Systems and methods for checking a user into a location using a packet sequence including location information

• US 10,049,388 B2
• Filed: 10/23/2017
• Issued: 08/14/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bleecher Snyder, Joshua, Metral, Max Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): Nealon, William
• Application Number:
  US15/791,221
• Publication Number:
  US 20180108039A1
• Time in Patent Office: 295 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed which may allow a user having a mobile device to check in to a location using a packet sequence that includes information for identifying the location transmitted by one or more Bluetooth® Low Energy (BLE) beacons at or near the location. The user may be able to store packet sequences for various locations that may allow the user to automatically check into these locations using the store packet sequences.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a non-transitory memory; and

one or more hardware processors coupled to the non-transitory memory and configured to read instructions from the non-transitory memory to cause the system to perform operations comprising;

receiving a sequence of packets;

determining a first time interval between two or more packets among the sequence of packets; and

in response to determining that the first time interval matches a second time interval associated with a merchant, prompting a user to check in with the merchant.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein determining that the first time interval matches the second time interval comprises accessing a look-up table based on the first time interval.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise checking the user in with the merchant when the user responds to the prompt.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the operations further comprise providing promotional information associated with the merchant to the user in response to checking the user in with the merchant.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the operations further comprise providing payment options associated with the merchant in response to checking the user in with the merchant.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the operations further comprise providing a list of other users also checked in with the merchant to the user in response to checking the user in with the merchant.

7. A method performed by a client computing device of a user, the method comprising:

receiving a sequence of packets;

determining a first time between two or more packets among the sequence of packets; and

in response to determining that the first time matches a second time uniquely associated with a merchant, prompting the user to check in with the merchant.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein each packet of the sequence of packets has a size of 32 bits or less.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving a user response in response to prompting the user; and

checking the user in with the merchant based on the user response.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising providing promotional information associated with the merchant to the user in response to checking the user in with the merchant.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising providing payment options associated with the merchant to the user in response to checking the user in with the merchant.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising providing a list of other users also checked in with the merchant to the user in response to checking the user in with the merchant.

13. A non-transitory machine-readable medium having stored thereon machine-readable instructions executable to cause a machine to perform operations comprising:

receiving a timed sequence of packets;

extracting first timing information from the timed sequence of packets; and

in response to determining that the first timing information matches stored timing information associated with a merchant, prompting a user to check in with the merchant.

14. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 13, wherein each packet of the timed sequence of packets has a size of 32 bits or less.

15. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 13, wherein identifying the merchant includes accessing a lookup table based on the first timing information.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a user response in response to prompting the user; and

checking the user in with the merchant based on the user response.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise providing promotional information associated with the merchant to the user when prompting the user.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise providing payment options associated with the merchant to the user when prompting the user.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise providing a list of other users checked in with the merchant when prompting the user.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise notifying the merchant when prompting the user.