Express easy-pass checkout at grocery stores and retail establishments for preferred members

• US 20130103519A1
• Filed: 10/25/2011
• Published: 04/25/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kountotsis, Theodosios, Libohova, Agjah
• Original Assignee: Kountotsis, Theodosios, Libohova, Agjah
• Inventors: Kountotsis, Theodosios, Libohova, Agjah
• Granted Patent: US 9,305,312 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/23
• 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 20/209 Specified transaction journal output feature, e.g. printed receipt or voice output
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/28 Pre-payment schemes, e.g. "pay before"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3278 RFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/352 Contactless payments by cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0036 Checkout procedures
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/009 the reader being an RFID reader

Abstract

A grocery store or retail establishment easy-pass (E-Z) lane system for enabling express non-contact payment of a plurality of items is presented including an E-Z pass express checkout lane having at least a scanner for scanning the plurality of items and provided exclusively to preferred members pre-registered with the grocery store or retail establishment. The system includes an RFID antenna positioned about the E-Z pass express checkout lane for communicating with an RFID transponder issued to a preferred member when the RFID transponder is in close proximity to the RFID antenna. The E-Z pass checkout lane is activated thereafter for use by the preferred member for express checkout without the preferred member furnishing direct payment at the E-Z pass express checkout lane via a personal payment account that is separate and distinct from a prepaid vendor-established and maintained purchasing account.

Claims

1. An expedited purchasing system, comprising:

a first communication device fixedly positioned on or about a point-of-sale (POS) checkout lane of at least one grocery store or retail establishment or a combination thereof; and

a second communication device being a portable device provided to a select number of preferred and pre-registered members, the second communication device associated with unique identification information including at least an identification number and a prepaid vendor-established and maintained purchasing account that is periodically pre-funded by at least one of the preferred and pre-registered members;

wherein, when the second communication device is within a point-of-entry (POE) zone and verified as an authorized device, the POS checkout lane is activated in response thereto to permit at least one item of a plurality of items to be scanned by a scanner associated with the POS checkout lane to enable express checkout of the at least one item by the select number of preferred and pre-registered members; and

wherein payment is automatically debited from the prepaid vendor-established and maintained purchasing account that is indirectly associated with a preferred member'"'"'s personal account.

2. The expedited purchasing system according to claim 1, wherein the first communication device is a Radio Frequency Identification Device, (RFID) antenna and the second communication device is an RFID transponder.

3. The expedited purchasing system according to claim 1, wherein the express checkout is enabled without presentation of cash, credit card, debit card, or check at the POS checkout lane by the preferred member.

4. The expedited purchasing system according to claim 1, wherein boundaries of the POE zone are established by one or more characteristics of the first communication device.

5. The expedited purchasing system according to claim 1, wherein the POS checkout lane is configured to debit a monetary amount from the prepaid vendor-established and maintained purchasing account, the monetary amount debited associated with the at least one of item purchased by the preferred member.

6. The expedited purchasing system according to claim 1, wherein the POS checkout lane or the second communication device is configured to indicate at least a remaining balance of the prepaid vendor-established and maintained purchasing account.

7. The expedited purchasing system according to claim 1, wherein when a monetary amount of the prepaid vendor-established and maintained purchasing account reaches a predetermined threshold, the prepaid vendor-established and maintained purchasing account is automatically replenished with a set amount of funds previously indicated by the preferred member.

8. The expedited purchasing system according to claim 1, wherein information related to the at least one item scanned at the POS checkout lane is recorded and relayed to a local or remote storage unit.

9. The expedited purchasing system according to claim 1,

wherein previous rewards, discounts and loyalty points are automatically applied to the purchase of the at least one item;

and

wherein additional rewards, discounts, and loyalty points are applied to the identification number of the second communication device for future redemption.

10. The expedited purchasing system according to claim 1, wherein the second communication device is a mobile device incorporating an RFID transponder, the mobile device configured to at least record transactions of instances of purchase.

11. The expedited purchasing system according to claim 10, wherein an electronic receipt of transactions of instances of purchase is transmitted to the RFID transponder incorporated with the mobile device at a time of purchase, such that the RFID transponder is configured to transmit the electronic receipt to a computing device.

12. The expedited purchasing system according to claim 1, wherein the POS checkout lane exclusively accepts only one form of payment initiated from the second communication device.

13. A method of purchasing at least one item, the method comprising:

issuing a first communication device to a select number of preferred and pre-registered members;

establishing a prepaid vendor-established and maintained purchasing account associated with the first communication device issued to a preferred member of the number of preferred members, the prepaid vendor-established and maintained purchasing account being periodically pre-funded by the preferred member of the preferred and pre-registered members;

establishing wireless communication between the first communication device and a second communication device when the first and second communications devices are in proximity to each other, the second communication device fixedly positioned on or about a POS checkout lane of at least one grocery store or retail establishment or combination thereof;

activating the POS checkout lane after verification and authorization of the wireless communication;

permitting the at least one item of a plurality of items to be scanned by a scanner at the POS checkout lane without presentation of cash, credit card, debit card or check by the preferred and pre-registered member to enable expedited checkout at the POS checkout lane; and

automatically debiting payment from the prepaid vendor-established and maintained purchasing account which is indirectly associated with a preferred and pre-registered member'"'"'s personal account.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the first communication device is an RFID transponder and the second communication device is an RFID antenna.

15. The method according to claim 13, further comprising debiting a monetary amount from the prepaid vendor-established and maintained purchasing account associated with the at least one item purchased by the preferred member.

16. The method according to claim 13, further comprising indicating a remaining balance of the prepaid vendor-established and maintained purchasing account at the POS checkout lane or at the first communication device.

17. The method according to claim 13, further comprising collecting information related to the at least one item purchased to enable the at least one grocery store or retail establishment to provide future discounts, rewards, and loyalty points to the preferred member.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising recording and relaying the information collected to a local or remote storage unit.

19. The method according to claim 13, further comprising automatically replenishing the prepaid vendor-established and maintained purchasing account when a monetary amount of the prepaid vendor-established and maintained purchasing account reaches a predetermined threshold, replenishing occurring with a set amount of funds previously indicated by the preferred member.

20. The method according to claim 13, further comprising the steps of:

automatically applying previous rewards, discounts and loyalty points to the purchase of the at least one item; and

applying additional rewards, discounts, and loyalty points to the identification number of the second communication device for future redemption.

21. The method according to claim 13, further comprising exclusively accepting only one form of payment at the POS checkout lane that is initiated from the second communication device.

23. The system according to claim 20,

wherein an electronic receipt of purchase is transmitted to the RFID transponder at the time of purchase;

and

wherein the RFID transponder is a mobile device that is configured to transmit the electronic receipt to a computing device.

22. A system for authorizing transponder-enabled transactions, the system comprising:

a communication link between (i) an RFID antenna positioned on or about a POS checkout lane of at least one grocery store or retail establishment or combination thereof and (ii) an RFID transponder; and

a prepaid vendor-established and maintained purchasing account periodically funded by a preferred and pre-registered member of the at least one retail or grocery establishment;

wherein, after the communication link is activated when the RFID transponder is located within a POE zone, the POS checkout lane is configured to be accessible in response thereto, to the preferred and pre-registered member for scanning a plurality of items for express checkout without presentation of cash, credit card, debit card or check payments at a time of purchase by the preferred and pre-registered member;

wherein previous rewards, discounts and loyalty points are automatically applied at the time of purchase of the at least one item;

wherein additional rewards, discounts, and loyalty points are applied to the identification number of the second communication device for future redemption; and

wherein payment is automatically debited from the prepaid vendor-established and maintained purchasing account indirectly associated with a preferred member'"'"'s personal account.

24. A grocery store or retail establishment easy-pass (E-Z) lane system for enabling express non-contact payment of a plurality of items, the E-Z pass lane system comprising:

an E-Z pass express checkout lane including at least a scanner for scanning the plurality of items, the E-Z pass express checkout lane provided exclusively to a select number of preferred members pre-registered with at least one grocery store or retail establishment or combination thereof; and

an RFID antenna positioned about the E-Z pass express checkout lane for communicating with an RFID transponder issued to a preferred member of the select number of preferred members after the RFID transponder is authenticated and verified, and determined to be in close proximity to the RFID antenna;

wherein the E-Z pass checkout lane is activated thereafter for use by the preferred member for express checkout without the preferred member furnishing direct payment at the E-Z pass express checkout lane via a personal payment account that is separate and distinct from a prepaid vendor-established and maintained purchasing account.

25. The E-Z pass lane system according to claim 24, wherein the pre registering of a preferred member of the number of preferred members involves at least associating the prepaid vendor-established and maintained purchasing account with the RFID transponder.

26. The E-Z pass lane system according to claim 25, wherein when a monetary amount of the prepaid vendor-established and maintained purchasing account reaches a predetermined threshold, the prepaid vendor-established and maintained purchasing account is automatically replenished with a set amount of funds previously indicated by the preferred member and transferred from the payment account that is separate and distinct from the at least one grocery store or retail establishment.

27. The E-Z pass lane system according to claim 25, wherein information related to the plurality of items scanned by the scanner at the E-Z pass express checkout lane is recorded and relayed to a local or remote storage unit.

28. The E-Z pass lane system according to claim 25, wherein the RFID transponder is incorporated with a mobile device.

29. The E-Z pass lane system according to claim 28, wherein an electronic receipt of transactions of instances of purchase is transmitted to the RFID transponder incorporated with the mobile device at a time of purchase, such that the RFID transponder is configured to transmit the electronic receipt to a computing device.