System and method for purchasing using biometric authentication

Abstract

A system and method for registration and processing point of sale purchases, billing and transaction requests using biometric authentication is provided. The system is configured such that upon registration of a user token on a mobile device, an associated financial account server is prevented from processing any transaction requests against the associated account without confirmation and receipt of a user token from a server. The system interacts with the mobile device to verify a biometric identifier before transmission of the user token from a server that interacts with a second server of the financial institution associated with the account before processing a transaction request. The system also includes methods to configure multiple point of sale systems at retail locations to communicate and process payment requests through the system.

What is claimed is: 
     
         10 . A method for point of sale purchasing using biometric authentication, wherein a mobile communication device having a unique identifier, is connected via a short range interface to a point of sale unit, and wherein the point of sale unit sends a transaction request through a payment interworking server to a financial institution server upon receiving a payment request from the mobile communication device. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the financial institution server reroutes the transaction request to a lockbox server upon receipt of the transaction request. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein upon receipt at the lockbox of the transaction request from the financial account server, and the lockbox server transmits data regarding the transaction request to a processor on the mobile communication device. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein upon receipt of the transaction request data at the processor, a mobile application requests authentication of the data and goes into standby mode until a verified biometric identifier is received by the processor. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein upon receipt of a biometric identifier at the processor, the processor compares the received biometric identifier with a biometric identifier stored in a user token within a memory of the mobile communication device. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein upon verifying that the received biometric identifier and the biometric identifier in the memory are identical, the processor transmits the user token to the lockbox server. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein upon receipt of the user token at the lockbox server, the lockbox server verifies that the transmitted user token and a user token previously stored in a memory at the lockbox server are identical. 
     
     
         18 . The method of claim  17 , wherein upon verifying that the transmitted user token and the user token previously stored in the lockbox server are identical, the lockbox server initiates commands to the financial institution server to temporarily unlock a financial account associated with the user token and process the transaction request. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein upon receipt of a confirmation that the processing of the transaction request is completed, the lockbox server sends commands to the financial institution server to lock the financial account to prevent further processing of transaction requests associated with the financial account and sends commands to the point of sale unit that the transaction request has been completed. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the point of sale unit transmits confirmation that the transaction request has been completed via the short range interface to the mobile communications device.