Simple in-store payments

• US 20160048821A1
• Filed: 08/13/2014
• Published: 02/18/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Sprecher, Benjamin
• Granted Patent: US 10,055,725 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 20/22 Payment schemes or models
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4014 Identity check for transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

Systems and techniques are provided for in-store payments. A customer identifier and a point-of-sale identifier may be received. A user payment account may be determined based on the customer identifier. The user payment account may be associated with a customer identified by the customer identifier. Transaction data may be received for a transaction for the customer created using the point-of-sale card at a point-of-sale computing device. The transaction data may include a purchase total. The transaction may be authorized. The point-of-sale card may not always be active. The point-of-sale card associated with the point-of-sale identifier may be activated after the user payment account based on the customer identifier is determined. The point-of-sale card may be deactivated after the transaction is authorized.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method performed by a data processing apparatus, the method comprising:

receiving a customer identifier and a point-of-sale identifier;

determining a user payment account based on the customer identifier, wherein the user payment account is associated with a customer identified by the customer identifier;

receiving transaction data for a transaction for the customer created using the point-of-sale card at a point-of-sale computing device, wherein the transaction data includes a purchase total; and

authorizing the transaction.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the point-of-sale card is not always active, and further comprising:

activating the point-of-sale card associated with the point-of-sale identifier after determining the user payment account based on the customer identifier; and

deactivating the point-of-sale card after authorizing the transaction.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising receiving payment of the purchase total from a payment type in the user payment account.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the customer identifier and the point-of-sale identifier are received from an in-store computing device.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising making payment of the purchase total to a party responsible for the point-of-sale computing device.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein payment of the purchase total is made by charging or debiting an account associated with the point-of-sale card, or by charging or debiting the payment type from the user payment account.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the transaction data is received from a payment processor server.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the point-of-sale computing device is a register with a magnetic card reader.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the customer is checked-in to a store, and wherein the check-in is displayed in an entry on the in-store computing device.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein authorizing the transaction further comprises:

sending at least a portion of the transaction data and account data associated with the payment type from the user payment account to a payment backer server, wherein the payment backer server is associated with the payment type; and

receiving an indication from the payment backer server that the payment type can be used to make a payment sufficient to cover the purchase total for the transaction.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the point-of-sale card is a credit card or debit card comprising one or more of a magnetic strip and a smart chip, or a near-field-communication (NFC) device.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising declining to authorize a transaction created with the point-of-sale card if the point-of-sale card is deactivated.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the in-store computing device comprises a tablet, smartphone, laptop, smart watch, or wearable computer.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the point-of-sale identifier is unique to one of the point-of-sale computing device, a cashier, or the in-store computing device.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the transaction data further comprises an indication of the point-of-sale computing device at which the point-of-sale card was used.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, further comprising declining to authorize a transaction created with the point-of-sale card if the indication of the point-of-sale computing device indicates that the point-of-sale card was used on a point-of-sale computing device different from the point-of-sale computing device associated with the point-of-sale identifier.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the point-of-sale identifier is associated with a cashier or with an in-store computing device.

18. A computer-implemented method performed by a data processing apparatus, the method comprising:

receiving a check-in, wherein the check-in comprises data indicating the identity of a customer;

displaying an entry comprising the data indicating the identity of the customer in a list of entries for checked-in customers;

receiving a selection of the entry for the customer; and

sending a customer identifier based on the selected entry for the customer and a point-of-sale identifier to a payment server.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, wherein the check-in is received from a customer computing device.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, wherein the check-in is received from a remote server, and wherein the remote server receives the check-in from the customer computing device.

21. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, wherein the selection of the entry for the customer is based on an identification of the customer at a cashier'"'"'s station by the cashier using the data indicating the identity of the customer from the entry.

22. The computer-implemented method of claim 19, wherein the data indicating the identity of the customer comprises one or more of a name of the customer, initials of the customer, and a photograph of the customer.

23. The computer-implemented method of claim 19, wherein the check-in is received based on a scanned QR code, based on communication with an NFC device, or based on Bluetooth Low Energy beacon.

24. The computer-implemented method of claim 19, further comprising identifying the customer as being at a cashier'"'"'s station based on a location of the customer computing device.

25. A computer-implemented system for in-store payment comprising:

a storage comprising a payment accounts database, the payment accounts database comprising one or more user payment accounts; and

a payment selector adapted to receive a point-of-sale identifier and customer identifier, activate a point-of-sale card associated with the customer identifier, identify one of the user payment accounts that associated with a customer identified by the customer identifier, receive transaction data for a transaction, authorize the transaction, and deactivate the point-of-sale card.

26. The computer-implemented system of claim 25, wherein the payment selector is further adapted to verify a payment type in the user payment account can cover a purchase total for the transaction.

27. The computer-implemented system of claim 25, wherein the payment selector is further adapted to make payment of the purchase total from an account linked to the point-of-sale card to the party that used the point-of-sale card to originate the transaction, and receive payment of the purchase total from the payment type from the user payment account.

28. The computer-implemented system of claim 25, wherein the payment selector is further adapted to make payment of the purchase total from the payment type from the user payment account to the party that used the point-of-sale card to originate the transaction.

29. The computer-implemented system of claim 25, wherein the payment selector is further adapted to receive the point-of-sale identifier and the customer identifier from an in-store computing device, wherein the customer identified by the customer identifier is checked-in on the in-store computing device.

30. The computer-implemented system of claim 25, wherein the payment selector is further adapted to receive the transaction data from a payment processor, wherein the payment processor receives the transaction data from a point-of-sale computing device identified by the point-of-sale identifier, and wherein the point-of-sale card was used to originate the transaction at the point-of-sale computing device.

31. A system comprising:

one or more computers and one or more storage devices storing instructions which are operable, when executed by the one or more computers, to cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising;

receiving a customer identifier and a point-of-sale identifier;

determining a user payment account based on the customer identifier, wherein the user payment account is associated with a customer identified by the customer identifier;

receiving transaction data for a transaction for the customer created using the point-of-sale card at a point-of-sale computing device, wherein the transaction data includes a purchase total;

authorizing the transaction.

32. A system comprising:

one or more computers and one or more storage devices storing instructions which are operable, when executed by the one or more computers, to cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising;

receiving a check-in, wherein the check-in comprises data indicating the identity of a customer;

displaying an entry comprising the data indicating the identity of the customer in a list of entries for checked-in customers;

receiving a selection of the entry for the customer; and

sending a customer identifier based on the selected entry for the customer and a point-of-sale identifier to a payment server.