Wireless point of sale transaction

• US 20040243517A1
• Filed: 06/24/2004
• Published: 12/02/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Hansen, Thomas J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,587,196 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/64
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/00 Payment architectures, schemes or protocols apparatus for performing or posting payment transactions G07F7/08, G07F19/00; electronic cash registers G07G1/12
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/322 Aspects of commerce using mobile devices [M-devices]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/327 Short range or proximity payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/38215 Use of certificates or encrypted proofs of transaction rights
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4014 Identity check for transactions

Abstract

Disclosed is a method of processing a transaction request by a first customer device (T1) and a transaction system (100), the transaction request being approved by transmitting a data signal from the first customer device the transaction system via a wireless communications link (105). The method comprises the steps of establishing respective wireless communications links between the transaction system and a number of customer devices (T1, T2, T3) corresponding to respective customers (A, B, D); and identifying the first customer device among the number of customer devices having established respective wireless communications links (105, 106, 107) as being a customer device carried by a selected customer (A)

Claims

1. A method of processing a transaction request by a first customer device (Ti) and a transaction system (100), the transaction request being approved by transmitting a first data signal from the first customer device to the transaction system via a wireless communications link (105);

the method comprising the steps of

establishing (113) respective wireless communications links (105,106,107) between the transaction system and a number of customer devices (T1,T2,T3) corresponding to respective customers (A,B,D); and

identifying (114) the first customer device among the number of customer devices having established respective wireless communications links as being a customer device carried by a selected customer (A).

2. A method according to claim 1, characterised in that the step of identifying the first customer device further comprises the steps of

assigning (203) respective identifiers to each of the number of customer devices by the transaction system, a first identifier being assigned to the first customer device;

transmitting (204) the respective identifiers from the transaction system to the corresponding customerdevices via the corresponding wireless communications links; and

using (205,207,208) the first identifier to identify the first customer device carried by the selected customer.

3. A method according to claim 2, characterised in that the first identifier is a sequence of alphanumeric characters.

4. A method according to claim 3, characterised in that the first identifier comprises less than five characters.

5. A method according to claim 2, characterised in that the first identifier has a length determined by the transaction system on the basis of the number of customer devices having established a wireless communications link with the transaction system.

6. A method according to claim 2, characterised in that the step of using the first identifier to identify the first customer device comprises the steps of

presenting (205) the first identifier to the selected customer by the first customer device;

and

receiving (207) a first input by the transaction system from a user of the transaction system, the first input being indicative of the first identifier.

7. A method according to claim 1, characterised in that the method further comprises the steps of

storing in a storage medium (104b, 411) a set of customer data items in relation to a set of device data items, the set of customer data items being indicative of a set of registered customers and the set of device data items being indicative of a corresponding set of customer devices;

presenting (407) to a user of the transaction system selected ones of the set of customer data items related to the customer devices having established respective wireless communications links;

receiving (408) a second input by the transaction system from the user of the transaction system, the second input being indicative of a selected one of the presented customer data items.

8. A method according to claim 7, characterised in that the step of presenting selected ones of the set of customer data items further comprises the step of selecting a subset of the number of customer devices based on additional information about the customer devices.

9. A method according to claim 7, characterised in that the step of presenting selected ones of the set of customer data items further comprises the step of presenting the selected customer data items in a predetermined order based on additional information about at least one of the customer data and the customer devices.

10. A method according to claim 8 , characterised in that the additional information comprises reception characteristics of at least the established wireless communications links.

11. A method according to claim 1, characterised in that the transaction includes a transfer of a predetermined amount from a customer account to a recipient account, and the method further 30 comprises the steps of

transmitting a second data signal (720) indicative of the predetermined amount from the transaction system (Sv1) to the first customer device (PTD) via the corresponding wireless communications link;

receiving (721) a third input from the selected customer to the wireless customer device, the third input being indicative of an authorisation to transfer the predetermined amount from the customer account to the recipient account;

.

transmitting the first data signal (722) in response 5 to the third input; and

system in response to the received first data signal.

12. A method according to claim 1, characterised in that at least a first one of the respective wireless communications links is a Bluetooth link.

13. A method according to claim 1, characterised in that the transaction system is a point of sale system.

22. A computer program comprising program code means for performing all the steps of claim 1 when said program is run on a computer.

23. A computer program according to claim 22, characterised in that the computer program is embodied on a computer-readable medium.

14. A system for processing a transaction request, the system including a transaction component and a number of customer devices (T1,T2,T3) carried by respective customers (A,B,D), a transaction request being approved by transmitting a first data signal from a customer device to the transaction component via a wireless communications link (105,106,107);

the system comprising

communications means (102) for establishing respective wireless communications links between the transaction component and corresponding ones of the number of customer devices; and

means for identifying a first one (Ti) of the number of customer devices having established respective wireless communications links as being a customer device carried by a selected one (A) of the customers.

15. A system according to claim 14, characterised in that

the means for identifying a first one of the number of customer devices comprise first processing means (104) adapted to assign respective identifiers to each of the number of customer devices, a first identifier corresponding to the first customer device;

the communications means is adapted to transmit the respective identifiers from the transaction component to corresponding customer devices via the corresponding wireless communications links; and

the means for identifying a first one of the number of customer devices comprises means for using the identifier to associate the selected customer with the first customer device.

16. A system according to claim 14, characterised in that the means for using the identifier to associate the selected customer with the first customer device comprises

first output means (Tia) for presenting the first 20 identifier to the selected customer;

and

first input means (lOib) for receiving a first input from a user of the transaction component, the first input being indicative of the first identifier.

17. A system according to claim 14, characterised in that the system further comprises

a storage medium (104b, 411) adapted to store a set of customer data items in relation to a set of device data items, the set of customer data items being indicative of a set of registered customers and the set of device data items being indicative of a corresponding set of customer devices;

second output means (lOla) for presenting selected ones of the set of customer data items to a user of the transaction component; and

second input means (lOib) for receiving a second input from the user, the second input being indicative of a selected one of the presented customer data items.

18. A system according to claim 14, characterised in that

the transaction request includes a request to transfer a predetermined amount from a customer account to a recipient account;

the communication means is adapted to transmit a second data signal indicative of the predetermined amount from the transaction component to the first customer device via the corresponding wireless communications link;

the first customer device comprises third input means for receiving a third input from the selected customer, the third input being indicative of an authorisation to transfer the predetermined amount from the customer account to the recipient account;

the communication means is further adapted to transmit the first data signal in response to the third input; and

the system further comprises second processing means adapted to initiate the transfer of the predetermined amount by the transaction component in response to the received first data signal.

19. A customer device for processing a transaction request from a transaction system, a transaction request being approved by transmitting a first data signal from the customer device to the transaction system via a wireless communications link;

the customer device comprising

communications means for establishing a wireless 35 communications link between the customer device and the transaction system; and

means for assisting the transaction system in identifying the customer device among a number of customer devices having established respective wireless communications links as being a customer device carried by a selected customers.

20. A customer device according to claim 19, characterised in that the customer device is a mobile terminal.

21. A transaction system for processing a transaction request to be approved by a first customer device by transmitting a first data signal from the first customer device to the transaction system via a wireless communications link;

the transaction system comprising

communications means for establishing respective wireless communications links between the transaction system and a number of customer devices; and

means for identifying the first customer device among the number of customer devices having established respective wireless communications links as being a customer device carried by a selected customer.