Method and system for store-to-consumer transaction management

• US 7,970,669 B1
• Filed: 07/25/2008
• Issued: 06/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intuit, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intuit, Inc.
• Inventors: Santos, Todd
• Primary Examiner(s): Frenel; Vanel
• Application Number:
  US12/179,747
• Time in Patent Office: 1,068 Days
• Field of Search: 705/28, 705/39, 705/26, 705 40- 41, 235/379
• US Class Current: 705/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/105 involving programming of a portable memory device, e.g. IC cards, "electronic purses"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3221 Access to banking information through M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/14 Systems including one or more distant stations co-operating with a central processing unit data transmission in general H04L; telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station H04Q9/00

Abstract

The invention provides a method for capturing, tracking and managing a transaction of a user at an advanced Point-of-Sale (POS) register. The method steps include obtaining transaction data of the transaction from the POS register using a mobile device and managing POS-based expenditures of the user using the transaction data including a transaction amount, a payment type of the transaction, and relevant bank or credit card account information for the method of payment used by the user. Managing POS-based expenditures may include generating a real-time balance of the account based on the transaction data and presenting the real-time balance of the account to the mobile device.

Claims

1. A method for capturing and tracking a transaction corresponding to a purchase of a product by a user at a Point-of-Sale (POS) register, comprising:

calculating an initial balance of a financial account of the user;

sending, by the POS register and after calculating the initial balance, a transaction data item corresponding to the transaction to a mobile device of the user after the product is purchased,

wherein the transaction data item comprises a transaction debit amount and a transaction payment type indicating check payment,

wherein the transaction comprises paying for the purchase using a check to debit the transaction debit amount from the financial account, and

wherein the product and the mobile device are separate from the financial account;

receiving, by a server application, the transaction data item from the mobile device;

calculating a first real-time balance of the financial account based the initial balance and the transaction debit amount; and

presenting the first real-time balance of the financial account to the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein presenting the first real-time balance of the financial account comprises displaying the first real-time balance of the financial account and a progress of a budget associated with at least one selected from a group consisting of the financial account and a spending category of the financial account.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein presenting the first real-time balance of the financial account comprises generating an alert when the first real-time balance of the financial account is within a pre-determined limit of a budget associated with at least one selected from a group consisting of the financial account and a spending category of the financial account.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the transaction data item further comprises a plurality of item-level information, and the method further comprises:

categorizing the item-level information for maintaining a plurality of per-category cumulative expenditure records based on the plurality of item-level information,

wherein presenting the first real-time balance of the financial account comprises displaying the plurality of per-category cumulative expenditure records and corresponding progress of per-category budgets.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first real-time balance of the financial account is calculated by a local application of the mobile device prior to receiving the transaction data item by the server application.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, after receiving the transaction data item from the mobile device, a Financial-Institution (FI) transaction data item corresponding to the transaction from a financial institution processing a check used in the transaction; and

matching, based on the check payment type and the transaction debit amount, the transaction data item to the FI transaction data item.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first real-time balance is calculated prior to receiving the FI transaction data item.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the transaction data item is sent to the mobile device by a wireless transmitter of the POS register.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request to include the transaction data item in the financial account.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the server application, a request from the mobile device to exclude the transaction data item from the financial account; and

calculating, after receiving the request, a second real-time balance of the financial account excluding the transaction debit amount.

11. A method for capturing and tracking a transaction corresponding to a purchase of a product by a user at a Point-of-Sale (POS) register, comprising:

calculating an initial balance of a financial account of the user;

sending, by the POS register and after calculating the initial balance, a transaction data item corresponding to the transaction to a mobile device of the user after the product is purchased,

wherein the transaction data item comprises a transaction debit amount and a transaction payment type indicating cash payment,

wherein the transaction comprises paying for the purchase using cash to debit the transaction debit amount from the financial account, and

wherein the product and the mobile device are separate from the financial account;

receiving, by a server application, the transaction data item from the mobile device;

calculating a first real-time balance of the financial account based the initial balance and the transaction debit amount; and

presenting the first real-time balance of the financial account to the user.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the transaction data item is sent to the mobile device by a wireless transmitter of the POS register.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the first real-time balance of the financial account is calculated by a local application of the mobile device prior to receiving the transaction data item by the server application.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving a request to include the transaction data item in the financial account.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving, by the server application, a request from the mobile device to exclude the transaction data item from the financial account; and

calculating, after receiving the request, a second real-time balance of the financial account excluding the transaction debit amount.

16. A computer readable medium, storing a plurality of instructions for capturing and tracking a transaction corresponding to a purchase of a product by a user at a Point-of-Sale (POS) register, the plurality of instructions comprising functionality to:

calculate, by a server application, an initial balance of a financial account of the user;

send, by the POS register and after calculating the initial balance, a transaction data item corresponding to the transaction to a mobile device of the user after the product has been purchased,

wherein the transaction data item comprises a transaction debit amount and a transaction payment type indicating check payment,

wherein the transaction comprises paying for the purchase using a check to debit the transaction debit amount from the financial account, and

wherein the product and the mobile device are separate from the financial account;

receive, by the server application, the transaction data item from the mobile device;

calculate a first real-time balance of the financial account based on the initial balance and the transaction debit amount; and

present the first real-time balance of the financial account to the user.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 16, the plurality of instructions further comprising functionality to:

receive, after receiving the transaction data item from the mobile device, a Financial-Institution (FI) transaction data item corresponding to the transaction from a financial institution processing a check used in the transaction; and

match, based on the check payment type and the transaction debit amount, the transaction data item to the FI transaction data item.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the first real-time balance is calculated prior to receiving the FI transaction data item.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the transaction data item is sent to the mobile device by a wireless transmitter of the POS register.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the first real-time balance of the financial account is calculated by the mobile device prior to receiving the transaction data item by the server application.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 16, the plurality of instructions further comprising functionality to:

receive a request to include the transaction data item in the financial account.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 16, the plurality of instructions further comprising functionality to:

receiving, by the server application, a request from the mobile device to exclude the transaction data item from the financial account; and

calculating, after receiving the request, a second real-time balance of the financial account excluding the transaction debit amount.

23. A Point-of-Sale (POS) transaction tracking system for capturing and tracking a transaction corresponding to a purchase of a product by a user, comprising:

a server application comprising functionality to;

calculate an initial balance of a financial account of the user,

receive a transaction data item corresponding to the transaction from a mobile device of the user, wherein the transaction data item comprises a transaction debit amount and a transaction payment type indicating check payment,

calculate a first real-time balance of the financial account based on the initial balance and the transaction debit amount, and

present the first real-time balance of the financial account to the user; and

a POS register comprising a wireless transmitter, the wireless transmitter comprising functionality to;

send, after calculating the initial balance and after the product has been purchased, the transaction data item to the mobile device;

wherein the transaction comprises paying for the purchase using a check to debit the transaction debit amount from the financial account, and

wherein the product and the mobile device are separate from the financial account.

24. The POS transaction tracking system of claim 23,

wherein presenting the first real-time balance of the financial account comprises displaying the first real-time balance and a progress of a budget associated with at least one selected from a group consisting of the financial account and a spending category of the financial account.

25. The POS transaction tracking system of claim 23,

wherein presenting the first real-time balance of the financial account comprises generating an alert when the first real-time balance is within a pre-determined limit of a general budget associated with at least one selected from a group consisting of the financial account and a spending category of the financial account.

26. The POS transaction tracking system of claim 23, wherein the transaction data item further comprises a plurality of item-level information, and wherein the server application further comprises functionality to:

categorize the plurality of item-level information for maintaining a plurality of per-category cumulative expenditure records based on the plurality of item-level information, and

display the plurality of per-category cumulative expenditure records and corresponding progress of per-category budgets.

27. The POS transaction tracking system of claim 23, wherein the POS register is configured to provide confirmation of the transaction data item being received by the mobile device.

28. The system of claim 23, wherein the server application further comprises functionality to:

receive, after receiving the transaction data item from the mobile device, a Financial-Institution (FI) transaction data item corresponding to the transaction from a financial institution processing a check used in the transaction; and

match, based on the check payment type and the transaction debit amount, the transaction data item to the FI transaction data item.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the first real-time balance is calculated prior to receiving the FI transaction data item.

30. The system of claim 23, wherein the first real-time balance of the financial account is calculated prior to receiving the transaction data item by the server application.

31. The system of claim 23, wherein the server application further comprises functionality to:

receive a request from the mobile device to exclude the transaction data item from the financial account; and

calculate, after receiving the request, a second real-time balance of the financial account excluding the transaction debit amount.