Dynamic promotion code insertion in contactless payment transaction

• US 8,942,992 B1
• Filed: 05/20/2010
• Issued: 01/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Zhu, Kevin
• Primary Examiner(s): Sittner, Matthew T
• Application Number:
  US12/784,289
• Time in Patent Office: 1,713 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 705/14.38
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/32 using wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3227 using secure elements embedded in M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/326 Payment applications installed on the mobile devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/327 Short range or proximity payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/387 Payment using discounts or coupons relating to marketing G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0238 at point-of-sale [POS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices

Abstract

A portable electronic device is provided comprising a processor, a memory, a first radio transceiver, a second radio transceiver, and an application stored in the memory that, when executed by the processor, receives a first rule associated with a first commercial promotion via the first radio transceiver. The application also determines, based on the first rule and information specific to the device, that the device is qualified to exercise a right associated with the first commercial promotion. The application also transmits to a server via the first radio transceiver a message indicating that the device has qualified to exercise the right associated with the first commercial promotion and associating a code with the first commercial promotion. The application also completes a payment transaction for one of a product or a service via the second radio transceiver, wherein the payment transaction comprises transmitting the code associated with the first commercial promotion.

Claims

1. A method of completing a contactless payment transaction, comprising:

receiving, by a promotion code application executing on a portable electronic device, a rule associated with at least one coupon of a plurality of coupons from an offer platform, the rule stipulating at least one criterion to be met by the portable electronic device;

determining, by the promotion code application, based on the received rule and information specific to the portable electronic device, whether the portable electronic device is qualified to receive the at least one coupon;

in response to determining that the portable electronic device is qualified to receive the at least one coupon based on the received rule and the information specific to the portable electronic device, generating, by the promotion code application, a code representing the at least one coupon, wherein the code certifies to the offer platform that the promotion code application determined that the portable electronic device qualifies for the at least one coupon based on the received rule and the information specific to the portable electronic device;

subsequently transmitting, by the promotion code application, a message comprising the code via a mobile wireless network to the offer platform;

subsequently sending, by the promotion code application, a payment message via contactless communication to a point of sale terminal, the payment message comprising information identifying a payment account and the code;

transmitting, by the point of sale terminal, the code received from the promotion code application to the offer platform;

comparing, by the offer platform, the code received from the promotion code application to the code received from point of sale terminal;

in response to a determination that the code received from the promotion code application matches the code received from the point of sale terminal, communicating, by the point of sale terminal, with the offer platform to receive information about the at least one coupon represented by the code;

determining, by the point of sale terminal, that one or more of the at least one coupon apply to a product or service being paid for by the portable electronic device based on the received information about the at least one coupon; and

charging, by the point of sale terminal, the payment account based at least in part on a discount associated with the one or more of the at least one coupon that apply to the product or service being paid for by the portable electronic device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the payment message comprises a track one component comprising the information identifying the payment account and a track two component comprising the code.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the payment transaction is completed using a single tap.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile wireless network is one of a code division multiple access (CDMA) network, a global system for mobile communications (GSM) network, a long-term evolution (LTE) network, and a worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the portable electronic device is one of a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a media player, and a gaming device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the information specific to the portable electronic device comprises at least one of a location of the portable electronic device and user profile information associated with the portable electronic device, and wherein the user profile information comprises at least one of user age, user education level, user income level, user credit score, user marital status, user number of children, user residence type, user residential address, and user purchase history.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the code comprises fields that identify one or more rules, the portable electronic device and its user, and a date the code was created.

8. A method of completing a contactless payment transaction, comprising:

receiving, by a promotion code application executing on a portable electronic device, a rule associated with at least one coupon of a plurality of coupons from an offer platform, the rule stipulating at least one criterion to be met by the portable electronic device;

determining, by the promotion code application, based on the received rule and information specific to the portable electronic device, whether the portable electronic device is qualified to receive the at least one coupon;

in response to determining that the portable electronic device is qualified to receive the at least one coupon based on the received rule and the information specific to the portable electronic device, generating, by the promotion code application, a code representing the at least one coupon, wherein the code certifies to the offer platform that the promotion code application determined that the portable electronic device qualifies for the at least one coupon based on the received rule and the information specific to the portable electronic device;

subsequently transmitting, by the promotion code application, a message comprising the code via a mobile wireless network to the offer platform;

subsequently transmitting, by the promotion code application, payment account information and the code to a point of sale terminal to complete a payment transaction, wherein the payment account information is transmitted to the point of sale terminal in a track one portion of a payment transaction message and the code is transmitted to the point of sale terminal in a track two portion of the payment transaction message, and wherein the track one portion and the track two portion are separate fields of the payment transaction message;

sending, by the point of sale terminal, the code received from the electronic device to the offer platform;

comparing, by the offer platform, the code received from the promotion code application to the code received from point of sale terminal;

in response to a determination that the code received from the promotion code application matches the code received from the point of sale terminal, receiving, by the point of sale terminal, information about the at least one coupon represented by the code from the offer platform; and

in response to receiving the information about the at least one coupon, charging, by the point of sale terminal, the payment account identified by the payment account information based at least in part on a discount associated with one or more coupons of the at least one coupon that apply to a product or service being purchased in the payment transaction.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the portable electronic device is one of a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a media player, and a gaming device.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the portable electronic device transmits the payment message to the point of sale terminal using contactless communication.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the payment account information comprises one of credit card information and debit card information.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising the point of sale terminal redeeming a coupon based on the retrieved information.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the amount of money the point of sale terminal charges to the payment account is based at least in part on a value of the coupon.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the track one portion of the payment transaction message corresponds with a track one portion of a magnetic strip of a credit card and the track two portion of the payment transaction message corresponds with a track two portion of the magnetic strip of a credit card.