CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Patent Application No.
17/554,525, which was filed on December 17, 2021, the entire contents of which are 5
hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes.
FIELD
The present disclosure relates to integrating blockchain technology
with existing computer architecture, specifically integrating blockchain with a
traditional payment network enabling smart contracts to be executed using data from a 10
formatted transaction message.
BACKGROUND
Consumers that are interested in conducting a payment transaction
have a number of payment methods at their disposal, such as cash, check, debit card,
or credit card. In recent years, consumers overwhelmingly prefer to use debit or 15
credit cards because of the benefits they offer over the use of cash or check, such as
consumer protections, analytics, spending controls, and loyalty and reward programs.
Payment transactions that are funded using debit or credit cards are typically
processed using a payment processor where data regarding the transactions
themselves are included in transaction messages, comprised of specially formatted 20
data messages that are transmitted along payment rails, which is specialized
infrastructure used by the payment processor and inaccessible by other systems and
entities. The use of specialized payment rails and infrastructure enables payment
processors to both keep data private and secure as well as ensure that transactions are
processed extremely quickly, well beyond what could be possible using generic 25
Internet.
In recent years, blockchain technology has emerged as an alternative
for conducting payment transactions, where a digital currency that is tracked and
transferred using the blockchain can be used in place of a traditional fiat currency.
Blockchains can also have additional functionality beyond the use of transferring 30
digital currency that can be useful for various entities. In some cases, two parties may
3
be interested in performing a traditional payment transaction using a payment
processor, while also utilizing blockchain technology for a purpose related to the
payment transaction. However, there are no existing systems that integrate
blockchain technology with traditional payment processing architectures. Thus, there
is a need for a technological solution to integrate traditional payment networks and 5
payment rails with blockchain technology.
SUMMARY
The present disclosure provides a description of systems and methods
for enabling the use of blockchain smart contracts as part of a traditional payment
transaction. An integrated processor or central processor, as part of a traditional 10
payment network architecture, can receive a specially formatted transaction message
as part of the processing of a traditional payment transaction. The processor can
identify data in the transaction message and determine a routing plan for the
transaction, which can include utilizing functionality of a blockchain. The processor
can forward the transaction message to an issuing financial institution using a first 15
port of the processor, for traditional authorization processing, and to a blockchain
node using a second port of the processor. The blockchain node can perform any
necessary actions upon receipt of the transaction message, such as the execution of a
smart contract stored on a blockchain using data from the transaction message. The
result is that two entities involved in a traditional payment transaction can take 20
advantage of blockchain functionality while using existing payment processing
architecture without any modifications to most systems involved in transaction
processing, which thereby provides a significant technological improvement with
minimal disruption to standard processes.
A method for enabling the use of blockchain smart contracts as part of 25
a traditional payment transaction includes: receiving, by a receiver of a processing
server, a transaction message for a payment transaction, wherein the transaction
message is formatted according to one or more standards and includes a plurality of
data elements storing transaction data, the transaction data including at least a bank
identification value; determining, by a processor of the processing server, a routing 30
plan for the transaction message based on at least the bank identification value; and
transmitting, by a transmitter of the processing server, the transaction message to (i) a
first computing system using a first communication port of the processing server, and
4
(ii) a second computing system using a second communication port of the processing
server, based on the determined routing plan.
A system for enabling the use of blockchain smart contracts as part of
a traditional payment transaction includes: a first computing system; a second
computing system; and a processing server, the processing server including a receiver 5
receiving a transaction message for a payment transaction, wherein the transaction
message is formatted according to one or more standards and includes a plurality of
data elements storing transaction data, the transaction data including at least a bank
identification value, a processor determining a routing plan for the transaction
message based on at least the bank identification value, and a transmitter transmitting 10
the transaction message to (i) the first computing system using a first communication
port of the processing server, and (ii) the second computing system using a second
communication port of the processing server, based on the determined routing plan.

We claim:
1. A method for enabling the use of blockchain smart contracts as part of
a traditional payment transaction, comprising:
receiving, by a receiver of a processing server, a transaction message for a
payment transaction, wherein the transaction message is formatted according to one or 5
more standards and includes a plurality of data elements storing transaction data, the
transaction data including at least a bank identification value;
determining, by a processor of the processing server, a routing plan for the
transaction message based on at least the bank identification value; and
transmitting, by a transmitter of the processing server, the transaction message 10
to (i) a first computing system using a first communication port of the processing
server, and (ii) a second computing system using a second communication port of the
processing server, based on the determined routing plan.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein 15
the transaction message transmitted using the first communication port uses a
first communication network and protocol, and
the transaction message transmitted using the second communication port uses
a second communication network and protocol.
20
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first computing system is
associated with a financial institution.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second computing system is a
blockchain node in a blockchain network. 25
5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:
identifying, by a processor of the second computing system, a smart contract
stored on a blockchain associated with the blockchain network based on at least the
transaction data; and 30
executing, by the processor of the second computing system, the identified
smart contract using one or more values included in the transaction data as input for
the smart contract.
28
6. The method of claim 5, wherein
the plurality of data elements includes a data element reserved for private use
storing a unique identification value, and
the smart contract is identified using the unique identification value.
5
7. The method of claim 1, wherein
the plurality of data elements includes a data element reserved for private use
storing a routing value, and
the routing plan is further determined based on the routing value.
10
8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving, by the receiver of the processing server, a confirmation message
from the first computing system indicating approval of the payment transaction,
wherein the confirmation is received prior to transmitting the transaction message to
the second computing system. 15
9. A system for enabling the use of blockchain smart contracts as part of
a traditional payment transaction, comprising:
a first computing system;
a second computing system; and 20
a processing server, the processing server including
a receiver receiving a transaction message for a payment transaction,
wherein the transaction message is formatted according to one or more standards and
includes a plurality of data elements storing transaction data, the transaction data
including at least a bank identification value, 25
a processor determining a routing plan for the transaction message
based on at least the bank identification value, and
a transmitter transmitting the transaction message to (i) the first
computing system using a first communication port of the processing server, and (ii)
the second computing system using a second communication port of the processing 30
server, based on the determined routing plan.
10. The system of claim 9, wherein
29
the transaction message transmitted using the first communication port uses a
first communication network and protocol, and
the transaction message transmitted using the second communication port uses
a second communication network and protocol.
5
11. The system of claim 9, wherein the first computing system is
associated with a financial institution.
12. The system of claim 9, further comprising:
a blockchain network, wherein 10
the second computing system is a blockchain node in a blockchain network.
13. The system of claim 12, wherein the second computing system
includes a processor that
identifies a smart contract stored on a blockchain associated with the 15
blockchain network based on at least the transaction data, and
executes the identified smart contract using one or more values included in the
transaction data as input for the smart contract.
14. The system of claim 13, wherein 20
the plurality of data elements includes a data element reserved for private use
storing a unique identification value, and
the smart contract is identified using the unique identification value.
15. The system of claim 9, wherein 25
the plurality of data elements includes a data element reserved for private use
storing a routing value, and
the routing plan is further determined based on the routing value.
16. The system of claim 9, wherein the receiver of the processing server 30
further receives a confirmation message from the first computing system indicating
30
approval of the payment transaction, wherein the confirmation is received prior to
transmitting the transaction message to the second computing system.