Client-side use of customer preferences

• US 10,755,254 B1
• Filed: 12/30/2016
• Issued: 08/25/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Block, Inc. (f/k/a Square, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Block, Inc. (f/k/a Square, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hipschman, Daniel, Butts, III, James F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zeender, Florian M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Buchanan, Christopher R
• Application Number:
  US15/395,721
• Time in Patent Office: 1,334 Days
• Field of Search: 705 16
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/202 Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/209 Specified transaction journal output feature, e.g. printed receipt or voice output
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/34 using cards, e.g. integrated circuit [IC] cards or magnetic cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/405 Establishing or using transaction specific rules
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0621 Item configuration or customization
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0637 Approvals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/12 Hotels or restaurants

Abstract

This disclosure describes, in part, techniques for collecting item preferences of users at a centralized location and propagating these item preferences to users and merchants in an intelligent manner In some instances, the centralized location is a payment service that functions to both authorize payment instruments of users for costs of transactions conducted at the merchant, and collect and propagate the item preferences to the merchants and the users.

Claims

1. A point-of-sale (POS) device comprising:

a display;

one or more processors; and

one or more computer-readable media storing computer computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

automatically determine that a user is present at a premises associated with a merchant using a wireless presence detection mechanism between the POS device and a user device associated with the user, the POS device being associated with the merchant;

send, to a payment service, a request for processing a first transaction between the merchant and the user for an order involving a first item, wherein the request includes a user identifier of the user and information on the first item the payment service operating independently of the merchant and each of the merchant and the user having a corresponding registered profile with the payment service;

receive, from the payment service, a message indicating an item preference associated with the user identifier of the user and corresponding to the first item, the item preference being based at least in part on information received from at least one other POS device regarding at least one previous order by the user from a different merchant;

based at least in part on receiving the message, display the item preference in relation to the first transaction; and

upon receiving an indication of a user'"'"'s desire for the item preference, automatically apply the item preference to the order involving the first item.

2. The POS device of claim 1, further comprising:

a card reader, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to execute the computer-readable instructions to;

receive, from the card reader, a payment identifier of a payment instrument associated with the user; and

determine that the user is present at the premises based further on receiving the payment identifier.

3. The POS device of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to execute the computer-readable instructions to:

send, to the payment service, an indication of a second item for purchase as part of a second transaction;

receive, from the payment service, another item preference for the second item and the user identifier.

4. A method comprising:

automatically determining, by a merchant device, that a user is present at a premises associated with a merchant using a wireless presence detection mechanism between the merchant device and a user device associated with the user, each of the merchant and the user having a corresponding registered profile with a payment service that operates independently of the merchant and the user;

sending, to a payment service, a request for processing a current transaction between the merchant and the user;

based at least in part on determining that the user is present at the premises, receiving, by the merchant device and from the payment service, a message indicating an item preference associated with an identity of the user, the item preference being based at least in part on information received by the payment service from at least one other POS device regarding at least one previously purchased item by the user from a different merchant;

based at least in part on receiving the message, displaying, by the merchant device, the item preference in relation to an item selected for purchase as part of the current transaction between the merchant and the user; and

upon receiving an indication of a user'"'"'s desire for the item preference, automatically applying, by the merchant device, the item preference to the current transaction.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the method further comprises:

before determining that the user is present at the premises, receiving, by the merchant device, input associated with a previous item selected for purchase as part of a previous transaction between the merchant and the user, the input indicating at least the item preference; and

sending, by the merchant device and to the payment service, an indication of the previous item selected for purchase, the indication indicating at least the identity of the user and the item preference,

wherein the item preference is associated with the identity of the user based, at least in part, on the previous transaction.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

receiving, by the merchant device using a card reader, payment information of a payment instrument associated with the user,

wherein determining that the user is present at the premises is further based, at least in part, on receiving the payment information.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

sending, by the merchant device and to the payment service, an indication of the item selected for purchase as part of the transaction between the merchant and the user,

wherein displaying the item preference is based, at least in part, on sending the indication.

8. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

sending, by the merchant device and to the payment service, an indication that the user is present at the premises,

wherein receiving the message is based, at least in part, on sending the indication.

9. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

after receiving the message, receiving, by the merchant device, input associated with the item selected for purchase as part of the current transaction between the merchant and the user,

wherein displaying the item preference is further based, at least in part, on receiving the input.

10. A merchant device comprising:

a display;

one or more processors; and

one or more computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

determine that a user is present at a premises associated with a merchant using a wireless presence detection mechanism between the merchant device and a user device associated with the user;

send, to a payment service, a request for processing a current transaction between the merchant and the user;

based at least in part on determining that the user is present at the premises, receive from a payment service, a message indicating an item preference associated with an identity of the user, the item preference being based at least in part on information received by the payment service from at least one other POS device regarding at least one previously purchased item by the user from a different merchant, the payment service operating independently of the merchant and the user and each of the merchant and the user having a corresponding registered profile with the merchant device;

based at least in part on receiving the message, display the item preference along with an identity of the user in relation to the current transaction between the merchant and the user; and

upon receiving an indication of a user'"'"'s desire for the item preference, automatically apply the item preference to the current transaction.

11. The merchant device of claim 10, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to execute the instructions to:

before determining that the user is present at the premises, receive input associated with a previous item selected for purchase as part of a previous transaction between the merchant and the user, the input indicating at least the item preference; and

send, to the payment service, an indication of the previous item selected for purchase, the indication indicating at least the identity of the user and the item preference,

wherein the item preference is associated with the identity of the user based, at least in part, on the previous transaction.

12. The merchant device of claim 10, further comprising:

a card reader, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to execute the instructions to;

receive, from the card reader, a payment identifier of a payment instrument associated with the user,

wherein determining that the user is present at the premises is based, at least in part, on receiving the payment identifier.

13. The merchant device of claim 10, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to execute the instructions to:

after displaying the item preference, receive input associated with an item selected for purchase as part of the current transaction between the merchant and the user, and

display the item preference in relation to the item.

14. The merchant device of claim 10, wherein the item preference comprises a size of an item, an ingredient to include or not include in the item, a preparation type of the item, a color of the item, or a flavor of the item.