APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR COLLECTING AND MANIPULATING TRANSACTION DATA

• US 20140100932A1
• Filed: 12/11/2013
• Published: 04/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AppCard, Inc.
• Original Assignee: AppCard, Inc.
• Inventors: Goldfinger, Yair, Oren, Amichay
• Granted Patent: US 9,799,047 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.25
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/202 Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/209 Specified transaction journal output feature, e.g. printed receipt or voice output
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0233 Method of redeeming a frequent usage reward
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0238 at point-of-sale [POS]
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/14 Systems including one or more distant stations co-operating with a central processing unit data transmission in general H04L; telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station H04Q9/00

Abstract

Described herein are apparatus and methods for collecting and manipulating transaction data. For example, presented herein is an apparatus including: a first I/O port; a second I/O port of a same type as the first I/O port, wherein the second I/O port is connected to the first I/O port such that data passed into the first I/O port is allowed to pass through the apparatus to the second I/O port unimpeded in at least a first operating mode; a processor; and a non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions thereon wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the processor to: collect information passed from a first computing device connected to the first I/O port to a second computing device connected to the second I/O port, identify, from the information, transaction data; and provide, to a third computing device, the transaction data.

Claims

1-34. -34. (canceled)

35. A method comprising:

receiving, at a computing device, transaction data regarding one or more transactions conducted at a point of sale;

receiving, at the computing device, customer information, wherein the customer information is associated with at least a portion of the transaction data;

associating, by a processor of the computing device, the transaction data with a customer loyalty program account;

preparing, by the processor, based upon the transaction data, an electronic receipt;

providing, by the processor, the electronic receipt to the loyalty program account;

identifying, by the processor, from the transaction data;

one or more purchases affiliated with a rewards program, wherein the rewards program comprises at least one of an electronic punch card program and a credit rewards program; and

updating, by the processor, based upon the one or more purchases, rewards information associated with the loyalty program account.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein providing the electronic receipt comprises providing the electronic receipt for review at a customer mobile device at the point of sale responsive to completion of a first transaction of the one or more transactions.

37. The method of claim 35, further comprising:

analyzing, by the processor, the transaction data to identify one or more offers; and

providing, for review at a customer mobile device, the one or more offers.

38. A system comprising:

a processor; and

a non-transitory computer readable medium storing a set of instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

identify transaction data regarding a transaction conducted at a point of sale;

analyze the transaction data to identify one or more offers, wherein at least one offer of the one or more offers is associated with at least one of a product, a product type, and a cost;

prepare injection information comprising at least one of the one or more offers; and

provide, for injection as print data to a receipt printer by an intermediary device installed between the point of sale device and the receipt printer, the injection information.

39. The system of claim 38, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the processor to:

identify customer data associated with the transaction data; and

identify historic transaction data associated with a customer account identified by the customer data, wherein

identifying the one or more offers further comprises analyzing the historic transaction data to identify at least one of the one or more offers.

40. A loyalty terminal device comprising:

an input device;

an I/O port configured to communicably connect the loyalty terminal device to an intermediary device, wherein the intermediary device is configured for installation between a point of sale device and a second computing device;

a communications channel configured for communication with a computing device;

a processor; and

a non-transitory computer readable medium storing a set of instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

receive a customer identifier via the input device,

provide the customer identifier to the computing device via the communications channel,

responsive to providing the customer identifier, receive a command from the computing device, and

forward the command to the intermediary device.

41. The loyalty terminal device of claim 40, wherein the command comprises a print injection command.

42. The loyalty terminal device of claim 40, wherein the command comprises a print blocking command.

43. The loyalty terminal device of claim 40, wherein the set of instructions, when executed, cause the processor to:

receive, from the intermediary device, transaction data; and

forward, to the computing device, the transaction data.

44. The loyalty terminal device of claim 40, further comprising an antenna, wherein the communications channel comprises a wireless communications channel via the antenna.

45. The loyalty terminal device of claim 40, wherein the input device comprises a card reader.

46. The loyalty terminal device of claim 40, wherein the input device comprises an optical scanning device.

47. The loyalty terminal device of claim 40, further comprising an antenna, wherein the set of instructions, when executed, cause the processor to provide, to a mobile device associated with the customer identifier, via the antenna, loyalty program information.

48. The loyalty terminal device of claim 47, wherein the loyalty program information comprises a reward redeemable towards a purchase.

49. A non-transitory computer readable medium, wherein the computer readable medium stores instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

collect information passed from a point of sale computing device without impeding transmission of the information to a destination associated with the information;

identify, from the information, transaction data; and

provide, to an external computing device, the transaction data, wherein

the destination comprises a computing device comprising the processor;

a printer module of the computing device receives the information; and

a transaction collection and analysis module of the computing device collects the information.

50. The computer readable medium of claim 49, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to:

receive, from the external computing device, an injection command;

responsive to identifying the injection command,

buffer a print stream passed from the point of sale computing device,

identify injection information for injecting into the print stream, and

inject the injection information prior to transmission of a portion of the print stream to the destination.