Processing online transactions

• US 8,751,405 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2012
• Issued: 06/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Wal-Mart Stores Texas LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Inventors: Ramaratnam, Arjun, Hansen, Kenneth, Dar, Murad, Srivastava, Puneet, Gerry, Richard Brett, Shah, Ruchitkumar A, Dharaneedharan, Sathya N, Smalley, Anna, Baron, Jon, Singer, Justin
• Primary Examiner(s): Iwarere, Oluseye
• Assistant Examiner(s): LUDWIG, PETER L
• Application Number:
  US13/600,821
• Publication Number:
  US 20130275238A1
• Time in Patent Office: 648 Days
• US Class Current: 705/64
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/201 Price look-up processing, e.g. updating
• 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 20/203 Inventory monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/407 Cancellation of a transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0637 Approvals

Abstract

Disclosed are systems and methods for managing transactions in which an order is specified online and payment is received at a point of sale (POS). Methods are disclosed for managing payment for such transactions at a POS, including transactions involving payment for both in-store purchases and online orders. Methods are also disclosed for managing inventory and price changes for such transactions where payment can occur at any time in a pay period following order creation. Also disclosed are methods for processing refunds for online orders for which payment was made at a POS. Finally, methods for preventing fraud and abuse as well as restricting the availability of this payment method for certain items are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method for refunding an online order comprising:

receiving, by a server, the online order from a consumer device of a consumer remote from a payment point of sale (POS) over internet, the online order indicating that the consumer is to pay for the online order at the payment POS;

receiving, by the server, notification of payment for the online order from the payment POS;

receiving, by the server, a refund trigger for the online order;

receiving, by the server, a refund preference;

receiving, by the server, a request for refund from a refund POS for refund information for the online order, the refund POS being at a location different from the payment POS and remote from the consumer device;

determining, by the server, a distance between the payment POS and the refund POS;

determining, by the server, that the distance is greater than a threshold distance; and

denying, by the server, the request for refund from the refund POS in response to the determining that the distance is greater than the threshold distance.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising, if the refund preference indicates a check refund:

receiving a mailing address; and

initiating mailing of a refund check.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising, in response to the determining that the refund preference indicates an in-store refund preference and that a payment method for the online order indicates in-store POS payment:

receiving a pick-up person identifier; and

transmitting the pick-up person identifier to the refund POS.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising receiving verification of an identity of a payee for the request for refund from the refund POS.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising, in response to receiving the request for refund from the refund POS for the refund information for the online order:

determining that the online order is not refund locked;

in response to the determining that the order is not refund locked;

refund locking the order; and

transmitting the refund information to the refund POS.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the online order is refund locked due to prior receipt of a second request from a third POS for the refund information; and

in response to the determining that the online order is refund locked, transmitting a refund denial to the refund POS.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the server, at least one additional request for refund from the consumer device associated with the online order; and

setting the threshold distance as a remedial action due to an excessive number of the requests for refund submitted by the consumer device associated with the online order.

7. A system for refunding an online order comprising;

one or more processors and one or more memory devices operably coupled to the one or more processors, the one or more memory devices storing executable and operational data effective to cause the one or more processors to;

receive the online order from a consumer device of a consumer remote from a payment point of sale (POS) over internet, the online order indicating that the consumer is to pay for the online order at the payment POS;

receive notification of payment for the online order from the payment POS;

receive a refund trigger for the online order;

receive a refund preference;

receive a request from a refund POS for refund information for the online order, the refund POS being at a location different from the payment POS and remote from the consumer device;

determine a distance between the payment POS and the refund POS;

determine that the distance is greater than a distance threshold;

denying the request from the refund POS in response to determining that the distance is greater than the distance threshold.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the executable and operational data are further effective to cause the one or more processors to, if the refund preference indicates a check refund:

receive a mailing address; and

initiate mailing of a refund check.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the executable and operational data are further effective to cause the one or more processors to, in response to the determining that the refund preference indicates an in-store refund preference and that a payment method for the online order indicates an in-store POS payment:

receive a pick-up person identifier; and

transmit the pick-up person identifier to the refund POS.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the executable and operational data are further effective to cause the one or more processors to receive verification of an identity of a payee for the refund from the refund POS.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the executable and operational data are further effective to cause the one or more processors to, in response to receiving the request from the refund POS for the refund information for the online order:

determine that the online order is not refund locked;

in response to determining that the online order is not refund locked;

refund locking the order; and

transmit the refund information to the refund POS.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the executable and operational data are further effective to cause the one or more processors to:

determine that the online order is refund locked due to prior receipt of a second request from a third POS for the refund information; and

in response to the determining that the online order is refund locked, transmit a refund denial to the refund POS if the online order is refund locked.

20. The system of claim 7, wherein the executable and operational data are further effective to cause the one or more processors to:

receive at least one additional request from the consumer device associated with the online order; and

set the threshold distance as a remedial action due to an excessive number of the requests submitted by the consumer device associated with the online order.

13. A computer program product for refunding an online order, the computer program product being embodied in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium and comprising computer instructions for:

receiving the online order from a consumer device of a consumer remote from a payment point of sale (POS) over internet, the online order indicating that the consumer is to pay for the online order at the payment POS;

receiving notification of payment for the online order from the payment POS;

receiving a refund trigger for the online order;

receiving a refund preference;

receiving a request from a refund POS for refund information for the online order, the refund POS being at a location different from the payment POS and remote from the consumer device;

determining a distance between the payment POS and the refund POS;

determining that the distance is greater than a threshold distance;

denying the request from the refund POS in response to the determining that the distance is greater than the threshold distance.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising computer instructions for, if the refund preference indicates a check refund:

receiving a mailing address; and

initiating mailing of a refund check.

15. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising computer instructions for, in response to the determining that the refund preference indicates an in-store refund preference and that a payment method for the online order indicates in-store POS payment:

receiving a pick-up person identifier; and

transmitting the pick-up person identifier to the refund POS.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising computer instructions for receiving verification of an identity of a payee for the refund from the refund POS.

17. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising computer instructions for, in response to receiving the request from the refund POS for the refund information for the online order:

determining that the online order is not refund locked;

in response to determining that the online order is not refund locked;

refund locking the online order; and

transmitting the refund information to the refund POS.

18. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising computer instructions for:

determining that the online order is refund locked due to prior receipt of a second request from a third POS for the refund information; and

in response to determining that the online order is refund locked transmitting a refund denial to the refund POS if the online order is refund locked.

21. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising computer instructions for:

receiving at least one additional request from the consumer device associated with the online order; and

setting the threshold distance as a remedial action due to an excessive number of the requests submitted by the consumer device associated with the online order.