Associating payment information from a payment transaction with a user account

• US 9,805,366 B1
• Filed: 09/16/2013
• Issued: 10/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Block, Inc. (f/k/a Square, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Block, Inc. (f/k/a Square, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wilson, Matthew, Henderson, William
• Primary Examiner(s): Maguire, Lindsay M
• Application Number:
  US14/027,706
• Time in Patent Office: 1,506 Days
• Field of Search: 705 44
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/227 characterised in that multiple accounts are available, e.g. to the payer
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for associating payment information from a payment transaction with a user account. One of the methods includes receiving an indication of a payment transaction between a customer and a merchant, wherein the payment transaction is associated with payment information. A customer parameter that identifies an account with the payment service system is received. If the customer has consented to associate the payment information with the account of the payment service system based on receiving the customer parameter that identifies the account with the payment service system, the account is identified based on the received customer parameter, and the payment information is associated with the identified account of the payment service system.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, by a payment service system, from a merchant point of sale (POS) device associated with a merchant, payment information associated with a payment transaction between a customer and the merchant, wherein the payment information is read by a card reader;

processing, by the payment service system, the payment transaction between the customer and the merchant using the payment information;

receiving, by the payment service system, from the merchant POS device, a customer parameter that specifies contact information for the customer;

receiving, by the payment service system, from a customer device associated with the customer, an indication that a geolocation associated with the customer device is within a threshold distance of the merchant, wherein the geolocation associated with the customer device is generated by a global positioning system (GPS) unit of the customer device;

providing, by the payment service system, to the customer device using the customer parameter, activation information for the customer to activate an account with the payment service system with the payment information;

receiving by the payment service system, from the customer device, a request associated with the activation information to activate the account with the payment service system;

based at least in part on the indication of the geolocation and the request associated with the activation information, creating the account with the payment service system by;

identifying, using the request associated with the activation information, the payment information that was received from the merchant POS device and associated with the payment transaction;

associating the payment information with the account;

storing, based at least in part on associating the payment information with the account, account information with the account, the account information including at least the payment information along with at least one of the customer parameter or a name of the customer; and

activating the account with the payment service system, wherein the account information allows the customer to perform cardless payment transactions with one or more merchants using at least one of the customer parameter or the name of the customer;

after activating the account, receiving, by the payment service system, a request to process a cardless payment transaction for the customer, the request including the at least one of the customer parameter or the name of the customer;

identifying, by the payment service system, the account of the customer using the at least one of the customer parameter or the name of the customer;

determining, by the payment service system, that the customer has consented to the cardless payment transaction; and

processing, by the payment service system, the cardless payment transaction using the payment information that is stored in association with the account.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the customer parameter is a phone number associated with the customer device, and wherein providing the activation information to the customer device comprises providing an electronic message that includes an activation link to the customer device associated with the phone number.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the customer parameter is an email address, and wherein providing the activation information to the customer device comprises providing an email message that includes an activation link to the email address.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing account update information to the customer device for adding additional information to the account;

receiving a second customer parameter from the customer; and

associating the second customer parameter with the account.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from the customer device, at least a portion of the payment information along with the request associated with the activation information; and

verifying that the portion of the payment information received from the customer device matches the payment information received from the merchant POS device,

and wherein activating the account with the payment service system is further based, at least in part, on verifying that the portion of the payment information received from the customer device matches the payment information received from the merchant POS device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the customer parameter includes contact information associated with the customer.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the customer has consented to the cardless payment transaction comprises determining that the customer has checked in with a merchant associated with the cardless payment transaction based, at least in part, on the geolocation associated with the customer device.

8. A payment service system comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more memory devices storing instructions executable by the one or more processors, wherein the instructions program the one or more processors to;

receive, from a merchant device using a card reader, payment information associate with a payment transaction between a customer and a merchant;

receive, from a customer device associated with the customer, an indication that a geolocation associated with the customer device is within a threshold distance of the merchant, wherein the geolocation associated with the customer device is generated by a global positioning system (GPS) unit of the customer device;

receive a customer parameter that identifies the customer;

provide, using the customer parameter, activation information for the customer to activate an account with the payment service system with the payment information;

receive a request associated with the activation information to activate the account with the payment service system;

based at least in part on the indication of the geolocation and the request associated with the activation information, creating the account with the payment service system by;

identifying, using the request associated with the activation information, the payment information that was received from the merchant device and associated with the payment transaction;

associating the payment information with the account;

storing, based at least in part on associating the payment information with the account, account information with the account, the account information including at least the payment information along with the customer parameter; and

activating the account, wherein the account allows the customer to perform cardless payment transactions with one or more merchants using the customer parameter;

receive a request to process a cardless transaction for the customer, the request including the customer parameter;

identify the account of the customer using the customer parameter;

determine that the customer has consented to the cardless payment transaction; and

process the cardless payment transaction using the payment information that is stored in association with the account.

9. The payment service system of claim 8, wherein the customer parameter is a phone number associated with the customer device, and wherein providing the activation information comprises providing an electronic message that includes an activation link to the customer device associated with the phone number.

10. The payment service system of claim 8, wherein the customer parameter is an email address associated with the customer, and wherein providing the activation information comprises providing an email message that includes an activation link to the email address.

11. The payment service system of claim 8, wherein the instructions further program the one or more processors to:

provide account update information to the customer device for adding additional information to the account;

receive a second customer parameter from the customer device; and

associate the second customer parameter with the account.

12. The payment service system of claim 8, wherein the instructions further program the one or more processors to:

receive, from the customer device, at least a portion of the payment information along with the request associated with the activation information; and

verify that the portion of the payment information received from the customer device matches the payment information received from the merchant device,

and wherein activating the account with the payment service system is further based, at least in part, on verifying that the portion of the payment information received from the customer device matches the payment information received from the merchant device.

13. The payment service system of claim 8, wherein determining that the customer has consented to the cardless payment transaction comprises determining that the customer has checked in with a merchant associated with the cardless payment transaction based, at least in part, on the geolocation associated with the customer device.

14. The payment service system of claim 8, wherein the customer parameter includes contact information associated with the customer.

15. One or more computer storage medium devices executing instructions that, when executed on one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the acts comprising:

receiving, from a merchant device, payment information associated with a payment transaction between a customer and a merchant;

receiving, from a customer device associated with the customer, an indication that a geolocation associated with the customer device is within a threshold distance of the merchant, wherein the geolocation associated with the customer device is generated by a global positioning system (GPS) unit of the customer device;

receiving a customer parameter that identifies the customer;

providing, using the customer parameter, activation information for the customer to activate an account with a payment service system with the payment information;

receiving a request associated with the activation information to activate the account with the payment service system;

based at least in part on the indication of the geolocation and the request associated with the activation information, creating the account with the payment service system by;

identifying, using the request associated with the activation information, the payment information that was received from the merchant POS device and associated with the payment transaction;

associating the payment information with the account;

storing, based at least in part on associating the payment information with the account, account information with the account, the account information including at least the payment information and the customer parameter; and

activating the account with the payment service system, wherein the account allows the customer to perform cardless payment transactions with one or more merchants using the customer parameter;

receiving a request to process a cardless transaction for the customer, the request including the customer parameter;

identifying the account of the customer using the customer parameter;

processing the cardless payment transaction using the payment information that is stored in association with the account.

16. The one or more computer storage medium devices of claim 15, wherein the customer parameter is a phone number associated with the customer device, and wherein providing the activation information comprises providing an electronic message that includes an activation link to the customer device associated with the phone number.

17. The one or more computer storage medium devices of claim 15, wherein the customer parameter is an email address associated with the customer, and wherein providing the activation information comprises providing an email message that includes an activation link to the email address.

18. The one or more computer storage medium devices of claim 15, the acts further comprising:

providing account update information to the customer for adding additional information to the account;

receiving a second customer parameter from the customer; and

associating the second customer parameter with the account.

19. The one or more computer storage medium devices of claim 15, the acts further comprising:

receiving, from the customer device, at least a portion of the payment information along with the request associated with the activation information; and

verifying that the portion of the payment information received from the customer device matches the payment information received from the merchant device,

and wherein activating the account with the payment service system is further based, at least in part, on verifying that the portion of the payment information received from the customer device matches the payment information received from the merchant device.

20. The one or more computer storage medium devices of claim 15, wherein, before processing the cardless payment transaction, the acts further comprising determining that the customer has checked in with a merchant associated with the cardless payment transaction based, at least in part, on the geolocation associated with the customer device.