Anticipatory creation of point-of-sale data structures

• US 9,569,757 B1
• Filed: 09/30/2015
• Issued: 02/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Block, Inc. (f/k/a Square, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Square Inc (Block, Inc. (f/k/a Square, Inc.))
• Inventors: Simms, Dan, Huhn, Derrick, Moody, Ryder, Wilson, Mathew, Wolter, Jonathan Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Rudy, Andrew Joseph
• Application Number:
  US14/871,776
• Time in Patent Office: 503 Days
• Field of Search: 705/16, 705/24
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/047 using payment protocols involving electronic receipts
• 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 20/204 comprising interface for record bearing medium or carrier for electronic funds transfer or payment credit
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/209 Specified transaction journal output feature, e.g. printed receipt or voice output
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4015 using location information
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement

Abstract

Techniques and arrangements for analyzing previous tickets of a customer at different merchants—specifying interactions of the customer at the different merchants—to determine subsequent recommendations to send to a particular merchant in real-time when the customer is located at the particular merchant. Other techniques and arrangements facilitate annotation of merchant tickets by the merchants to enrich the data maintained by the tickets and, in some instances, to enhance the described real-time recommendations. Still other techniques and arrangements create a merchant ticket for recording interactions between a merchant and customer upon the customer creating a reservation at the merchant for a specified future time, or being added to a waitlist of the merchant. Upon the customer arriving at the merchant proximate to the specified future time, the merchant may use the created ticket to track items ordered by the merchants, track tenders used to pay for items, and the like.

Claims

1. A point-of-sale (POS) device of a merchant, the POS device comprising:

a display to present content;

a card reader to receive a payment instrument of a customer of the merchant;

an input device to receive input from the merchant;

one or more processors; and

one or more computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed on the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform acts comprising;

receiving, at a first time, an indication that the customer has;

(i) requested to make a reservation with the merchant at a specified future time, (ii) provided payment information associated with the payment instrument of the customer for use at the merchant to settle a subsequent cost associated with one or more items obtained from the merchant by the customer during the reservation, and (iii) provided a preference of the customer;

based at least in part on the receiving of the indication that the customer has requested to make the reservation with the merchant, and before the specified future time;

generating an open ticket data structure for recording interactions between the merchant and the customer at least before and during the specified future time of the reservation;

annotating the open ticket data structure to indicate;

(i) that the reservation is at the specified future time, (ii) the payment information for use at the merchant to settle the subsequent cost associated with the one or more items obtained from the merchant by the customer during the reservation, and (iii) the preference of the customer;

receiving, from a payment service via a network, a profile associated with the customer, wherein the profile identifies one or more preferences of the customer based at least in part on past open ticket data structures associated with the customer, wherein the past open ticket data structures correspond to previous transactions between the customer and at least one of the merchant or another merchant; and

associating, based at least in part on the receiving of the profile, the profile with the open ticket data structure;

after the generating of the open ticket data structure, receiving an indication that the customer has arrived at a location of the merchant;

presenting, on the display, a visual representation of the open ticket data structure;

receiving, from the input device, an indication that the customer has ordered a first item from the merchant;

updating the open ticket data structure to indicate that the customer has ordered the first item;

updating the visual representation of the open ticket data structure on the display to indicate that the customer has ordered the first item;

sending a request to authorize the payment instrument of the customer for at least the cost of the first item;

receiving an indication that the payment instrument has been approved for the cost of the first item;

updating the open ticket data structure to indicate that the payment instrument has been used to settle at least the cost of the first item; and

updating the visual representation of the open ticket data structure on the display to indicate that the payment instrument has been used to settle at least the cost of the first item.

2. The POS device of claim 1, wherein the profile identifies at least one of a tipping preference of the customer, a dietary restriction of the customer, or an item preferred by the customer.

3. The POS device of claim 1, the acts further comprising

receiving, from the input device, a free-form note provided by the merchant, the free-form note documenting an aspect of an interaction between the merchant and the customer;

updating the open ticket data structure to indicate the aspect of the interaction between the merchant and the customer; and

updating the visual representation of the open ticket data structure on the display to indicate the aspect of an interaction between the merchant and the customer.

4. The POS device of claim 1, wherein the customer comprises a first customer, the open ticket data structure comprises a first open ticket data structure, and the acts further comprise:

adding, at a second time, a name of a second customer to a waitlist maintained on the POS device;

generating a second open ticket data structure for recording interactions between the merchant and the second customer; and

annotating the second open ticket data structure with the name of the second customer.

5. A method implemented at least in part by a point-of-sale (POS) device of a merchant, the method comprising:

receiving a request to create a reservation for a customer at the merchant at a specified future time;

based at least in part on the receiving;

generating a data structure to record interactions between the customer and the merchant at least between arrival of the customer at the merchant and the merchant obtaining payment from the customer for items obtained by the customer from the merchant; and

storing, as part of the data structure, an identifier of the customer and an indication of the specified future time;

after the generating of the data structure, receiving an indication that the customer has arrived at the merchant; and

presenting, on a display of the POS device, a visual representation of the data structure, the visual representation specifying at least the identifier of the customer.

6. The method as recited in claim 5, further comprising:

receiving an indication that the customer has ordered a particular item from the merchant;

updating the data structure to indicate that the customer has ordered the particular item; and

updating the visual representation of the data structure to indicate that the customer has ordered the particular item.

7. The method as recited in claim 6, further comprising:

receiving payment information associated with a payment instrument of the customer for paying the merchant for at least a cost of the particular item;

sending a request to authorize the payment instrument for at least the cost of the particular item;

receiving an indication that the payment instrument was approved;

updating the data structure to indicate that the payment instrument was approved; and

updating the visual representation of the data structure to indicate that the payment instrument was approved.

8. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein:

the request further includes a free-form note provided by the customer;

the storing further includes storing the free-form note as part of the data structure; and

the visual representation further specifies the free-form note.

9. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein:

the request further includes payment information of a payment instrument of the customer; and

the storing further includes storing the payment information as part of the data structure.

10. The method as recited in claim 5, further comprising:

identifying a profile of the customer at a payments service at least partly in response to receiving the request to create the reservation;

identifying, from the profile, at least one of a tipping preference of the customer, a dietary restriction of the customer, or an item preferred by the customer; and

storing, as part of the data structure, the at least one of the tipping preference of the customer, the dietary restriction of the customer, or the item preferred by the customer.

11. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein the customer comprises a first customer, the data structure comprises a first data structure, and the particular item comprises a first particular item, and further comprising:

receiving a request to add a second customer to a waitlist of the merchant;

generating, at least partly in response to the receiving of the request to add the second customer to the waitlist, a second data structure to record interactions between the second customer and the merchant;

storing, as part of the second data structure, an identifier of the second customer;

receiving an indication that the second customer has ordered a second particular item;

updating the second data structure to indicate that the second customer has ordered the second particular item; and

presenting a visual representation of the second data structure to indicate that the second customer has ordered the second particular item.

12. The method as recited in claim 5, further comprising:

receiving a free-form note provided by the merchant, the free-form note documenting an aspect of an interaction between the merchant and the customer;

updating the data structure to indicate the aspect of an interaction between the merchant and the customer; and

updating the visual representation of the data structure to indicate the aspect of an interaction between the merchant and the customer.

13. A point-of-sale (POS) device of a merchant, the POS device comprising:

a display to present content;

a card reader to receive a payment instrument of a customer of the merchant;

one or more processors; and

one or more computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed on the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform acts comprising;

receiving a request to create a reservation for the customer at the merchant at a specified future time;

based at least in part on the receiving;

generating a data structure to record interactions between the customer and the merchant at least between arrival of the customer at the merchant and the merchant obtaining payment from the customer for items obtained by the customer from the merchant; and

storing, as part of the data structure, an identifier of the customer and an indication of the specified future time;

after the generating of the data structure, receiving an indication that the customer has arrived at the merchant; and

presenting, on the display of the POS device, a visual representation of the data structure, the visual representation specifying at least the identifier of the customer.

14. The POS device as recited in claim 13, the acts further comprising:

receiving an indication that the customer has ordered a particular item from the merchant;

updating the data structure to indicate that the customer has ordered the particular item; and

updating the visual representation of the data structure to indicate that the customer has ordered the particular item.

15. The POS device as recited in claim 13, the acts further comprising:

receiving payment information associated with a payment instrument of the customer for paying the merchant for at least a cost of the particular item;

sending a request to authorize the payment instrument for at least the cost of the particular item;

receiving an indication that the payment instrument was approved;

updating the data structure to indicate that the payment instrument was approved; and

updating the visual representation of the data structure to indicate that the payment instrument was approved.

16. The POS device as recited in claim 13, wherein:

the request further includes a free-form note provided by the customer;

the storing further includes storing the free-form note as part of the data structure; and

the visual representation further specifies the free-form note.

17. The POS device as recited in claim 13, wherein:

the request further includes payment information of a payment instrument of the customer; and

the storing further includes storing the payment information as part of the data structure.

18. The POS device as recited in claim 13, the acts further comprising:

identifying a profile of the customer at a payments service at least partly in response to receiving the request to create the reservation;

identifying, from the profile, at least one of a tipping preference of the customer, a dietary restriction of the customer, or an item preferred by the customer; and

storing, as part of the data structure, the at least one of the tipping preference of the customer, the dietary restriction of the customer, or the item preferred by the customer.

19. The POS device as recited in claim 13, wherein the customer comprises a first customer, the data structure comprises a first data structure, and the particular item comprises a first particular item, and the acts further comprising:

receiving a request to add a second customer to a waitlist of the merchant;

generating, at least partly in response to the receiving of the request to add the second customer to the waitlist, a second data structure to record interactions between the second customer and the merchant;

storing, as part of the second data structure, an identifier of the second customer;

receiving an indication that the second customer has ordered a second particular item;

updating the second data structure to indicate that the second customer has ordered the second particular item; and

presenting a visual representation of the second data structure to indicate that the second customer has ordered the second particular item.

20. The POS device as recited in claim 13, the acts further comprising:

receiving a free-form note provided by the merchant, the free-form note documenting an aspect of an interaction between the merchant and the customer;

updating the data structure to indicate the aspect of an interaction between the merchant and the customer; and

updating the visual representation of the data structure to indicate the aspect of an interaction between the merchant and the customer.