Bluefin Announces New Patent Expanding Data Security Beyond Payments

New claims reinforce Bluefin’s security-first architecture and data devaluation strategy across modern, distributed environments

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Bluefin, a leader in security-first payment and data infrastructure designed to devalue sensitive data at the point of entry, today announced the issuance of U.S. Patent No. 12,184,624, further expanding the scope and applicability of its patented device fingerprinting technology.

The new patent significantly broadens Bluefin’s intellectual property by extending protection beyond payments to nearly any environment where data is transmitted, reinforcing the company’s security-first approach to devaluing sensitive data at the point of entry.

Bluefin first introduced this technology in 2016 with the issuance of U.S. Patent No. 9,355,374, which focused on creating unique fingerprints for encryption devices used in PCI-validated P2PE environments. That innovation enabled Bluefin to verify the integrity of every transaction at the device level, identifying potential compromise and suspending activity before sensitive data could be exposed.

The newly issued patent builds on that foundation by removing key constraints in prior claims. Specifically, the technology no longer requires messages to originate from a merchant, adhere to a specific payload format, or include a device identifier. Additionally, fingerprint verification now requires comparison of only one subsequent message rather than continuous validation of every transmission. Together, these updates dramatically increase the flexibility, scalability, and applicability of the technology across modern, distributed data environments.

“From a technology standpoint, this patent reflects how data environments have evolved,” said Tim Barnett, Chief Information Officer at Bluefin. “Systems today are highly distributed, and security must be embedded into the infrastructure itself, not layered on after the fact. By removing dependencies on specific formats or identifiers, this innovation allows fingerprint-based validation to work reliably across modern architectures without introducing friction or complexity.”

As software increasingly operates autonomously - from AI agents to distributed orchestration engines - security models must validate not just data, but the integrity of the systems generating it. The expanded claims in this patent extend fingerprint-based verification into cloud-native, automated, and non-human environments, laying a foundation for trust in modern, system-driven decision making.

“This patent isn’t just an extension of our original work - it’s a major expansion of where and how this technology can be applied,” said Ruston Miles, Founder of Bluefin. “By broadening our claims beyond payments and rigid message structures, we’re opening the door to securing sensitive data across industries and use cases. That has real commercial impact, allowing organizations to reduce risk, simplify compliance, and future-proof their security strategies.”

The issuance of this patent further underscores Bluefin’s ongoing commitment to innovation, strengthening a growing intellectual property portfolio that continues to advance encryption, tokenization, orchestration, and device management technologies.

Bluefin’s security solutions team will be on-site at NRF 2026: Retail’s Big Show, January 11–13, to discuss how data devaluation is reshaping modern security strategies. Attendees are invited to visit Booth #4070 to learn more.

About Bluefin

Bluefin is recognized worldwide for building leading-edge, security-first payment and data infrastructure, anchored by PCI-validated point-to-point encryption (P2PE), vaultless tokenization, and advanced orchestration capabilities. Our product suite includes both integrated and vendor-agnostic solutions, enabling enterprises, organizations, and SaaS platforms to secure sensitive data with business flexibility. We work with 300+ partners to serve 35,000 clients in 60 countries, securing over 2.5 billion pieces of data annually. Bluefin is headquartered in Atlanta with offices in Waterford, Ireland and Vienna, Austria, and is a Participating Organization of the PCI Security Standards Council (SSC). For more information, visit www.bluefin.com.