Systems and Methods to Combine Transaction Terminal Location Data and Social Networking Check-In

• US 20120239479A1
• Filed: 03/14/2012
• Published: 09/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Visa International Service Association (Visa, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Visa International Service Association (Visa, Inc.)
• Inventors: Amaro, Leigh, Ladhawala, Parag
• Granted Patent: US 10,438,299 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.23
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3224 Transactions dependent on location of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/384 using social networks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/386 using messaging services or messaging apps using mobile network messaging services for payment, e.g. SMS G06Q20/3255
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications

Abstract

A system and method configured to provide enhanced services based on check-in information obtained in a social network system and transaction location information observed in a payment processing system. In one aspect, the transaction location may be used to validate, verify or authenticate the check-in location declared in the social network system. In another aspect, the transaction location can be used as a basis to automate a check-in in the social network system in accordance with a preference of a user. In a further aspect, the transaction location and the check-in location can be correlated to detect inaccurate data, correct the inaccurate data, and/or augment the data in a data warehouse about the locations of transaction terminals.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, in a computing apparatus, check-in information of a plurality of users in a social network system, the check-in information indicating physical presence of the users at an establishment of a merchant;

identifying, by the computing apparatus, a plurality of transactions corresponding to the check-in information, the plurality of transactions initiated on a transaction terminal, wherein a data warehouse is configured to store information about the transaction terminal; and

detecting, by the computing apparatus, inaccuracy in the information about the transaction terminal stored in the data warehouse, based on the check-in information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the information about the transaction terminal includes an address of the transaction terminal;

and the method further comprises;

determining an address of the physical presence of the users based on the check-in information; and

comparing the address of the physical presence of the users with the address of the transaction terminal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the information about the transaction terminal includes a merchant identification of a merchant to which the transaction terminal is assigned;

and the method further comprises;

comparing the merchant identification in the information about the transaction terminal with a merchant identification in the check-in information.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

computing a set of coordinates, representing a position of the transaction terminal, based on the check-in information.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the check-in information includes coordinates submitted by portable communication devices of the users when the physical presence of the users is declared in the social network system.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the coordinates are determined via a global positioning system.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the computing of the set of coordinates comprises:

filtering the coordinates submitted by the portable communication devices to select a subset; and

determining an average of the subset to generate the set of coordinates as the position of the transaction terminal.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the filtering includes:

identifying a cluster of positions identified by the coordinates submitted by the portable communication devices; and

selecting the subset based on a predetermined distance threshold for distance between the cluster and positions identified by the coordinates submitted by the portable communication devices.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the computing of the set of coordinates comprises:

computing weights for positions represented by the coordinates submitted by the portable communication devices; and

calculating a weighted average based on the weights and the coordinates submitted by the portable communication devices.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the weights are computed based on time gaps between check-ins of the users at the establishment of the merchant and the transactions initiated on the transaction terminal.

11. A computing apparatus, comprising:

a data warehouse configured to store information about a transaction terminal;

a portal coupled with a transaction handler to access transaction data recording transactions of a plurality of users initiated on the transaction terminal, the portal further coupled with a social network system to access check-in information of the plurality of users in the social network system, the check-in information indicating physical presence of the users at an establishment of a merchant; and

a correlator coupled with the portal to correlate the transactions with the check-in information;

wherein the computing apparatus is configured to augment the information stored about the transaction terminal using the check-in information.

12. The computing apparatus of claim 11, wherein the check-in information includes positions of portable communication devices reported in the social network system when check-ins of the plurality of users to the establishment of the merchant are declared;

and the computing apparatus is configured to compute an average of the positions of the portable communication devices as a position of the transaction terminal.

13. The computing apparatus of claim 11, further configured to detect a discrepancy between the average of the positions and a street address in the information stored about the transaction terminal.

14. The computing apparatus of claim 11, further comprising:

a message broker configured to generate a message providing an offer, when the portal receives indication of a check-in of a user into the establishment of the merchant in the social network system; and

a media controller coupled with the message broker to transmit the message to a communication reference stored in association with a consumer account of the user in the data warehouse.

15. The computing apparatus of claim 14, wherein the portal is configured to detect a transaction with the merchant using the consumer account and apply a benefit of the offer to the transaction during processing of the transaction by the transaction handler.

16. A method, comprising:

storing, in a computing apparatus, a preference of a user in association with account information identifying a consumer account of the user;

monitoring, by the computing apparatus, transactions in the consumer account processed by a transaction handler in accordance with the preference; and

in response to a transaction with a merchant in the consumer account and in accordance with the preference of the user, communicating with a social network system to declare a physical presence of the user in an establishment of the merchant.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

storing data identifying an identification of a social network account of the user in connection with the consumer account of the user;

wherein the physical presence of the user is declared via the identification of the social network account of the user.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

receiving, by the computing apparatus, declaration of the physical presence of the user in the social network system via the identification of the social network account;

wherein the communicating with the social network system to declare the physical presence of the user in the establishment of the merchant is in response to a determination that a currently declared physical location of the user in the social networking system is different from the establishment of the merchant.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

submitting, by the computing apparatus, a query to the social network system for the currently declared physical location of the user, in response to the transaction being processed by the transaction handler.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

transmitting, by the computing apparatus, an offer to the user, in response to the declaration of the physical presence of the user, wherein the transaction handler is configured to provide a benefit of the offer to the consumer account if the consumer account is used in a payment transaction with a merchant located at a location indicated by the physical presence of the user.