Employee profile for customer assignment, analytics and payments

• US 10,482,511 B1
• Filed: 03/12/2013
• Issued: 11/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Groupon Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Groupon Incorporated
• Inventors: Artman, Tuomas, Engestrom, Jyri, Schwekendiek, Ulf
• Primary Examiner(s): Sterrett, Jonathan G
• Application Number:
  US13/797,264
• Time in Patent Office: 2,443 Days
• Field of Search: 705 711- 742
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 2220/12 Usage or charge determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

Systems and related methods facilitating interactions between a merchant device, a central system and a consumer device are discussed herein. Wallet identifying data may be used to secure messages between the consumer device and the merchant device over a wireless link. For example, the merchant device may include circuitry configured to wirelessly receive the wallet identifying data from a consumer device and to transmit the wallet identifying data to the central system. In response, consumer identifying data associated with the wallet identifying data may be received by the merchant device from the central system. In some embodiments, employee identifying data that identifies an employee may be associated with the consumer identifying data to facilitate consumer assistance and employee payment.

Claims

1. A merchant device for securely identifying consumer devices for programmatic matching with an employee payment account, comprising processing circuitry configured to:

wirelessly receive wallet identifying data from a consumer device via a direct wireless connection when the consumer device is within a direct wireless communicable range with the merchant device;

transmit the wallet identifying data to a central system via a secure connection separate from the direct wireless connection;

in response to transmitting the wallet identifying data;

receive, from the central system and via the secure connection, consumer identifying data that identifies a consumer associated with the wallet identifying data; and

receive, from the central system and via the secure connection, consumer preference data indicative of a preference for a particular employee skill and service level, particular employee identifying data, or an employee type;

track employee service availability, employee service availability being indicative of an availability of an employee to assist a consumer;

determine a ranking of employees for the consumer based at least in part on the employee service availability and the consumer preference data;

match the employee payment account associated with a selected employee with the consumer based on the ranking of employees by identifying the employee payment account configured to receive payments that is associated with the selected employee; and

subsequent to matching the employee payment account associated with the selected employee with the consumer, associate employee identifying data that identifies the employee payment account associated with the selected employee with the received consumer identifying data.

2. The merchant device of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:

wirelessly receive, from the consumer device, consumer approval data indicating approval of a payment of an employee payment amount to the employee payment account; and

send the consumer approval data to the central system.

3. The merchant device of claim 2, wherein the consumer approval data is secured by the consumer device using the wallet identifying data.

4. The merchant device of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to wirelessly send employee profile information of the selected employee to the consumer device.

5. The merchant device of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to receive a selection of the selected employee from the consumer device.

6. The merchant device of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:

in response to transmitting the wallet identifying data, receive, from the central system and via the secure connection, consumer history data indicating prior interaction with the selected employee; and

determine the ranking of employees based on the consumer history data.

7. The merchant device of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:

determine location data based on a communication received from the consumer device indicating a location of the consumer device within a merchant shop; and

determine the ranking of employees based on the location data.

8. The merchant device of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to determine the ranking of employees based on one or more prior employee evaluations of the selected employee.

9. A method for securely identifying consumer devices for programmatic matching with an employee payment account, comprising:

wirelessly receiving wallet identifying data from a consumer device via a direct wireless connection when the consumer device is within a direct wireless communicable range with the merchant device;

transmitting the wallet identifying data to a central system via a secure connection separate from the direct wireless connection;

in response to transmitting the wallet identifying data;

receiving, from the central system and via the secure connection, consumer identifying data that identifies a consumer associated with the wallet identifying data; and

receiving, from the central system and via the secure connection, consumer preference data indicative of a preference for a particular employee skill and service level, particular employee identifying data or an employee type;

tracking employee service availability, employee service availability being indicative of an availability of an employee to assist a consumer;

determining a ranking of employees for the consumer based at least in part on the employee service availability and the consumer preference data;

matching the employee payment account associated with a selected employee with the consumer based on the ranking of employees; and

subsequent to matching the selected employee with the consumer, associating employee identifying data that identifies the employee payment account associated with the selected employee with the received consumer identifying data.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

wirelessly receiving, from the consumer device, consumer approval data indicating approval of a payment of an employee payment amount to the employee payment account; and

sending the consumer approval data to the central system.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the consumer approval data is secured by the consumer device using the wallet identifying data.

12. The method of claim 9 further comprising wirelessly sending employee profile information of the selected employee to the consumer device.

13. The method of claim 9 further comprising receiving a selection of the selected employee from the consumer device.

14. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

in response to transmitting the wallet identifying data, receiving, from the central system and via the secure connection, consumer history data indicating prior interaction with the selected employee; and

determine the ranking of employees based on the consumer history data.

15. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

determining location data based on a communication received from the consumer device indicating a location of the consumer device within a merchant shop; and

determining the ranking of employees based on the location data.

16. The method of claim 9 further comprising determining the ranking of employees based on one or more prior employee evaluations of the selected employee.

17. A system for securely identifying consumer devices for programmatic matching with an employee payment account, comprising:

a merchant device comprising processing circuitry configured to;

wirelessly receive wallet identifying data from a consumer device via a direct wireless connection when the consumer device is within a direct wireless communicable range with the merchant device;

transmit the wallet identifying data to a central system via a secure connection separate from the direct wireless connection;

in response to transmitting the wallet identifying data;

receive, from the central system and via the secure connection, consumer identifying data that identifies a consumer associated with the wallet identifying data; and

receive, from the central system and via the secure connection, consumer preference data indicative of a preference for a particular employee skill and service level, particular employee identifying data or an employee type;

track employee service availability, employee service availability being indicative of an availability of an employee to assist a consumer;

determine a ranking of employees for the consumer based at least in part on the employee service availability and the consumer preference data;

match the employee payment account associated with a selected employee with the consumer based on the ranking of employees; and

subsequent to matching the employee payment account associated with the selected employee with the consumer, associate employee identifying data that identifies the employee payment account associated with the selected employee with the received consumer identifying data;

a consumer device including processing circuitry configured to;

prior to sending the wallet identifying data to the merchant device, receive the wallet identifying data from the central system;

wirelessly send the wallet identifying data to a merchant device via the direct wireless connection when the consumer device is within the direct wireless communicable range with the merchant device; and

wirelessly receive, via the direct wireless connection, employee profile information of the employee payment account associated with the selected employee associated with the consumer identifying data from the merchant device; and

the central system including a networked device including processing circuitry configured to;

prior to receiving the wallet identifying data from the merchant device, send wallet identifying data to the consumer device;

receive the wallet identifying token sent to the consumer device from the merchant device via the secure connection; and

in response to receiving the wallet identifying token;

send the consumer identifying data associated with the wallet identifying data to the merchant device via the secure connection; and

send the consumer preference data for the particular employee identifying data or employee type to the merchant device via the secure connection.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein:

the processing circuitry of the merchant device is further configured to;

wirelessly receive, from the consumer device, consumer approval data indicating approval of a payment of an employee payment amount to the employee payment account; and

send the consumer approval data to the central system;

the processing circuitry of the consumer device is further configured to wirelessly send the consumer approval data to the merchant device; and

the processing circuitry of the networked device is further configured to;

receive, from the merchant device, the consumer approval data;

validate the consumer approval data; and

process the payment after validating the consumer approval data.