DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Status of Claims
This office action is in response to the applicant’s response filed on 08/14/2025.
Claims 1, 12, 14, and 16-19 are currently amended. Claims 1-20 are currently pending and have been examined.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 08/14/2025, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1-20 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made. See remarks on page 14-17.
The rejection of claim 1-11 under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) is withdrawn in view of Applicant’s
amendments to correct the indefinite recitation indicated in the Office Action. See Remarks on
page 14.
The rejection of claim 3-4 under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) is withdrawn in view of Applicant’s amendments to correct the indefinite recitation indicated in the Office Action. See Remarks on page 14.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
The factual inquiries set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1-2, 5, 8, 12-14, 15-17, 18-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fujii et al. (WO 2017078080 A1), in view of Kim et al. (WO 2016137277 A1), in view of Goldman et al. (US 20140136353 A1), and further in view of Rackley et al. (US 8121945 B2).
6. Regarding claims 1, 16, and 18, Fujii discloses an electronic payment apparatus (method, A non-transitory computer-readable medium, ([A2],), comprising:
at least one memory storing instructions, and at least one processor configured to execute the instructions to: ([A1.3.1], Necessary information relating to the store such as stores is registered as facility data in a memory (not shown) provided inside the communication terminal device 10 ([A2] in FIG. 3), and the facility data is stored in the electronic settlement server device 30. Transmit ([A3] in FIG. 3); and [A2], A ROM / RAM 320; a management control unit 340 that controls the entire server device; and a data processing unit 350 that executes an electronic payment process including each authentication process).
cause an authentication apparatus that stores face feature information of the user to perform face authentication by using an image of the user captured at a time of payment, (Use of payment card image Section, The electronic settlement server device 30 is used for facial image authentication instead of facial image data stored in user data when a facial image such as a facial photograph is formed on a settlement card. Instead of the face image that is picked up, it may be used for electronic payment. In the above description, the electronic payment server device 30 uses a payment card for specifying a payment account. However, the electronic payment may be executed simply using a payment card image. In this case, the electronic payment server device 30 may execute the electronic payment process using the payment card image and the PIN code, the biometric data, or the face image.).
Fujii does not explicitly disclose collect value-related information relating to a payment value possessed by the user in each of the plurality of electronic payment means using the authentication information associated with the user who has succeeded in the face authentication; determine an electronic payment means as a payment target from among the plurality of electronic payment means based on an instruction of the user, and issue an instruction to perform payment processing using the electronic payment method determined as the payment target.
However, Kim teaches collect value-related information relating to a payment value possessed by the user in each of the plurality of electronic payment means using the authentication information associated with the user who has succeeded in the face authentication; determine an electronic payment means as a payment target from among the plurality of electronic payment means based on an instruction of the user, and issue an instruction to perform payment processing using the electronic payment method determined as the payment target, (Abstract section, A method of operating an electronic device capable of operating a plurality of execution environments including a first execution environment and a second execution environment is provided. The method includes generating a first authentication value, using a first application executed in the first execution environment, transmitting the first authentication value from the first application through the second execution environment to a second application executed in the first execution environment, transmitting, based on reception of the first authentication value, a second authentication value and a result of authentication of the user from the second application to the first application through the second execution environment, and performing, when the second authentication value corresponds to the first authentication value, payment based on the result of the authentication, using the first application.; and Best-Mode Section, According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the payment relay module 941 may further include at least one interface provided by system services associated with payment, and system service interfaces, which provide security UIs for a payment service for access to the payment module 921, trustzone-based integrity measurement architecture (TIMA) for kernel integrity authentication, fingerprint recognition result inquiry (e.g., supporting both the security and non-security mode), and a PIN or a PAN input. The payment relay module 941 may include an encryption library in order to transfer a message or command to the TEE 920. The payment relay module 941 may transmit or receive a message or command with the TEE 920 through the encryption library. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the payment relay module 941 may include a card management function which provides addition, deletion, or update of a card, as a general card management function. The payment relay module 941 may include a first payment SDK or a second payment SDK. The first payment SDK (e.g., Samsung SDK) may be embedded in the electronic device 800. The second payment SDK may be provided by a card company or bank and may be installed in the electronic device 800. From the first payment SDK or second payment SDK, the payment relay module 941 may select a payment SDK corresponding to card information. Further, the payment relay module 941 may set a basic card or select another card other than the basic card. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the payment relay module 941 may transmit messages, such as token provisioning, token replenishment, token suspension, token resume, and token disposal, as a general token and key management function, to the payment server 720.)
One of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that applying the known technique of Kim to the known invention of Fujii would have yielded predictable results and resulted in an improved invention. It would have been recognized that the application of the technique would have yielded predictable results because the level of ordinary skill in the art demonstrated by the references applied shows the ability to incorporate such electronic payment device features into a similar invention. Further, it would have been recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art that modifying the apparatus to include collect value-related information relating to a payment value possessed by the user in each of the plurality of electronic payment means using the authentication information associated with the user who has succeeded in the face authentication; determine an electronic payment means as a payment target from among the plurality of electronic payment means based on an instruction of the user, and issue an instruction to perform payment processing using the electronic payment method determined as the payment target results in an improved invention because applying said technique ensures that when deciding which payment method to use, the apparatus can choose the best option for the user thus improving the overall user convenience of the invention.
Fujii does not explicitly disclose cause a storage apparatus to store identification information of a user in association with a plurality of authentication information, the plurality of authentication information respectively corresponding to a plurality of electronic payment methods owned by the user,
However, Goldman teaches cause a storage apparatus to store identification information of a user in association with a plurality of authentication information, the plurality of authentication information respectively corresponding to a plurality of electronic payment methods owned by the user, (Para. 0008, According to one aspect, computer implemented method of optimizing usage of payment instruments for an individual is described, the method comprising: establishing an intermediary account comprising an optimization engine, the intermediary account being associated with a plurality of payment instruments;…processing, by the optimization engine, instructions provided from one or more databases, the one or more databases comprising merchant offer instructions, payment instrument offer instructions, privacy instructions, and preference instructions; selecting, by the optimization engine according to the instructions, one or more payment instruments from the plurality of payment instruments to charge a requested amount.; and Para. 0011-0012, According to another aspect, a method for selecting of funding sources for a financial transaction by an individual is described, where the method comprises: associating funding sources with a payment device, where funding source association is maintained within an intermediate account, and where the intermediate account comprises an application interface and an optimization engine and where the application interface is configured to accept input from multiple types of input devices to provide data to the optimization engine; obtaining data from the individual to establish individual payment rules for the associated funding sources for storage in the optimization engine… an optimization engine coupled to the application interface, where the optimization engine is configured to store individual payment rules transferred from the application interface and configured to store data from merchants and from financial institutions for the associated funding sources, where the optimization engine is configured to form transaction payment rules from the individual payment rules and data from the financial institutions, and where the optimization engine is configured to select one or more funding sources based upon the transaction information and the transaction payment rules, where the intermediate account comprises a computer system comprising computer hardware and computer software, and where the computer system is configured to receive input from a plurality of types of external systems.)
One of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that applying the known technique of Goldman to the known invention of Fujii as modified would have yielded predictable results and resulted in an improved invention. It would have been recognized that the application of the technique would have yielded predictable results because the level of ordinary skill in the art demonstrated by the references applied shows the ability to incorporate such electronic payment device features into a similar invention. Further, it would have been recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art that modifying the apparatus to include cause a storage apparatus to store identification information of a user in association with a plurality of authentication information, the plurality of authentication information respectively corresponding to a plurality of electronic payment methods owned by the user results in an improved invention because applying said technique ensures that the user can store pre-determined payment methods so the user can complete transactions quicker, thus improving the overall user convenience and performance of the invention.
Fujii as modified does not explicitly disclose present to the user the predetermined number of electronic payment methods and the value- related information for each of the predetermined number of electronic payment methods, and the pre-designated payment method and the value- related information for the pre-designated payment method.
However, Goldman teaches present to the user the predetermined number of electronic payment methods and the value- related information for each of the predetermined number of electronic payment methods, and the pre-designated payment method and the value- related information for the pre-designated payment method, (Abstract Section, Payment instruments such as credit cards, debit cards and stored value cards are associated to the user's payment device in an intermediate account. The user also provides prioritization information regarding the payment instruments. Using the prioritization information, an optimization engine then determines the optimal payment instrument for a transaction transmitted to the intermediate account.; and Claim 20. wherein data from merchants and from financial institutions for the associated funding sources comprises merchant offers, rewards offers, interest rates, and account balances.; and Para. 0009-0011, wherein the transaction comprises requesting an approval to execute the POS transaction; routing the request, by the computer, to the intermediary account; determining, by the intermediary account through the computer, one or more payment instruments from the plurality of associated payment instruments…a server connected with a network, the server comprising an optimization engine configured to optimize usage of payment instruments for an individual according the method of claim 1, and a plurality of databases configured to store a list of attributes and preferences associated with the individual's record; and a merchant payment system connected to the server through the network, the merchant payment system configured to route a point-of-service (POS) transaction from a merchant to the server, and from the server to a selected one or more payment instrument. According to another aspect, a method for selecting of funding sources for a financial transaction by an individual is described, where the method comprises: associating funding sources with a payment device, where funding source association is maintained within an intermediate account, and where the intermediate account comprises an application interface and an optimization engine and where the application interface is configured to accept input from multiple types of input devices to provide data to the optimization engine; obtaining data from the individual to establish individual payment rules for the associated funding sources for storage in the optimization engine; transmitting transaction information for the financial transaction from a payment device at a point of sale to the optimization engine; comparing the transaction information with transaction payment rules formed by the optimization engine, where the optimization engine forms the transaction payment rules by processing the individual payment rules, data from merchants, and data from financial institutions for the associated funding sources; selecting one or more funding sources for the financial transaction from the associated funding sources with the optimization engine based upon the comparison of data from the transaction information to the transaction payment rules; and, transmitting the selected one or more funding sources to fund the financial transaction.)
One of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that applying the known technique of Goldman to the known invention of Fujii as modified would have yielded predictable results and resulted in an improved invention. It would have been recognized that the application of the technique would have yielded predictable results because the level of ordinary skill in the art demonstrated by the references applied shows the ability to incorporate such electronic payment device features into a similar invention. Further, it would have been recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art that modifying the apparatus to include present to the user the predetermined number of electronic payment methods and the value- related information for each of the predetermined number of electronic payment methods, and the pre-designated payment method and the value- related information for the pre-designated payment method results in an improved invention because applying said technique ensures that when deciding which payment method to use, the user can have a manageable number of options to choose from thus improving the overall user convenience of the invention.
Fujii as modified does not explicitly disclose select a predetermined number of electronic payment methods from the plurality of electronic payment methods, based on the collected value-related information; select a pre-designated payment method from the plurality of electronic payment methods;
However, Rackley teaches select a predetermined number of electronic payment methods from the plurality of electronic payment methods, based on the collected value-related information; select a pre-designated payment method from the plurality of electronic payment methods, (Column 58/line 61, Display screen 2002 is an exemplary mobile device display that a payee sees in response to receipt of a message from the MFTS 18, e.g. an SMS message or a message in a format especially adapted for communications between the MFTS 18 and the Mobile Wallet application. As shown in screen 2002, information is displayed to the payee indicating that a person with an identified mobile number (e.g. 404-404-4040) is sending the payee/recipient a payment in the amount of $123.45, and prompting the payee/recipient to select a payment receipt method from a list of several different payment receipt methods. According to an exemplary aspect of the invention, the message from the MFTS 18 either (a) automatically launches the Mobile Wallet application or (b) prompts the payee/recipient to activate the Mobile Wallet application. In either case, the payee is notified that someone (either with a name or a phone number) has sent a payment and the amount of the payment. The payee is requested/prompted to select a payment method from a list of possible payment delivery methods: ACH, Paper Check or Stored Value Card. The payee then makes the selection according to the instruction as shown in screen view 2002.; and Column 5/line 21, In one aspect, the present invention relates to systems and methods for receiving a financial payment facilitated by use of a mobile device connected for communications with a wireless network. This aspect involves: (i) providing a mobile financial transaction system (MFTS) coupled for wireless communications with a mobile device of a user/payee, (ii) providing information corresponding to a received payment to the user/payee's mobile device, (iii) displaying information corresponding to a plurality of selectable payment methods available to the user/payee for receiving the payment, (iv) receiving user/payee input corresponding to selection of a payment method for receiving the payment, at the user/payee's mobile device, (v) generating a mobile payment instruction comprising information corresponding to the selected payment method, and (vi) wirelessly communicating the mobile payment instruction from the mobile device to the MFTS. The MFTS is coupled for electronic communication with a payment instruction recipient that effects payments by various methods, which makes the payment in accordance with the method selected by the user/payee. Further aspects of the invention involve, at the MFTS: (vii) in response to receipt of the mobile payment instruction, retrieving information from an MFTS database corresponding to the selected payment method identified in the payment instruction, (viii) generating an MFTS payment instruction to a payment instruction recipient, and (ix) communicating the MFTS payment instruction from the MFTS to the payment instruction recipient. The MFTS payment instruction includes at least an amount, information corresponding to the identified payee, and information indicating the selected payment method. The payment instruction recipient, in response to receipt of the MFTS payment instruction, effects a payment to the user/payee utilizing the selected payment method.)
One of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that applying the known technique of Kim to the known invention of Fujii would have yielded predictable results and resulted in an improved invention. It would have been recognized that the application of the technique would have yielded predictable results because the level of ordinary skill in the art demonstrated by the references applied shows the ability to incorporate such electronic payment device features into a similar invention. Further, it would have been recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art that modifying the apparatus to include select a predetermined number of electronic payment methods from the plurality of electronic payment methods, based on the collected value-related information; select a pre-designated payment method from the plurality of electronic payment methods results in an improved invention because applying said technique ensures that when deciding which payment method to use, the user can have a manageable number of options to choose from thus improving the overall user convenience of the invention.
7. Regarding claims 2, 13, and 15, Fujii discloses wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the instructions to: apply a predetermined order assignment criterion to the collected value- related information to assign an order to each of the plurality of electronic payment means, and determine the electronic payment means as the payment target depending on the order, ([19], Further, the electronic authentication server system and the electronic authentication system include: In the case where at least biometric data for each user based on a specific attribute is stored in at least one of the plurality of storage areas provided in the storage unit, The authentication processing means executing the authentication process as a first authentication process using a first storage area in which biometric data having a specific attribute is stored; After the first authentication process, the authentication process is executed as the second authentication process according to a predetermined order using a second storage area different from the first storage area. With this configuration, the electronic authentication server system and the electronic authentication system can perform authentication processing having the advantages of the parallel processing and sequential processing described above, and therefore execute the authentication processing accurately and quickly can do; and [21], Further, the server system for electronic authentication and the electronic authentication system include: Each user has a configuration that further includes privilege management means for registering a predetermined monetary value as a privilege in the storage means according to the amount when the electronic payment is made. With this configuration, the electronic authentication server system and the electronic authentication system provide points, discounts, benefits such as cash and gift certificates to users and facilities using the electronic payment as an incentive when using electronic payment. Therefore, it is possible to increase the use frequency of electronic payment and reduce the running cost due to expansion of users and facilities to be used.)
8. Regarding claim 5, Fujii discloses wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the instructions to: present the predetermined number of electronic payment means from the electronic payment means assigned the highest order among the plurality of electronic payment means, and present an electronic payment means previously designated as an advertisement target, ([A5.6], In the present embodiment, when an electronic payment process is executed by the facility payment application installed in the communication terminal device 10, an image on which operation buttons and various data are displayed (hereinafter referred to as “display image”). In some cases, advertisements relating to available facilities and information relating to promotions may be displayed. For example, the registration management unit 351 uses the communication information from the communication terminal device 10 as advertising data including advertising costs, user attributes to be advertised, and text and images used for advertising (hereinafter referred to as “advertisement data”). ) And the acquired advertisement data is registered in an advertisement DB (not shown) formed in the storage device 300.Then, the communication terminal device 10 is linked with the electronic payment server device 30 during the electronic payment process, and the attribute of the payment user at the time of executing the electronic payment process is displayed in a predetermined area of the display image determined according to the advertising cost. Accordingly, the corresponding advertisement data is acquired from the advertisement DB (not shown) and displayed to the settlement user so as to be viewable. In addition, in a terminal device (not shown) owned by the user, when various settings such as user data are performed in conjunction with the electronic payment server device 30, a predetermined operation or setting is performed in the terminal device. The advertisement data corresponding to a part of the display image may be displayed).
9. Regarding claim 8, Fujii discloses wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the instructions to: acquire the shot image before completion of reading processing for all payment target commodities for the payment, and issue an instruction to perform payment processing using the electronic payment means as the payment target after completion of the reading processing for all the payment target commodities, (Description of Embodiments Section, An acquisition means for acquiring biometric data relating to the living body of the user as specific user biometric data in conjunction with a communication terminal device that requests specific processing based on a user instruction; Authentication processing means for executing authentication processing for authenticating a specific user based on the acquired specific user biometric data and user data including biometric data and face image data previously stored in the storage means for each user When, Specific process execution means for executing a specific process for the authenticated specific user; It has the composition provided with. With this configuration, the electronic authentication server system and the electronic authentication system can easily perform reliable authentication based on the biometric data and the face image data. Therefore, the accuracy of authentication using the biometric data is determined by the authentication in the face image data. It can be supplemented by users who use personal authentication and the administrators who manage it when performing personal authentication such as electronic payments, logging into networks and systems, and entering and exiting designated facilities and areas. It is possible to eliminate the complexity and improve the convenience of users and managers; and [6], With this configuration, the electronic authentication server system and the electronic authentication system can be used by, for example, staff after performing biometric authentication in a use facility (such as an electronic payment system or a facility that provides services for identifying an individual through personal authentication). 100% authentication can be executed by a simple operation if face authentication based on the above operation is performed and specific processing such as payment (including payment of payment and withdrawal) and entry / exit is completed after authentication).
10. Regarding claims 12, 17, and 19, Fujii discloses an electronic payment apparatus (method, A non-transitory computer-readable medium ([A2]), comprising: at least one memory storing instructions to: cause a storage apparatus to store identification information of a user, face feature information of the user, and a plurality of authentication information, the plurality of authentication information respectively corresponding to a plurality of electronic payment methods owned by the user, ([5], The electronic settlement server device 30 includes a storage device 300 having various databases (hereinafter referred to as “DB”), executes each authentication process with the communication terminal device 10, and stores each user's bank account and electronic money. Various processes for executing an electronic payment process in conjunction with a payment account such as an account are executed., and Use of payment card image Section, The electronic settlement server device 30 is used for facial image authentication instead of facial image data stored in user data when a facial image such as a facial photograph is formed on a settlement card. Instead of the face image that is picked up, it may be used for electronic payment. In the above description, the electronic payment server device 30 uses a payment card for specifying a payment account. However, the electronic payment may be executed simply using a payment card image. In this case, the electronic payment server device 30 may execute the electronic payment process using the payment card image and the PIN code, the biometric data, or the face image)
Fujii does not explicitly disclose perform face authentication using the face feature information for an image of the user captured at a time of payment; collect value-related information relating to a payment value possessed by the user in each of the plurality of electronic payment methods using the authentication information associated with the user who has succeeded in the face authentication; determine an electronic payment method as a payment target from among the plurality of electronic payment methods based on an instruction of the user.
However Kim teaches perform face authentication using the face feature information for an image of the user captured at a time of payment; collect value-related information relating to a payment value possessed by the user in each of the plurality of electronic payment methods using the authentication information associated with the user who has succeeded in the face authentication; determine an electronic payment method as a payment target from among the plurality of electronic payment methods based on an instruction of the user, (Abstract section, A method of operating an electronic device capable of operating a plurality of execution environments including a first execution environment and a second execution environment is provided.; and Best-Mode Section, According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the payment relay module 941 may further include at least one interface provided by system services associated with payment, and system service interfaces, which provide security UIs for a payment service for access to the payment module 921, trustzone-based integrity measurement architecture (TIMA) for kernel integrity authentication, fingerprint recognition result inquiry (e.g., supporting both the security and non-security mode), and a PIN or a PAN input. The payment relay module 941 may include an encryption library in order to transfer a message or command to the TEE 920. The payment relay module 941 may transmit or receive a message or command with the TEE 920 through the encryption library. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the payment relay module 941 may include a card management function which provides addition, deletion, or update of a card, as a general card management function. The payment relay module 941 may include a first payment SDK or a second payment SDK. The first payment SDK (e.g., Samsung SDK) may be embedded in the electronic device 800. The second payment SDK may be provided by a card company or bank and may be installed in the electronic device 800. From the first payment SDK or second payment SDK, the payment relay module 941 may select a payment SDK corresponding to card information. Further, the payment relay module 941 may set a basic card or select another card other than the basic card. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the payment relay module 941 may transmit messages, such as token provisioning, token replenishment, token suspension, token resume, and token disposal, as a general token and key management function, to the payment server 720.; and Best-Mode Section, The processor 120 may include one or more of a CPU, an AP, and a communication processor (CP). The processor 120, for example, may carry out operations or data processing relating to control and/or communication of at least one other element of the electronic device 101. The memory 130 may include a volatile memory and/or a non-volatile memory. The memory 130 may store, for example, instructions or data relevant to at least one other element of the electronic device 101. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the memory 130 may store software and/or a program 140…The kernel 141 may control or manage system resources (e.g., the bus 110, the processor 120, or the memory 130) used for performing an operation or function implemented by the other programs (e.g., the middleware 143, the API 145, or the application programs 147). Furthermore, the kernel 141 may provide an interface through which the middleware 143, the API 145, or the application programs 147 may access the individual elements of the electronic device 101 to control or manage the system resources.; and Best-Mode Section, According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the biometric information module may acquire biometric information of a user. The biometric information of a user may include, for example, information of, a fingerprint, an iris, a face image, voice,…; and Best-Mode Section, According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the payment management module 931 may display a registered card to the user through the display 160. The user may revise at least a part of the information (e.g., a card name, a home address, a phone number, the number of times of payment trials, or information on whether payment notification information has been received or not) of the registered card. The payment management module 931 may display transaction details of each card. The payment management module 931 may display the registered card information in a wearable device (e.g., a smart watch) functionally connected to the electronic device. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the payment management module 931 may perform a payment operation using a registered card. The user may select one card among a plurality of registered card. The user may take the electronic device 800 to the POS device 740. The payment management module 931 may display product information (e.g., price) received from the POS device740 through the display 160. The payment management module 931 may perform user authentication (e.g., fingerprint authentication) through the authentication module 935 for payment. When the authentication has been completed, the payment management module 931 may display notification information reporting completion of payment through the display 160.; and Best-Mode Section, According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronic device 710 may perform a payment function. The electronic device 710 may register a card (e.g., a credit card, such as a master card or a visa card) in the electronic device 710 or the payment server 720 in order to perform the payment function. The payment server 720 may manage information on a plurality of registered cards including a card registered through another electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 750) of the user corresponding to the electronic device 710 or another card registered through an electronic device of another user as well as a card registered through the electronic device 710. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the payment server 720 may acquire token information corresponding to registered card information from the TSP 730 and transfer the acquired information to the electronic device 710. The payment server 720 may include, for example, a payment service server or token requester server. The payment service server may manage card information of the user. The payment server may provide a service related to payment based on an account. The token requester server may request the TSP 730 to provide token information necessary for the payment operation and acquire the token information. The TSP 730 may issue a token used in a payment process. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the token may have a value replacing a primary account number (PAN), which is information of a card. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a token may be generated using a bank identification number (BIN).).
One of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that applying the known technique of Kim to the known invention of Fujii would have yielded predictable results and resulted in an improved invention. It would have been recognized that the application of the technique would have yielded predictable results because the level of ordinary skill in the art demonstrated by the references applied shows the ability to incorporate such electronic payment device features into a similar invention. Further, it would have been recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art that modifying the apparatus to include perform face authentication using the face feature information for an image of the user captured at a time of payment; collect value-related information relating to a payment value possessed by the user in each of the plurality of electronic payment methods using the authentication information associated with the user who has succeeded in the face authentication; determine an electronic payment method as a payment target from among the plurality of electronic payment methods based on an instruction of the user, results in an improved invention because applying said technique ensures that when deciding which payment method to use, the apparatus can choose the best option for the user thus improving the overall user convenience of the invention.
Fujii as modified does not explicitly disclose present to the user the predetermined number of electronic payment methods and the value- related information for each of the predetermined number of electronic payment methods, and the pre-designated payment method and the value- related information for the pre-designated payment method.
However, Goldman teaches present to the user the predetermined number of electronic payment methods and the value- related information for each of the predetermined number of electronic payment methods, and the pre-designated payment method and the value- related information for the pre-designated payment method, (Abstract Section, Payment instruments such as credit cards, debit cards and stored value cards are associated to the user's payment device in an intermediate account. The user also provides prioritization information regarding the payment instruments. Using the prioritization information, an optimization engine then determines the optimal payment instrument for a transaction transmitted to the intermediate account.; and Claim 20. wherein data from merchants and from financial institutions for the associated funding sources comprises merchant offers, rewards offers, interest rates, and account balances.; and Para. 0009-0011, wherein the transaction comprises requesting an approval to execute the POS transaction; routing the request, by the computer, to the intermediary account; determining, by the intermediary account through the computer, one or more payment instruments from the plurality of associated payment instruments…a server connected with a network, the server comprising an optimization engine configured to optimize usage of payment instruments for an individual according the method of claim 1, and a plurality of databases configured to store a list of attributes and preferences associated with the individual's record; and a merchant payment system connected to the server through the network, the merchant payment system configured to route a point-of-service (POS) transaction from a merchant to the server, and from the server to a selected one or more payment instrument. According to another aspect, a method for selecting of funding sources for a financial transaction by an individual is described, where the method comprises: associating funding sources with a payment device, where funding source association is maintained within an intermediate account, and where the intermediate account comprises an application interface and an optimization engine and where the application interface is configured to accept input from multiple types of input devices to provide data to the optimization engine; obtaining data from the individual to establish individual payment rules for the associated funding sources for storage in the optimization engine; transmitting transaction information for the financial transaction from a payment device at a point of sale to the optimization engine; comparing the transaction information with transaction payment rules formed by the optimization engine, where the optimization engine forms the transaction payment rules by processing the individual payment rules, data from merchants, and data from financial institutions for the associated funding sources; selecting one or more funding sources for the financial transaction from the associated funding sources with the optimization engine based upon the comparison of data from the transaction information to the transaction payment rules; and, transmitting the selected one or more funding sources to fund the financial transaction.)
One of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that applying the known technique of Goldman to the known invention of Fujii as modified would have yielded predictable results and resulted in an improved invention. It would have been recognized that the application of the technique would have yielded predictable results because the level of ordinary skill in the art demonstrated by the references applied shows the ability to incorporate such electronic payment device features into a similar invention. Further, it would have been recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art that modifying the apparatus to include present to the user the predetermined number of electronic payment methods and the value- related information for each of the predetermined number of electronic payment methods, and the pre-designated payment method and the value- related information for the pre-designated payment method results in an improved invention because applying said technique ensures that when deciding which payment method to use, the user can have a manageable number of options to choose from thus improving the overall user convenience of the invention.
Fujii does not explicitly disclose issue an instruction to perform payment processing using the electronic payment method determined as the payment target, wherein the value-related information indicates, for each of the plurality of electronic payment methods, any one or any combination of an amount of cash to be returned to the user, an amount of points to be returned to the user, a cash return rate, a point return rate or information regarding content to be returned for a payment amount.
However, Goldman teaches issue an instruction to perform payment processing using the electronic payment method determined as the payment target, wherein the value-related information indicates, for each of the plurality of electronic payment methods, any one or any combination of an amount of cash to be returned to the user, an amount of points to be returned to the user, a cash return rate, a point return rate or information regarding content to be returned for a payment amount, (Abstract Section, Systems and methods for enabling a user to use a single payment device in payment transactions for optimizing card rewards. Payment instruments such as credit cards, debit cards and stored value cards are associated to the user's payment device in an intermediate account. The user also provides prioritization information regarding the payment instruments. Using the prioritization information, an optimization engine then determines the optimal payment instrument for a transaction transmitted to the intermediate account.; and Para. 0032, This approval request passes through a series of processors. Each processing entity acts to receive and forward individual requests across its constituents. A merchant processor (also interchangeable with the terms “merchant gateway” or “merchant acquirer”) directly connects to a merchant's point of sale system and directs the request to the correct payment interchange network. The payment interchange network has a processing platform which determines which card processor and payment instrument issuing banking institution is to receive the request in the chain for approval. The card processor, as described above, is directly connected with the banking institution to perform decision making on the transaction. The merchant's card processing device typically interacts with an acquiring system which sends the request to a card network such as, for example, AMERICAN EXPRESS®, DISCOVER®, MASTERCARD®, VISA® and others. The card network then obtains approval from the processing or issuing bank of the payment instrument. The approval or disapproval of the transaction is transmitted back to through the same chain of processors.; and Para. 0051, Based on the best reward calculated and processed in step (603), the decision logic can then route the approval request associated to the selected payment instrument (604). Once the approval request is routed to the selected payment instrument, the user is notified with information pertaining to the transaction (e.g., selected payment instrument, amount, point earned, etc.) according to notification preferences set by the user and/or preconfigured alert rules (605). By way of example and not of limitation, an algorithm can consider the contents of the payment instrument associated with the user's account (e.g., the payment instruments available), the user's preference for earnings or other optimization routine, specific information pertaining to the transaction of the request such as, merchant name, merchant category, time of transaction, amount of transaction, available offers or rewards specific to either the payment instrument or the specific merchant of the transaction, or any combination thereof. The algorithm computes the optimized choice to maximize total dollar value awarded (or saved) to the user. The value of the award can be determined by the offers available, value of points earned and modified by nearness of any given point balance in a program to certain milestones. The decision logic discussed above not only performs calculation of the best rewards but also determines the choice of the best payment device. For example, when an account holder uses the associated financial card of the present disclosure in a point of sale, additional data is passed through and used from the transaction.; and Para. 0052-0053, In some embodiments, the algorithm rules used by the decision logic can be created manually by a user inputting the rules directly into a database of the intermediary account, for example, by way of a web browser having access to the intermediary account. Such rules can include, but not be limited to the user's preferred earning method, specific preferences or payment instruments for merchant categories, time frames and amounts. The user can also