Patents by Inventor Bruce A. Bell
Bruce A. Bell has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Publication number: 20240037526Abstract: Systems and methods for processing multiple point-of-sale (POS) transactions include receiving, at a first window of a user interface, a first input of payment information associated with a first item of a first POS transaction and presenting, at a second window of the user interface, a status of the first POS transaction. The POS system then may receive, at the first window and concurrently with presentation of the status at the second window, a second input associated with a second POS transaction, where the first window is associated with the second transaction and the second window is associated with the first transaction. The POS system may receive a notification of a confirmed payment of the second POS transaction prior to a resolution of the first POS transaction.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 11, 2023Publication date: February 1, 2024Inventors: Bruce Bell, Gerard Thomas Knight, Jared Travis Marr
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Patent number: 11880818Abstract: Techniques and arrangements of a point-of-sale (POS) system including a transaction interface control mechanism configured to prevent simultaneous input by a merchant and a customer during a transaction. The POS system can include a merchant user interface (UI) presented on a merchant-facing display and a customer UI presented on a customer-facing display. In some instances, the merchant UI can be on a display of a merchant device, while the customer UI can be on a display of a customer device. In such instances, the merchant device and the customer device can be operably connected via a wired or wireless connection.Type: GrantFiled: December 9, 2019Date of Patent: January 23, 2024Assignee: Block, Inc.Inventors: Bruce Bell, Alexey Kalinichenko, Logan Johnson, Nicholas Dower, Raymond Ryan
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Publication number: 20230351409Abstract: A service provider that provides a plurality of merchant services can obtain first merchant information associated with a plurality of merchants registered with the service provider. The service provider can obtain intent data associated with the merchants indicating merchant service(s) that individual merchants of the plurality of merchants use or indicated interest in using during onboarding with the service provider. A machine learning model can be trained using the first merchant information and the intent data. The service provider can receive an indication that a potential merchant has initiated an onboarding process with the service provider. The service provider can determine second merchant information associated with the potential merchant and, based at least in part on the second merchant information and the machine learning model, can determine merchant service(s) of the service provider that the potential merchant is predicted to intend to use.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 10, 2023Publication date: November 2, 2023Inventors: Katherine Brennan, Bruce Bell, Brian Stegall, Matthew O'Connor, Timothy Donnelly, Jared Travis Marr, Christopher Cosgrove, Edward Ruder, Allyson Schrader
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Publication number: 20230325802Abstract: A merchant terminal or a customer terminal receives first input(s) associated with a first POS transaction with a first customer. Based on the first input(s), it is determined that the first POS transaction is in a first item-input portion and so the merchant terminal is designated as a state control terminal for the first POS transaction. Based on a trigger event occurring for the first POS transaction, it is determined that the first POS transaction is in a payment-input portion, and the customer terminal is designated as the state control terminal. Second input(s) associated with a second POS transaction with a second customer are received prior to receiving payment input to the first POS transaction and while the customer terminal is the state control terminal for the first POS transaction. Based on the second input(s), it is determined that that the second POS transaction is in a second-transaction item-input portion.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 5, 2023Publication date: October 12, 2023Inventors: Koun Han, Nicholas Dower, Raymond Ryan, Bruce Bell, Jared Travis Marr, Alexey Kalinichenko, Tien Nguyen
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Publication number: 20230306398Abstract: This disclosure describes an enhanced user interface. For instance, a system may present a user interface indicating a first layout of a physical establishment and receive a first input indicating an object is located at a first geographic location within the physical establishment. The system may receive a recommended location corresponding to a second geographic location within the physical establishment and present the indication of the recommended location for the object on the user interface indicating the first layout. The system may receive image data associated with the physical establishment and determine based at least in part on analyzing the image data that the object is located at the second geographic location within the physical establishment. The system may further display a second layout of the physical establishment, where the second layout includes an indication of the object at the second geographic location within the physical establishment.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 19, 2023Publication date: September 28, 2023Inventors: Bruce Bell, Brian Partridge, Ghassan Abu-Ghaida, Amar Dhingra, Alfred Bautista, Kevin Yien
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Patent number: 11741528Abstract: An e-commerce service is configured to interface between merchants and vendors so that a merchant can purchase from vendors without having to communicate directly with the vendors. A recommendation service is also provided to provide recommendations to merchants regarding which of multiple available vendors to use for any given product. The recommendation service bases its recommendations on historical order data that has been archived by the e-commerce service, as well as on known or derived merchant properties. The recommendation service may also recommend rates at which an item should be ordered, based on ordering rates of other merchants.Type: GrantFiled: January 15, 2019Date of Patent: August 29, 2023Assignee: Block, Inc.Inventors: Niels Gjertson, Kevin Yien, Bruce Bell
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Publication number: 20230259978Abstract: Technology is disclosed for facilitating and processing cross-merchant promotions. In examples, the disclosed technology comprises identifying a first merchant and a second merchant as complementary merchants based at least in part on first transaction data associated with a plurality of merchants; generating a recommendation for the first and second merchants to participate in a cross-merchant promotion; receiving an indication that the first merchant and the second merchant intend to participate in the cross-merchant promotion; receiving second transaction data for a second transaction of the first merchant; applying the cross-merchant promotion to the second transaction based at least in part on a payment card number offered for payment in the second transaction; processing payment for the second transaction based at least in part on the cross-merchant promotion; and apportioning the payment between the first and second merchant according to an agreement between them.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 28, 2023Publication date: August 17, 2023Inventors: Zachary Brock, John Ryan Crepezzi, Bruce Bell
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Patent number: 11727378Abstract: A point-of-sale system for concurrently processing multiple point of sale transactions, each point of sale transaction including an item input portion and a payment portion of the transaction, each portion performed in series. The point-of-sale system comprises a customer facing terminal and a merchant facing terminal. The system can comprise a plurality of customer facing terminals and can be portable. The customer facing terminal is configured to receive an input of payment information for a first point of sale transaction during a payment portion of the first point of sale transaction. The merchant facing terminal is configured to receive an input of an item selection for a second point of sale transaction during an item input portion of the second point of sale transaction and during the payment portion of the first point of sale transaction.Type: GrantFiled: July 8, 2020Date of Patent: August 15, 2023Assignee: Block, Inc.Inventors: Bruce Bell, Gerard Thomas Knight, Jared Travis Marr
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Patent number: 11720905Abstract: Intelligent merchant onboarding is described. A service provider can determine first directive(s) that were presented to one or more first potential merchants that completed an onboarding process with the service provider and second directive(s) that were presented to one or more second potential merchants that did not complete the onboarding process. The service provider can train a data model based at least partly on the first directive(s) or the second directive(s), Based at least partly on receiving an indication that a potential merchant initiates the onboarding process, the service provider can determine information associated with the potential merchant. Based at least partly on the data model and the information, the service provider can intelligently determine an order that one or more directives are to be presented to the potential merchant such that a first directive of the first directive(s) is presented prior to a second directive of the second directive(s).Type: GrantFiled: May 26, 2022Date of Patent: August 8, 2023Assignee: Block, Inc.Inventors: Katherine Brennan, Bruce Bell, Brian Stegall, Matthew O'Connor, Timothy Donnelly, Jared Travis Marr, Christopher Cosgrove, Edward Ruder, Allyson Schrader
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Patent number: 11681994Abstract: A point of sale system includes a merchant terminal and a customer terminal. The merchant terminal is configured to display a user interface (UI) window on the merchant terminal. The UI window on the merchant terminal displays a merchant-specific version of a screen displayed on the customer terminal. The merchant terminal receives updates from the customer terminal regarding the status of the payment portion for a transaction. The merchant terminal can provide an input to the UI window which is sent as a message to the customer terminal. Control of state for the point of sale system is shared such that when the system is in a first state, the merchant terminal is the state control terminal, and when the point of sale system is in a second state, the customer terminal is the state control terminal and has control of state for the system.Type: GrantFiled: September 29, 2017Date of Patent: June 20, 2023Assignee: Block, Inc.Inventors: Koun Han, Nicholas Dower, Raymond Ryan, Bruce Bell, Jared Travis Marr, Alexey Kalinichenko, Tien Nguyen
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Patent number: 11663570Abstract: This disclosure describes an enhanced user interface. For instance, a system may present a user interface indicating a first layout of a physical establishment and receive a first input indicating an object is located at a first geographic location within the physical establishment. The system may receive a recommended location corresponding to a second geographic location within the physical establishment and present the indication of the recommended location for the object on the user interface indicating the first layout. The system may receive image data associated with the physical establishment and determine based at least in part on analyzing the image data that the object is located at the second geographic location within the physical establishment. The system may further display a second layout of the physical establishment, where the second layout includes an indication of the object at the second geographic location within the physical establishment.Type: GrantFiled: December 30, 2019Date of Patent: May 30, 2023Assignee: Block, Inc.Inventors: Bruce Bell, Brian Partridge, Ghassan Abu-Ghaida, Amar Dhingra, Alfred Bautista, Kevin Yien
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Patent number: 11640624Abstract: Technology is disclosed for facilitating and processing cross-merchant promotions. In examples, the disclosed technology comprises processing transaction data for a first merchant and a second merchant that includes identifiers for merchant, customer, location, and item; generating a recommendation for the merchants to participate in a cross-merchant promotion based on a determination that they are complementary; facilitating a notification of the promotion to customers; receiving transaction data for another transaction of the first merchant; applying the promotion to the transaction based on a customer transaction history of the customer; processing payment for the transaction; apportioning the payment to the first and second merchant according to an agreement between them; and presenting a notification of application of the promotion on a merchant device.Type: GrantFiled: May 29, 2020Date of Patent: May 2, 2023Assignee: Block, Inc.Inventors: Zachary Brock, John Ryan Crepezzi, Bruce Bell
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Publication number: 20230105132Abstract: In some examples, a system and method for pairing a payment object reader with a point-of-sale (POS) terminal is described herein. The payment object reader includes one or more light indicators configured to display information in an optical pattern of one or more colors, brightness, lightness, and intensities, wherein the light indicators display a first optical pattern representative of an operational status of the payment object reader in a first mode, and a second optical pattern representative of a pairing code in a second mode. A display control component, executed by a processor, is configured to control the light indicators in accordance with the pairing code to generate the second optical pattern, the second optical pattern when shared with the POS terminal enables pairing between the payment object reader and the POS terminal. When paired, the payment object reader allows the POS terminal to accept payments from a customer.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 19, 2022Publication date: April 6, 2023Inventors: Michael Wells White, Andrew John Leiserson, Afshin Rezayee, Bruce Bell, Malcolm Smith, Sergei Mosends
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Publication number: 20220398600Abstract: Intelligent merchant onboarding is described. A service provider can determine first directive(s) that were presented to one or more first potential merchants that completed an onboarding process with the service provider and second directive(s) that were presented to one or more second potential merchants that did not complete the onboarding process. The service provider can train a data model based at least partly on the first directive(s) or the second directive(s), Based at least partly on receiving an indication that a potential merchant initiates the onboarding process, the service provider can determine information associated with the potential merchant. Based at least partly on the data model and the information, the service provider can intelligently determine an order that one or more directives are to be presented to the potential merchant such that a first directive of the first directive(s) is presented prior to a second directive of the second directive(s).Type: ApplicationFiled: May 26, 2022Publication date: December 15, 2022Inventors: Katherine Brennan, Bruce Bell, Brian Stegall, Matthew O'Connor, Timothy Donnelly, Jared Travis Marr, Christopher Cosgrove, Edward Ruder, Allyson Schrader
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Patent number: 11481750Abstract: In some examples, a system and method for pairing a payment object reader with a point-of-sale (POS) terminal is described herein. The payment object reader includes one or more light indicators configured to display information in an optical pattern of one or more colors, brightness, lightness, and intensities, wherein the light indicators display a first optical pattern representative of an operational status of the payment object reader in a first mode, and a second optical pattern representative of a pairing code in a second mode. A display control component, executed by a processor, is configured to control the light indicators in accordance with the pairing code to generate the second optical pattern, the second optical pattern when shared with the POS terminal enables pairing between the payment object reader and the POS terminal. When paired, the payment object reader allows the POS terminal to accept payments from a customer.Type: GrantFiled: September 15, 2015Date of Patent: October 25, 2022Assignee: Block, Inc.Inventors: Michael Wells White, Afshin Rezayee, Bruce Bell, Malcolm Smith, Sergei Mosends, Andrew John Leiserson
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Publication number: 20220224309Abstract: Techniques and arrangements for integrating predefined templates with open ticket functionality. For instance, a merchant device can identify a type of transaction between a merchant and a customer, select a ticket type for the transaction based on the type of transaction, and select a transaction flow based on the ticket type. The merchant device can then generate an open ticket for the transaction based on the ticket type, and associated transaction flow with the open ticket. Additionally, the merchant device can generate a visual representation of data associated with the open ticket, where a layout of the data within the visual representation is based on the type of transaction and the transaction flow, and present the visual representation to the merchant. In some examples, the type of transaction is identified using received input. In some examples, the type of transaction is identified based on a group associated with the customer.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 24, 2022Publication date: July 14, 2022Inventors: Adam Abrons, Bruce Bell, Mathew Wilson, William Rocklin
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Patent number: 11348119Abstract: Intelligent merchant onboarding is described. A service provider can determine first directive(s) that were presented to one or more first potential merchants that completed an onboarding process with the service provider and second directive(s) that were presented to one or more second potential merchants that did not complete the onboarding process. The service provider can train a data model based at least partly on the first directive(s) or the second directive(s). Based at least partly on receiving an indication that a potential merchant initiates the onboarding process, the service provider can determine information associated with the potential merchant. Based at least partly on the data model and the information, the service provider can intelligently determine an order that one or more directives are to be presented to the potential merchant such that a first directive of the first directive(s) is presented prior to a second directive of the second directive(s).Type: GrantFiled: October 18, 2017Date of Patent: May 31, 2022Assignee: Block, Inc.Inventors: Katherine Brennan, Bruce Bell, Brian Stegall, Matthew O'Connor, Timothy Donnelly, Jared Travis Marr, Christopher Cosgrove, Edward Ruder, Allyson Schrader
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Patent number: 11295371Abstract: Techniques and arrangements for integrating predefined templates with open ticket functionality. For instance, a merchant device can identify a type of transaction between a merchant and a customer, select a ticket type for the transaction based on the type of transaction, and select a transaction flow based on the ticket type. The merchant device can then generate an open ticket for the transaction based on the ticket type, and associated transaction flow with the open ticket. Additionally, the merchant device can generate a visual representation of data associated with the open ticket, where a layout of the data within the visual representation is based on the type of transaction and the transaction flow, and present the visual representation to the merchant. In some examples, the type of transaction is identified using received input. In some examples, the type of transaction is identified based on a group associated with the customer.Type: GrantFiled: March 2, 2020Date of Patent: April 5, 2022Assignee: Block, Inc.Inventors: Adam Abrons, Bruce Bell, Mathew Wilson, William Rocklin
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Publication number: 20220051206Abstract: Described herein is a centralized order computing system that is configured to receive orders from a plurality of sources. The plurality of sources can include delivery applications, remote customer computing devices, and/or service computing devices associated with a merchant. The centralized order computing system may be configured to receive a plurality of orders from the plurality of sources, send the plurality of orders to a kitchen computing system associated with the merchant, receive a notification of order completion, and process the order.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 7, 2021Publication date: February 17, 2022Inventors: Bruce Bell, James Lintern, Brian Partridge, Ghassan Abu-Ghaida, Matthew T. Kursmark, Logan Johnson
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Patent number: 11182762Abstract: Techniques and arrangements for facilitating synchronization of open ticket functionality utilized by point-of-sale (POS) devices with kitchen display systems. In some example, a POS device associated with a merchant receives customer orders associated with transaction between the merchant and customer(s). The customer orders originate both from user input to the POS device and from an application(s) executing on a separate device. The POS sends the customer orders to a kitchen display system (KDS) associated with the merchant. The KDS aggregates the orders and, responsive to the aggregating, causes presentation of the orders.Type: GrantFiled: April 12, 2019Date of Patent: November 23, 2021Assignee: Square, Inc.Inventors: Bruce Bell, Nelson Crespo, Mathew Wilson, William Rocklin