Techniques for Checking into a Retail Establishment

• US 20150294300A1
• Filed: 06/26/2015
• Published: 10/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NCR Voyix Corporation
• Original Assignee: NCR Corporation
• Inventors: Finley, Michael Cain, Paskalev, Bisser G.
• Granted Patent: US 9,576,233 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06187 with magnetically detectable marking
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06206 the magnetic marking being emulated
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3224 Transactions dependent on location of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/327 Short range or proximity payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3278 RFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/10 Services

Abstract

Techniques for checking into a retail establishment are provided. A retailer provides a substrate having a magnetic-field encoded tag. A consumer waves the consumer'"'"'s device over the tag to electronically capture the magnetic-field encoded tag. The consumer'"'"'s device is used to communicate the tag to a retailer to validate that the consumer is physically present and now checked into the retail establishment of the retailer.

Claims

1-11. -11. (canceled)

12. A processor-implemented method programmed in memory or a non-transitory processor-readable medium and to execute on one or more processors of a handheld device configured to execute the method, comprising:

reading, by the handheld device, a magnetic-field encoded tag;

converting, by the handheld device, the magnetic-filed encoded tag into a tag identifier; and

sending, by the handheld device, the tag identifier to a check-in manager associated with the tag identifier to automatically check-in a consumer at a retail location of a retailer.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein reading further includes obtaining the magnetic-field encoded tag when the consumer waves the mobile device over the magnetic-field encoded tag affixed to an object at the retail location of the retailer.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein converting further includes decrypting the tag identifier to acquire a link to the check-in manager.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein converting further includes accessing a database local to the mobile device to acquire the tag identifier using the magnetic-filed encoded tag.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein converting further includes accessing the check-in manager with the magnetic-filed encoded tag to convert the magnetic-filed encoded tag to the tag identifier.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein sending further includes identifying the check-in manager based on the tag identifier.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein sending further includes using a preconfigured link to identify the check-in manager.

19-20. -20. (canceled)