SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DOOR UNLOCKING USING A PAYMENT ACCOUNT

• US 20160300411A1
• Filed: 04/08/2015
• Published: 10/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thomas M. Isaacson
• Original Assignee: Thomas M. Isaacson
• Inventors: ISAACSON, Thomas M.
• Granted Patent: US 9,721,406 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/326 Payment applications installed on the mobile devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/34 using cards, e.g. integrated circuit [IC] cards or magnetic cards
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00904 for hotels, motels, office buildings or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/27 with central registration
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/14 for fastenings for doors of containers for safe keeping G07F17/12; for turnstiles

Abstract

Disclosed herein are systems, methods, and computer-readable storage media for door unlocking using a payment account. The system receives registration of a user at a business entity, such as a hotel and receives identification of a payment account associated with the user. Then the system establishes a policy such that the payment account is used as a key to unlock a door at the business entity, such as a hotel room. The system receives data associated with the payment account by receiving a card swipe at the hotel room door using a card associated with the payment account or via a wireless communication at the door. The door is unlocked based on validation of the data provided at the door.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving registration of a user at a business entity;

receiving identification of a payment account associated with the user; and

establishing a policy wherein the payment account is used as a key to unlock a door at the business entity.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving data associated with the payment account; and

unlocking the door at the business entity based on the data.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein receiving the data comprises receiving a card swipe at the door using a card associated with the payment account.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein receiving the data comprises receiving via a wireless communication the data associated with the payment account at the door.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the card is one of a credit card and an identification card.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the business entity is a hotel.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the payment account is one of a bank account, credit card account and online payment account.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the online payment account is one of PayPal, Amazon and Apple Pay.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the policy is associated with unlocking at least one of a hotel room door, a hospitality room door, a fitness center door and a pool door.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the policy associates a group of payment accounts with unlocking at least one door at the business entity.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the group of payment accounts is associated with at least one user.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein a location based service associates the user with unlocking a door at the business entity.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein an application downloaded to a mobile device is associated with the policy.

14. The method of claim 13, the method further comprising:

providing, via the application, a notification to the user based on a time of unlocking a door at the business entity; and

performing an action based on a response to the notification from the user.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the user specifies a time frame via the application when a room at the business entity is available for cleaning.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the user remotely unlocks a room at the business entity via the application.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the user grants permission for a second user to access a room at the business entity for a specific time frame via the application.

18. A method comprising:

transmitting, to a server, payment account data associated with a card swipe at a door;

receiving, from the server, validation of the payment account data; and

unlocking the door based on the validation.

19. A method comprising:

receiving, from a door mechanism, payment account data associated with a card swipe at a door;

validating the payment account data using a payment account database; and

transmitting, to the door mechanism, validation of the payment account data.