UnfoldIPThemes

Company patents

Blackhawk Network, Inc.

Blackhawk Network, Inc. surprisingly shows a strong, emerging focus on "Coin / Token Operated Apparatus," with a significant 66.7% year-over-year growth in 2026 (so far), despite its primary "Business Methods & Fintech" category experiencing a 43.8% decline in 2025 before a rebound. The company's patent strategy also indicates a shifting priority away from "Network Security & Access Control," which saw a 100.0% decline in 2026 (so far) after maintaining steady activity in the prior two years.

Patent Trend by Technology Area

Yearly patent publications since 2023

Product themes

Product-level themes inferred from filings since 2023, with category chips showing where each theme appears. Select a theme to filter the patents below.

60 US filings (since 2023) · 5 categories · 6 themes

Player Engagement & Loyalty Systems

Systems and methods for enhancing player retention, offering incentives, and managing player accounts and credits across multiple gaming sessions, machines, or venues to foster continued participation.

Coin / Token Operated Apparatus
Who else files here? →
45since 2023
-15.4%YoY
Automated Transaction Systems

Systems designed to streamline and automate various commercial transactions, including mobile-enhanced processes, secure online checkouts, customer service interactions, and privilege issuance, often leveraging digital authentication.

Business Methods & Fintech
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37since 2023
-30.0%YoY
Gaming Security & Fraud Detection

Technologies designed to prevent, detect, and audit fraudulent activities or tampering within gaming establishments and electronic transaction systems, ensuring integrity of games and financial operations.

Coin / Token Operated Apparatus
Who else files here? →
10since 2023
-33.3%YoY
Access Control & Identity Managementfiltered

Systems and methods for authenticating users, devices, or applications, authorizing their access to resources based on policies, and managing digital identities across various platforms.

Network Security & Access Control
Who else files here? →
4since 2023
0.0%YoY
Digital Asset Management

Technologies for securing, managing, and transacting with virtual currencies, non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and other blockchain-based digital assets, including hardware wallets and tokenization schemes for various purposes.

Business Methods & Fintech
Who else files here? →
4since 2023
0.0%YoY
Smart Card Component Integration

Focuses on the physical construction and integration of electronic components, such as antennas, IC chips, and display elements, into smart cards or secure documents, often involving multi-layer structures and specialized materials.

Data Recognition (Barcodes, OCR)
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1since 2023
n/a

Patents

Showing 1-6 of 6

Access Control & Identity Management
Page 1 of 1
US 20250279989 A1APPLICATION
H04L9/40

USING CLIENT CERTIFICATES TO COMMUNICATE TRUSTED INFORMATION

Filed:2025-05-08Pub:2025-09-04
Applicant:Blackhawk Network, Inc.

A device comprises: a receiver configured to receive a client certificate; a processor coupled to the receiver and configured to: authenticate the client certificate, extract, in response to the authentication, attributes from the client certificate, and create, in response to the extraction, a message comprising reformatted attributes based on the attributes, wherein the reformatted attributes can be trusted; and a transmitter coupled to the processor and configured to transmit the message. A device comprises: a processor configured to: process a client certificate comprising a certificate identifier (ID) attribute, a tenant ID attribute, and a role ID attribute, and package the client certificate in a request for a shared service; and a transmitter coupled to the processor and configured to transmit the request.

US 12323407 B2GRANTED
H04L29/06

Client certificates to communicate trusted information

Filed:2024-01-03Pub:2025-06-03
Applicant:Blackhawk Network, Inc.

A device comprises: a receiver configured to receive a client certificate; a processor coupled to the receiver and configured to: authenticate the client certificate, extract, in response to the authentication, attributes from the client certificate, and create, in response to the extraction, a message comprising reformatted attributes based on the attributes, wherein the reformatted attributes can be trusted; and a transmitter coupled to the processor and configured to transmit the message. A device comprises: a processor configured to: process a client certificate comprising a certificate identifier (ID) attribute, a tenant ID attribute, and a role ID attribute, and package the client certificate in a request for a shared service; and a transmitter coupled to the processor and configured to transmit the request.

US 20240187394 A1APPLICATION
H04L9/40

CLIENT CERTIFICATES TO COMMUNICATE TRUSTED INFORMATION

Filed:2024-01-03Pub:2024-06-06
Applicant:Blackhawk Network, Inc.

A device comprises: a receiver configured to receive a client certificate; a processor coupled to the receiver and configured to: authenticate the client certificate, extract, in response to the authentication, attributes from the client certificate, and create, in response to the extraction, a message comprising reformatted attributes based on the attributes, wherein the reformatted attributes can be trusted; and a transmitter coupled to the processor and configured to transmit the message. A device comprises: a processor configured to: process a client certificate comprising a certificate identifier (ID) attribute, a tenant ID attribute, and a role ID attribute, and package the client certificate in a request for a shared service; and a transmitter coupled to the processor and configured to transmit the request.

US 11936639 B2GRANTED
H04L29/06

Using client certificates to communicate trusted information

Filed:2021-03-04Pub:2024-03-19
Applicant:Blackhawk Network, Inc.

A device comprises: a receiver configured to receive a client certificate; a processor coupled to the receiver and configured to: authenticate the client certificate, extract, in response to the authentication, attributes from the client certificate, and create, in response to the extraction, a message comprising reformatted attributes based on the attributes, wherein the reformatted attributes can be trusted; and a transmitter coupled to the processor and configured to transmit the message. A device comprises: a processor configured to: process a client certificate comprising a certificate identifier (ID) attribute, a tenant ID attribute, and a role ID attribute, and package the client certificate in a request for a shared service; and a transmitter coupled to the processor and configured to transmit the request.

US 20210194865 A1APPLICATION
H04L29/06

USING CLIENT CERTIFICATES TO COMMUNICATE TRUSTED INFORMATION

Filed:2021-03-04Pub:2021-06-24
Applicant:Blackhawk Network, Inc.

A device comprises: a receiver configured to receive a client certificate; a processor coupled to the receiver and configured to: authenticate the client certificate, extract, in response to the authentication, attributes from the client certificate, and create, in response to the extraction, a message comprising reformatted attributes based on the attributes, wherein the reformatted attributes can be trusted; and a transmitter coupled to the processor and configured to transmit the message. A device comprises: a processor configured to: process a client certificate comprising a certificate identifier (ID) attribute, a tenant ID attribute, and a role ID attribute, and package the client certificate in a request for a shared service; and a transmitter coupled to the processor and configured to transmit the request.

US 10958636 B2GRANTED
H04L29/06

Using client certificates to communicate trusted information

Filed:2018-12-20Pub:2021-03-23
Applicant:Blackhawk Network, Inc.

A device comprises: a receiver configured to receive a client certificate; a processor coupled to the receiver and configured to: authenticate the client certificate, extract, in response to the authentication, attributes from the client certificate, and create, in response to the extraction, a message comprising reformatted attributes based on the attributes, wherein the reformatted attributes can be trusted; and a transmitter coupled to the processor and configured to transmit the message. A device comprises: a processor configured to: process a client certificate comprising a certificate identifier (ID) attribute, a tenant ID attribute, and a role ID attribute, and package the client certificate in a request for a shared service; and a transmitter coupled to the processor and configured to transmit the request.

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