The payment device as recited in  claim 10 , wherein the default verification order is a generic value set by the card network processor for the payment instrument issued by an entity issuing the payment instrument. 
     
     
         16 . The payment device as recited in  claim 10 , wherein the determining of the CVM is based at least in part on one or more of: (a) specifications of the apparatus; (b) the cost of the payment transaction; (c) a type of the payment instrument; and (d) a brand of the payment instrument. 
     
     
         17 . The payment device as recited in  claim 10 , further comprising a touch-sensitive display to display information regarding the payment transaction and to receive from the customer associated with the payment instrument an input corresponding to the generated CVM. 
     
     
         18 . A method implemented at least in part by a processor associated with an entity issuing at least one payment instrument, the method comprising:
 receiving a request to authenticate use of the payment instrument at a point-of-sale (POS) device in response to a payment transaction;   obtaining, from a database, an attribute associated with the payment instrument, wherein the attribute indicates a predicted location of a communication device associated with a holder of the payment instrument at a time of the payment transaction, wherein the attribute is set in response to an execution or registration of an application of the entity issuing the payment instrument on a communication device;   obtaining, through a location sensor of the POS device, a current location of the payment transaction;   determining whether the current location of the payment transaction involving the payment instrument substantially matches the predicted location of the communication device associated with the holder of the payment instrument; and   implementing, via the processor, a cardholder verification method (CVM) that specifies a device-specific order of verification information to request for verifying the payment instrument if the current location of the communication device matches the predicted location.   
     
     
         19 . The method as recited in  claim 18 , further comprising:
 determining a level of risk associated with the transaction based at least in part on a mapping of the predicted location with the current location; and   configuring the device-specific order of verification information in accordance with the level of risk.   
     
     
         20 . The method as recited in  claim 18 , further includes predicting the location of the communication device by using the attribute to query the communication device. 
     
     
         21 . The method as recited in  claim 18 , further includes determining whether to implement a generic order of the CVM specified by a card processing network or modify the generic order of the CVM to a device-specific order of the CVM based at least in part on one or more of: (a) a cost of the payment transaction for which the payment instrument is being authorized; (b) a hardware capability of the POS device; (c) the location of the payment transaction; and (d) the entity issuing the payment instrument.