Dual Encoding of Machine Readable Code for Automatic Scan-Initiated Purchase or Uniform Resource Locator Checkout

• US 20140025538A1
• Filed: 02/19/2013
• Published: 01/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Visa International Service Association (Visa, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Visa International Service Association (Visa, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kalgi, Avinash, Ward-Steinman, Matthew, Bailey, Keith
• Granted Patent: US 9,684,920 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26.61
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention are directed to systems and methods for allowing a single representation of a trigger for payment across different environments using machine readable codes. A machine readable code may be encoded with a URL and information about a product to which the machine readable code is attached. A first electronic device may be able to scan and decode the machine readable code into first recognizable product information using a complaint application. The compliant application may populate a first form on the first electronic device for a first transaction with the recognizable product information without having to access a server. A non-compliant application on a second electronic device will launch a browser using the URL and provide the unrecognizable product information to the server for decoding. The server will decode the unrecognizable product information into a second recognizable product information that may be used to populate a second form for a second transaction.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

scanning, by a scanning device in a first electronic device comprising a compliant machine readable code reader module, a machine readable code associated with a product;

decoding, by a first decoding module in the first electronic device, the machine readable code to form decoded barcode data, wherein the decoded barcode data comprises an address associated with a host site operated by a central server computer and recognizable additional information related to the product;

populating a form using the recognizable additional information by the electronic device to form a populated form; and

providing the populated form, by the first electronic device, to the host site operated by the central server computer using the address for a transaction,

wherein the central server computer comprises a second decoding module, wherein the second decoding module is configured to decode unrecognizable additional information received from a second electronic device, after the second electronic device scans the machine readable code associated with the product.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the address is a uniform resource locator (URL).

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the recognizable additional information for populating the form by the first electronic device is available without downloading it from the central server computer.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the recognizable additional information comprises a product identifier, a product name, a product description, a quantity, a price, an indicator for whether a sale of the product is taxable, a time indicator for when the price is valid and a merchant identifier.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

parsing the recognizable additional information for the time indicator for when the price is valid;

determining a present time;

comparing, using the first electronic device, the time indicator and the present time;

downloading, by the first electronic device, an updated price of the product from the central server computer based on the comparison; and

using the updated price of the product for populating the form.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the time indicator includes a begin date and an end date.

7. The method of claim 5 further comprising:

compensating for a different time zone between the time indicator and the present time.

8. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

parsing the recognizable additional information for a jurisdiction within which the indicator for whether a sale of the product is taxable is valid;

determining a present geographic location of the first electronic device;

comparing the jurisdiction with the present geographic location;

downloading, by the first electronic device, an updated indicator for whether a sale of the product is taxable from the central server computer based on the comparison; and

using the updated indicator for whether the sale of the product is taxable for populating the form.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the first decoding module and the second decoding module use the same decoding algorithm.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the recognizable additional information was encoded using a Base64 encoding scheme.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the machine readable code is a two-dimensional QR CODE®

.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the scanning device in the first electronic device includes a camera.

13. A central server computer comprising:

a processor;

a computer readable medium coupled to the processor; and

a network interface coupled to the processor,

wherein the network interface is configured to receive a first form comprising first recognizable additional data from a first electronic device, wherein the first recognizable additional data is determined after the first scanning device in the first electronic device scans a machine readable code associated with a product, and

wherein the network interface is further configured to receive unrecognizable additional data from a second electronic device, wherein the unrecognizable additional data is determined after the second scanning device in the second electronic device scans the machine readable code associated with the product, and

wherein the computer readable medium comprises a decoding module configured to decode the unrecognizable additional data to form second recognizable additional data into a second form.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the first recognizable additional data comprises a product identifier, a product name, a product description, a quantity, a price, an indicator for whether a sale of the product is taxable, a time indicator for when the price is valid and a merchant identifier.

15. A method comprising:

receiving, by a central server computer, a first populated form comprising first recognizable additional data from a first electronic device, wherein the first recognizable additional data is determined after the first scanning device in the first electronic device scans a machine readable code associated with a first product;

initiating, by the central server computer, a first transaction using the first populated form;

receiving, by the central server computer, unrecognizable additional data from a second electronic device, wherein the unrecognizable additional data is determined after the second scanning device in the second electronic device scans a second machine readable code, the second machine readable code associated with a second product; and

wherein the central server computer comprises a decoding module configured to decode the unrecognizable additional data to form second recognizable additional data and insert the second recognizable additional data into a second form, and

initiating a second transaction using the second form.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

receiving, by the central server computer, a request for updated price of the product from the first electronic device, after the first electronic device determines the first recognizable additional data by scanning the machine readable code associated with the first product; and

sending, by the central server computer, an updated price of the product to the first electronic device.

17. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

receiving, by the central server computer, a request for updated tax information for the product from the first electronic device, after the first electronic device determines that the location of the first electronic device is outside the jurisdiction for which a tax indicator in the first recognizable additional data is valid; and

sending, by the central server computer, an updated tax information for the product to the first electronic device.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the first populated form includes the updated tax information for the product.

19. The method of claim 15 wherein the first and second products are the same type of product.

20. The method of claim 15 wherein a receipt is generated including at least a portion of the recognizable additional data as a result of the first transaction.