Communication of orders and payments in a drive through using wireless beacons

• US 9,639,907 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2014
• Issued: 05/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Theobald, Dwain Glenn
• Primary Examiner(s): Danneman, Paul
• Application Number:
  US14/318,162
• Publication Number:
  US 20150379650A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,040 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/308 using the Internet of Things
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/321 using wearable devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/327 Short range or proximity payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/12 Hotels or restaurants
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/244 using a network of reference devices, e.g. beaconing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup

Abstract

There are provided systems and methods for communication of orders and payments in a drive through using wireless beacons. A merchant location may include a drive through with a wireless beacon established in the drive through. The beacon may provide communication services with a device for the user. The merchant may detect that the user is in a vehicle in the drive through using either the connection between the device of the user and the beacon or a camera, sensor, or other detector located near the beacon in the drive through. Based on check-in information generated on the connection, an order for the user may be accessed. The user may pay for the order using the device and through the connection to the beacon. Further, if other devices for additional users in the vehicle connect to the beacon, the additional users may split the payment for the order.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a non-transitory memory storing instructions; and

one or more hardware processors in communication with the non-transitory memory and configured to execute the instructions to cause the system to;

determine a vehicle with a first user is located in a drive through for a merchant based on information received from a sensor;

determine a size of the vehicle based on the information received from the sensor;

adjust a wireless communication range of a wireless beacon based on the determined size of the vehicle;

establish a first connection with a first device of the first user using a wireless beacon, in response to determining the vehicle with the first user is located in the drive through, the first connection between the first device and the wireless beacon using at least one of near field communication, radio communication, infrared communication, Bluetooth communication, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) communication, and LTE Direct communication;

access a first check-in information received on the first connection between the first device and the wireless beacon;

access an order submitted by the first user using the first check-in information;

process a first payment request for the order based on the first check-in information and the order.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first device comprises a console computing device mounted in the vehicle.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more hardware processor is further configured to cause the system to:

determine a second user is in the vehicle based on a second connection between a second device and the wireless beacon; and

access second check-in information for the second user received on the second connection between the second device and the wireless beacon.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the one or more hardware processors are further configured to cause the system to:

communicate the order to the second device, wherein the second device is configured to accept changes to the order by the second user.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the one or more hardware processors are further configured to cause the system to:

communicate the order to the second device; and

process a second payment request for the order using a second identifier and the order, wherein the first payment request comprises a first partial payment for the order, and wherein the second payment request comprises a second partial payment for the order.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the first user selects at least one first item from the order and the second user selects at least one second item from the order, and wherein the first payment request comprises a first payment for the at least one first item and the second payment request comprises a second payment for the at least one second item.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the order is displayed to the first user on a merchant display device located in the drive through, and wherein the merchant display device changes based on updates to the order by the first user.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the order comprises a pre-existing order generated by the first user prior to the first user arriving at the drive through in the vehicle.

9. A method comprising:

determining, using one or more hardware processors, that a user is in a vehicle in a drive through based on information received from a sensor;

detecting a size of the vehicle in the drive through;

adjusting a range for connecting to the wireless beacon based on the size of the vehicle

in response to determining that the user is in the vehicle in the drive through, establishing a connection between a device for the user and the wireless beacon;

accessing check-in information for the user, wherein the check-in information is received through the connection between the device and the wireless beacon;

accessing an order submitted by the user using the check-in information; and

processing a payment for the order using the check-in information and the order.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the order is generated by the user prior to the user arriving at the drive through in the vehicle.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the order is displayed on at least one of the device and a merchant display device in the drive through, and wherein the user updates the order by removing or adding at least one item to the order.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein prior to the accessing the order, the method further comprises:

determining a past order using the check-in information,

wherein the user submits the past order as the order using a command to the merchant.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein prior to the user submitting the past order as the order, the user adds or removes at least one item from the past order.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the past order is determined using at least one of a previous visit by the user to the merchant, a transaction history for the user, and a user account for the user.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions which, in response to execution by a computer system, cause the computer system to perform a method comprising:

determining that a vehicle with a first user is located in a drive through of a merchant based on information received from a sensor;

in response to determining that the vehicle with the first user is located in the drive through of the merchant, detecting a size of the vehicle, adjusting a range of a wireless beacon based on the size of the vehicle, and establishing a connection between a device for the first user and the wireless beacon;

accessing check-in information for the first user through the connection;

accessing an order submitted by the first user using the check-in information; and

processing a payment for the order using the check-in information and the order.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises:

communicating the order to the device for display to the user, wherein the device is configured to accept updates to the order from the first user.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the payment comprises a split payment using a first payment account of the first user and a second payment account of a second user.