SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR TARGETED ASSISTANCE ON USER CHECK-IN

• US 20170099575A1
• Filed: 12/19/2016
• Published: 04/06/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Schulz, Egan, Serrano, Michelle, Su, Libo
• Granted Patent: US 10,600,098 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06315 Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals

Abstract

There are provided systems and method for targeted assistance on user check-in. A service location may provide beacons at or near the location to determine if a user approaching or at the service location has any experience with the service location. For example, a merchant may place a beacon at the entrance to a store to determine if a user has shopped at the store. Thus, when a user is in proximity to the beacon, a user device of the user and the beacon may establish a check-in. Through a user identifier communicated to the beacon, the service provider at the location may determine a user history, such as a number of visits by the user to the service location. The service location may then provide targeted assistance, such as information, personal help, item searches, etc., based on the user'"'"'s history with the merchant.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting, by a wireless beacon, a mobile device of a user within range of a short range wireless signal of the wireless beacon;

connecting, by the wireless beacon, to the mobile device to the wireless beacon through the short range wireless signal;

retrieving, by the wireless beacon, device information from the mobile device, wherein the device information comprises an identifier associated with the mobile device;

communicating, by the wireless beacon, the device information to a service provider with a beacon identifier for the wireless beacon;

receiving, by the wireless beacon from the service provider, targeted assistance options for the user based at least in part on the beacon identifier and the device information; and

causing to be displayed, by the wireless beacon, the targeted assistance options to the user.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving acceptance of at least one of the targeted assistance options from the mobile device; and

communicating the acceptance to one of the service provider or a local device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the device information identifies at least one of user information or user assistance preferences for the user, and wherein the targeted assistance options are associated with the at least one of the user information or the user assistance preferences.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the beacon identifier identifies a location for the wireless beacon to the service provider.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request for at least one of the targeted assistance options from the mobile device;

detecting a merchant employee device within the range of the short range wireless signal of the wireless beacon; and

communicating the request to the merchant employee device.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

establishing, through the wireless beacon, a communication channel with the service provider; and

passing, through the wireless beacon, additional information between the mobile device and the service provider, wherein the additional information comprises at least one of assistance requests, assistance preferences, transaction information, payment information, or identification information.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the connecting to the mobile device further comprises activating an application on the mobile device that alerts the user of the targeted assistance options, and wherein the causing to be displayed, by the wireless beacon, the targeted assistance options is through a graphical user interface of the application.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless beacon and the mobile device connect using one of near field communication, radio communication, infrared communication, Bluetooth communication, or Bluetooth low energy communication.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the device information further comprises one of a location of origin of the user or the mobile device, a location of use of a user account associated with the user or the mobile device, a nationality of the user, assistance information for disability assistance required by the user, or a language used by the user or the mobile device.

10. A wireless beacon system comprising:

a non-transitory memory; and

one or more hardware processors coupled to the non-transitory memory and configured to read instructions from the non-transitory memory to cause the wireless beacon system to perform operations comprising;

detecting, by the wireless beacon system, a mobile device of a user within range of a short range wireless signal of the wireless beacon system;

connecting, by the wireless beacon system, to the mobile device to the wireless beacon system through the short range wireless signal;

retrieving, by the wireless beacon system, device information from the mobile device, wherein the device information comprises at least an identifier associated with the mobile device;

communicating, by the wireless beacon system, the device information to a service provider with a beacon identifier for the wireless beacon system;

receiving, by the wireless beacon system from the service provider, targeted assistance options for the user based at least in part on the beacon identifier and the device information; and

causing to be displayed, by the wireless beacon system, the targeted assistance options on the mobile device.

11. The wireless beacon system of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving acceptance of at least one of the targeted assistance options from the mobile device; and

communicating the acceptance to one of the service provider and a local device, wherein the one of the service provider and the local device generates a request for the at least one of the targeted assistance options for the user.

12. The wireless beacon system of claim 10, wherein the device information identifies at least one of user information or user assistance preferences for the user, and wherein the targeted assistance options are associated with the at least one of the user information or the user assistance preferences.

13. The wireless beacon system of claim 10, wherein the beacon identifier identifies a location for the wireless beacon system to the service provider.

14. The wireless beacon system of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a request for at least one of the targeted assistance options from the mobile device;

detecting a merchant employee device within the range of the short range wireless signal of the wireless beacon system; and

communicating the request to the merchant employee device.

15. The wireless beacon system of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:

establishing, through the wireless beacon system, a communication channel with the service provider; and

passing, through the wireless beacon system, additional information between the mobile device and the service provider, wherein the additional information comprises at least one of assistance requests, assistance preferences, transaction information, payment information, or identification information.

16. The wireless beacon system of claim 10, wherein the connecting to the mobile device further comprises activating an application on the mobile device that alerts the user of the targeted assistance options, and wherein the causing to be displayed, by the wireless beacon system, the targeted assistance options is through a graphical user interface of the application.

17. The wireless beacon system of claim 10, wherein the wireless beacon system and the mobile device connect using one of near field communication, radio communication, infrared communication, Bluetooth communication, or Bluetooth low energy communication.

18. The wireless beacon system of claim 10, wherein the device information further comprises one of a location of origin of the user or the mobile device, a location of use of a user account associated with the user or the mobile device, a nationality of the user, assistance information for disability assistance required by the user, or a language used by the user or the mobile device.

19. A non-transitory machine-readable medium having stored thereon machine readable instructions executable to cause a machine to perform operations comprising:

detecting, by a wireless beacon, a mobile device of a user within range of a short range wireless signal of the wireless beacon;

connecting, by the wireless beacon, to the mobile device to the wireless beacon through the short range wireless signal;

retrieving, by the wireless beacon, device information from the mobile device, wherein the device information comprises at least an identifier associated with the mobile device;

communicating, by the wireless beacon, the device information to a service provider with a beacon identifier for the wireless beacon;

receiving, by the wireless beacon from the service provider, targeted assistance options for the user based at least in part on the beacon identifier and the device information; and

causing to be displayed, by the wireless beacon, the targeted assistance options.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the operations further comprise:

establishing, through the wireless beacon, a communication channel with the service provider; and

passing, through the wireless beacon, additional information between the mobile device and the service provider, wherein the additional information comprises at least one of assistance requests, assistance preferences, transaction information, payment information, or identification information.