Apple has been awarded a patent for payment acceptance technology that appears to be designed for an NFC mobile wallet solution, according to Apple Insider.

U.S. Patent No. 8,255,323, titled “Motion based payment confirmation,” describes a method in which mobile phone users can confirm or decline a payment transaction either by physically moving the device itself, or by sliding an icon on the device’s graphical user interface (GUI).

According to Apple Insider, the former method would incorporate an accelerometer to detect movement of the device, while the latter would look and feel like unlocking the home screen on an iPhone.

The graphic accompanying the patent shows an NFC-enabled mobile device using “E-Wallet Payment” and “Peer-to-Peer” apps to accept or decline payments, and the accompanying text specifically mentions NFC:

Close range communication with the NFC device may take place via magnetic field induction, allowing the NFC device to communicate with other NFC devices or to retrieve information from tags having radio frequency identification (RFID) circuitry. As discussed below, the NFC device may provide a manner of connecting to a shopping website and communicating with an external server.

Read more about the patent here.