Method and apparatus for restaurant payment system

• US 20020095380A1
• Filed: 03/06/2002
• Published: 07/18/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sales Transaction Systems LLC (Internet Promise Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: Internet Promise Group LLC
• Inventors: Singhal, Tara Chand
• Granted Patent: US 8,494,957 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/02 involving a neutral party, e.g. certification authority, notary or trusted third party [TTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/023 the neutral party being a clearing house
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• 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 20/3276 using a pictured code, e.g. barcode or QR-code, being read by the M-device
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3415 Cards acting autonomously as pay-media
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/383 Anonymous user system
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/385 using an alias or single-use codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4012 Verifying personal identification numbers [PIN]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4014 Identity check for transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/403 Solvency checks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/203 : Dispensing operations within ATMs dispensing in general G07D11/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 : Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system

Abstract

A payment system for restaurant industry that facilitates efficient payment using a bankcard for a meal in a restaurant and also without providing personal sensitive data from bankcards to employees/waiters of the restaurant. The payment system includes a central system, a portable wireless device, a card processor and a merchant system and a bill with a service code that identifies the merchant, the table and the server.

Claims

1. An apparatus for a bill payment by a customer to a restaurant merchant comprising:

a central system;

a web-enabled wireless device; and

a bill carrying a service code being presented to the customer, wherein the customer using the wireless device connects to the central system, inputs the service code, bill amount, and a personal number to effect payment of the bill to the merchant.

2. The claim as in 1, where the service code identifies a merchant number, a table number and a server number.

3. The claim as in 2, the personal number is a combination of telephone number and a personal identification number.

4. The claim as in 3, wherein the merchant and the customer have pre-stored data in the central system;

a central system program using the personal number retrieves customer card data, using merchant number retrieves merchant data; and

prepares a payment record for submission to a card processor.

5. The claim as in 4, wherein the central system program submits the payment record to the card processor and receives approval data.

6. The claim as in 5, wherein the central system program forwards a notification to a merchant computer system and a notification to the customer on the wireless device.

7. The claim as in 6, the notification to the merchant computer system of the approval data includes the tip amount, the table number and the server number.

8. The claim as in 7, the notification to merchant computer system is by pushing data to the merchant computer system on a global network.

9. The claim as in 8, the merchant computer system displays on a display terminal the table number, the server number, the payment amount and the payment status.

10. A method of paying a bill to a restaurant merchant comprising the step of:

a customer receiving a bill, including a service code, the code identifying the merchant number, a table number and a server number.

11. The method as in claim 10, further comprising the step of:

the customer using a web-enabled telephone connects to a secure server;

enters the service code, bill amount and a personal number for sending to the secure server.

12. The method as in claim 11, further comprising the step of:

the secure server having pre-stored customer and merchant data processes the payment with the merchant'"'"'s existing card processor, and forwards the approval record to the wireless device and to a merchant computer system.

13. The method as in claim 12, further comprising the step of:

the approval record to the merchant computer system, additionally including the table number and the server number.

14. The method as in claim 11, further comprising the step of:

the personal number is entered as a combination of a telephone number and a personal identification number.