FACILITATING MOBILE DEVICE PAYMENTS USING PRODUCT CODE SCANNING

• US 20170161717A1
• Filed: 02/24/2017
• Published: 06/08/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mobile Pay, Inc
• Original Assignee: Amobilepay, Inc., World Award Academy, World Award Foundation Inc.
• Inventors: Xi, Mary M Z, Xing, Zhou Tian, Zhou, Dylan T X, Zhou, Tiger T G, Zhou, Andrew H B
• Granted Patent: US 9,824,349 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06112 the marking being simulated using a light source, e.g. a barcode shown on a display or a laser beam with time-varying intensity profile
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1095 the scanner comprising adaptations for scanning a record carrier that is displayed on a display-screen or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1413 1D bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1417 2D bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/321 using wearable devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/326 Payment applications installed on the mobile devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3274 using a pictured code, e.g. barcode or QR-code, being displayed on the M-device
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3278 RFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces

Abstract

Provided are computer implemented methods and systems for facilitating mobile device payments using barcodes displayed on mobile devices and scanned by merchants at checkout counters. When a customer is ready to tender a payment to a merchant, instead of using a credit card, cash, or check, the customer activates an application on his mobile device. The mobile device includes or obtains information about the payment system of this merchant. Furthermore, the mobile device includes or obtains information about the customer/mobile device user and then uses these two pieces of information to generate and display a barcode that encodes customer payment information specific to this merchant. The barcode is scanned at the checkout counter and processed to retrieve customer records from a database of the payment processing system. These records are then used to transfer funds between the merchant and customer, obtain discounts, and/or perform other retail transactions.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for facilitating mobile device payments from a customer payment account to merchant accounts of merchants using barcodes, the computer implemented method comprising:

reading product codes of corresponding products using a mobile device associated with a customer, wherein merchant identification information is encoded into each of the product codes, and wherein the product codes correspond to products sold by different merchants and have different corresponding merchant identification information encoded therein;

based on the reading, providing the merchant identification information on a user interface of the mobile device associated with the customer, in accordance with a payment processing system comprising a plurality of merchants, the merchant identification information identifying a merchant in the payment processing system;

transmitting, from the mobile device, user identification information of the customer to the payment processing system;

transmitting, from the mobile device, the product codes to the payment processing system;

subsequent to the transmissions, retrieving customer payment information associated with the customer using the user identification information and the merchant identification information by the payment processing system, the customer payment information corresponding to the customer payment account maintained at the payment processing system associated with the merchant and further including a name of the customer, a customer account number of a financial account, and an amount of available funds;

based on the user identification information and the merchant identification information, retrieving customer records by the payment processing system, the customer records being maintained at the payment processing system, the customer records including at least discount information associated with the customer and loyalty program information associated with the customer;

in response to the transmissions and the retrieving, generating, by the payment processing system, a barcode encoding the customer payment information and the customer records;

transmitting, by the payment processing system, the barcode to the mobile device; and

displaying the barcode on a screen of the mobile device, wherein the displayed barcode is scannable by a barcode scanner at a checkout counter of the payment processing system, and in response to the scanning, a payment is transferred from the customer payment account to each of the merchant accounts corresponding to the merchant identification information encoded into the product codes.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the customer payment information is stored in a memory of the mobile device;

wherein one touch service is integrated with import and export service for international trade and trade assurance (ITTA) services;

wherein the one touch service help with customs clearance preparation and assistance in foreign exchange collections just a tag and one touch payment on computer screen;

wherein the one touch service integrated with online platform providing professional import and export business process outsourcing (IEBPO) services to cross border trade enterprises, and bring business process operations online and set up credit system for the trade enterprises with only one touch payment;

wherein the communication is established via one or more of the following;

radio waves, contacts for direct electrical connection, magnetic data-strip, and holographic data-strip;

wherein the payment details include a data related to one or more of the following;

a banking account associated with the user, a payment card associated with the user, and a virtual money account of the user;

wherein the payment includes an internet payment, a near field communication (NFC) payment, a scan code payment, a person-to-person payment, a buyer-to-merchant payment, a peer-to-peer payment, an in-application payment, a point-of-sale payment, a mobile payment, a wearable payment, a one-touch buying, and a digital wallet payment;

wherein the payment is associated with bonus points provided to the user.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the barcode is a linear barcode or a two-dimensional barcode;

wherein the one touch service integrated with electronic payment services, a shopping search engine and data-centric cloud computing services;

wherein the one touch service integrated with a third-party online payment platform without charge, but earn interests on deposit and short time payment cash deposit;

wherein the one touch service company operating worldwide online payments system that supports online money transfers and serves as an electronic alternative to traditional paper methods like checks and money orders;

wherein one touch service company operates as a payment processor for online vendors, auction sites and other commercial users, for which it charges a fee.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device comprises one or more devices selected from the group consisting of:

a mobile phone and a PDA;

wherein the one touch service consolidating scattered service resources of different sorts for cross border trade partners and provide professional services including customs clearance, logistics, trade insurance, financing services and freight forwarding services;

wherein the one touch service integrated with e-commerce company that provides consumer-to-consumer, business-to-consumer and business-to-business sales services via web portals.

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

displaying an alphanumeric string on the screen of the mobile device, the alphanumeric string corresponds to the customer payment information;

receiving, from the user through a payment and multimedia capture interface, an access request; and

providing, through the cloud-based application, access to the cloud storage;

wherein the access is granted based on submitting of the key data;

wherein the access is performed via a via Wi-Fi, 3G network, 4G network, 5G network, or 6G network, wherein the cloud storage is further configured to;

receive an access request and provide access to the multimedia, wherein the access is granted based on receiving of the key data;

provide an access to downloading, uploading, one-touch buying, and paying for the multimedia;

store the multimedia, a record of an access made to the multimedia, and content use terms and rules for controlling the access to the multimedia; and

provide payment validation data to the external device and one or more internet-connected devices; and

wherein the cloud-based application resides in a cloud and is provided on the external device via a web browser, a projector, or a hologram;

wherein the cloud-based application is provided for purchase in one or more applications stores, the one or more applications stores being associated with an operating system, the operating system including one of the following;

Microsoft Windows, Linux, Android, Blackberry, iOS, and Windows Phone; and

wherein the cloud-based application is provided free of charge or at a predetermined price.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device comprises a user interface for entering an alphanumeric entry corresponding to the merchant identification information;

wherein the one touch service provides a third-party online escrow (TPOE) service, in which buyers can verify whether they are happy with goods they have bought before releasing money to the seller;

wherein the one touch service company providing microcredit very small loans (microloans) to impoverished borrowers who typically lack collateral, steady employment and a verifiable credit history, wherein designed not only to support entrepreneurship and alleviate poverty, but also in many cases to empower women and uplift entire communities by extension;

wherein the one touch service integrated with the third-party online payment platform, wherein provides an escrow service, in which consumers can verify whether they are happy with goods they have bought before releasing money to the seller, wherein providing the safest way to transact online, wherein the funds are held in trust, no chargebacks, or reversals.

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

prior to retrieving customer payment information, requesting secure access information on the interface of the mobile device;

prompting the user to log into the cloud-based application and provide a consent to initiate payments on behalf of the user, wherein upon the consent the payments are initiated automatically without requesting the consent of the user, wherein the access is performed via initiating one or more of the following;

a one-touch payment, a one-scan payment, an NFC payment, a Wi-Fi payment, a beacon payment, a mobile payment, a one-touch buying, a wearable payment, a digital wallet payment.

8. A payment processing method for payments from a customer payment account to merchant accounts of merchants using a payment processing system, the payment processing method comprising:

scanning, by a barcode scanner at a checkout counter of the payment processing system comprising a plurality of merchants, a barcode displayed on a screen of a mobile device of a customer, wherein the barcode encodes customer payment information and customer records, the barcode being generated by the payment processing system in response to receiving product codes of corresponding products, the product codes being read using the mobile device of the customer, each of the product codes encoding merchant identification information, the merchant identification information identifying a merchant in the payment processing system, and wherein the product codes correspond to products sold by different merchants and have different corresponding merchant identification information encoded therein, wherein the barcode is generated based on user identification information and the merchant identification information;

receiving, by the payment processing system, from the mobile device, the user identification information of the customer;

retrieving, by the payment processing system, the customer payment information associated with the customer from the scanned barcode, the customer payment information corresponding to the customer payment account maintained at the payment processing system associated with the merchant and further including a name of the customer, a customer account number of a financial account, and an amount of available funds;

retrieving, by the payment processing system, the customer records of the customer from the scanned barcode, the customer records being stored in a database of the payment processing system, the customer records including at least discount information associated with the customer and loyalty program information associated with the customer; and

displaying the customer records at the checkout counter so that in response to the displaying a payment is transferred from the customer payment account to each of the merchant accounts corresponding to the merchant identification information encoded into the product codes.

9. The payment processing method of claim 8, further comprising determining availability of funds based on the customer payment information.

10. The payment processing method of claim 9, wherein determining availability of funds is performed based on the customer payment information;

wherein the mobile and wearable device is operable to obtain information about a payment system of the user, wherein the mobile and wearable device is operable to generate and display a barcode that encodes user payment information, the barcode being scanned and processed at a checkout counter to retrieve the user payment information from a database of a payment processing system, payment information being used to transfer funds between the user and a service provider for an amount of the payment, wherein the service provider includes a merchant or a multimedia provider; and

wherein the service provider provides the user with a compensation for future purchases made via the mobile payment service, the compensation being equal to the amount of the payment;

wherein the mobile and wearable device comprises one or more haptic control elements to control operation or functions of the mobile and wearable device, and controlling access to the mobile and wearable device is performed by one or more of the following;

a password, a Personal Identification Number code, and biometric authorization, the biometric authorization including fingerprint scanning, palm scanning, face scanning, and retina scanning, wherein the scanning is performed using one or more biometric sensors, wherein the one or more biometric sensors include sensors for sensing a command for the payment operation to perform buying, the sensing shown on the display, the mobile and wearable device further comprising a fingerprint reader configured to scan a fingerprint, the scanned fingerprint being matched to one or more approved fingerprints, wherein access to the mobile and wearable personal is granted based on the matching;

wherein the camera of the mobile and wearable device is further configured to capture one or more codes, the one or more codes including the key data, a link to a web-resource, a payment request, and advertising information, wherein the one or more codes include one or more of the following;

the barcode, a linear dimensional code, a two-dimensional code, a snap tag code, and a QR code;

wherein paying the bill is performed just by launching the QR payment application and scanning the QR code, which is printed on the bill;

wherein the QR code is automatically read by the application;

wherein the payment page is displayed on the application and the amount of the transaction plus tip is then entered;

wherein credit card security code or PIN is entered for security into the application and confirmation page is displayed;

wherein the QR code is read by smartphone camera, when connected to the service provider servers over the mobile network, to confirm PIN and payment amount;

wherein the correctness of the amount is confirmed and agreed at the confirmation page; and

wherein the payment is completed after receiving an email or SMS and confirming the transaction.

11. The payment processing method of claim 9, wherein determining availability of funds is performed based on the one or more customer records;

wherein a smartphone application enables users to scan, store and share QR code and barcode scans, which includes QR contactless payment solution that enables individuals and businesses to make payments via QR codes and mobile phones;

wherein features include safe scan to protect users from malicious codes, product comparison (barcodes), online backups and synchronization;

wherein a mobile payment processing solution enables individuals and businesses to make and receive payments with QR codes via the smartphone applications;

wherein the buyer scans the QR code displayed by the merchant to get the merchant ID and makes the payment via the mobile payment application if the merchant has no optical scanner;

wherein QR peer-to-peer payment is used for transferring money from one user mobile wallet to other user mobile wallet; and

wherein one user generates a QR code on personal application and the other user scans it to own mobile device for completing the authentication and transferring money.

12. The payment processing method of claim 8, wherein the displayed barcode is a linear barcode or a two-dimensional barcode;

wherein the one touch service integrated with electronic payment services, a shopping search engine and data-centric cloud computing services;

wherein the one touch service integrated with a third-party online payment platform without charge, but earn interests on deposit and short time payment cash deposit;

wherein the one touch service company operating worldwide online payments system that supports online money transfers and serves as an electronic alternative to traditional paper methods like checks and money orders;

wherein one touch service company operates as a payment processor for online vendors, auction sites and other commercial users, for which it charges a fee.

13. The payment processing method of claim 8, further comprising updating the customer records based on the transferred payment.

14. A payment processing system for facilitating mobile device payments from a customer payment account to merchant accounts of merchants, the system comprising:

a barcode scanner for scanning a barcode displayed on a screen of a mobile device of a customer, wherein the displayed barcode encodes customer payment information and customer records, the barcode being generated by the payment processing system in response to receiving a product codes of corresponding products, the product codes being read using the mobile device of the customer, the product codes encoding merchant identification information, the barcode scanner being provided at a checkout counter of the payment processing system comprising a plurality of merchants, wherein the barcode is generated based on user identification information and the merchant identification information;

a processing module for;

receiving, from the mobile device, the user identification information of the customer;

retrieving the customer payment information associated with the customer from the scanned barcode, the customer payment information corresponding to the customer payment account maintained at the payment processing system associated with the merchant and further including a name of the customer, a customer account number of a financial account, and an amount of available funds; and

retrieving the customer records from the scanned barcode, the customer records being maintained at the payment processing system, the customer records including at least discount information associated with the customer and loyalty program information associated with the customer;

a database configured to store the customer records; and

a display for displaying the customer records, the display being provided at the checkout counter to the merchant so that in response to the displaying a payment is transferred from the customer payment account to each of the merchant accounts corresponding to the merchant identification information encoded into the product codes.

15. A computer system for facilitating mobile device payments from a customer payment account to merchant accounts of merchants using barcodes, the system comprising:

an input module for communicating via network with one or more mobile devices of a customer and for receiving product information from the one or more mobile devices, the product information including at least product codes;

a product database for storing product related data and merchant identification information corresponding to each individual product items based on the product information; and

a payment module for receiving payment authorization from the one or more mobile devices and transferring funds between the customer payment account and the merchant accounts, wherein the payment authorization is obtained by;

scanning a barcode displayed on a screen of the one or more mobile devices by a barcode scanner at a checkout counter of a payment processing system comprising a plurality of merchants, wherein the barcode encodes customer payment information and customer records, the barcode being generated by the payment processing system in response to receiving the product codes of corresponding products and receiving user identification information of the customer from the one or more mobile devices, the product codes being read using the one or more mobile devices of the customer, each of the product codes encoding the merchant identification information, the merchant identification information identifying a merchant in the payment processing system, and wherein the product codes correspond to products sold by different merchants and have different corresponding merchant identification information encoded therein;

retrieving, by the payment processing system, the customer payment information associated with the customer from the barcode, the customer payment information corresponding to the customer payment account maintained at the payment processing system associated with the merchant and further including a name of the customer, a customer account number of a financial account, and an amount of available funds; and

retrieving, by the payment processing system, the customer records from the barcode, the customer records being maintained at the payment processing system, the customer records including at least discount information associated with the customer and loyalty program information associated with the customer, and wherein in response to the scanning and the retrieving, a payment is transferred from the customer payment account to each of the merchant accounts corresponding to the merchant identification information encoded into the product codes; and

an output module for sending the product information to the one or more mobile devices.