Mobile payments using point-of-sale infrastructure

• US 9,697,508 B1
• Filed: 05/10/2012
• Issued: 07/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ramalingam, Harsha
• Primary Examiner(s): Rudy, Andrew Joseph
• Application Number:
  US13/468,714
• Time in Patent Office: 1,881 Days
• Field of Search: 705 16
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• 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 20/204 comprising interface for record bearing medium or carrier for electronic funds transfer or payment credit
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/229 Hierarchy of users of accounts
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/2295 Parent-child type, e.g. where parent has control on child rights
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/325 using wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/34 using cards, e.g. integrated circuit [IC] cards or magnetic cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3674 involving authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/409 Device specific authentication in transaction processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0205 Location or geographical consideration
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0222 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0239 Online discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0253 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 : based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0256 : User search
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0259 : based on store location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 : based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 : Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 : based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0273 : Determination of fees for advertising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0275 : Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 : Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0609 : Buyer or seller confidence or verification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0639 : Item locations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 : Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 : for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0861 : using biometrical features, e.g. fingerprint, retina-scan cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using biological data H04L9/3231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/107 : wherein the security policies are location-dependent, e.g. entities privileges depend on current location or allowing specific operations only from locally connected terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 : User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 : according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724631 : by limiting the access to the user interface, e.g. locking a touch-screen or a keypad
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/6054 : Biometric subscriber identification
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/00 : Security arrangements; Authentication; Protecting privacy or anonymity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 : Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 : Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 : Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 : Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 : Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 : Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/04 : based on user or terminal location or mobility data, e.g. moving direction, speed

Abstract

Existing infrastructure for processing credit card transactions at point-of-sale (POS) devices is leveraged to provide secure and convenient payment with a mobile device. A mobile transaction infrastructure that is integrated with the credit card interchange network receives information from the mobile device and passes this information to a gateway provider or a payment processor. By combining information from both the mobile device and the POS device, this backend infrastructure can uniquely identify a transaction and appropriately charge an account associated with the user of the mobile device. The transaction may be matched with the mobile device be based on location, time, transaction charge, and/or other factors.

Claims

1. One or more computer-readable storage media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, instruct a system computing device to perform acts comprising:

maintaining, by the system computing device, a data store comprising merchant information that at least identifies;

a set of merchants that accept payments using mobile devices; and

a set of locations corresponding to the set of merchants;

receiving, by the system computing device, a geolocation of a mobile device determined at least in part by a sensor of the mobile device;

determining, by the system computing device and based at least in part on the merchant information and the geolocation of the mobile device, that the mobile device is located within a threshold distance of a merchant of the set of merchants;

receiving, by the system computing device and from the mobile device, a verification that the mobile device is located within the threshold distance of the merchant;

after receiving the verification that the mobile device is located within the threshold distance of the merchant sending, by the system computing device, to a point-of-sale (POS) device at the merchant a photograph and a passphrase of a user of the mobile device, the POS device being configured to process an offering;

receiving, by the system computing device and from the POS device, an indication that the merchant has verified an identity of the user, the identity of the user being verified based at least in part on a comparison of the photograph with the user and receiving the passphrase from the user;

receiving, by the system computing device and from the POS device, a transaction amount associated with a transaction between the user and the merchant; and

causing the transaction amount to be processed using a payment account associated with the user.

2. The one or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 1, wherein the payment account comprises a credit card account.

3. The one or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 2, wherein causing the transaction amount to be processed using the payment account associated with the user comprises submitting the transaction amount to a credit card interchange to be processed.

4. The one or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises a location sensor capable of communicating with a global positioning system.

5. The one or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 1, wherein the acts further comprise notifying the mobile device that the transaction between the user and the merchant was processed using the payment account associated with the user.

6. The one or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 1, wherein the acts further comprise:

sending, by the system computing device and to the mobile device, a request for the user to authorize the transaction between the user and the merchant; and

in response to sending the request, receiving, at the system computing device and from the mobile device, an authorization indicating that the user authorizes the transaction between the user and the merchant.

7. The one or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 1, wherein receiving the transaction amount comprises receiving transaction data identifying the transaction amount and describing at least one other aspect of the transaction between the user and merchant, wherein the acts further comprise determining, based at least in part on the location and the transaction data, that the transaction is uniquely associated with the mobile device, and wherein causing the transaction amount to be processed using the payment account associated with the user is based at least in part on the transaction being uniquely associated with the mobile device.

8. A computer-implemented method comprising:

under control of a point-of-sale (POS) device that is configured with executable instructions,

receiving, at the POS device and from a computing device that is configured to facilitate a transaction between the POS device and a mobile device associated with a user, an indication that the mobile device is within a threshold distance of a merchant location associated with the POS device, the indication based at least in part on a geolocation of the mobile device that is determined at least in part by a location detection system, and the indication including a photograph of the user and a passphrase of the user;

receiving an indication of a good or a service that the user would like to purchase from the merchant;

receiving an indication from the user that payment for the good or the service is to be funded by a payment account associated with the user or the mobile device;

causing display of the photograph of the user and the passphrase of the user on a display associated with the POS device;

receiving an indication from an individual associated with the POS device that an identity of the user is verified, the identity of the user being verified based at least in part on a comparison of the photograph with the user and receiving the passphrase from the user; and

after receiving the indication that the identity of the user is verified, causing a transaction amount associated with the good or the service to be processed using the payment account associated with the user or the mobile device.

9. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 8, wherein the mobile device comprises a mobile telephone of the user.

10. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 8, wherein the POS device comprises a mobile card reader.

11. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 8, wherein the location detection system comprises a location sensor of the mobile device capable of communicating with a global positioning system.

12. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 8, wherein the payment account associated with the mobile device comprises a credit card account.

13. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 8 further comprising, sending a notification to the mobile device of the transaction amount.

14. A computer-implemented method comprising:

under control of a point-of-sale (POS) device associated with a merchant and configured to process an offering,

receiving an indication that a mobile telephone is located within a threshold distance of a merchant associated with the POS device, the indication based at least in part on a geolocation of the mobile device that is determined at least in part by a location detection system;

after receiving the indication, receiving, a photographic image and a passphrase that are associated with an account holder associated with a mobile telephone, the photographic image and the passphrase being received at the POS device from a mobile transaction infrastructure configured to facilitate a transaction between the POS device and the mobile telephone;

after receiving the photographic image and the passphrase, causing the photographic image and the passphrase to be presented at a display device associated with the POS device; and

in response to receiving an indication confirming an identity of a person initiating the transaction to be the account holder, causing a request for payment to fund the transaction to be processed using a payment account associated with the account holder, the identity of the person initiating the transaction being confirmed to be the account holder based at least in part on a comparison of the photographic image with the person and receiving the passphrase from the person.

15. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 14, wherein the POS device comprises a mobile card reader.

16. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 14, wherein the photographic image comprises a photograph of the account holder.

17. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 14, wherein the indication is received in response to the person communicating to a clerk associated with the POS device a type of payment for the transaction.

18. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 14 wherein, the payment account comprises a bank account.