Authorization of cardless payment transactions

• US 9,576,289 B2
• Filed: 09/04/2013
• Issued: 02/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Block, Inc. (f/k/a Square, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Square Inc (Block, Inc. (f/k/a Square, Inc.))
• Inventors: Henderson, William, Dorsey, Jack, Grassadonia, Brian, Wilson, Mathew
• Primary Examiner(s): Poinvil, Frantzy
• Application Number:
  US14/017,940
• Publication Number:
  US 20140012689A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,266 Days
• Field of Search: 705 3- 44
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3224 Transactions dependent on location of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/325 using wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/327 Short range or proximity payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4012 Verifying personal identification numbers [PIN]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4014 Identity check for transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0185 Product, service or business identity fraud

Abstract

A method of processing a transaction between a customer and a merchant includes receiving from a mobile device of the customer or from another device of the customer an indication of consent to perform a cardless payment transaction with the merchant, receiving from the mobile device an indication that the customer is within a predetermined distance of the merchant, after receiving both the indication of consent and the indication that the customer is within the predetermined distance, sending to a computer system of the merchant an indication of the presence of the customer and personal identifying information for the customer, receiving data indicating a transaction between the customer and the merchant, and submitting the transaction to a financial service for authorization.

Claims

1. A method of conducting a transaction between a customer and a merchant, comprising:

determining a current geolocation of a customer mobile device using a global positioning system (GPS) receiver of the customer mobile device;

at least partly in response to determining that the current geolocation of the customer mobile device is outside a geofence of a merchant point-of-sale (POS) device and at least partly in response to selection of an icon representing the merchant displayed on the customer mobile device, displaying an indication on the customer mobile device that the customer and the merchant cannot conduct a cardless payment transaction;

at least partly in response to determining that the current geolocation of the customer mobile device is within the geofence of the merchant POS device,

sending an indication that the customer mobile device is in proximity to the merchant POS device;

receiving, from the customer mobile device, permission for personal identifying information of the customer to be displayed at the merchant POS device;

displaying the identifying information of the customer within a customer display area of a display of the merchant POS device, the personal identifying information including at least a customer name of the customer;

receiving an indication of the customer'"'"'s consent to enter into a financial transaction with the merchant;

receiving, at the merchant POS device, a selection of the customer'"'"'s personal identifying information from the customer display area, the selection confirming that the financial transaction is to be associated with the customer; and

based at least in part on the received selection of the customer'"'"'s personal identifying information in the merchant POS device, submitting the financial transaction to a financial service for authorization.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying the personal identifying information in a tab for the customer on the display of the merchant'"'"'s POS device, wherein the selection from the merchant of the customer'"'"'s personal identifying information comprises a selection of the tab.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the personal identifying information displayed in the customer display area includes an image of the customer.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the personal identifying information displayed in the customer display area comprises additional identifying information, and wherein the merchant requests the additional identifying information before submitting the financial transaction to the financial service.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the additional identifying information comprises at least one of a birthday or a phone number of the customer.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether an amount for the transaction exceeds a threshold set by the customer.

7. A method of conducting a transaction with a customer, comprising:

receiving at a merchant device of a merchant an indication of a customer'"'"'s consent to enter into a financial transaction with the merchant, receipt of the indication being based at least in part on a geolocation of the mobile device of the customer being determined to be within a geofence of the merchant device, wherein the mobile device includes a global positioning system (GPS) receiver for determining the geolocation of the mobile device;

in response to receiving the indication, displaying identifying information of the customer on a display of the merchant device, the identifying information including at least a personal identifier;

receiving, at the merchant device, a request to process a financial transaction;

receiving input at the merchant device indicating that the customer has approved the financial transaction based at least in part on the customer providing the personal identifier;

displaying a user input option to prevent the merchant device from conducting a cardless payment transaction between the customer and the merchant; and

submitting the financial transaction for authorization.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the providing the personal identifier is provided without inputting the identifier into the merchant device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the personal identifier is provided verbally.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the personal identifier comprises a name of the customer.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the identifying information includes an image of the customer.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving input in the merchant device indicating that the image of the customer matches the customer.

13. The method of claim 7, further comprising displaying the identifying information of the customer within a customer display area of the display on the merchant device, the customer display area including identifying information of one or more customers that are located proximate to the merchant.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein receiving the input indicating that the customer has approved the transaction includes receiving a selection, at the merchant device, of the identifying information in the customer display area.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the selection is received after the customer has provided the personal identifier.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising displaying the identifying information in a tab for the customer on the display of the merchant device, wherein the selection from the merchant of the customer'"'"'s personal identifying information comprises receiving input in the merchant device from the merchant selecting the tab for the customer.

17. The method of claim 7, further comprising receiving an indication that an amount for the transaction exceeds a threshold, and wherein additional information is received from the customer before submitting the financial transaction for authorization.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein receiving the additional information comprises receiving input in the merchant device from the customer of a personal identification number (PIN).

19. A computer program product, tangibly embodied in a machine readable computer storage media, comprising instructions for causing a processor to:

determine a current geolocation of a customer mobile device using a global positioning system (GPS) receiver of the customer mobile device;

at least partly in response to determining that the current geolocation of the customer mobile device is outside a geofence of a merchant point-of-sale (POS) device of a merchant, and at least partly in response to selection of an icon representing the merchant displayed on the customer mobile device, display an indication on the customer mobile device that the customer and the merchant cannot conduct a cardless payment transaction;

at least partly in response to determining that the current geolocation of the customer mobile device is within the geofence of the merchant POS device,

send an indication that the customer mobile device is in proximity to the merchant POS device;

receive, at the merchant device, an indication of the customer'"'"'s consent to enter into a financial transaction with the merchant, wherein the mobile device includes a global positioning system (GPS) receiver for determining the geolocation of the mobile device;

in response to receiving the indication, display identifying information of the customer on a display of the merchant device, the identifying information including at least a personal identifier;

receive, at the merchant device, a request to process a financial transaction;

receive input at the merchant device indicating that the customer has approved the financial transaction based at least in part on the customer providing the personal identifier; and

submit the financial transaction for authorization.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the personal identifier is provided without inputting the identifier into the merchant device.

21. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the personal identifier comprises a name of the customer.

22. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the identifying information includes an image of the customer.

23. The computer program product of claim 19, comprising displaying the identifying information of the customer within a customer display area of the display on the merchant device, the customer display area including identifying information of one or more customers that are located proximate to the merchant.

24. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein receiving the input indicating that the customer has approved the transaction includes receiving a selection, at the merchant device, of the identifying information in the customer display area.

25. A method of conducting a transaction with a customer, comprising:

receiving, at a merchant'"'"'s point of sale (POS) device, an indication of a customer'"'"'s consent to enter a financial transaction with the merchant, receipt of the indication being based at least in part on a geolocation of the mobile device of the customer being determined to be within a geofence of the merchant'"'"'s POS device, wherein the mobile device includes a global positioning system (GPS) receiver for determining the geolocation of the mobile device;

in response to receiving the indication, displaying identifying information associated with the customer in a customer display area on a display of the merchant'"'"'s POS device;

receiving an identification and selection of the customer'"'"'s identifying information from the customer display area; and

in response to the selection of the customer'"'"'s identifying information from the customer display area,

displaying a user input option on the merchant device to prevent the merchant device from conducting a cardless payment transaction between the customer and the merchant; and

processing the financial transaction upon receiving user input at the merchant device to process the financial transaction.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising receiving the identifying information from the customer.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the identifying information comprises the name of the customer.

28. The method of claim 25, further comprising obtaining an indication of the identifying information by viewing the customer.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the identifying information comprises an image of the customer.