Offline access of a network based application

• US 9,836,742 B2
• Filed: 09/04/2014
• Issued: 12/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Starbucks Corporation
• Original Assignee: Starbucks Corporation
• Inventors: Mongillo, III, Lincoln C., Barrows, Christopher J., Parker, Todd M., Toland, Patricia A.
• Primary Examiner(s): ADE, OGER GARCIA
• Application Number:
  US14/477,681
• Publication Number:
  US 20150262174A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,188 Days
• Field of Search: 705 15
• 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 20/327 Short range or proximity payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/351 Virtual cards
• 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 50/12 Hotels or restaurants

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an interactive computing system configured to provide a network-based application that can provide offline functionality. A user computing device, such as a mobile device, access a network-based application through an interactive computing system. The network-based application can be configured to provide transaction information sufficient to conduct a transaction with a point-of-sale terminal when the network application is not in communication with the interactive computing system.

Claims

1. A network-based interactive computing system comprising:

a data store configured to store user account information associated with a plurality of user accounts;

an application module configured to provide network-based access for a user device to a network-based application,

the network-based application configured to;

receive and store a virtual card in an application cache of the user device in an online mode, the virtual card associated with a user account of the plurality of user accounts, wherein in the online mode the network application is in communication with the interactive computing system;

subsequent to storage of the virtual card in the application cache and when the network application is in an offline mode,

load the network-based application from an application cache;

generate instructions to display a user interface including at least one user input control for accessing the virtual card;

receive a request to access the virtual card, the request comprising user authentication credentials received by the at least one user input control;

authorize access to the virtual card based, at least in part, on a comparison of the user authentication credentials to authentication information stored in the application cache; and

generate instructions to display the virtual card within the user interface, the user interface comprising a card access user input control associated with the virtual card;

in response to input received by the card access user input control, provide a computer readable code configured to communicate transaction information associated with the virtual card to a point-of-sale terminal in the offline mode, wherein the transaction information is based, at least in part, on the virtual card stored in the application cache, wherein in the offline mode the network application is not in communication with the interactive computing system;

a user account module configured to;

receive the transaction information from the point of sale terminal requesting authorization for a transaction;

identify the user account associated with the virtual card based, at least in part, on the transaction information;

determine whether to authorize payment for the transaction based, at least in part, on user account information associated with the user account identified by the transaction information; and

provide a response to the point of sale terminal based on the determination.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the transaction information comprises a card identifier associated with a financial account stored within the user account.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer readable code is an optically readable code.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the transaction is a purchase at a food service establishment.

5. A computer implemented method comprising:

by a mobile computing device executing a browser application,

receiving, by a network-based application executing within the browser application on the mobile computing device, application data and user account information from an interactive computing system over a network, the user account information comprising authentication information associated with a user account and the application data comprising content data and operational data associated with the operation of the network-based application;

storing at least a portion of the application data and the user account information in an application cache of the browser;

subsequent to storage of the application data and the user account information in the application cache and when the network-based application is not in communication with the interactive computing system,

receiving, by the browser application, a request to access the network-based application;

accessing the stored application data from the application cache;

executing the network-based application based at least in part on the stored application data;

receiving a request to access the user account information within the network-based application, the request comprising user authentication credentials;

authorizing access to the user account information card based, at least in part, on a comparison of the user authentication credentials to the authentication information stored in the application cache;

receiving, by the network-based application, user input requesting a computer readable code associated with the user account information; and

outputting, by the network-based application, the computer readable code within the network-based application based at least in part on the stored application data and the stored user information, wherein the computer readable code comprises user information associated with the user account, wherein the computer readable code is configured for communication of the user information to a point-of-sale terminal, the point-of-sale terminal configured to communicate with the interactive computing system to authorize the transaction based, at least in part, on the user information.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the computer readable code is an optically readable code.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the computer readable code is a radio frequency code.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising transmitting the computer readable code to the point-of-sale terminal.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the user information comprises a card identifier.

10. The method of claim 5 further comprising receiving confirmation from the point-of-sale terminal that the transaction is successful and updating the user information within the network-based application.

11. The method of claim 5, wherein the transaction is a purchase at a food service establishment.

12. The method of claim 5, wherein the user information is associated with a virtual card having a monetary balance.

13. The method of claim 5, wherein the user information is associated with a virtual card having a non-monetary account balance.

14. The method of claim 5 further comprising generating the computer readable code based, at least in part, on the user information stored in the application cache.

15. The method of claim 5, wherein the point-of-sale terminal is configured to request authorization for the transaction from the interactive computing system.

16. A computer-readable, non-transitory storage medium storing computer executable instructions that, when executed by a browser operating on one or more computing devices, configure the browser to execute modules comprising:

a network-based application module configured to operate in an online mode and an offline mode, wherein the network-based application module is configured to be in the online mode when the network-based application module is in communication with an interactive computing system over a network, and wherein the network-based application module is configured to be in the offline mode when the network-based application module is not in communication with the interactive computing system;

in the online mode the network-based application module is configured to;

receive user account information from the interactive computing system associated with a user account;

store the user account information in an application cache of the browser;

in the offline mode the network-based application is configured to;

receive a request to access the user account information, the request comprising user authentication credentials;

authorize access to the user account information card based, at least in part, on a comparison of the user authentication credentials to authentication information stored in the application cache;

receive a request to provide a computer readable code based, at least in part, on the user account information; and

provide the computer readable code configured to communicate transaction information to a point-of-sale terminal, wherein the transaction information comprises, at least a portion of, the user account information, wherein the point-of-sale terminal is configured to communicate with the interactive computing system to authorize the transaction based, at least in part, on the transaction information.

17. The storage medium of claim 16, wherein the computer readable code is an optically readable code.

18. The storage medium of claim 16, wherein the computer readable code is a radio frequency code.

19. The storage medium of claim 16, wherein the transaction information comprises a card identifier.

20. The storage medium of claim 16, wherein the network-based application module is further configured to receive confirmation from the point-of-sale terminal that the transaction is successful and update the user information within the network-based application.

21. The storage medium of claim 16, wherein the transaction is a purchase at a food service establishment.

22. The storage medium of claim 16, wherein the transaction information is associated with a virtual card having a monetary balance.

23. The storage medium of claim 16, wherein the transaction information is associated with a virtual card having a non-monetary balance.