Communication of orders and payments in a drive through using wireless beacons

• US 10,529,039 B2
• Filed: 05/02/2017
• Issued: 01/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Theobald, Dwain Glenn
• Primary Examiner(s): Danneman, Paul
• Application Number:
  US15/584,256
• Publication Number:
  US 20170301046A1
• Time in Patent Office: 980 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/308 using the Internet of Things
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/321 using wearable devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/327 Short range or proximity payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/12 Hotels or restaurants
• 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 40/244 using a network of reference devices, e.g. beaconing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup

Abstract

There are provided systems and methods for communication of orders and payments in a drive through using wireless beacons. A merchant location may include a drive through with a wireless beacon established in the drive through. The beacon may provide communication services with a device for the user. The merchant may detect that the user is in a vehicle in the drive through using either the connection between the device of the user and the beacon or a camera, sensor, or other detector located near the beacon in the drive through. Based on check-in information generated on the connection, an order for the user may be accessed. The user may pay for the order using the device and through the connection to the beacon. Further, if other devices for additional users in the vehicle connect to the beacon, the additional users may split the payment for the order.

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;

sensing a vehicle is in a drive through based on information received from a sensor;

wirelessly connecting with a first device in the vehicle using a wireless beacon in response to the sensing the vehicle;

receiving an order request from the first device through the wireless beacon; and

completing a purchase for the order request in response to the receiving the order request.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprises:

connecting with a second device in the vehicle using the wireless beacon;

receiving a second order request from the second device through the wireless beacon; and

completing a second purchase for the second order request in response to the receiving the second order request.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

connecting with a second device in the vehicle using the wireless beacon;

receiving a change to the order request from the second device; and

changing the order request in response to the receiving the change to the order request.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the operations further comprise splitting a cost of the purchase between a user of the first device and a second user of the second device.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the order request includes a first item selected through the first device and a second item selected through the second device.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the operations further comprise displaying the order request on a merchant device.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise adjusting a wireless communication range of the wireless beacon in response to the sensing the vehicle.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the wireless communication range is dependent on a size of the vehicle.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon machine-readable instructions that, in response to being executed by a system, cause the system to perform operations comprising:

sensing a vehicle is in a drive through based on information received from a sensor;

wirelessly connecting with a first device in the vehicle using a wireless beacon in response to the sensing the vehicle;

receiving an order request from the first device through the wireless beacon; and

completing a purchase for the order request in response to the receiving the order request.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise adjusting a communication range of the wireless beacon in response to the sensing the vehicle.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the communication range is limited based at least in part on a size of the vehicle.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein a range of the wireless beacon is limited to a merchant drive through area.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein a range of the wireless beacon is limited by physical boundaries.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise broadcasting an identification token for a check-in application.

15. A computer implemented method, comprising:

sensing a vehicle is in a drive through based on information received from a sensor;

wirelessly connecting with a first device in the vehicle using a wireless beacon in response to the sensing the vehicle;

receiving an order request from the first device through the wireless beacon; and

completing a purchase for the order request in response to the receiving the order.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the wireless beacon is range limited to the drive through.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the wireless beacon is range limited to the drive through based on a construction of the drive through.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the wireless beacon is range limited at least in part based on a signal strength.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the signal strength is based at least in part on a size of the vehicle.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the wireless beacon is range limited to the drive through at least in part by a construction of the wireless beacon.