GB2476054A - Voice authentication of bill payment transactions - Google Patents

Voice authentication of bill payment transactions Download PDF

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Publication number
GB2476054A
GB2476054A GB0921500A GB0921500A GB2476054A GB 2476054 A GB2476054 A GB 2476054A GB 0921500 A GB0921500 A GB 0921500A GB 0921500 A GB0921500 A GB 0921500A GB 2476054 A GB2476054 A GB 2476054A
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United Kingdom
Prior art keywords
bill
customer
voice
request
receiving
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GB0921500A
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GB0921500D0 (en
Inventor
Jonathan Nicolas Ogden
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
VOICE COMMERCE GROUP TECHNOLOGIES Ltd
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VOICE COMMERCE GROUP TECHNOLOGIES Ltd
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Publication date
Application filed by VOICE COMMERCE GROUP TECHNOLOGIES Ltd filed Critical VOICE COMMERCE GROUP TECHNOLOGIES Ltd
Priority to GB0921500A priority Critical patent/GB2476054A/en
Publication of GB0921500D0 publication Critical patent/GB0921500D0/en
Publication of GB2476054A publication Critical patent/GB2476054A/en
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G06Q20/00—Payment architectures, schemes or protocols
    • G06Q20/38—Payment protocols; Details thereof
    • G06Q20/42—Confirmation, e.g. check or permission by the legal debtor of payment
    • G06Q20/425—Confirmation, e.g. check or permission by the legal debtor of payment using two different networks, one for transaction and one for security confirmation
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G06Q20/00—Payment architectures, schemes or protocols
    • G06Q20/08—Payment architectures
    • G06Q20/14—Payment architectures specially adapted for billing systems
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G06Q20/00—Payment architectures, schemes or protocols
    • G06Q20/38—Payment protocols; Details thereof
    • G06Q20/40—Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
    • G06Q20/401—Transaction verification
    • G06Q20/4014—Identity check for transactions
    • G06Q20/40145—Biometric identity checks

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  • Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
  • Accounting & Taxation (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Finance (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Strategic Management (AREA)
  • General Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
  • Computer Security & Cryptography (AREA)
  • Development Economics (AREA)
  • Economics (AREA)
  • Telephonic Communication Services (AREA)

Abstract

Allowing a customer to pay a bill using voice based authentication, receiving, for example over a telecommunications network, data from a bill issuer, which is used to determine the name of the customer, a telephone number of the customer and the bill amount; generating, or receiving from the bill issuer, a unique bill identifier; receiving from the customer over a telecommunications network a request to pay the bill, the request including the unique bill identifier; in response to the request, telephoning the customer using the telephone number to establish a telephone call; during the telephone call, authenticating the customer using a voice signal from the customer, informing the customer of the amount of the bill, and receiving a voice signature from the customer; and processing a bill payment on the basis of a comparison of the voice signature with a stored voice print for the customer. The request may be generated by an embedded link in an electronic bill, in a message such as an SMS or email. Voice signatures may be compared with stored voice data to provide a score, which allows bill payment if it is above a threshold or refuses to pay where the match is too low.

Description

Method And System For Bill Payinent Using Voice Based Authorisation
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of secure electronic payments, using s voice recognition as a method of authentication.
Background of the Invention
Electronic payment systems have increasingly replaced cash and cheques as a means for making payments for purchasing products. For example, in the retail io sector, the use of credit cards and debits cards is now widespread. In the past, signatures were used as method of authenticating a customer making a payment. More recently this has been replaced with chip and personal identification number (PIN) technology, in which a PIN is used to authenticate a customer.
However, both written signatures and PINs are relatively insecure methods of authentication. A number of more secure methods of authentication, using biometric data have been proposed. One of these methods is the use of voice recognition technology to authenticate a customer.
Voice recognition authentication relies on the fact that each person has a unique voice, so that a voice signature can be created. When a customer wishes to make a payment using electronic money, the customer is asked to repeat their voice signature. The voice signature is then compared against a stored voice print, and if there is a sufficient match between the voice signature and the voice print, then the transaction is allowed to proceed. An example of this kind of system is described in US 7,127,417.
Summary of the Invention
The present invention is defined in the appended independent claims, to which reference should now be made. Preferred features are set out in the dependent claims.
In a first aspect, the invention provides a method for allowing a customer to pay a bill using voice based authentication, comprising the steps of: receiving, over a telecommunications network, data from a bill issuer, the data including means to determine a name of the customer, a telephone number of the customer and an amount of the bill; generating, or receiving from the bill issuer, a unique bill identifier; receiving from the customer over a telecommunications network a request to pay the bill, the request including the unique bill identifier; in response to the request, telephoning the customer using the telephone number to establish a telephone call; during the telephone call, authenticating the customer using a voice signal from the customer, informing the customer of the amount of the bill, and receiving a voice signature from the customer; and processing a bill payment on the basis of a comparison of the voice signature with a stored voice print for the customer.
Preferably, the request to pay the bill is generated by an embedded link in an electronic version of the bill that is selectable by the user.
The method may further include the step of generating an electronic bill and sending it to the customer and/or bill issuer. However, the bill issuer may generate and send the bill to the customer itself.
Preferably, the method further includes the step of sending a confirmation message to the customer confirming payment of the bill.
Preferably, the message is an SMS message or an email message.
Preferably, the method further includes the step of sending a confirmation message to the bill issuer following processing of the bill payment.
In a second aspect, the invention provides an authorisation centre for allowing a customer to pay a bill using voice based authentication, comprising: means for receiving, over a telecommunications network, data from a bill issuer, the data including a name of the customer, a telephone number of the customer and an amount of the bill; means for generating, or receiving from the bill issuer, a unique bill identifier; means for receiving from the customer, over a telecommunications network, a request to pay the bill, the request including the unique bill identifier; means for telephoning the customer in response to the request, using the telephone number to establish a telephone call with the customer; means for authenticating the customer using a voice signal from the customer during the telephone call, and means for receiving a voice signature from the customer; and means for processing a bill payment on the basis of a comparison of the voice signature with a stored voice print for the customer. I0
Preferably, the system further comprises means for generating an electronic bill including an embedded link, wherein the selection of the link by a customer results in the unique bill identifier being sent to the system, the unique bill identifier forming the request to pay the bill.
IS
In a third aspect, the invention provides a method for allowing a customer to pay a bill using voice based authentication, comprising the steps of: sending the customer an electronic bill document, the electronic bill document including an link, wherein selection of the link by the customer sends a bill identifier to an authorisation centre to initiate a voice based authentication and bill payment process.
Preferably, the electronic bill document is sent by email. Preferably, the link is an embedded URL link.
Brief Description of the Drawings
Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail, by way of example, and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating a bill, issuer, customer and payment system in accordance with the present invention; Figure 2 is a example of an electronic bill document for use in a method in accordance with the present invention; Figure 3a is a process flow diagram illustrating the steps performed in a bill payment process in accordance with the present invention; and Figure 3b is a process flow diagram of an alternative bill payment process in accordance with the present invention.
Detai!ed Description
Figure 1 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a system in accordance with the present invention. The system includes an authorisation centre 10. The authorisation centre 10 is connected to a bill issuer 12, e.g. a utilities provider, over a network 13. The network 13 may be the internet or a secure private network.
The authorisation centre 10 is also connected to a customer device 14 over a is telecommunications network 16, such as the Internet and to a customer telephone over a telephone network 15, or over the Internet using VoIP. The customer device is typically a mobile telephone, although it might be a fixed telephone or a computer with a microphone. It must be capable of sending a voice signature from the customer to the authorisation centre.
The authorisation centre 10 is also be connected to banks 17 through financial gateways and/or secure private networks 18.
The authorisation centre includes a voice recognition platform 20, voice signature servers 21, voice signature storage 22, a decision engine 23 and a risk manager, account database and user database, illustrated by block 24.
Operation of authorisation centre will be described in greater detail below.
The present invention provides a way for customers to pay electronically received bills immediately using a voice based authorisation procedure. An electronic bill document received by a customer includes an embedded link to the authorisation sever, which when selected by a customer initiates a voice authorisation and payment process. Figure 2 shows an example of an electronic bill 25, including a "pay now" button 26 that is an embedded link that initiates a payment process in accordance with the present invention.
Figure 3a is a process flow diagram illustrating the steps performed in accordance with a first embodiment of the invention. The three entities involved in the illustrated process are the bill issuer 12, the authorisation centre 10 and the customer 14.
In a first step 300, a bill issuer 12, such as a mobile phone operator or utilities provider, sends a file over a network 13 to an application programming interface of the authorisation centre 10. The file contains details of the name and telephone number of the customer 14 and an amount of the bill to be paid.
The file may also contain additional information, such as a bill issuer identification and bill issuer email address. The file may also be encrypted using a public key of the authorisation centre or any other suitable encryption key.
In step 305, the authorisation centre 10 generates a unique bill ID code for the bill and sends it to the bill issuer 12.
The bill issuer 12 then generates an electronic bill 25, of the type illustrated in Figure 2, in step 310. The electronic bill is a.pdf document that contains not only bill information for viewing by the customer 14 but also an embedded link associated with a pay now button on the bill. As will be explained below, if the customer clicks on the pay now button a request, including the unique bill ID is sent to the URL of the authorisation centre 10 over the Internet 16.
In step 315, the bill issuer 12 sends the electronic bill document to the customer 14, typically by email, over the internet, by it may be by other means.
Once the customer 14 has received and viewed the bill on his device (e.g. a computer), he can select the "pay now" option by clicking on the embedded link 26. This is a request to pay the bill immediately and results in the unique bill ID being sent to the authorisation centre 10 in step 320. This option is only available if the customer 14 is registered with the authorisation centre 10 so that the authorisation centre has bank or credit card details for the customer, a voice print from the customer and authorisation to process payments from the customer.
The voice authentication and transaction process then begins with the authorisation centre 10 receiving the unique bill ID from the customer 14.
Having received the bill ID from the customer, the authorisation centre 10 retrieves the associated bill information provided by the bill issuer 14 and stored in database 24. This information includes a customer telephone number which the authorisation centre uses to initiate a telephone call to the customer, in step 325 over telephone network 15. The telephone call is preferably an automated process carried out by the authorisation centre 10.
In step 330 the customer 14 answers his telephone. The authorisation centre 10 then requests the customer 14 to authenticate himself in step 335.
This is typically done by the customer reciting his name in step 340, but may be done on the basis of other voice information. The authorisation centre 10 then checks the name and the vocal characteristics of the customer 14. If the name is correct and the vocal characteristics are sufficiently similar to stored characteristics for the customer, the process continues to step 345. If not, the process is terminated and the authorisation centre ends the call.
If the process is terminated, the authorisation centre 10 may be configured to retry the process from step 325, or it may be the customer 14 who has to restart the process from step 320.
ln step 345, the authorisation centre 10 confirms the amount of the bill payment and may also confirm the identity of the bill issuer 12. This is preferably done automatically using recorded voice signals or machine generated voice signals.
The authorisation centre 10 then asks the customer 14 for a voice signature so that the bill payment can proceed.
The customer 14 provides a voice signature in step 350. On receipt of the voice signature, the voice recognition platform 20 in the authorisation centre 10 compares them with a record of the customer voice in the form of a voice print matching the voice signature, and/or other parameters describing the customer's voice, stored in the voice signature database 22 and provided by the voice signature servers 21. The stored voice print from the customer is typically provided when the customer first registers with the authorisation centre 10. The voice signature may be a word or words personal to the customer or a standard word string such as "voice signature".
The decision engine 23 then decides if the provided phrase and/or voice signature are sufficiently well matched to the stored voice print for that customer 14 to authorise the transaction. The required level of similarity can be dynamically altered depending on the nature of the transaction and the customer history. Information from the risk manager 24 is used to set the threshold level of similarity. For example, if the transaction is for a large amount of money or is with a vendor outside the customer's habitual purchasing pattern, the threshold level can be raised above the normal level.
If there is a sufficient match, i.e. if a generated similarity score is at or above the threshold level, then the authorisation centre 10 allows the payment to proceed. If not, the process is terminated.
The authorisation centre then ends the call to the customer 14 in step 355.
Before ending the call, the authorisation centre 10 may inform the customer 14 whether the payment process will proceed or not on the basis of the voce signature.
If the payment is allowed to proceed, the authorisation centre 10 instructs the customer's bank or credit card issuer 17 via network 13 or 18, to make a payment to the bill issuer. Alternatively, the customer may have an account with the authorisation centre 10 and payment may be made from the account at the authorisation centre.
Once the payment has been processed in step 360, the authorisation centre sends a confirmation message in step 365 to the customer indicating that the payment has been made. This is preferably in the form of an SMS message to the customer's mobile telephone over network 15, but may be sent by email over network 16 or any other means. A confirmation message may also be sent to the bill issuer 12, typically by email, in step 370, confirming that payment has been made. Steps 365 and 370 may be performed simultaneously or in either order.
Figure 3b illustrates some possible variations to the embodiment illustrated in Figure 3a. Those process steps that are identical to those described with reference to Figure 3a are indicated by the same reference numerals, and will not be described in detail again.
io The process illustrated in Figure 3b starts with the authorisation centre 10 sending a range of bill ID numbers to the bill issuer in step 400. The bill issuer 12 then selects one of the bill lOs and sends it together with other bill information, including the bill amount and the customer name and telephone number, to the authorisation centre 10, in step 405. The authorisation centre may the generate an electronic bill in step 410. Allternatively, the bill issuer may generate the bill, as illustrated in dashed lines. The bill is then sent to the customer 14 by the authorisation centre 10 (or bill issuer 12) in step 415.
The remainder of the process illustrated in Figure 3b is identical to the process describe with reference to Figure 3a, and comprises steps 320 to 370 as described above.
The present invention provides a simple, secure and immediate way for customers to pay bills. This reduces the administrative burden on both customers and bill issuers and improves cash flow for bill issuers.
There are many additions and variations that may be made to the basic bill payment scheme. For example, bill issuers, such as Vodafone, the BBC TV licensing, Anglian Water, may themselves register with the authorisation centre with their logo. Then, when a customer registers with the authorisation centre, they can select from a list of bill issuers which bill issuers they would like to use the voice based payment system for. The authorisation centre can then send a customer ID to the selected bill issuers so that they can include the pay now" option in the bills that they issue to that customer. The customer ID can then be used in place of the customer name and telephone number in the bill information sent in step 300 or step 405. This removes the need for personal information to be sent between the bill issuer and authorisation centre during the process. -10-

Claims (10)

  1. Claims 1. A method for allowing a customer to pay a bill using voice based authentication, comprising the steps of: receiving, over a telecommunications network, data from a bill issuer, the data including means to determine a name of the customer, a telephone number of the customer and an amount of the bill; generating, or receiving from the bill issuer, a unique bill identifier; receiving from the customer over a telecommunications network a io request to pay the bill, the request including the unique bill identifier; in response to the request, telephoning the customer using the telephone number to establish a telephone call; during the telephone call, authenticating the customer using a voice signal from the customer, informing the customer of the amount of the bill, and receiving a voice signature from the customer; and processing a bill payment on the basis of a comparison of the voice signature with a stored voice print for the customer.
  2. 2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the request to pay the bill is generated by an embedded link in an electronic version of the bill that is selectable by the customer.
  3. 3. A method according to claim 1 or 2, further including the step of generating an electronic bill and sending it to the customer and/or bill issuer.
  4. 4. A method according to any preceding claim, further including the step of sending a confirmation message to the customer confirming payment of the bill.
  5. 5. A method according to claim 4, wherein the message is an SMS message or an email message.
  6. 6. A method according to any preceding claim, further including the step of sending a confirmation message to the bill issuer following processing of the bill payment.
  7. 7. A method according to any preceding further comprising the steps of: comparing the voice signature with stored voice data to provide a comparison score; and if the comparison score exceeds the threshold value, continuing to the step of processing a bill payment, but if the comparison score is less than the threshold value refusing the step of processing a bill payment.
  8. 8. A system for allowing a customer to pay a bill using voice based authentication, comprising: io means for receiving, over a telecommunications network, data from a bill issuer, the data including a name of the customer, a telephone number of the customer and an amount of the bill; means for generating, or receiving from the bill issuer, a unique bill identifier; means for receiving from the customer, over a telecommunications network, a request to pay the bill, the request including the unique bill identifier; means for telephoning the customer in response to the request, using the telephone number to establish a telephone call with the customer; means for authenticating the customer using a voice signal from the customer during the telephone call, and means for receiving a voice signature from the customer; and means for processing a bill payment on the basis of a comparison of the voice signature with a stored voice print for the customer.
  9. 9. A system according to claim 8, further comprising means for generating an electronic bill including an embedded link, wherein the selection of the link by a customer results in the unique bill identifier being sent to the system, the unique bill identifier forming the request to pay the bill.
  10. 10. A method for allowing a customer to pay a bill using voice based authentication, comprising the steps of: sending the customer an electronic bill document, the electronic bill document including an link, wherein selection of the link by the customer sends a bill identifier to an authorisation centre to initiate a voice based authentication and bill payment process.
GB0921500A 2009-12-08 2009-12-08 Voice authentication of bill payment transactions Withdrawn GB2476054A (en)

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GB2476054A true GB2476054A (en) 2011-06-15

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Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
AT13122U1 (en) * 2012-01-25 2013-06-15 A1 Telekom Austria Ag METHOD AND PROGRAM LOGIC FOR PROCESSING ELECTRONIC PAYMENT INSTRUCTIONS THROUGH A TELEPHONE NETWORK
WO2018093229A1 (en) 2016-11-21 2018-05-24 Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. Method and device applying artificial intelligence to send money by using voice input
EP3533015A4 (en) * 2016-11-21 2019-11-27 Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. Method and device applying artificial intelligence to send money by using voice input
CN112215598A (en) * 2019-12-12 2021-01-12 华为技术有限公司 Voice payment method and electronic equipment

Cited By (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
AT13122U1 (en) * 2012-01-25 2013-06-15 A1 Telekom Austria Ag METHOD AND PROGRAM LOGIC FOR PROCESSING ELECTRONIC PAYMENT INSTRUCTIONS THROUGH A TELEPHONE NETWORK
WO2018093229A1 (en) 2016-11-21 2018-05-24 Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. Method and device applying artificial intelligence to send money by using voice input
EP3533015A4 (en) * 2016-11-21 2019-11-27 Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. Method and device applying artificial intelligence to send money by using voice input
US11605081B2 (en) 2016-11-21 2023-03-14 Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. Method and device applying artificial intelligence to send money by using voice input
CN112215598A (en) * 2019-12-12 2021-01-12 华为技术有限公司 Voice payment method and electronic equipment

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