USPTO Grants Apple Patent for Future NFC Payment Enabled iPhone
Today Apple was granted approval for a patent by the United States Trademark & Patent Office (USPTO), which indicates that the tech giant is planning to implement NFC capabilities into iOS. The technology would enable credit card companies to send statements directly to a user’s iTunes account for purchases made using an NFC-enabled iPhone.
The patent gives the primary account holder the ability to set specific guidelines for a secondary user, in which the technology would set rules for the transaction. Examples of these guidelines could include payment limits, requiring permission for specific vendors in their online and offline modes, and adding restrictions for buying alcohol. If the secondary user broke any of the specified rules, then the primary account holder would be notified, and the transaction would then be denied.
Despite NFC technology already being present on various Android smartphones, the technology would inevitably evolve if the industry was introduced to an iPhone with a mobile payment solution. As the approved patent is just one of many first steps for an NFC enabled iPhone, we’ll look to the future to see what else Apple has in store for us.
