Transaction flow
A method of encoding a transaction flow is described. The method comprises: receiving information from a user about a transaction type to be executed; creating a transaction flow comprising a sequence of states, where at least some states include text to be displayed and inputs to be enabled for that state; and encoding the transaction flow into a machine-readable code.
1. A method comprising:
receiving, by a server, a transaction-flow request for an encoded transaction flow for a transaction flow that is associated with a user-defined transaction, wherein receiving further includes receiving the transaction-flow request for the encoded transaction flow from a user device operated by a user and identifying a transaction type for the transaction, wherein the transaction flow comprising a sequence of stages in processing of the user-defined transaction based on the transaction type, and wherein the transaction flow for the user-defined transaction subsequently processes on a Self-Service Terminal (SST), wherein receiving the transaction flow further comprises obtaining the transaction flow;
validating, by the server, the transaction flow by:
contacting, by a validation and encoding program of the server, a website associated with a link of a transacting party of the user-defined transaction, and ascertaining a command required when making a purchase from the website;
verifying, by the validation and encoding program, that there is a transaction flow template for the transaction type of the transaction referenced by the transaction-flow request with the user-defined transaction;
populating, by the validation and encoding program, the transaction flow template as a populated transaction flow template with user selections provided from the user device and identified with the transaction-flow request for each stage of the transaction flow template;
creating, by the validation and encoding program, a new transaction flow using the link, the command, and the populated transaction flow template; and
converting, by the validation and encoding program, the new transaction flow into a code sequence comprising state codes, interaction codes, and text that are to be processed by the transacting party with the transaction;
digitally signing, by the server, the code sequence;
encrypting, by the server, the digitally signed code sequence;
converting, by the server, the encrypted digitally signed code sequence of the new transaction flow into a 2 Dimensional (2D) barcode;
transmitting, by the server, the 2D barcode to the user device;
reading, by a barcode reader of the SST, the 2D barcode from a display of the user device;
decrypting, by the SST, the 2D barcode;
validating, by the SST, a digital signature of the decrypted 2D barcode by comparing the decrypted version against an expected digital signature;
parsing, by the SST, the decrypted and validated 2D barcode by obtaining the code sequence corresponding to the new transaction flow for the user-defined transaction;
processing, by the SST, the obtained code sequence by accessing a state table and producing a sequence of processing states for each state code while identifying, in the obtained code sequence, text and inputs to be enabled for each interaction code in each processing state; and
executing, by the SST, the sequence of processing states by enabling the identified inputs and displaying the text identified for each processing state, wherein the SST was incapable of processing the transaction flow as originally received from the user device but does process the new transaction flow provided by the server to the user device as the 2D barcode and read by the barcode reader of the SST from the display of the user device.
2. A method according to claim 1 , comprising receiving information corresponding to a type of authentication and authenticating the transaction flow using the type.
3. A method according to claim 1 , wherein creating the new transaction flow further includes representing transaction inputs associated with the transaction within the new transaction flow as received inputs received from: function defined keys, keys on a numeric keypad, and a cash acceptor slot.
4. A method according to claim 1 , comprising receiving information corresponding to identifying information for two transacting parties to the transaction, prior to creating the new transaction flow.
5. A method according to claim 1 , encoding the new transaction flow into the machine-readable code includes encoding the new transaction flow into a two dimensional barcode.
6. A method according to claim 1 , comprising encrypting the new transaction flow prior to encoding the new transaction flow into a machine-readable code.