DRIVE THROUGH MONITORING USING WIRELESS BEACONS

• US 20160019526A1
• Filed: 07/17/2014
• Published: 01/21/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Granbery, John Hastings, Chandra, Prakash
• Granted Patent: US 9,875,472 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/00 Beacons or beacon systems transmitting signals having a characteristic or characteristics capable of being detected by non-directional receivers and defining directions, positions, or position lines fixed relatively to the beacon transmitters; Receivers co-operating therewith position fixing by co-ordinating a plurality of determinations of direction or position lines G01S5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/327 Short range or proximity payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders

Abstract

There are provided systems and methods for drive through monitoring using wireless beacons. A merchant may set up a wireless beacon at a drive through location for the merchant. The beacons may provide check-in services to a user when the user arrives at the drive through in a vehicle. The user may be checked-in through a device for the user, such as a mobile phone or a vehicles dashboard console that has communication capabilities with the beacon. Once the device establishes a communication channel with the beacon, check-in information or an identifier is received and associated with an order. The order may previously have been provided to the merchant. The user can complete payment for the order through the device and when the user arrives at a pick-up window, the merchant may utilize another beacon to connect to the device and retrieve the correct order for the user.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a non-transitory memory storing check-in information for a user; and

one or more hardware processors in communication with the non-transitory memory and configured to;

receive the check-in information for the user when a device of the user connects to a first wireless beacon at a first merchant station in a merchant location for a merchant, wherein the merchant location is accessible by a vehicle for the user;

associate a purchase order submitted by the user with the check-in information; and

process a payment to a merchant for the purchase order.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the device and the first wireless beacon connect using one of near field communication, radio communication, infrared communication, Bluetooth communication, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) communication, and LTE Direct communication.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the device comprises a dashboard console device in the first vehicle.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first wireless beacon is range limited to connect to the device within an area associated with first merchant station.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the first wireless beacon comprises a directional antenna or physical construction configured to define the area to connect to the device.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the first merchant station comprises one of an ordering window or intercom and a pick-up window, and wherein the area comprises a length of an average vehicle utilizing the merchant location.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more hardware processors are further configured to:

communicate a transaction history to the merchant, wherein the transaction history comprises information for the payment to the merchant, and wherein the merchant provides at least one item to the user based on the purchase order.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the one or more hardware processors are further configured to:

determine that the vehicle is located at a second merchant location when the device connects to a second wireless beacon at the second merchant location,

wherein the merchant provides the at least one item or service to the user when the vehicle is located at the second merchant station.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more hardware processors are further configured to:

receive an image of the vehicle when the device connects to the first wireless beacon; and

present the image to the merchant with the purchase order.

18. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

determining a second vehicle has arrived at the merchant location; and

tracking a location of the first vehicle at the merchant location, wherein the purchase order is further associated with the location of the first vehicle.

10. A method comprising:

accessing check-in information for a user based on a connection between a device for the user and a first wireless beacon at a first drive through station at a merchant location for a merchant, wherein the user is located in a vehicle at the first drive through station;

associating, using one or more hardware processors, a purchase order submitted by the user with the check-in information;

determining that the user arrives at a second drive through station in the vehicle based on a connection between the device and a second wireless beacon; and

presenting the purchase order to the merchant when the user arrives at the second drive through station.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

processing a payment to the merchant for the purchase order.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the merchant provides one or more items in the purchase order to the user after the payment is processed.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the payment is processed using a payment instrument provided by the user to the merchant at the second drive through station.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the payment is processed using a payment account with a payment provider for the user.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the purchase order is submitted prior to the user arriving at the merchant location.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the payment is processed prior to the user arriving at the merchant location.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the purchase order is displayed to the user at the first drive through station, and wherein user updates or confirms the purchase order at the first drive through station.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions which, in response to execution by a computer system, cause the computer system to perform a method comprising:

accessing check-in information for a user when a device of the user connects to a wireless beacon at a merchant station for a merchant, wherein the merchant station is accessible by a vehicle for the user;

determining a purchase order submitted by the user from the check-in information; and

providing an item or service to the user based on the purchase order.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein purchase order is paid for before the device of the user connects to the wireless beacon.