Dedicated point of sale over an intermittent network

• US 10,896,425 B2
• Filed: 01/28/2019
• Issued: 01/19/2021
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2019
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: FCS Processing LLC, Festival Control Systems Processing LLC
• Original Assignee: Festival Control Systems Processing LLC
• Inventors: Waughtal, Jeff
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Seung H
• Application Number:
  US16/258,698
• Publication Number:
  US 20200242616A1
• Time in Patent Office: 722 Days
• 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 20/204 comprising interface for record bearing medium or carrier for electronic funds transfer or payment credit
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3278 RFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4033 Local solvency checks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4093 Monitoring of device authentication

Abstract

Disclosed are various embodiments for improvements in customer relationship management and point of sale payment processing at remote event spaces. The system, apparatuses, and methods disclosed herein facilitate the transaction processing of credit cards and other payment vehicles in often remote locations where network connections may be intermittent and suffer from frequent disconnects or interruptions of service. The embodiments disclosed operate to detect network events, dynamically adjust to the event space, and processes the transactions on demand. The apparatuses are equipped to facilitate the event environment and are adapted to execute instructions to facilitate the financial transactions.

Claims

1. A dynamic Customer Relationship Management (‘

CRM’

) system for location based intermittently-connected networked events, the system comprising;

a dedicated mobile computing device;

wherein the dedicated mobile computing device is coupled for data communications;

a transactions server, wherein the transactions server is connected through an intermittently-connected network to the dedicated mobile computer;

wherein the dedicated mobile computer comprises;

a mobile computer body;

the mobile computer body encased in a water-resistant and heat-resistant casing;

the mobile computer including;

a computer processor coupled through a bus system with computer memory and a data communications adapter;

the computer processor and computer memory configured with a point of sale (‘

POS’

) application adapted to process transactions, the application configured to at least two modes;

real-time mode receives a sales transaction;

determines whether the intermittently-connected network supports a real-time transaction with the transaction server; and

if the intermittently-connected network supports a real-time transaction with the transaction server;

initiating the transaction as a real-time transaction with the transaction server; and

if the intermittently-connected network cannot support a real-time transaction with the transaction server;

batch mode performs batching the transaction and queuing the transaction for later-delivery and initiating the transaction as a batch transaction when the intermittently-connected network supports a transaction with the transaction server.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a dedicated automatic mode;

wherein the dedicated automatic mode performs real-time analysis on the connected network and actively switches between real-time mode and batch-mode based upon inferences made on the real-time analysis of the connected network.

3. The system according to claim 1 or 2, in which the dedicated automatic mode determines if an EMV chip card is present, then the dedicated automatic mode attempts a real-time transaction.

4. The system according to claim 1 or 2, in which the dedicated automatic mode determines if a magnetic strip card is present, then the dedicated automatic mode attempts a real-time transaction, if the real-time transaction fails the dedicated automatic mode enters batch mode.

5. The system of claim 1, in which the batch mode is capable of continuous checking of network transmission;

wherein upon successful network connection batch mode initiates the batch transaction.

6. The system of claim 1, in which the batch mode is set for scheduled delivery for network connectivity for initiating transactions.

7. The system of claim 1, in which the intermittently-connected network is a network where connection between access points and the dedicated mobile computing device is intermittent due to geographic location.

8. The system of claim 1, in which the intermittently-connected network is a network where connection between access points and the dedicated mobile computing device is intermittent due to network congestion.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising a blacklist repository stored on the dedicated mobile computing device;

wherein the blacklist repository stores known bad credit accounts.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising a consumer account credit check when in batch mode by initiating a check against the blacklist repository;

the blacklist repository stored on the dedicated mobile computing device, and wherein the consumer account credit check is initiated when the network is inaccessible.

11. A method for dynamic Point of Sale (‘

POS’

) transaction processing for location based intermittently-connected networked events, the method comprising;

receiving, by a POS application from a customer, a purchase request;

creating, by the POS application, a real-time transaction request;

initiating, by the POS application to a transaction server, a transmission of the real-time transaction request;

determining, by the POS application, whether the initiated transmission was completed; and

if the initiated transmission was completed, receiving, by the POS application from the transaction server a real-time transaction response and confirming or denying the sale in dependence upon the real-time transaction response; and

if the initiated transmission was not completed, batching a batch transaction request;

wherein batching the transaction request the confirmation of sale is initiated at a point when network connectivity is established.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein determining, by the POS application, whether the initiated transmission was completed by the POS application, the POS application generating diagnostic feedback that is utilized by the POS application in transferring to a given mode.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein receiving, by the POS application from a customer, a purchase request, the POS application receives a digital electronic wallet payment card.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein receiving, by the POS application from a customer, a purchase request, the POS application receives an electronic communication utilizing near field communication.