Apportioning shared financial expenses

• US 9,721,314 B2
• Filed: 03/19/2014
• Issued: 08/01/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Block, Inc. (f/k/a Square, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Square Inc (Block, Inc. (f/k/a Square, Inc.))
• Inventors: Rose, Cody
• Primary Examiner(s): Epstein, Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zeroual, Omar
• Application Number:
  US14/219,974
• Publication Number:
  US 20150120344A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,231 Days
• Field of Search: 705 5
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/14 specially adapted for billing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/145 Payments according to the detected use or quantity
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3223 Realising banking transactions through M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3224 Transactions dependent on location of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/326 Payment applications installed on the mobile devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0226 Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/12 Hotels or restaurants

Abstract

A determination can be made that a first user is available for a card-less payment transaction with a merchant restaurant. Data describing a booking for a shared financial expense to be incurred at the merchant restaurant can be obtained. The data can describe a second user participating in the group transaction. A total amount due for the shared financial expense can be obtained. A determination can be made that the second user is contributing to the shared financial expense. A respective electronic bill for the first and second users can be generated. Each respective electronic bill can be for an apportioned amount due for the shared financial expense. Data describing the respective electronic bill for the apportioned amount due for the shared financial expense can be sent to the first and second users.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, the method comprising:

identifying, by a payment system that includes one or more servers, that a first user associated with a first user device is present at a location associated with a merchant restaurant based on a merchant device indicating that a plurality of users is present at the location associated with the merchant restaurant, the merchant device associated with the merchant restaurant;

identifying, by the payment system, that the first user device is capable of a card-less payment transaction with the merchant device at the merchant restaurant;

sending data describing a restaurant reservation made by the first user device from the payment system to the merchant device at the merchant restaurant, wherein the restaurant reservation is to be paid for via a shared financial expense at the merchant restaurant and identifies both the first user and a second user;

identifying, by the payment system, that the second user is present at the location associated with the merchant restaurant based on a merchant device indicating that the plurality of users is present at the location associated with the merchant restaurant;

receiving a second user participation confirmation confirming that the second user is contributing to the shared financial expense at the payment system and from a second user application on a second user device associated with the second user;

triggering display of an indication that the first user and the second user are both contributing to the shared financial expense for the restaurant reservation via the display of the merchant device in response to receipt of the second user participation confirmation;

obtaining, by the payment system, a total amount due for the shared financial expense from at least one of the first user device or the merchant device;

apportioning, by the payment system, the total amount due for the shared financial expense into a first apportioned amount of the shared financial expense for the first user and a second apportioned amount of the shared financial expense for the second user in response to obtaining the total amount due and receiving the second user participation confirmation;

generating, by the payment system and based on the total amount due and the second user participation confirmation, a first electronic bill for the first apportioned amount for the first user and a second electronic bill for the second apportioned amount for the second user;

sending the first electronic bill for the first apportioned amount from the payment system to the first user device; and

sending the second electronic bill for the second apportioned amount from the payment system to the second user device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying a first user that is available for a card-less payment transaction with a merchant restaurant comprises:

determining that the first user has checked in with the merchant restaurant using a user device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the restaurant reservation is an entry of an electronic waitlist.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the restaurant reservation is an electronic purchase order.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining a total amount due for the shared financial expense comprises:

receiving, from a merchant device of the merchant restaurant, data describing the total amount due for the shared financial expense.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the second user is contributing to the shared financial expense comprises:

determining that the second user has authorized a card-less payment transaction with the merchant restaurant.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the second user is contributing to the shared financial expense comprises:

determining that the second user is available for a card-less payment transaction with a merchant restaurant.

8. The method of claim 7, where determining that the second user is available for a card-less payment transaction with a merchant restaurant comprises:

determining that the second user has checked in with the merchant restaurant from a user device of the second user.

9. The method of claim 7, where determining that the second user is available for a card-less payment transaction with a merchant restaurant comprises:

determining that the second user has been checked in with the merchant restaurant from a user device of the first user.

10. The method of claim 7, where determining that the second user is available for a card-less payment transaction with a merchant restaurant comprises:

determining that the second user has been checked in with the merchant restaurant from a merchant device of the merchant restaurant.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the second user is available for a card-less payment transaction; and

in response to determining that the second user is available for a card-less payment transaction, performing respective card-less payment transactions for the first and second users for the apportioned amount due for the shared financial expense.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the second user does not have a user account for performing a card-less payment transaction; and

in response to determining that the second user does not have a user account for performing a card-less payment transaction, communicating, to a user device of the second user, a message for downloading software that allows the second user to create a user account to perform the card-less payment transaction.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying that the first user is present at the location associated with the merchant restaurant is also based on location information received by the payment system from the first user device, the location information obtained via Global Positioning System (GPS).

14. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying that the second user is present at the location associated with the merchant restaurant is also based on location information received by the payment system from the second user device, the location information obtained via Global Positioning System (GPS).

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the first apportioned amount includes a first tip amount and the second apportioned amount includes a second tip amount, further comprising:

receiving one or more tip percentage selections associated with the shared financial expense; and

calculating the first tip amount and the second tip amount based on the one or more tip percentage selections.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the merchant device indicates that the plurality of users is present at the location associated with the merchant restaurant in response to a wireless communication between the merchant device and the first user device.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the merchant device indicates that the plurality of users is present at the location associated with the merchant restaurant in response to a wireless communication between the merchant device and the second user device.

18. A payment system comprising:

a communication interface;

a memory; and

a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the processor executes instructions stored in the memory to;

identify that a first user associated with a first user device is present at a location associated with a merchant restaurant based on a merchant device indicating that a plurality of users is present at the location associated with the merchant restaurant, the merchant device associated with the merchant restaurant;

identify that the first user device is capable of a card-less payment transaction with the merchant device at the merchant restaurant;

send data describing a restaurant reservation made by the first user device from the communication interface to the merchant device at the merchant restaurant, wherein the restaurant reservation is to be paid for via a shared financial expense at the merchant restaurant and identifies both the first user and a second user;

identify that the second user is present at the location associated with the merchant restaurant based on a merchant device indicating that the plurality of users is present at the location associated with the merchant restaurant;

receive a second user participation confirmation confirming that the second user is contributing to the shared financial expense at the communication interface and from a second user application on a second user device associated with the second user;

trigger display of an indication that the first user and the second user are both contributing to the shared financial expense for the restaurant reservation via the display of the merchant device in response to receipt of the second user participation confirmation;

obtain a total amount due for the shared financial expense from at least one of the first user device or the merchant device;

apportion the total amount due for the shared financial expense into a first apportioned amount of the shared financial expense for the first user and a second apportioned amount of the shared financial expense for the second user in response to obtaining the total amount due and receiving the second user participation confirmation;

generate, based on the total amount due and the second user participation confirmation, a first electronic bill for the first apportioned amount for the first user and a second electronic bill for the second apportioned amount for the second user;

send the first electronic bill for the first apportioned amount from the communication interface to the first user device; and

send the second electronic bill for the second apportioned amount from the communication interface to the second user device.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, having embodied thereon a program executable by a processor of a payment system that includes one or more servers to perform a method for transaction processing, the method comprising:

identifying, by the payment system, that a first user associated with a first user device is present at a location associated with a merchant restaurant based on a merchant device indicating that a plurality of users is present at the location associated with the merchant restaurant, the merchant device associated with the merchant restaurant;

identifying, by the payment system, that the first user device is capable of a card-less payment transaction with the merchant device at the merchant restaurant;

sending data describing a restaurant reservation made by the first user device from the payment system to the merchant device at the merchant restaurant, wherein the restaurant reservation is to be paid for via a shared financial expense at the merchant restaurant and identifies both the first user and a second user;

identifying, by the payment system, that the second user is present at the location associated with the merchant restaurant based on a merchant device indicating that the plurality of users is present at the location associated with the merchant restaurant;

receiving a second user participation confirmation confirming that the second user is contributing to the shared financial expense at the payment system and from a second user application on a second user device associated with the second user;

triggering display of an indication that the first user and the second user are both contributing to the shared financial expense for the restaurant reservation via the display of the merchant device in response to receipt of the second user participation confirmation;

obtaining, by the payment system, a total amount due for the shared financial expense from at least one of the first user device or the merchant device;

apportioning, by the payment system, the total amount due for the shared financial expense into a first apportioned amount of the shared financial expense for the first user and a second apportioned amount of the shared financial expense for the second user in response to obtaining the total amount due and receiving the second user participation confirmation;

generating, by the payment system and based on the total amount due and the second user participation confirmation, a first electronic bill for the first apportioned amount for the first user and a second electronic bill for the second apportioned amount for the second user;

sending the first electronic bill for the first apportioned amount from the payment system to the first user device; and

sending the second electronic bill for the second apportioned amount from the payment system to the second user device.