Processing Online Transactions

• US 20130275238A1
• Filed: 08/31/2012
• Published: 10/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Wal-Mart Stores Texas LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Inventors: Ramaratnam, Arjun, Hansen, Kenneth, Dar, Murad, Srivastava, Puneet, Gerry, Richard Brett, Shah, Ruchitkumar A., Dharaneedharan, Sathya N., Smalley, Anna, Baron, Jon, Singer, Justin
• Granted Patent: US 8,751,405 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/21
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/201 Price look-up processing, e.g. updating
• 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 20/203 Inventory monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/407 Cancellation of a transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0637 Approvals

Abstract

Disclosed are systems and methods for managing transactions in which an order is specified online and payment is received at a point of sale (POS). Methods are disclosed for managing payment for such transactions at a POS, including transactions involving payment for both in-store purchases and online orders. Methods are also disclosed for managing inventory and price changes for such transactions where payment can occur at any time in a pay period following order creation. Also disclosed are methods for processing refunds for online orders for which payment was made at a POS. Finally, methods for preventing fraud and abuse as well as restricting the availability of this payment method for certain items are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method for refunding an online order comprising:

receiving, by a server, a refund trigger for the online order;

receiving, by the server, a refund preference;

receiving a request from a first POS for refund information for the order;

evaluating a distance of the first POS to a second POS at which the in-store POS payment was made;

determine that the distance is greater than a threshold; and

denying the request for refund from the first POS because the distance is greater than the threshold.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising, if the refund preference indicates a check refund:

receiving a mailing address; and

initiating mailing of a refund check.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising, in response to the determining that the refund preference indicates the in-store refund preference and that the payment method for the online order indicates in-store POS payment:

receiving a pick-up person identifier; and

transmitting the pick-up person identifier to the POS.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising receiving verification of an identity of a payee for the refund from the POS.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising, in response to receiving the request from the POS for the refund information for the order:

determining that the order is not refund locked;

in response to the determining that the order is not refund locked;

refund locking the order; and

transmitting the refund information to the POS.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the online order is refund locked due to prior receipt of a second request from a third POS for the refund information; and

in response to the determining that the order is refund locked, transmitting a refund denial to the POS if the order is refund locked.

22. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

setting the threshold distance a remedial action because of an excessive number of previous requests for refund by a customer associated with the online order.

2. (canceled)

8. A system for refunding an online order comprising one or more processors and one or more memory devices operably coupled to the one or more processors, the one or more memory devices storing executable and operational data effective to cause the one or more processors to:

receive a refund trigger for the online order;

receiving a refund preference;

receive a request from a first POS for refund information for the online order;

if the first POS is within a threshold distance from a second POS at which the in-store POS payment was made;

transmit the refund information to the first POS; and

receive acknowledgment of payment of a refund from the first POS.

if the first POS is not within the threshold distance from the second POS, denying the request for refund.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the executable and operational data are further effective to cause the one or more processors to, if the refund preference indicates a check refund:

receive a mailing address; and

initiate mailing of a refund check.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the executable and operational data are further effective to cause the one or more processors to, in response to the determining that the refund preference indicates the in-store refund preference and that the payment method for the online order indicates in-store POS payment:

receive a pick-up person identifier; and

transmit the pick-up person identifier to the POS.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the executable and operational data are further effective to cause the one or more processors to receive verification of an identity of a payee for the refund from the POS.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the executable and operational data are further effective to cause the one or more processors to, in response to receiving the request from the POS for the refund information for the order:

determine that the order is not refund locked;

in response to determining that the order is not refund locked;

refund locking the order; and

transmit the refund information to the POS.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the executable and operational data are further effective to cause the one or more processors to:

determine that the online order is refund locked due to prior receipt of a second request from a third POS for the refund information; and

in response to the determining that the online order is refund locked, transmit a refund denial to the POS if the order is refund locked.

23. The system of claim 8, wherein the executable and operational data are further effective to cause the one or more processors to:

set the threshold distance as a remedial action because of an excessive number of previous requests for refund by a customer associated with the online order.

9. (canceled)

15. A computer program product for refunding an online order, the computer program product being embodied in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium and comprising computer instructions for:

receiving a refund trigger for the online order;

receiving a refund preference;

receiving a request from a first POS for refund information for the online order;

if the first POS is within a threshold distance from a second POS at which an in-store POS payment for the online order was made;

transmitting the refund information to the POS; and

receiving acknowledgment of payment of a refund from the POS; and

if the first POS is not within the threshold distance form the second POS at which the in-store POS payment was made, denying the request for refund.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising computer instructions for, if the refund preference indicates a check refund:

receiving a mailing address; and

initiating mailing of a refund check.

18. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising computer instructions for, in response to the determining that the refund preference indicates the in-store refund preference and that the payment method for the online order indicates in-store POS payment:

receiving a pick-up person identifier; and

transmitting the pick-up person identifier to the POS.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, further comprising computer instructions for receiving verification of an identity of a payee for the refund from the POS.

20. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising computer instructions for, in response to receiving the request from the POS for the refund information for the order:

determining that the order is not refund locked;

in response to determining that the order is not refund locked;

refund locking the order; and

transmitting the refund information to the POS.

21. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising computer instructions for:

determining that the order is refund locked due to prior receipt of a second request from a third POS for the refund information; and

in response to determining that the order is refund locked transmitting a refund denial to the POS if the order is refund locked.

24. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising computer instructions for:

setting the threshold distance as a remedial action because of an excessive number of previous requests for refund by a customer associated with the online order.

16. (canceled)