Apparatus and method for collecting and manipulating transaction data

• US 8,626,593 B2
• Filed: 08/30/2012
• Issued: 01/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AppCard, Inc.
• Original Assignee: AppCard, Inc.
• Inventors: Goldfinger, Yair, Oren, Amichay
• Primary Examiner(s): Glass, Shay S
• Application Number:
  US13/599,397
• Publication Number:
  US 20130054396A1
• Time in Patent Office: 495 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 705/21
• 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 20/209 Specified transaction journal output feature, e.g. printed receipt or voice output
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0233 Method of redeeming a frequent usage reward
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0238 at point-of-sale [POS]
• 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

Described herein are apparatus and methods for collecting and manipulating transaction data. For example, presented herein is an apparatus including: a first I/O port; a second I/O port of a same type as the first I/O port, wherein the second I/O port is connected to the first I/O port such that data passed into the first I/O port is allowed to pass through the apparatus to the second I/O port unimpeded in at least a first operating mode; a processor; and a non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions thereon wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the processor to: collect information passed from a first computing device connected to the first I/O port to a second computing device connected to the second I/O port, identify, from the information, transaction data; and provide, to a third computing device, the transaction data.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a first I/O port configured for connection to a point of sale device;

a second I/O port configured for connection to a purchase recording device, wherein the second I/O port is of a same type as the first I/O port, wherein

the second I/O port is connected to the first I/O port such that data passed into the first I/O port is allowed to pass through the apparatus to the second I/O port unimpeded in at least a first operating mode;

a processor; and

a non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions thereon wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the processor to, upon connection of the first I/O port to the point of sale device and connection of the second I/O port to the purchase recording device;

extract information passed from the point of sale device connected to the first I/O port to the purchase recording device connected to the second I/O port while the information passes unimpeded to the purchase recording device,

identify, from the information, a particular type of data stream;

after identifying the particular type of data stream, collect, from further information passed from the point of sale device to the purchase recording device, data associated with the identified data stream,

identify, from the data associated with the identified data stream, transaction data; and

provide, to an external computing device, the transaction data.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a third I/O port, wherein

the third I/O port is configured for connection to the external computing device;

and

providing the transaction data comprises transmitting the transaction data via the third I/O port.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a communication port, wherein

the communication port is configured to connect to a network communications device, and

providing the transaction data comprises transmitting the transaction data via the network communications device.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the network communications device comprises one of a modem, a router, a hub, and a gateway.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an antenna, wherein providing the transaction data comprises transmitting the transaction data via the antenna.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a connection between the second I/O port and the first I/O port is configured to pass data through the apparatus while the apparatus is disconnected from all power sources.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a third I/O port and a fourth I/O port, wherein:

the fourth I/O port is connected to the third I/O port such that data passed into the third I/O port is allowed to pass through the apparatus to the fourth I/O port unimpeded in at least a first operating mode, and

each of the third I/O port and the fourth I/O port comprises a USB connector.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, in a second operating mode, the instructions cause the processor to:

buffer at least a portion of the data received at the first I/O port; and

forward at least a portion of the buffered data to the purchase recording device via the second I/O port.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein, in the second operating mode, the instructions cause the processor to introduce injection data to the purchase recording device via the second I/O port prior to forwarding the at least a portion of the buffered data.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein buffering the portion of the data comprises temporarily storing the portion of the data in a buffer region of a storage medium.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the non-transitory computer readable medium comprises the storage medium.

22. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the particular type of data stream is a print stream and the data associated with the identified data stream is print stream data.

12. A method comprising:

extracting, by an intermediary device installed between a point of sale computing device and a purchase recording device, information passed from the point of sale computing device to the purchase recording device, wherein

the intermediary device is configured to collect at least a portion of the information while the information passes between the point of sale computing device and the purchase recording device unimpeded by the intermediary device;

identifying, from the information, a particular type of data stream;

after identifying the particular type of data stream, collecting, from further information passed from the point of sale device to the purchase recording device data associated with the identified data stream,

identifying, from the data associated with the identified data stream, transaction data; and

providing, to an external computing device, the transaction data.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

identifying, from the information, printing instructions; and

responsive to identifying the printing instructions,

buffering the information,

identifying injection information for injecting into a print stream, wherein the print stream is provided by the point of sale computing device to the purchase recording device, and

injecting the injection information prior to transmission of a portion of the print stream to the purchase recording device.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

identifying, from the transaction data, sensitive information; and

prior to providing the transaction data, applying a security algorithm to the sensitive information.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein providing the transaction data comprises providing, to a remote server via a network, the transaction data.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein providing the transaction data comprises providing at least a portion of the transaction data to a payment terminal.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the payment terminal is connected to the intermediary device via a wired connection.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein identifying the transaction data comprising filtering the information to identify at least one of a product name, a product type, and a price.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

analyzing the transaction data; and

matching an offer based upon at least one of a threshold purchase quantity, a threshold cost, a product type, and a product name.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising determining, based upon the offer, print instructions for injection to a print stream destined for the purchase recording device.

21. A system comprising:

a data extraction device comprising;

a first I/O port configured for connection to a point of sale device;

a second I/O port configured for connection to a purchase recording device, wherein the second I/O port is of a same type as the first I/O port, wherein

the second I/O port is connected to the first I/O port such that data passed into the first I/O port is allowed to pass through the apparatus to the second I/O port unimpeded in at least a first operating mode;

a communications channel configured for communication with a computing device, wherein the computing device is configured to collect transaction data extracted by the data extraction device;

a processor; and

a non-transitory computer readable medium storing a set of instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to, upon connection of the first I/O port to the point of sale device and connection of the second I/O port to the purchase recording device;

extract information passed from the point of sale device connected to the first I/O port to the purchase recording device connected to the second I/O port while the information passes unimpeded to the purchase recording device; and

provide at least a portion of the information to the computing device.