HANDS-FREE TRANSACTIONS

• US 20160012414A1
• Filed: 11/12/2014
• Published: 01/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Chitilian, Varouj, Chandrasekaran, Sashikanth, Lee, Johnie, Setchell, William Hartley, Bhat, Phalachandra Sreepada, Tao, Yangui
• Granted Patent: US 9,652,759 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 20/3227 using secure elements embedded in M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3278 RFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3674 involving authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3821 Electronic credentials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/38215 Use of certificates or encrypted proofs of transaction rights
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/401 Transaction verification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4014 Identity check for transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4016 involving fraud or risk level assessment in transaction processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 2220/00 Business processing using cryptography

Abstract

Conducting hands-free transactions comprises a server at a payment processing system, a user computing device, and a merchant computing device. The payment processing system registers a merchant system as a hands-free payment participant and provides a beacon identifier. The payment processing system receives a communication from a hands-free payment application on a user computing device, the communication comprising a transaction token, an identification of a user account, and the beacon identifier received by the user computing device via a wireless communication from a device associated with the merchant system and transmits the transaction token to the merchant system computing device. The payment processing system receives from the merchant system computing device, a transaction request, the transaction request comprising the token and transaction data associated with the transaction request and conducts the transaction between the user account and the merchant system based on the received token and transaction request.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method to conduct hands-free transactions, comprising:

transmitting, by one or more computing devices associated with a merchant computing system, a beacon identifier to a user computing device associated with a user, the beacon comprising information suitable to allow the user computing device to generate a token and to communicate the token to the one or more computing devices associated with a merchant computing system without input from the user;

receiving, by the one or more computing devices associated with the merchant computing system and from a payment processing system associated with a user account associated with the user, a communication comprising the transaction token, the token having been generated by the user computing device without input from the user in response to receiving the transmitted beacon from the one or more computing devices associated with the merchant computing system and having been communicated from the user computing device to the payment processing system, and the token comprising an identification of the user account associated with the user and an authorization for a forthcoming transaction;

receiving, by the one or more computing devices associated with the merchant computing system, an input specifying transaction details for a pending transaction and a selection of the token to associate with the transaction;

transmitting, by the one or more computing devices associated with the merchant computing system and to the payment processing system associated with the user account, a transaction request, the transaction request comprising the token and at least a portion of the transaction details; and

receiving, by the one or more computing devices associated with a merchant computing system, an authorization for the transaction request from the payment processing system based on the token provided in the transaction request.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising communicating, by the one or more computing devices associated with the merchant computing system, a receipt for the transaction to the user computing device.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the one or more computing devices associated with the merchant computing system receives the beacon identifier from the payment processing system.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the beacon identifier is transmitted, via a wireless communication, by a device associated with the one or more computing devices associated with the merchant computing system that is separate from the one or more computing devices associated with the merchant computing system.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the beacon identifier is received, via a wireless communication, by the user computing device from the merchant computing system computing device.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the beacon is transmitted via a Wi-Fi direct communication.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the beacon is transmitted via a Wi-Fi communication or a BLUETOOTH communication.

24. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the user computing device, the beacon identifier from the one or more computing devices associated with a merchant computing system;

verifying, by the user computing device, the beacon identifier;

generating, by the user computing device, the token;

transmitting, user computing device, the token to the payment processing system associated with the user account associated with the user; and

receiving, by the user computing device, a notification that the transaction has been conducted based on the transmitted token.

25. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising installing, user computing device, a hands-free payment application on the user computing device.

26. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the token comprises a time at which the token is no longer usable in a transaction.

7. (canceled)

9. (canceled)

10. (canceled)

11. (canceled)

12. (canceled)

13. (canceled)

14. (canceled)

15. (canceled)

17. The system of claim 15, further comprising application code instructions to cause the system to communicate a receipt for the transaction to the user computing device.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the processor receives the beacon identifier from the payment processing system.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the beacon identifier is transmitted, via a wireless communication, by a device associated with the processor that is separate from the one or more computing devices associated with the merchant computing system.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the beacon identifier is received, via a wireless communication, by the user computing device from the processor.

21. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

a storage device associated with the user computing device; and

a processor associated with the user computing device communicatively coupled to the storage device associated with the user computing device, wherein the processor associated with the user computing device executes application code instructions that are stored in the storage device associated with the user computing device to cause the system to;

receive the beacon identifier from the one or more computing devices associated with a merchant computing system;

verify the beacon identifier;

generate the token;

transmit the token to the payment processing system associated with the user account associated with the user; and

receive a notification that the transaction has been conducted based on the transmitted token.

22. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising computer-readable program instructions to install a hands-free payment application on the user computing device.

23. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the token comprises a time at which the token is no longer usable in a transaction.

16. A system to conduct hands-free transactions, comprising:

a storage device; and

a processor communicatively coupled to the storage device, wherein the processor executes application code instructions that are stored in the storage device to cause the system to;

transmit a beacon identifier to a user computing device associated with a user, the beacon comprising information suitable to allow the user computing device to generate a token and to communicate the token to the one or more computing devices associated with a merchant computing system;

receive, from a payment processing system associated with a user account associated with the user, a communication comprising the transaction token, the token having been generated by the user computing device in response to receiving the transmitted beacon from the one or more computing devices associated with the merchant computing system and having been communicated from the user computing device to the payment processing system, and the token comprising an identification of the user account associated with the user and an authorization for a forthcoming transaction;

receive an input specifying transaction details for a pending transaction and a selection of the token to associate with the transaction;

transmit to a payment processing system associated with the user account a transaction request, the transaction request comprising the token and at least a portion of the transaction details; and

receive an authorization for the transaction request from the payment processing system based on the token provided in the transaction request.

27. A computer program product, comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable storage device having computer-readable program instructions embodied thereon that when executed by a computer cause the computer to conduct hands-free transactions, comprising;

computer-readable program instructions to transmit a beacon identifier to a user computing device associated with a user, the beacon comprising instructions to the user computing device to generate a token and communicate the token to the one or more computing devices associated with a merchant computing system;

computer-readable program instructions to receive, from a payment processing system associated with a user account associated with the user, a communication comprising the transaction token, the token having been generated by the user computing device in response to receiving the transmitted beacon from the one or more computing devices associated with the merchant computing system and having been communicated from the user computing device to the payment processing system, and the token comprising an identification of the user account associated with the user and an authorization for a forthcoming transaction;

computer-readable program instructions to receive an input specifying transaction details for a pending transaction and a selection of the token to associate with the transaction;

computer-readable program instructions to transmit to a payment processing system associated with the user account a transaction request, the transaction request comprising the token and at least a portion of the transaction details; and

computer-readable program instructions to receive an authorization for the transaction request from the payment processing system based on the token provided in the transaction request.

28. The computer program product of claim 27, further comprising computer-readable program instructions to communicate a receipt for the transaction to the user computing device.

29. The computer program product of claim 27, wherein the one or more computing devices associated with the merchant computing system receives the beacon identifier from the payment processing system.

30. The computer program product of claim 27, wherein the beacon identifier is transmitted, via a wireless communication, by a device associated with the non-transitory computer-readable storage device that is separate from the non-transitory computer-readable storage device.

31. The computer program product of claim 27, wherein the beacon identifier is received, via a wireless communication, by the user computing device from the merchant computing system computing device.

32. The computer program product of claim 27, wherein the beacon is transmitted via a Wi-Fi direct communication.