Proximity-based mobile device payments

• US 9,972,004 B1
• Filed: 09/29/2014
• Issued: 05/15/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Donavalli, Venkat Sasank, Petlu, Vasanth Narendranath, Chiplonkar, Harshawardhan, Hatol, Jonathan Uy, Chappell, Gregory Louis, Serr, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Glass, Russell S
• Application Number:
  US14/500,891
• Time in Patent Office: 1,324 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/14 specially adapted for billing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• 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 20/3224 Transactions dependent on location of M-devices
• 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

Abstract

In some examples, by communicating with a mobile payment service, a user of a mobile device may settle his or her bill with a business using the mobile device. The business may be configured with a beacon to determine when the user'"'"'s mobile device is near the business and a point-of-sale device to manage user orders and communicate with the mobile payment service. In response to a request by the mobile device, the mobile payment service may debit a user account associated with the mobile device for items purchased at the business. In turn, the mobile payment service may pay the business for the items purchased at the business. In some examples, the bill may be divided among a plurality of users corresponding to a plurality of mobile devices. And, portions of the bill may be provided to individual mobile devices of the plurality of mobile devices.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, by a computer system of a payment service, location information from a first user device, the location information generated by a global positioning sensor of the first user device and comprising information about a dynamic geographic location of the first user device that changes with respect to movements of the first user device;

receiving, by the computer system, a check-in request from the first user device;

determining, by the computer system, that the first user device is located within a threshold distance of a business location based at least in part on the location information and the check-in request, the first user device being unable to check in at the business location while the first user device is located outside the threshold distance from the business location;

receiving order information from an electronic transaction terminal associated with the business location, the order information indicating a first item, the first user device being distinct from the electronic transaction terminal and other electronic devices associated with the business location;

in response to receiving the order information, updating, by the computer system, a list of items to include the first item;

providing, based in part on the order information, an indication of at least the first item to the first user device while the first user device is located within the threshold distance of the business location;

providing, based at least in part on the order information, an indication of at least a second item to a second user device that is located within the threshold distance of the business location; and

receiving a payment notification from at least one of the first user device or the second user device.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising receiving order information for a shared item from the electronic transaction terminal.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising:

updating the list of items to include the shared item;

providing, based at least in part on the updated list of items, an indication of at least the shared item to the first user device; and

providing, based at least in part on the updated list of items, an indication of at least the shared item to the second user device, payment for the shared item divided between the first user device and the second user device.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein receiving the check-in request includes receiving a check-in indication from the first user device and updating a check-in list associated with the business location to include the first user device.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein receiving the payment notification from at least one of the first user device or the second user device includes receiving a first payment notification from the first user device, and the method further comprising:

after receiving the first payment notification from first user device, receiving a check-out indication from the first user device, the check-out indication indicating that the first user device is no longer located within the threshold distance of the business location.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein receiving the check-out indication is dependent on the first user device no longer detecting beacon information from a beacon associated with the business location.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the electronic transaction terminal comprises a point-of-sale device, the business location comprises a restaurant, and the order information comprises an order for one or more items from the restaurant, and wherein the point-of-sale device is configured to receive the order as one or more inputs by a human user at the point-of-sale device.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein providing the indication of at least the second item to the second user device is in response to a user of the second user device taking one or more actions with respect to the second user device.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the one or more actions taken with respect to the second user device include at least one of inputting information at a user interface of the second user device, passing the second user device near the first user device, or touching a portion of the second user device to a portion of the first user device.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

authorizing a first debit of at least an amount corresponding to the first item from a first user account, the first user account associated with the first user device;

authorizing a second debit of at least an amount corresponding to the second item from a second user account, the second user account associated with the second user device; and

authorizing a payment corresponding to the list of items to the electronic transaction terminal.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein receiving the payment notification from at least one of the first user device or the second user device comprises receiving the payment notification after at least one of the first user device or the second user device is no longer located within the threshold distance of the business location.

12. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage devices for storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more computer systems, configure the one or more computer systems to perform operations comprising:

receiving, by a payment service, location information from a first user device, the location information generated by a global positioning sensor of the first user device and comprising information about a dynamic geographic location of the first user device that changes with respect to movements of the first user device;

receiving, by the payment service, a check-in request from the first user device;

determining, by the payment service, that the first user device is located within a threshold distance of a business location based at least in part on the location information and the check-in request, the first user device being unable to check in at the business location while the first user device is located outside the threshold distance from the business location;

receiving order information from an electronic transaction terminal associated with the business location, the order information indicating a first item, the first user device being distinct from the electronic transaction terminal and other electronic devices associated with the business location;

in response to receiving the order information, updating, by the payment service, a list of items to include the first item;

providing, based in part on the order information, an indication of at least the first item to the first user device while the first user device is located within the threshold distance of the business location;

providing, based at least in part on the order information, an indication of at least a second item to a second user device that is located within the threshold distance of the business location; and

receiving a payment notification from at least one of the first user device or the second user device.

13. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage devices of claim 12, wherein the instructions further configure the one or more computer systems to perform operations comprising, in response to receiving the payment notification:

authorizing a first debit corresponding to the first item from a first user account, the first user account associated with the first user device;

or

authorizing a second debit corresponding to the second item from a second user account, the second user account associated with the second user device.

14. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage devices of claim 12, wherein the order information is received within a method call from the electronic transaction terminal, instructions for making the method call provided by the payment service.

15. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage devices of claim 12, wherein receiving the payment notification from at least one of the first user device or the second user device comprises receiving the payment notification after at least one of the first user device or the second user device is no longer located within the threshold distance of the business location.

16. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage devices of claim 12, the instructions further configure the one or more computer systems to perform operations comprising:

authorizing a first debit of at least an amount corresponding to the first item from a first user account, the first user account associated with the first user device;

authorizing a second debit of at least an amount corresponding to the second item from a second user account, the second user account associated with the second user device; and

authorizing a payment corresponding to the list of items to the electronic transaction terminal.

17. A system comprising:

memory that stores computer-executable instructions; and

at least one processor configured to access the memory and execute the computer-executable instructions to collectively at least;

receive location information from a first user device, the location information generated by a global positioning sensor of the first user device and comprising information about a dynamic geographic location of the first user device that changes with respect to movements of the first user device;

receive a check-in request from the first user device;

determine, based at least in part on the location information and the check-in request, that the first user device is located within a threshold distance of a business location, the first user device being unable to check in at the business location while the first user device is located outside the threshold distance from the business location;

receive order information from an electronic transaction terminal associated with the business location, the order information indicating a first item, the first user device being distinct from the electronic transaction terminal and other electronic devices associated with the business location;

in response to receiving the order information, update a list of items to include the first item;

provide, based in part on the order information, an indication of at least the first item to the first user device while the first user device is located within the threshold distance of the business location;

provide, based at least in part on the order information, an indication of at least a second item to a second user device that is located within the threshold distance of the business location; and

receive a payment notification from at least one of the first user device or the second user device.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising a beacon configured to transmit beacon information within a geographic boundary corresponding to the business location, and wherein determining that the first user device is located within the threshold distance of the business location is further based at least in part on receiving an acknowledgement from the first user device indicating that the first user device detected the beacon information.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein:

the acknowledgement is a first acknowledgment; and

the system includes further executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the system to at least;

receive a second acknowledgement that the first user device has checked out of the business location, the second acknowledgment generated by the first user device based at least in part on a listener of the first user device not receiving the beacon information for a predetermined period of time; and

at least in response to receiving the second acknowledgement, authorizing a first debit corresponding to the first item from a first user account associated with the first user device.