Tab for a venue

• US 10,026,083 B1
• Filed: 09/26/2014
• Issued: 07/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Block, Inc. (f/k/a Square, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Block, Inc. (f/k/a Square, Inc.)
• Inventors: Varma, Ajit Kalidindi, Reiss, Jesse
• Primary Examiner(s): Maguire, Lindsay M
• Application Number:
  US14/498,912
• Time in Patent Office: 1,390 Days
• Field of Search: 705 40
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/105 involving programming of a portable memory device, e.g. IC cards, "electronic purses"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/14 specially adapted for billing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/204 comprising interface for record bearing medium or carrier for electronic funds transfer or payment credit
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/24 Credit schemes, i.e. "pay after"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/322 Aspects of commerce using mobile devices [M-devices]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3224 Transactions dependent on location of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/342 Cards defining paid or billed services or quantities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences

Abstract

Methods, computer program products, and systems for tabs for a venue. A customer device can create a tab including a list of one or more goods or services to purchase. The customer device can associate the tab with a venue where multiple kiosks of a merchant or multiple merchants are located. The customer device can be carried to a first kiosk, or first merchant, to purchase a first item, and then to a second kiosk, or second merchant, to purchase a second item. The tab can remain open for as long as the customer device is located within the venue. The open tab allows a user to purchase multiple items at various locations and pay for all the items purchased in a single payment. The customer device can close the tab upon receiving a user request or upon detecting that the customer device leaves the venue.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

identifying, by a customer device, that the customer device is located within a previously defined venue area;

receiving, by a customer device, an input indicating that a customer using the customer device approves a plurality of purchases from at least a first merchant and a second merchant located within the previously defined venue area;

detecting, by the customer device, that the customer device is located in proximity with a first merchant device operated by the first merchant located within the previously defined venue area by detecting that the customer device is within range of a first set of wireless signals output by a first wireless signal source associated with the first merchant device;

sending a first proximity notification from the customer device to a server in response to detecting that the customer device is located in proximity with the first merchant device, the first proximity notification identifying the first merchant device, wherein the server transmits an image of the customer to the first merchant device;

detecting, by the customer device, that the customer device is in proximity with a second merchant device operated by the second merchant located within the previously defined venue area by detecting that the customer device is within range of a second set of wireless signals output by a second wireless signal source associated with the second merchant device;

sending a second proximity notification from the customer device to the server in response to detecting that the customer device is located in proximity with the second merchant device, the second proximity notification identifying the second merchant device, wherein the server transmits the image of the customer to the second merchant device;

detecting that the customer is leaving the previously defined venue area after detecting that the customer device is in proximity with the first merchant device and after detecting that the customer device is in proximity with the second merchant device; and

displaying an aggregated bill for the plurality of purchases at the customer device in response to detecting that the customer is leaving the previously defined venue area and in response to detecting that the customer device is in proximity with the first merchant device and in response to detecting that the customer device is in proximity with the second merchant device and in response to the first merchant device and the second merchant device having verified an identity of the customer based on the image of the customer, the aggregated bill listing items purchased from the first merchant and items purchased from the second merchant, the aggregated bill including a total price of the plurality of purchases from at least the first merchant and the second merchant located within the previously defined venue area.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first merchant is located remotely from the second merchant within the previously defined venue area.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the server aggregates a first bill from the first merchant and a second bill from the second merchant based on the identification of the first merchant device in the first proximity notification and the identification of the second merchant device in the second proximity notification, wherein the identification of the first merchant device and the identification of the second merchant device are associated with the previously defined venue area in a merchant location database.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting the aggregated bill from the server to a financial service in response to detecting that the customer is leaving the previously defined venue area.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the input indicating that the customer using the customer device approves the plurality of purchases from at least the first merchant and the second merchant is the detection that the customer is leaving the previously defined venue area.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying the aggregated bill at the customer device in response to a user interface input at the customer device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first merchant device and the second merchant device verify the identity of the customer based on the image of the customer via comparison of an appearance of the customer to the image of the customer received by the first merchant device and the second merchant device from the server.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the aggregated bill for the plurality of purchases at the customer device is performed in response to the first merchant and the second merchant verifying the identity of the customer based on travel time, wherein the first merchant verifies the identity of the customer by comparing an estimated time of arrival of the customer to a location the first merchant to an actual time of arrival of the customer to the location of the first merchant, wherein the second merchant verifies the identity of the customer by comparing an estimated time of arrival of the customer to a location the second merchant to an actual time of arrival of the customer to the location of the second merchant.

9. A non-transitory storage device storing instructions operable to cause one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

identifying, by a customer device, that the customer device is located within a previously defined venue area;

receiving, by a customer device, an input indicating that a customer using the customer device approves a plurality of purchases from at least a first merchant and a second merchant located within the previously defined venue area;

detecting, by the customer device, that the customer device is located in proximity with a first merchant device operated by the first merchant located within the previously defined venue area by detecting that the customer device is within range of a first set of wireless signals output by a first wireless signal source associated with the first merchant device;

sending a first proximity notification from the customer device to a server in response to detecting that the customer device is located in proximity with the first merchant device, the first proximity notification identifying the first merchant device, wherein the server transmits an image of the customer to the first merchant device;

detecting, by the customer device, that the customer device is in proximity with a second merchant device operated by the second merchant located within the previously defined venue area by detecting that the customer device is within range of a second set of wireless signals output by a second wireless signal source associated with the second merchant device;

sending a second proximity notification from the customer device to the server in response to detecting that the customer device is located in proximity with the second merchant device, the second proximity notification identifying the second merchant device, wherein the server transmits the image of the customer to the second merchant device;

detecting that the customer is leaving the previously defined venue area after detecting that the customer device is in proximity with the first merchant device and after detecting that the customer device is in proximity with the second merchant device; and

displaying an aggregated bill for the plurality of purchases at the customer device in response to detecting that the customer is leaving the previously defined venue and in response to detecting that the customer device is in proximity with the first merchant device and in response to detecting that the customer device is in proximity with the second merchant device and in response to the first merchant device and the second merchant device verified an identity of the customer based on the image of the customer, the aggregated bill listing items purchased from the first merchant and items purchased from the second merchant, the aggregated bill including a total price of the plurality of purchases from at least the first merchant and the second merchant located within the previously defined venue area.

10. The non-transitory storage device of claim 9, wherein the first merchant is located remotely from the second merchant within the previously defined venue area.

11. The non-transitory storage device of claim 9, wherein the server aggregates a bill from the first merchant and a bill from the second merchant based on the identification of the first merchant device in the first proximity notification and the identification of the second merchant device in the second proximity notification, wherein the identification of the first merchant device and the identification of the second merchant device are associated with the previously defined venue area in a merchant location database.

12. The non-transitory storage device of claim 9, the operations further comprising transmitting the aggregated bill from the server to a financial service in response to detecting that the customer is leaving the previously defined venue area.

13. The non-transitory storage device of claim 9, wherein the input indicating that the customer using the customer device approves the plurality of purchases from at least the first merchant and the second merchant is the detection that the customer is leaving the previously defined venue area.

14. The non-transitory storage device of claim 9, the operations further comprising displaying the aggregated bill at the customer device in response to a user interface input at the customer device.

15. A system comprising:

one or more computers; and

a non-transitory storage device storing instructions operable to cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising;

identifying, by a customer device, that the customer device is located within a previously defined venue area;

receiving, by a customer device, an input indicating that a customer using the customer device approves a plurality of purchases from at least a first merchant and a second merchant located within the previously defined venue area;

detecting, by the customer device, that the customer device is located in proximity with a first merchant device operated by the first merchant located within the previously defined venue area by detecting that the customer device is within range of a first set of wireless signals output by a first wireless signal source associated with the first merchant device;

sending a first proximity notification from the customer device to a server in response to detecting that the customer device is located in proximity with the first merchant device, the first proximity notification identifying the first merchant device, wherein the server transmits an image of the customer to the first merchant device;

detecting, by the customer device, that the customer device is in proximity with a second merchant device operated by the second merchant located within the previously defined venue area by detecting that the customer device is within range of a second set of wireless signals output by a second wireless signal source associated with the second merchant device;

sending a second proximity notification from the customer device to the server in response to detecting that the customer device is located in proximity with the second merchant device, the second proximity notification identifying the second merchant device, wherein the server transmits the image of the customer to the second merchant device;

detecting that the customer is leaving the previously defined venue area after detecting that the customer device is in proximity with the first merchant device and after detecting that the customer device is in proximity with the second merchant device; and

displaying an aggregated bill for the plurality of purchases at the customer device in response to detecting that the customer is leaving the previously defined venue area and in response to detecting that the customer device is in proximity with the first merchant device and in response to detecting that the customer device is in proximity with the second merchant device and in response to the first merchant device and the second merchant device having verified an identity of the customer based on the image of the customer, the aggregated bill listing items purchased from the first merchant and items purchased from the second merchant, the aggregated bill including a total price of the plurality of purchases from at least the first merchant and the second merchant located within the previously defined venue area.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the first merchant is located remotely from the second merchant within the previously defined venue area.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the server aggregates a first bill from the first merchant and a second bill from the second merchant based on the identification of the first merchant device in the first proximity notification and the identification of the second merchant device in the second proximity notification, wherein the identification of the first merchant device and the identification of the second merchant device are associated with the previously defined venue area in a merchant location database.

18. The system of claim 15, the operations further comprising transmitting the aggregated bill from the server to a financial service in response to detecting that the customer is leaving the previously defined venue area.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the input indicating that the customer using the customer device approves the plurality of purchases from at least the first merchant and the second merchant is the detection that the customer is leaving the previously defined venue area.