Open tab transactions

• US 9,959,529 B1
• Filed: 09/26/2014
• Issued: 05/01/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Block, Inc. (f/k/a Square, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Block, Inc. (f/k/a Square, Inc.)
• Inventors: Varma, Ajit Kalidindi, Reiss, Jesse
• Primary Examiner(s): Maguire, Lindsay M
• Application Number:
  US14/498,876
• Time in Patent Office: 1,313 Days
• Field of Search: 705 40
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/105 involving programming of a portable memory device, e.g. IC cards, "electronic purses"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/14 specially adapted for billing systems
• 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 20/24 Credit schemes, i.e. "pay after"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/322 Aspects of commerce using mobile devices [M-devices]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3224 Transactions dependent on location of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/342 Cards defining paid or billed services or quantities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences

Abstract

A customer device generates an order for purchasing one or more goods or services from a merchant. A list of the purchased items is stored in a data structure designated as a tab. The list is routed to a merchant device. The customer device is carried by a user to the merchant. When the user reaches the merchant, the customer device or merchant device can receive a request to add an additional item to the list of purchased items. The tab remains open and modifiable until the customer device or merchant device receives an input to close it. Payment for the goods or services listed in the modified tab is processed upon closing of the tab.

Claims

1. A method for facilitating purchases from a merchant by a customer, comprising:

receiving, by a server and from one of a set of devices, a first purchase indication indicating a request by the customer to purchase a first item from the merchant, wherein the set of devices includes a customer device associated with the customer and a merchant device associated with the merchant;

generating a first purchase record at the server in response to receipt of the first purchase indication, the first purchase record identifying the customer'"'"'s purchasing of the first item from the merchant;

creating a tab data structure at the server, the tab data structure storing at least the first purchase record;

receiving, by the server and from the merchant device associated with the merchant, a tab updating event alert indicating a request by the customer to purchase a second item from the merchant;

receiving, by the server and from the customer device, a proximity notification indicating that the customer device is within detection range of a short-range wireless signal output by a signal source associated with the merchant device after the tab data structure is created;

determining, at the server, that a payment for the first item and the second item is approved based on the proximity notification;

generating a second purchase record at the server in response to receipt of the tab updating event alert, the second purchase record identifying the customer'"'"'s purchasing of the second item from the merchant;

updating the tab data structure at the server in response to receipt of the tab updating event alert, wherein updating the tab data structure includes adding the second purchase record to the tab data structure; and

sending an aggregation of the first purchase record and the second purchase record from the server to a financial service server in response to updating the tab data structure and in response to determining that the payment for the first item and the second item is approved, thereby processing the payment for the first item and the second item.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the proximity notification also indicates that a location of the customer device as determined via a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver of the customer device is located in proximity with a location of the merchant device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first purchase indication is received by the server from the customer device associated with the customer.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the server and from the merchant device, an estimated time of readiness of the first item; and

providing the estimated time of readiness to the customer device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, at the server, an estimated time of arrival of the customer at the merchant device using a distance between a location of the customer device and a location of the merchant device; and

providing the estimated time of arrival from the server to the merchant device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the tab updating event alert is based on an input received at the merchant device, the input selecting an information item including at least one of an identifier of the second item or a price of the second item, the information item to be included in the second purchase record.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein updating the tab data structure comprises:

receiving, by the server and from the merchant device, an updated tab data structure, wherein the second purchase record is added to the updated tab data structure by the merchant device; and

replacing, at the server, the tab data structure with the updated tab data structure.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first purchase record includes a price of the first item and the second purchase record includes a price of the second item, and wherein the aggregation of the first purchase record and the second purchase record includes a sum of the price of the first item and the price of the second item, and wherein sending the aggregation of the first purchase record and the second purchase record from the server to the financial service server comprises sending at least the sum to the financial service server.

9. The method of claim 1, comprising:

sending a unified bill from the server to the customer device, the unified bill identifying the first item and the second item, the unified bill also listing a sum of a price of the first item and a price of the second item.

10. A non-transitory storage device storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a server, cause the one or more processors to perform operations for facilitating purchases from a merchant by a customer, the operations comprising:

receiving, by the server and from one of a set of devices, a first purchase indication indicating a request by the customer to purchase a first item from the merchant, wherein the set of devices includes a customer device associated with the customer and a merchant device associated with the merchant;

generating a first purchase record at the server in response to receipt of the first purchase indication, the first purchase record identifying the customer'"'"'s purchasing of the first item from the merchant;

creating a tab data structure at the server, the tab data structure storing at least the first purchase record;

receiving, by the server and from the merchant device associated with the merchant, a tab updating event alert indicating a request by the customer to purchase a second item from the merchant;

receiving, by the server and from the customer device, a proximity notification indicating that the customer device is within detection range of a signal source associated with the merchant device after the tab data structure is created;

determining, at the server, that a payment for the first item and the second item is approved based on the proximity notification;

generating a second purchase record at the server in response to receipt of the tab updating event alert, the second purchase record identifying the customer'"'"'s purchasing of the second item from the merchant;

updating the tab data structure at the server in response to receipt of the tab updating event alert, wherein updating the tab data structure includes adding the second purchase record to the tab data structure; and

sending an aggregation of the first purchase record and the second purchase record from the server to a financial service server in response to updating the tab data structure and in response to determining that the payment for the first item and the second item is allowed, thereby processing the payment for the first item and the second item.

11. The non-transitory storage device of claim 10, wherein the proximity notification also indicates that a location of the customer device as determined via a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver of the customer device is located in proximity with a location of the merchant device.

12. The non-transitory storage device of claim 10, wherein the first purchase indication is received by the server from the customer device associated with the customer.

13. The non-transitory storage device of claim 10, the operations further comprising:

receiving, by the server and from the merchant device, an estimated time of readiness of the first item; and

providing the estimated time of readiness to the customer device.

14. The non-transitory storage device of claim 10, the operations further comprising:

determining, at the server, an estimated time of arrival of the customer at the merchant device using a distance between a location of the customer device and a location of the merchant device; and

providing the estimated time of arrival from the server to the merchant device.

15. The non-transitory storage device of claim 10, wherein the tab updating event alert is based on an input received at the merchant device, the input selecting an information item including at least one of an identifier of the second item or a price of the second item, the information item to be included in the second purchase record.

16. The non-transitory storage device of claim 10, wherein updating the tab data structure comprises:

receiving, by the server and from the merchant device, an updated tab data structure, wherein the second purchase record is added to the updated tab data structure by the merchant device; and

replacing, at the server, the tab data structure with the updated tab data structure.

17. The non-transitory storage device of claim 10, wherein the first purchase record includes a price of the first item and the second purchase record includes a price of the second item, and wherein the aggregation of the first purchase record and the second purchase record includes a sum of the price of the first item and the price of the second item, and wherein sending the aggregation of the first purchase record and the second purchase record from the server to the financial service server comprises sending at least the sum to the financial service server.

18. The non-transitory storage device of claim 10, the operations further comprising:

sending a unified bill from the server to the customer device, the unified bill identifying the first item and the second item, the unified bill also listing a sum of a price of the first item and a price of the second item.

19. A system for facilitating purchases from a merchant by a customer, the system comprising:

a processor of a server; and

a non-transitory storage device of the server storing instructions that, when executed by the processor of the server, cause the server to perform operations comprising;

receiving, by the server and from one of a set of devices, a first purchase indication indicating a, a request by the customer to purchase a first item from the merchant, wherein the set of devices includes a customer device associated with the customer and a merchant device associated with the merchant,

generating a first purchase record at the server in response to receipt of the first purchase indication, the first purchase record identifying the customer'"'"'s purchasing of the first item from the merchant,

creating a tab data structure at the server, the tab data structure storing at least the first purchase record,

receiving, by the server and from the merchant device associated with the merchant, a tab updating event alert indicating a request by the customer to purchase a second item from the merchant,

receiving, by the server and from the customer device, a proximity notification indicating that the customer device is within detection range of a wireless signal output by a signal source associated with the merchant device after the tab data structure is created,

determining, at the server, that a payment for the first item and the second item is approved based on the proximity notification,

generating a second purchase record at the server in response to receipt of the tab updating event alert, the second purchase record identifying the customer'"'"'s purchasing of the second item from the merchant,

updating the tab data structure at the server in response to receipt of the tab updating event alert, wherein updating the tab data structure includes the second purchase record to the tab data structure, and

sending an aggregation of the first purchase record and the second purchase record from the server to a financial service server in response to updating the tab data structure and in response to determining that the payment for the first item and the second item is approved, thereby processing the payment for the first item and the second item.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the proximity notification also indicates that a location of the customer device as determined via a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver of the customer device is located in proximity with a location of the merchant device.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the first purchase indication is received by the server from the customer device associated with the customer.

22. The system of claim 19, the operations further comprising:

receiving, by the server and from the merchant device, an estimated time of readiness of the first item, and

providing the estimated time of readiness to the customer device.

23. The system of claim 19, the operations further comprising:

determining, at the server, an estimated time of arrival of the customer at the merchant device using a distance between a location of the customer device and a location of the merchant device, and

providing the estimated time of arrival from the server to the merchant device.

24. The system of claim 19, wherein the tab updating event alert is based on an input received at the merchant device, the input selecting an information item including at least one of an identifier of the second item or a price of the second item, the information item to be included in the second purchase record.

25. The system of claim 19, wherein updating the tab data structure comprises:

receiving, by the server and from the merchant device, an updated tab data structure, wherein the second purchase record is added to the updated tab data structure by the merchant device, and

replacing, at the server, the tab data structure with the updated tab data structure.

26. The system of claim 19, wherein the first purchase record includes a price of the first item and the second purchase record includes a price of the second item, and wherein the aggregation of the first purchase record and the second purchase record includes a sum of the price of the first item and the price of the second item, and wherein sending the aggregation of the first purchase record and the second purchase record from the server to the financial service server comprises sending at least the sum to the financial service server.

27. The system of claim 19, the operations further comprising:

sending a unified bill from the server to the customer device, the unified bill identifying the first item and the second item, the unified bill also listing a sum of a price of the first item and a price of the second item.