Method and apparatus for settling payments using mobile devices
Techniques for mobile devices configured to support settlement of charges in electronic invoices or bills are described. A mobile device embedded with a secure element generates or is loaded with an electronic invoice. When the mobile device is brought to a consumer with an NFC mobile device, the data including the electronic invoice and other information regarding the mobile device or an owner thereof is read off wirelessly into the NFC mobile device. After the user verifies the amount being charged and authorizes the payment, the NFC mobile device communicates with a payment gateway or network for payment that is configured to proceed with the payment in accordance with a chosen payment methods.
1. A method for settling a payment, the method comprising:
providing a software module to be executed in a first mobile device embedded with a secure element, wherein the secure element is personalized with operations of:
causing device information of the secure element to be sent to a server configured to identify which issuer has issued the secure element based on an identifier in the device information, determining from the issuer whether the secure element has been personalized, and personalizing the secure element when the secure element has not been personalized, and wherein the software module is provisioned with the personalized secure element, the first mobile device is configured to include data pertaining to an electronic invoice and transmits the electronic invoice to a second mobile device associated with a user, the second mobile device includes an electronic purse funded via a financial institution and embedded with an emulator to process a monetary transaction, the electronic purse is supported by an applet running in the second mobile device, and the applet has been provisioned with operations including:
establishing a first secured channel between the applet and a security authentication module (SAM) or a payment server; and
establishing a second secured channel so that various data is exchanged between the applet and an existing SAM originally used to issue the applet as well as between the emulator and the existing SAM;
receiving a payment request from a second mobile device after the user views the electronic invoice displayed on the second mobile device and authorizes the payment to the electronic invoice, wherein the second mobile device is a near-field communication device and configured to execute an application that communicates with the software module in the first mobile device to generate the payment request;
verifying the payment request; and
sending a payment response to a user of the first mobile device after the payment request is processed.
2. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the second mobile device includes a display screen and is caused to display the electronic invoice, and wherein the user of the second mobile device has an option to modify an amount in the invoice when the payment request is generated.
3. The method as recited in claim 2 , wherein the data further includes the identifier of the personalized secure element, and said verifying the payment request comprises:
verifying whether the user of the second mobile device maintains an account for settling the electronic invoice and the identifier of the secure element has already been authenticated.
4. The method as recited in claim 3 , further comprising:
exchanging encrypted messages with a financial institution that holds the account for the user of the second mobile device to transfer the amount to a designated account of the user of the first mobile device; and
generating the payment response once a confirmed message is received that the amount has been received in the designated account.
5. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the first mobile device is a contactless card and part of a point of sale (POS) device used to generate invoices, the contactless card is loaded with the electronic invoice, and the data further includes an identifier of the personalized secure element and an identifier of the user to facilitate a settlement to a charge in the electronic invoice by money transfer by a service in a trusted service management (TSM).
6. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:
initiating a request from the applet after valid personal identification numbers are entered and accepted on the second mobile device; and
transporting a response to a payment server configured to verify that the response is from an authenticated applet, wherein the payment server further communicates with a financial institution to authorize a transaction therewith.
7. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the first mobile device is an NFC device used to generate the electronic invoice.
8. A gateway provided for settling a payment, the gateway comprising:
a portal providing a software module to be downloaded and executed in a first mobile device embedded with a secure element, wherein the secure element is personalized with operations of:
causing device information of the secure element to be sent to a server configured to identify which issuer has issued the secure element based on an identifier in the device information;
determining from the issuer whether the secure element has been personalized; and
personalizing the secure element when the secure element has not been personalized, wherein the software module is provisioned with the personalized secure element, the first mobile device is configured to include data pertaining to an electronic invoice and transmit the electronic invoice to a second mobile device associated with a user;
a server comprising:
a processor;
a store, coupled to the processor, for code to be executed in the processor to cause the server to perform operations of:
receiving a payment request from a second mobile device after the user views the electronic invoice displayed on the second mobile device and authorizes the payment to the electronic invoice, wherein the second mobile device is a near-field communication device and is configured to execute an application that communicates with the software module in the first mobile device to generate the payment request, and said receiving a payment request comprises operations of:
sending a rejection to the second mobile device when an amount provided by the user of the second mobile device to be settled is less than an amount being charged in the electronic invoice; or
proceeding with a payment process when an amount provided by the user of the second mobile device to be settled is equal or more than an amount being charged in the electronic invoice;
verifying the payment request; and
sending a payment response to a user of the first mobile device after the payment request is processed.
9. The gateway as recited in claim 8 , wherein the second mobile device includes a display screen, and wherein the user of the second mobile device has an option to modify an amount in the invoice when the payment request is generated.
10. The gateway as recited in claim 9 , wherein the data further includes the identifier of the personalized secure element, and said verifying the payment request comprises:
verifying whether the user of the second mobile device maintains an account for settling the electronic invoice and the identifier of the secure element has already been authenticated.
11. The gateway as recited in claim 10 , further comprising operations of:
exchanging encrypted messages with a financial institution that holds the account for the user of the second mobile device to transfer the amount to a designated account of the user of the first mobile device; and
generating the payment response once a confirmed message is received that the amount has been received in the designated account.
12. The gateway as recited in claim 8 , wherein the first mobile device is a contactless card and part of a point of sale (POS) device used to generate invoices, the contactless card is loaded with the electronic invoice, and the data further includes an identifier of the personalized secure element and an identifier of the user to facilitate a settlement to a charge in the electronic invoice by money transfer by a service in a trusted service management (TSM).
13. The gateway as recited in claim 8 , wherein the second mobile device includes an electronic purse funded via a financial institution, the second mobile device is embedded with an emulator to process a monetary transaction.
14. The gateway as recited in claim 8 , further comprising operations of:
initiating a request from the applet after valid personal identification numbers are entered and accepted on the second mobile device; and
transporting a response to a payment server configured to verify that the response is from an authenticated applet, wherein the payment server further communicates with a financial institution to authorize a transaction therewith.
15. The gateway as recited in claim 8 , wherein the first mobile device is an NFC device used to generate the electronic invoice.
16. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein said receiving a payment request comprises:
sending a rejection to the second mobile device when an amount provided by the user of the second mobile device to be settled is less than an amount being charged in the electronic invoice; or
proceeding with a payment process when an amount provided by the user of the second mobile device to be settled is equal or more than an amount being charged in the electronic invoice.