Method and system for authorizing access to goods and/or services at a point of sale and corresponding point of sale

• US 10,134,220 B2
• Filed: 05/07/2014
• Issued: 11/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microtronic AG (Crane Company)
• Original Assignee: Microtronic AG (Crane Company)
• Inventors: Wahli, Bernard
• Primary Examiner(s): Savusdiphol, Paultep
• Application Number:
  US15/505,344
• Publication Number:
  US 20170263072A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,658 Days
• Field of Search: 235375, 235381
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/045 using payment protocols involving tickets
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/202 Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/62 in which the articles are stored in compartments in fixed receptacles
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0014 for vending, access and use of specific services not covered anywhere else in G07F17/00 meter-controlled dispensing of liquid, gas or electricity G07F15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/14 for fastenings for doors of containers for safe keeping G07F17/12; for turnstiles
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/42 for ticket printing or like apparatus , e.g. apparatus for dispensing of printed paper tickets or payment cards
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/10 together with a coded signal , e.g. in the form of personal identification information, like personal identification number [PIN] or biometric data
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/001 Interfacing with vending machines using mobile or wearable devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/002 Vending machines being part of a centrally controlled network of vending machines

Abstract

A system and method for authorizing access to goods and/or services at a point of sale is disclosed. An access voucher may be issued and presented to a reading means of the point of sale. At least one good and/or service of the point of sale can be selected by the user and the corresponding identification can be transferred to the internal processing unit. A comparison can be performed. If the transferred identification of the user matches an identification of the user, and if the transferred identification of the goods and/services matches an identification of the goods/and services, the user profile data and the access parameter can be retrieved. An authorization can be transferred to the point of sale if the user profile data correspond to the access parameter for the goods and/or services.

Claims

1. A method for authorizing access to goods and/or services at a point of sale, in which access to goods and/or services is authorized based on an identification of the user, comprising:

issuing an access voucher by a voucher issuing means, the access voucher comprising at least an identification of the user,

receiving an indication of the access voucher by to a reading means of the point of sale, at least the identification of the user,

transferring the indication of the access voucher, by the reading means, to an internal processing unit of the point of sale,

receiving an indication of a selection of at least one good and/or service of the point of sale, the indication of the selection comprising at least an identification of the at least one good and/or service of the point of sale,

transferring the indication of the selection to the internal processing unit,

transferring, by the internal processing unit, the identification of the user and the identification of the at least one good and/or service to a centralised processing unit which compares the transferred identification of the user with at least one stored identification of the user and the identification of the at least one good and/or service with at least one stored identification of goods and/or services, wherein if the transferred identification of the user matches an identification of the user stored in the centralised processing unit and if the transferred identification of the goods and/services matches an identification of the goods/and services stored in the centralised processing unit, the centralised processing unit retrieves user profile data and the access parameter for the goods and/or services, and

receiving, by the point of sale from the centralised processing unit, an authorization for accessing the at least one goods and/or services if the user profile data correspond to the access parameter for the goods and/or services.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the access voucher comprises optical machine-readable data, in particular a barcode and/or a matrix code.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the machine-readable data of the access voucher are arranged on a disposable support, in particular on paper.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the data between the point of sale and the centralised processing unit are transmitted over a wired and/or wireless link, in particular over a data communication protocol.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the user profile data comprises the information about the current state of the personal credit account.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the access parameters for the goods and/or services comprise the purchase price of the goods and/or services.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the identification of the user and/or the identification of the goods and/or services transmitted to the centralised processing unit are encrypted, and that the centralised processing unit comprises a decryption means for decrypting encrypted data.

8. A system for authorizing access to goods and/or services at a point of sale, in which access to goods and/or services is authorized based on an identification of a user, comprising:

an access voucher issuing means for issuing access vouchers comprising at least an identification of the user,

a reading means of the point of sale for reading and transferring at least the identification of the user to an internal processing unit of the point of sale when the access voucher is presented to the reading means,

a means for selecting at least one good and/or service of the point of sale by the user and transferring the corresponding identification of the selected goods and/or services to the internal processing unit,

a centralised processing unit comprising a database with at least one stored identification of the user and a database with at least one stored identification of goods and/or services, the centralised processing unit comprising means for comparing the transferred identification of the user with the at least one stored identification of the user and the transferred identification of the goods and/or services with the at least one stored identification of goods and/or services,

wherein, if the transferred identification of the user matches an identification of the user stored in the centralised processing unit and if the transferred identification of the goods and/services matches an identification of the goods/and services stored in the centralised processing unit, user profile data and the access parameter for the goods and/or services are retrieved, and

that the centralised processing unit comprises means for transferring an authorization for accessing the selected goods and/or services to the point of sale if the user profile data correspond to the access parameter for the goods and/or services.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the access voucher comprises optical machine-readable data, in particular a barcode and/or a matrix code.

10. The system according to claim 8, wherein the machine-readable data of the access voucher are arranged on a disposable support, in particular on paper.

11. The system according to claim 8, wherein the data between the point of sale and the centralised processing unit are transmitted over a wired and/or wireless link, in particular over a data communication protocol.

12. The system according to claim 8, wherein the user profile data comprises the information about the current state of the personal credit account.

13. The system according to claim 8, wherein the access parameters for the goods and/or services comprise the purchase price of the goods and/or services.

14. The system according to claim 8, wherein the centralised processing unit comprises a decryption means for decrypting encrypted data.

15. A point of sale of goods and/or services in which access to goods and/or services is authorized based on an identification of a user, comprising

a reading means for reading and transferring at least the identification of the user to an internal processing unit when the access voucher is presented to the reading means,

a means for selecting at least one good and/or service by the user and transferring the corresponding identification of the selected goods and/or services to the internal processing unit,

a means for transferring identification of the user and the identification of the goods and/or services to a centralised processing unit, and

means for receiving an authorization for accessing the selected goods and/or services from the centralised processing unit and for releasing the goods and/or services selected by the user.