IP Library Granted Patent US 10,692,087
Granted Patent B2
US 10,692,087 · App. 14/244,619 · Granted Jun 23, 2020

Electronic financial service risk evaluation

Inventors: Patrick Ryan Flanagan (Pleasanton, CA); Rajesh Ponnam (San Ramon, CA)
Assignee: BLACKHAWK NETWORK, INC.
G06Q20/4016G06Q20/04G06Q20/342
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,692,087
App. No.
14/244,619
Granted
Jun 23, 2020
Kind
B2
Abstract

Electronic stored value cards (“eSVCs”) may be susceptible to fraud, theft, or unauthorized access. As eSVCs are still relatively new, the eSVC industry may not have fully developed sufficient safeguards to prevent such fraud, therft, and unauthorized access. Disclosed herein are systems, apparatus, and methods for evaluating whether or not to provide a service, which may include displaying, funding, or authorizing an eSVC. The evaluation may be in response to a request for such a service. The evaluation may be based on a risk due to fraud, theft, or unathorized access.

Claims (55)

1. An apparatus comprising:

a receiver configured to receive a request for an electronic stored-value card service;

a processor coupled to the receiver and configured to execute a program to cause the processor to:

first, obtain data associated with the request,

second, process the data,

third, determine parameters based on the data, wherein the parameters comprise (1) an email type parameter, wherein the email type parameter comprises a determination that an email address leverages a free email provider, (2) a view attempt parameter, wherein the view attempt parameter comprises information concerning use of a graphical user interface, (3) a device fingerprint parameter, wherein the device fingerprint parameter identifies a unique device, (4) a proxy type parameter, wherein the proxy type parameter comprises information for initiating a final http request, and (5) an IP parameter, wherein the IP parameter comprises information identifying a device location,

fourth, calculate a risk score via solving an equation comprising the parameters,

wherein the equation is, risk score=EM×Px×Fp×Ip×(Va×Fp), where EM is the email type parameter, Px is the proxy type parameter, Va(Fp) is the view attempt parameter, Fp is the device fingerpoint parameter, and Ip is the IP parameter, and

fifth, perform an electronic stored-value card transaction risk evaluation based on the risk score;

a plurality of memory devices, wherein access to a first memory device is faster than access to a second memory device and wherein a program is transferred from the second memory device to the first memory device for execution; and

a transmitter coupled to the processor and configured to transmit a response to the request, wherein the response is based on the risk evaluation.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the apparatus is an electronic stored-value card (eSVC) server.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the data are at least one of:

an email address;

a phone number; and

an Internet Protocol (IP) address.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the email type parameter indicates that the email address is at least one of:

trusted;

from a free email provider; and

high risk.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the view attempt parameter indicates a number of times an entity or an identifier associated with the entity has been used to request the service or another service from the apparatus.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the device fingerprint parameter:

uniquely identifies an entity associated with the request;

is determined based on a proprietary method; and

indicates at least one of:

the entity is blacklisted,

the entity is known to the apparatus, and

the entity is not known to the apparatus.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the proxy type parameter indicates that a proxy server used to initiate the request is at least one of:

anonymous; and

associate with a valid business.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the IP parameter indicates that a country or region associated with an entity associated with the request is at least one of:

approved; and

not approved.

9. An apparatus comprising:

a plurality of memory devices, wherein access to a first memory device is faster than access to a second memory device and wherein a program is transferred from the second memory device to the first memory device for execution;

a processor configured to execute the program to cause (a) first modules to determine parameters based on an electronic stored-value card request, wherein the parameters comprise (1) an email type parameter, wherein the email type parameter comprises a determination that an email address leverages a free email provider, (2) a view attempt parameter, wherein the view attempt parameter comprises information concerning use of a graphical user interface, (3) a device fingerprint parameter, wherein the device fingerprint parameter identifies a unique device, (4) a proxy type parameter, wherein the proxy type parameter comprises information for initiating a final http request, and (5) an IP parameter, wherein the IP parameter comprises information identifying a device location and (b) a second module coupled to the first modules to first, receive the parameters from the first modules, second, calculate a risk score via solving an equation comprising those parameters, wherein the equation is, risk score=EM×Px×Fp×Ip×(Va×Fp), where EM is the email type parameter, Px is the proxy type parameter, Va(Fp) is the view attempt parameter, Fp is the device fingerprint parameter, and Ip is the IP parameter; and third, determine whether or not to provide an electronic stored-value card (eSVC) service based on the risk score.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the modules comprise an email validation module configured to determine the email type parameter, a digital services module configured to determine the view attempt parameter, a fingerprint identification (ID) module configured to determine the device fingerprint parameter, a proxy type ID module configured to determine the proxy type parameter, and an IP geographical (Geo) module configured to determine the IP parameter.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the service is at least one of:

displaying an eSVC;

funding the eSVC; and

authorizing the eSVC.

12. A method comprising:

receiving a request for an electronic financial service;

transferring a program for responding to the request from a first memory device to a second memory device, wherein access to the second memory device is faster than access to the first memory device;

executing the program by a processor, which causes the processor to (a) obtain data associated with the request, (b) determine parameters based on the data, wherein the parameters comprise (1) an email type parameter, wherein the email type parameter comprises a determination that an email address leverages a free email provider, (2) a view attempt parameter, wherein the view attempt parameter comprises information concerning use of a graphical user interface, (3) a device fingerprint parameter, wherein the device fingerprint parameter identifies a unique device, (4) a proxy type parameter, wherein the proxy type parameter comprises information for initiating a final http request , and (5) an IP parameter, wherein the IP parameter comprises information identifying a device location, and (c) calculating a risk score via solving an equation comprising the parameters, wherein the equation is, risk score=EM×Px×Fp×Ip×(Va×Fp), where EM is the email type parameter, Px is the proxy type parameter, Va(Fp) is the view attempt parameter, Fp is the device fingerprint parameter, and Ip is the IP parameter; and

sending a response to the request based on the risk score.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the response approves the request, rejects the request, or is based on secondary validation.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:

providing the service when the secondary validation is obtained; or

withholding the service when the secondary validation is not obtained.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the data is at least one of an email address, a phone number, and an Internet Protocol (IP) address, wherein the service is at least one of displaying an eSVC, funding the eSVC, and authorizing the eSVC, and wherein the risk score indicates a risk of at least one of fraud, theft, and unauthorized access.

16. A system comprising:

a plurality of memory devices, wherein access to a first memory device is faster than access to a second memory device and wherein a program is transferred from the second memory device to the first memory device for execution;

a processor configured to execute the program to cause (a) at least one first module configured to determine parameters based on a request, wherein the parameters comprise (1) an email type parameter, wherein the email type parameter comprises a determination that an email address leverages a free email provider, (2) a view attempt parameter, wherein the view attempt parameter comprises information concerning use of a graphical user interface, (3) a device fingerprint parameter, wherein the device fingerprint parameter identifies a unique device, (4) a proxy type parameter, wherein the proxy type parameter comprises information for initiating a final http request, and (5) an IP parameter, wherein the IP parameter comprises information identifying a device location, (b) a second module coupled to at least one first module to receive the parameters from the first module, calculate a risk score via solving an equation comprising those parameters, wherein the equation is, risk score=EM×Px×Fp×Ip×(Va×Fp), where EM is the email type parameter, Px is the proxy type parameter, Va(Fp) is the view attempt parameter, Fp is the device fingerprint parameter, and Ip is the IP parameter, and (c) determine whether or not to provide an electronic financial service based on the risk score.

Assignments (4)
RELEASE (REEL 046393 / FRAME 0670) Recorded Mar 13, 2024
From: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.
To: BLACKHAWK NETWORK, INC.; BLACKHAWK ENGAGEMENT SOLUTIONS (DE). INC.; EWI HOLDINGS, INC.; CASHSTAR INC.
Reel/Frame 066796/0196 →
SECOND LIEN SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Jun 20, 2018
From: BLACKHAWK ENGAGEMENT SOLUTIONS (DE), INC.; BLACKHAWK NETWORK, INC.; EWI HOLDINGS, INC.; CARDLAB, INC.; CARDPOOL, INC.; CASHSTAR INC.
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.
Reel/Frame 046393/0670 →
FIRST LIEN SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Jun 19, 2018
From: BLACKHAWK ENGAGEMENT SOLUTIONS (DE), INC.; BLACKHAWK NETWORK, INC.; EWI HOLDINGS, INC.; CARDLAB, INC.; CARDPOOL, INC.; CASHSTAR INC.
To: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A.
Reel/Frame 047377/0011 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 22, 2014
From: FLANAGAN, PATRICK RYAN; PONNAM, RAJESH
To: BLACKHAWK NETWORK, INC.
Reel/Frame 032728/0391 →