Mobile payment and queuing using proximity events

• US 9,811,846 B2
• Filed: 05/10/2013
• Issued: 11/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Netclearance Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Netclearance Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Fernandez, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Boveja, Namrata
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ezewoko, Michael
• Application Number:
  US13/892,207
• Publication Number:
  US 20130254104A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,642 Days
• Field of Search: 705 11, 705 1464, 705 261, 705 271, 705 725, 705 8, 705 1423, 705 2641, 705 1438
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3224 Transactions dependent on location of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]

Abstract

A method that provides mobile payment and queuing based on proximity events includes: broadcasting beacon signals from a set of proximity sensors within an establishment, each beacon signal including a unique identifier for identifying multiple locations in the establishment, each proximity sensor associated with a fixed location; determining that a mobile device associated with a consumer is within a first proximity to a first proximity sensor; generating an invoice from the merchant to the particular consumer based on proximity of the mobile device to the first proximity sensor; associating a second proximity sensor with a merchant point of sale, the merchant point of sale associated with a fixed location; determining that the mobile device is within a second proximity to the second proximity sensor; sending the invoice to the mobile device; and processing payment from the consumer based on proximity of the particular consumer to the second proximity sensor.

Claims

1. A method that provides mobile payment and queuing based on proximity events, the method comprising:

broadcasting a set of beacon signals from a set of proximity sensors within a retail establishment, each beacon signal comprising a unique identifier for identifying multiple fixed locations in the retail establishment, each proximity sensor associated with a fixed location;

determining that a mobile device associated with a particular consumer is within a first proximity to a first proximity sensor from the set of proximity sensors;

generating an invoice from the merchant to the particular consumer based on proximity of the particular consumer to the first proximity sensor;

associating a second proximity sensor from the set of proximity sensors with a merchant point of sale, the merchant point of sale associated with a fixed location;

determining that the mobile device associated with the particular consumer is within a second proximity to the second proximity sensor; and

sending the invoice to the mobile device associated with the particular consumer; and

processing payment from the particular consumer based on proximity of the particular consumer to the second proximity sensor.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that a mobile device is within a particular proximity to the merchant point of sale comprises receiving information from a consumer application executed by the mobile device.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising receiving an order from the particular consumer and generating and sending an invoice from a set of remote servers to the mobile device if the mobile device is determined to be within the particular proximity to the merchant point of sale, wherein the invoice is based at least partly on the order.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising receiving and processing payment information from the mobile device.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising sending a receipt to the mobile device.

6. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

adding the particular consumer to a queue of consumers;

identifying a next consumer in the queue of consumers; and

providing a notification to the next consumer.