System and Method for Location-Based Transactions

Abstract

A system and method for using at least location information to facilitate a transaction is provided. In one embodiment of the present invention, a mobile application operating on a mobile device is used to determine a location of the mobile device. Location information is then provided to a host device, where it is used to identify a second party (e.g., a store at the location, etc.). Information on the second party (e.g., store name, etc.) and acts of commerce (e.g., goods and services) offered by the second party is then provided to the mobile application. A first party can then interact with the mobile application to select or confirm an act of commerce that they would like to purchase. The host device then charges a payment method linked to the first party's account, and receipts of the purchase are provided to the mobile application and a merchant device.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/688,297, filed Aug. 28, 2017, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/410,544, filed Jan. 19, 2017, which applications are specifically incorporated herein, in their entirety, by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to use of location information, along with other data, to carry out a transaction, and more particularly to an application operating on a mobile device, the application being configured to acquire a location of the mobile device and to use the acquired location, along with other data (e.g., authenticating data, time, etc.) to perform a transaction.

Description of Related Art

Mobile devices, such as smartphones, are becoming more and more a part of our everyday lives. For years, there has been talk of a “digital wallet,” where a person's mobile device replaces their wallet, and can be used to pay for goods and services. Over the past several years, this talk has become a reality with services such as Apple Pay™. Apple Pay™ uses near field communication (NFC) technology to facilitate a transaction between a person's smartphone and a merchant's point-of-sale (POS) device. However, as shown in FIG. 1, in order for this transaction to take place, both the smartphone 300 and the POS device 400 must include NFC circuitry (e.g., 302, 402). NFC is a set of communication protocols that enable two electronic devices in close proximity (i.e., within four centimeters) to communicate with each other. The NFC standard is based on existing radio-frequency identification (RFID) standards, and involves electromagnetic induction between two loop antennas.

While NFC technology can be used to facilitate a transaction, it has several drawbacks. First, NFC circuitry must be included in the mobile device, such as the smart phone. Not only does such circuitry require a certain amount of real estate, but it adds costs to the mobile device; costs that are ultimately born by the consumer. Second, NFC circuitry must also be included in the POS device (e.g., the cash register). Again, not only does such circuitry require a certain amount of real estate, but it adds costs to the POS device; costs that are ultimately passed on to the consumer. And finally, the two devices must be in close proximity (less than four centimeters) in order to function properly.

In an effort to address some of these drawback, Samsung™ launched Samsung Pay™. While Samsung Pay™ supports NFC technology, it also supports Magnetic Secure Transmission (MST) technology. MST technology is technology that emits a magnetic signal that mimics the magnetic strip on a traditional payment card. As shown in FIG. 2, MST circuitry 302′ in the smartphone 300′ sends a magnetic signal to the card reader 402′ of the POS device 400′, emulating the swiping of a physical card. While MST technology has advantages over NFC technology (e.g., it can function with traditional POS devices, which include traditional card readers), it still requires MST circuitry 302′ to be included in the smartphone 300′, increasing the smartphone size and cost, and requires close proximity to the card reader in order to function properly.

Thus, it would be advantageous to develop a mobile solution that overcame as least some of the foregoing drawbacks. For example, it would be beneficial if the mobile device could facilitate a transaction without requiring any additional hardware and/or without having to be in close proximity to (or even requiring) a POS device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a system and method for using at least location information to facilitate a transaction. Preferred embodiments of the present invention include a host device in communication with at least a mobile device (e.g., smartphone, tablet, etc.) via a wide area network (WAN), such as the Internet.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the mobile device downloads a mobile application (e.g., from the host device, a third party, etc.). The mobile application can then be opened and/or logged into. Information provided by the mobile application (e.g., user name, password, biometric data of the user, etc.) can then be used to identify the first party's (user's) account, which is preferably linked to at least one payment method (e.g., credit cart, debit card, PayPal™ account, etc.). The application then provides the host device with location information (e.g., the mobile device's location, information that can be used to determine the mobile device's location, etc.), where it is used to identify a second party (e.g., a particular merchant). This may be accomplished using a second party/location map stored in a database on the host device.

Once the second party is located, information concerning the second party can then be provided to the mobile application, and displayed to the first party (user). The information, which is previously provided by the merchant (e.g., a merchant device), stored in the database on the host device, and linked (directly or indirectly) to the location information, may include the identity of the second party (e.g., merchant's name, address, phone number, logo, etc.), and/or goods/services provided by the second party (e.g., a menu of goods/services provided by the merchant, a particular good/service purchased by the user, etc.). The host device may then continue to communicate with both the mobile device and/or the merchant device until the financial transaction is complete.

By way of example, a user may walk into (or up to) a store and open and/or log into the mobile application. The host device may then use the login information to locate the user's account in the database, which may be linked to at least one payment method. The mobile application may then provide location information to the host device, where it is used to identify the store. Information concerning the store (e.g., name, logo, etc.) may then be provided to the mobile application and displayed to the user. This allows the user to confirm that the correct store has been located. The host device may then provide the user with a menu of goods/services offered at the store. The user can then interact with the menu to place an order for at least one good/service. After the order has been placed and/or acknowledged by the user, the host device may provide the order to the merchant device, charge the user's payment method (e.g., after the order has been acknowledgement by the merchant, etc.), and provide a receipt to the mobile application operating on the mobile device and/or merchant device. The user can then use the receipt to acquire the good/service from the store and/or show proof of purchase before leaving the store.

In another example, the host device may receive an order from the merchant device (e.g., an order that the user placed with a cashier while in the store, etc.). The location information provided by the mobile application is then used to not only identify the store but a pending order. The pending order would be provided to the mobile application. If the user acknowledges the order, then the user's payment method would be charged, and receipts would be provided to the mobile application operating on the mobile device and the merchant device. The receipt would inform the merchant that the user has paid for the pending order.

In yet another example, if there is more than one order pending, the host device could either provide the mobile application with the pending orders, requiring the user to select the order that is theirs, or another method could be used to associate one of the pending orders to the mobile application (or user's account). For example, the merchant could enter a name (or other identifying information) that could be used to identify the proper account, the user could enter identifying information (e.g., order number, etc.) that could be used to identify the proper order, or individual locations within the store could be used to identify individual orders. For example, a location in front of a first cashier could be used to link an account of a user standing at that location to an order placed by the first cashier, etc.

In embodiments of the present invention, the mobile device may include at least one transceiver configured to communicate with the host device (e.g., via the Internet) and to communicate with other devices in order to acquire location information and/or determine a user's location. For example, the transceiver(s) may be configured to communicate with the host device via at least one satellite, at least one cell tower, and/or at least one wireless (Internet) device (e.g., using Bluetooth, WiFi, etc.). The transceiver(s) may also be configured to communicate with these devices to acquire location information (e.g., using GPS, GSM (e.g., multilateration of radio signals between cell towers), WiFi-based positioning, etc.). In an alternate embodiment of the present invention, location information is provided by at least one radio head in a distributed system, as described in the co-pending patent application (Ser. No. 15/154,970), which is incorporated herein by reference.

A critical aspect of the invention is determining the location of the user, or more particularly the user's mobile device. As discussed above, this may be the actual location of the device or a more general location of the device. In one embodiment of the present invention, the system only needs to determine which one of a plurality of parties (e.g., a plurality of stores, etc.) the device is located. If the device is located in a first store, then acts of commerce associated with the first store can be provided to the user. Similarly, if the device is located in a second store, then acts of commerce associated with the second store can be provided to that user.

In another embodiment of the present invention, location of the device is used to determine more than just the store in which the device is located. In this embodiment it is further used to identify where inside the store the device is located. For example, the device could be in front of a first checkout, a second checkout, etc. This embodiment allows multiple pending orders to be linked to the proper user, or mobile application. For example, if the user is standing in front of the first cashier, and the first cashier has just entered an order, then the order can be associated with the user regardless of other orders entered by other cashiers, or other applications operating on other mobile devices within the store.

A more complete understanding of a system and method for using at least location information to facilitate a transaction will be afforded to those skilled in the art, as well as a realization of additional advantages and objects thereof, by a consideration of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment. Reference will be made to the appended sheets of drawings, which will first be described briefly.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts a prior art mobile device communicating with a point of sale (POS) device using near field communication (NFC) technology;

FIG. 2 depicts a prior art mobile device communicating with a point of sale (POS) device using magnetic secure transmission (MST) technology;

FIG. 3 depicts a system that uses at least location information to facilitate a transaction in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, said system comprising at least a host device in communication with a mobile device and a merchant device;

FIG. 4 depicts one embodiment of components included in the mobile device shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 depicts exemplary devices that the mobile device may communicate with in order to acquire location information;

FIG. 6 depicts another device (i.e., radio head) that the mobile device may communicate with in order to acquire location information;

FIG. 7 illustrates how a plurality of radio heads can be used to identify the mobile device's location (e.g., x, y, and/or z).

FIG. 8 depicts a method for using at least location information to facilitate a transaction in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 depicts a method for using a mobile application to facilitate a transaction in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 10a-f depict exemplary screen shots of a mobile application being used to facilitate a transaction in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 illustrates use of the present invention to locate a mobile device within one of a plurality of establishments; and

FIG. 12 illustrates use of the present invention to locate a mobile device within an establishment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Preferred embodiments of the present invention include a host device communicating with at least a mobile device (e.g., smartphone, tablet, etc.) via a wide area network (WAN), such as the Internet. It should be appreciated that while the present invention is described in terms of facilitating a financial transaction (e.g., paying money in exchange for goods and/or services), the present invention is no so limited, and can be used to carry out any type of transaction (e.g., acquire money from an automatic teller machine (ATM), return a digital video disc (DVD) to a DVD drop box, acquire a menu from a restaurant, acquire data on a landmark, acquiring secure data, delivery confirmation of goods, etc.).

FIGS. 1 and 2 depict prior art mobile devices that can be used to facilitate financial transactions, with FIG. 1 using near field communication (NFC) technology and FIG. 2 using magnetic secure transmission (MST) technology. While both of these technologies can be used facilitate a financial transaction, they both have common drawbacks. For example, both technologies require additional circuitry (and additional costs) and close proximity in order to facilitate a transaction.

The present invention addresses these drawbacks by using existing circuitry to facilitate a transaction. In one embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 3, the mobile device 300 can be used to facilitate a transaction by using standard mobile device circuitry to communicate with a host device 10 over a wide area network (WAN) 20, such as the Internet. The host device may also be in communication with at least one merchant device 40, such as a POS device.

It should be appreciated that while FIG. 3 depicts the mobile device 30 as a smartphone, and the merchant device 40 as a desktop computer, the present invention is not so limited. For example, use of any networked device (e.g., desktop computer, laptop computer, tablet, smartphone, network appliance, network POS device, etc.) by either party (customer and/or merchant) is within the spirit and scope of the present invention. It should also be appreciated that the present invention is not limited to a host device 10 that includes the components depicted in FIG. 3. For example, a host device that includes fewer, additional, and/or different components is within the spirit and scope of the present invention.

In one embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 3, the mobile device 30 downloads a mobile application (not shown) (e.g., from the host device, a third party, etc.). The mobile application, operating on the mobile device 30, can then be opened and/or logged into, where it will communicate with the host device 10 (e.g., via the web server 12 and the WAN 20). Information provided by the mobile application and stored in the database 16 (e.g., user name, password, biometric data of the user, etc.) can then be used to identify the first party's (user's) account, which is preferably linked to at least one payment method (e.g., credit cart, debit card, PayPal™ account, etc.). Location information (e.g., the mobile device's location, information that can be used to determine the mobile device's location, etc.) may be received from the mobile application and used (e.g., by the application 14) to identify a second party (e.g., a particular merchant). This may be accomplished using a second party/location map stored in the database 16. Once the second party is located, information concerning the second party can then be provided to the mobile application operating on the mobile device 30, and displayed to the first party (user). The information, which is preferably provided by the merchant device 40, stored in the database 16, and linked (directly or indirectly) to the location information, may include the identity of the second party (e.g., merchant's name, address, phone number, logo, etc.), and/or goods/services provided by the second party (e.g., a menu of goods/services provided by the merchant, a particular good/service purchased by the user, etc.). The host device 10 (or application 14 operating thereon) may then continue to communicate with the both the mobile device 30 and/or the merchant device 40 until the financial transaction is complete. Examples of how the invention may be used to facilitate a transaction will now be provided.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a user may walk into (or up to) a store and open and/or log into the mobile application. The host device 10 may then use the login information to locate the user's account in the database 16, which may be linked to at least one payment method. The mobile application may then provide location information to the host device 10, where it is used to identify the store in the database 16. Information concerning the store (e.g., name, logo, etc.) may then be provided to the mobile application and displayed to the user. This allows the user to confirm that the correct store has been located.

In a first example, the application 14 may then provide the user with a menu of goods/services offered at the store. The user can then interact with the menu to place an order for at least one good/service. After the order has been placed and/or acknowledged by the user, the application 14 may provide the order to the merchant device 40, charge the user's payment method (e.g., after the order has been acknowledgement by the merchant, etc.), and provide a receipt to the mobile application operating on the mobile device 30 and/or merchant device 40. The user can then use the receipt to acquire the good/service from the store and/or show proof of purchase before leaving the store.

In a second example, the application 14 may receive an order from the merchant device 40 (e.g., an order that the user placed with a cashier while in the store, etc.). The location information provided by the mobile application is then used to not only identify the store but a pending order. The pending order would be provided to the mobile application. If the user acknowledges the order, then the user's payment method would be charged, and receipts would be provided to the mobile application operating on the mobile device 30 and the merchant device 40. The receipt would inform the merchant that the user has paid for the pending order, and can now provide the user with the corresponding good/service.

In the second example, if there is more than one order pending, the host device could either provide the mobile application with the pending orders, requiring the user to select the order that is theirs, or another method could be used to associate one of the pending orders to the user's account. For example, the merchant could enter a name (or other identifying information) that could be used to identify the proper account, the user could enter identifying information (e.g., order number, etc.) that could be used to identify the proper order, or individual locations within the store could be used to identify individual orders. For example, a location in front of a first cashier could be used to link an account of a user standing at that location to an order placed by the first cashier, a location in front of a second cashier could be used to link an account of a user standing at that location to an order placed with by the second cashier, etc.

It should be appreciated that other information may be used in conjunction with location information to identify a particular merchant and/or pending order. For example, to identify a pending order, time or a time period (e.g., a fifteen second window, etc.) may be used along with location information. In other words, an order that was placed within fifteen seconds of a request to pay by the mobile application is more likely the correct order than an order that was placed five minutes ago. It should also be appreciated that location information may include information previously acquired (e.g., before the user enters the store). This would allow the present invention to operate when the mobile device is unable to acquire location information at the time a purchase is being made/confirmed. It should further be appreciated, as discussed above, that the present invention is not limited to facilitating financial transactions at a store. For example, the present invention could be used to acquire money from an ATM (e.g., while standing in front of the ATM, using a soft keypad on the mobile device to request funds), order a movie in a hotel room (e.g., while sitting in the hotel room), acquiring a listing of businesses within a high-rise building (e.g., while standing in the lobby of the building), acquire information about the Statue of Liberty (e.g., while standing in Battery Park), etc.

FIG. 4 illustrates components that may be included in the mobile device, such as a display 32, processor 34, memory 36, input 38, and transceiver(s) 50. In one embodiment of the present invention, the memory 36 may be configured to store a mobile application (e.g., downloaded from the host device, a third party, etc.), and the transceiver(s) may be configured to communicate with the host device via the WAN and to communicate with other devices in order to acquire location information and/or determine a user's location. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the transceiver(s) 50 may be configured to communicate with the host device via at least one satellite 52, at least one cell tower 54, and/or at least one wireless (Internet) device (e.g., using Bluetooth, WiFi, etc.). The transceiver(s) 50 may also be configured to communicate with these devices to acquire location information (e.g., using GPS, GSM (e.g., multilateration of radio signals between cell towers), WiFi-based positioning, etc.). It should be appreciated that the term location information, as used herein, may be the actual location of the device (e.g., x, y, and/or z coordinates), an estimated or approximate location of the device, or information that can be used to acquire or estimate the location (or approximate location) of the device. It should also be appreciated that the present invention is not limited to any particular method for determining location, and all methods generally known to those skilled in the art are within the spirit and scope of the present invention.

For example, in one embodiment of the present invention, the mobile device may acquire location information from a network device, such as radio head. Such a system is disclosed in co-pending patent application entitled “Multi-Standard in Building Mobile Radio Access Network,” filed on May 14, 2016 (Ser. No. 15/154,970), the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. In particular, the disclosure of how a plurality of radio heads, located throughout a building can be used to provide location information on a mobile device is incorporated herein by reference.

Such a system is shown in FIG. 6, where a distributed system is used to determine a location of a mobile device. Such a system includes at least one mobile device 30 and at least one centralized device (e.g., interface gateway 106 and/or radio head 102d) in communication with a plurality of radio heads (e.g., 102a, 102b, 102c). The centralized device may be configured to recognize when the mobile device 30 has entered a particular service area (e.g., entered a particular building). As the mobile device 30 moves around the service area (e.g., from floor to floor of the building), the mobile device may communicate with different radio heads (e.g., 102a, 102b, 102c). It is during this communication that the radio head can inform the mobile device 30 and/or the centralized device (e.g., interface gateway 106 and/or radio head 102d) of the mobile device's location (e.g., x, y, and/or z coordinates). The mobile device's location can then be provided to the host by the mobile device (as previously discussed), or by the centralized device (via a separate communicate with the host device or by intercepting and modifying the mobile device's communication with the host device).

As shown in FIG. 7, radio heads can use received power to determine the location of a mobile device. The received power level from a particular mobile device is measured by a plurality of radio heads 102. Since the absolute transmitted power by the mobile device is unknown, the relative received signal strength at the radio heads are compared and the location of the mobile device can be estimated based on the relative distances from the radio heads. In another embodiment, a time of arrival approach can be used (either alone or in addition a received power approach) to locate the position of the mobile device. In this layout, radio heads 102 will look for a special signal or signal feature and create a timestamp of the signal feature arrival. Using the travel time of signals traveling through air at approximately 1 ns/ft over a distance between the device and the radio head 906, the relative position of the mobile device is determined. With respect to each radio head, its position could be programmed during installation for maximum accuracy, but the techniques described above, namely based on power measurement and time-of-arrival measurement, can also be applied for the radio heads to determine their own relative positions. In yet another embodiment (described in further detail in the co-pending application), sensors can be used to monitor the transmission from the radio head(s) 102. This extra capability would allow the location measurements to remain accurate even if the radio heads are moved from the manually entered positions at installation.

It should be noted that the location information provided by the radio heads not only give latitude and longitude coordinates for each mobile device, but also floor information, allowing a user to be even more precisely located by including information about their altitude. This information is particularly useful when facilitating a transaction in a multi-floor structure. As discussed above, the location information could be conveyed from the mobile device to the host, directly, or from the centralized device (e.g., interface gateway 106 and/or radio head 102d) to the host device. In other words, the centralized device (or a portion thereof) could be used to provide location information to the host device, similar to how 911 communications are described in the application incorporated by reference. This can be done by either a separate communication or by intercepting and modifying the mobile device's communication. Once the host has the location information, it can function as previously discussed (i.e., with the merchant and mobile devices).

One method of using location information to facilitate a transaction is depicted in FIG. 8. Starting at step 800, login information is received at step 802. Login information may include user name and password, or more secure information such as biometric data of the first party (e.g., data on the user's fingerprints, iris, retina, facial features, etc.). Login information may also include a unique key, or a key unique to the mobile application and/or mobile device. The key could be either communicated or used to encode/decode and/or encrypt/decrypt communications between the mobile application and the host device. Once received, the login information can be used to locate the first party's account. The first party's account is an account that is linked to the mobile application, the mobile device, and/or at least one payment method (e.g., the user's credit card, debit card, etc.). The location of the mobile device is then determined at step 804. Location can be determined by the mobile application, by the host device based on information provided by the mobile application, or by information provided by a third party (e.g., the centralized device in a distributed system, etc.). Once determined, location is then used to identify a second party (e.g., a merchant, a store, etc.) at step 806. This may be accomplished using a second party/location map stored on the host device.

At step 808, a determination is made as to whether the second party is linked to a pending act of commerce (e.g., a pending order for goods and/or services). Pending acts of commerce are generally orders for goods/services that may or may not be linked to time or a time period (e.g., within a thirty second window, etc.). If the answer is “yes,” then a determination is made at step 810 on whether there is more than one order pending. If the answer is “no,” then the first party's account, or payment method linked thereto, is charged for the order at step 816. A receipt is then provided to the mobile application and/or the merchant device at step 818 ending the method at step at 820.

If at step 808, the answer is “no,” then a menu of available acts of commerce (e.g., goods and/or services provided by the second party) are provided to the mobile application at step 814. The first party (user) can then select a particular act of commerce that the user would like to purchase at step 812, and the first party's account (or payment method linked thereto) is charged at step 816. A receipt is then provided to the mobile application and/or merchant device at step 818, ending the method at step 820.

If at step 810, the answer is “yes,” then the first party (user) may select their order at step 812. Alternatively, the host may select the correct order by associating data received from the merchant device and/or the mobile application (e.g., user name, order number, specific location (e.g., cash register one), time period, etc.) with a particular order. The first party's account (or payment method linked thereto) is then charged for the selected/identified order at step 816. A receipt is then provided to the mobile application and/or merchant device at step 818, ending the method at step 820.

It should be appreciated that the present invention is not limited to the steps illustrated in FIG. 8, and fewer, additional, or different steps are within the spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, if only the first party is allowed to place an order (e.g., via the application), then steps 808 and 810 may be deleted, with step 814 being located between steps 806 and 812. By way of another example, if only the second party is allowed to place an order (e.g., via the merchant device), then step 814 may be deleted. By way of yet another example, before charging the first party's account (or payment method linked thereto), the first party may be required to acknowledge the order before their account is charged. It should also be appreciated that the present invention is not limited to the steps being performed in the order illustrated in FIG. 8. For example, the mobile application could determine the device's location before login information is received.

One method of using a mobile application to facilitate a transaction is depicted in FIG. 9. Starting at step 900, the application is open at step 900. The first party (user) may then enter login information at step 904. As discussed above, the login information may include user name, password, biometric data, etc., and may further require the use of a unique key. At step 906, the first party (user) would be provided with information associated with the location. This may include data on the second party (e.g., store name, logo, etc.) and/or data on acts of commerce (goods and/or services) provided by the second party. By providing data on the second party, the user can confirm that the application is functioning properly (e.g., the store identified is the one that they are in, etc.). Data on the acts of commerce can either be a menu of available goods and/or services and/or at least one pending order. At steps 908 a determination is made as to whether multiple acts of commerce are provided (e.g., a menu of goods and/or services, multiple pending orders, etc.) or whether a single act of commerce is provided (e.g., only one good or service is available, only one pending order, etc.). if the answer is “yes,” then the first party (or in an alternate embodiment, the host) must select one act of commerce at step 910. if the answer is “no,” then no selection is necessary. At step 912, the single act of commerce (as provided or selected) is acknowledged. If the act (or order) is not acknowledged, then the method stops at step 916. However, if the act (or order) is acknowledged, then the first party's account (or payment method linked thereto) is charged at step 914, ending the method at step 916.

It should be appreciated that the present invention is not limited to the steps illustrated in FIG. 9, and fewer, additional, or different steps are within the spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, a receipt or proof of purchase may be provided to the mobile application and/or merchant device after step 914. By way of another example, the user may need to select an option (e.g., “pay now,” etc.) to trigger matching the location with a particular act of commerce. This may be performed before, after or during step 906 and would allow the system to more closely synch the placing of an order (e.g., by a cashier) and a request for payment (e.g., by the user). It should also be appreciated that the present invention is not limited to the steps being performed in the order illustrated in FIG. 8.

FIGS. 10a-10f depict exemplary screen shots of a mobile application being used to facilitate a transaction. For example, as shown in FIG. 10a, a Key2Mobile™ (or other owner of the mobile application) login screen may be provided to the first party. In this example, the first party enters a user name and password. However, other verifying information may be provided or used including biometric data (e.g., fingerprint, iris, retina, facial features, etc.), a unique key (which may be entered or stored on the mobile device and used to either uniquely identify the mobile application and/or or to encode/decode and/or encrypt/decrypt communications between the mobile application and the host device), etc. Once the first party logs into the application, the application may determine a location for the mobile device, which may be the actual location, or an approximate (or estimated) location, and may be acquired using one or more known techniques (e.g., using communications with at least one cell tower, satellite, radio head, etc.).

Once the location has been determined, it can be used (either alone or together with other information, such as time, etc.) to identify a second party, such as a merchant or an entity associated with the location. Once the second party is identified, it can be provided to the user via the application (see, e.g., FIG. 10c, “CompanyName” with logo). The user can also be provided with options associated with the second party. In one embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 10c, this may include high-level options that can be facilitated by the mobile application. For example, assume a user walks into a cellular telephone store. If he/she is there to upgrade their cellular telephone, he/she may select the “perform action” 1010 option, which may include the sub-category “upgrade cellular telephone” (not shown). The host device would then notify the store of this request for assistance. If the user is there to pay his/her cellular telephone bill, the user could select the “make payment” 1008 option. The host could then use information stored in the database or information entered by the user (e.g., the user's telephone or account number) to make a payment. If the user is there to make a purchase, he/she may select the “make purchase” option. The user may then be provided with at least one act of commerce that the second party offers, depending on how the system, application, and/or second party is configured. If there is a pending order for the user (e.g., if the user just placed an order with a cashier), then a single act of commerce may be provided to the user. Otherwise, the user may be provided with a menu of acts of commerce offered by the second party. This is shown in FIG. 10d, where the user can select from “item number 1” 1012, “item number 2” 1014, and “item number 3” 1016.

The “selected item” 1018 may then be provided to the user, along with an “acknowledge purchase” 1020 option (see FIG. 10e). If the user acknowledges the purchase, the host device will be notified, the payment method linked to the user's account will be charged, and a proof of purchase (e.g., receipt) will be provided to the user and/or merchant, thereby completing the financial transaction (see FIG. 10f). It should be appreciated that the present invention is not limited to the screen shots depicted in FIG. 10a-f, and the screen shots are merely exemplary. Depending on (i) how the system is configured, (ii) the information available to the host on the second party, and (ii) options selected by the first party, will dictate the type of information provided to the user and/or merchant and the order in which the information is provided.

A critical aspect of the invention is determining the location of the user, or more particularly the user's mobile device. As discussed above, this may be the actual location of the device or a more general location of the device. In one embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 11, the system only needs to determine which second party (e.g., store, etc.) the device is located. If the device is located in the shop 1102, then acts of commerce associated with that second party can be provided to the user. Similarly, if the device is located in the supermarket 1104, then acts of commerce associated with that second party can be provided to that user. The same holds true for the shops 1106 and 1108.

In another embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 12, location of the device is used to determine more than just the second party. In this embodiment it is used to identify where inside the second party the device is located. For example, the device could be in front of a first checkout 1202, a second checkout 1204, or a third checkout 1206. This embodiment allows multiple pending orders to be linked to the proper user, or mobile application operating on a mobile device. For example, if the user is standing in front of the first checkout 1202, and the cashier at the first checkout just entered an order, then that order can be associated with the user regardless of other orders entered by the second or third checkout 1204, 1206, or other applications operating on other mobile devices.

While specific embodiments have be provided for using at least location information to facilitate a transaction, the present invention is not so limited. For example, as discussed above, the present invention could be used to access secure information (e.g., from a database on a host device (see, e.g., FIG. 3 at 10 and 16), from a second computer via a host device (see, e.g., FIG. 3 at 10 and 40), etc.). For example, a user may be allowed to access, or be provided with, secure information if the user is in possession of, or using, a verified (mobile) computing device and verified login, biometric, and/or location data is provided/acquired. In other words, a remote computing device (e.g., host device, second computing device, etc.) may be configured to provide secure information to a particular (mobile) device (e.g., one that is running a particular (mobile) application, one that has at least one unique key (e.g., for encoding, decoding, encrypting, decrypting, etc.), etc.) only if the remote device receive proper login data (e.g., user name, password, etc.), proper biometric data (e.g., biometric data (e.g., fingerprint data, iris data, etc.) corresponding to the user, etc.), and/or proper location data (e.g., confirming that the (mobile) computing device is at a proper or authorized location). For example, a host device for a law firm may only allow devices that are located within the law firm to access confidential, sensitive, and/or privileged information.

By way of another example, the present invention could be used for delivery confirmation of goods. For example, a delivery person (or drone, robot, etc.) may only leave goods with an individual if the individual is using a particular (mobile) device (e.g., one that is running a particular (mobile) application, one that has at least one unique key, etc.) and the host device receives/confirms proper login, biometric, and/or location data. If the host device confirms that the password and/or biometric data matches the individual (e.g., user name, etc.), and/or the location of the (mobile) device matches the order (e.g., corresponding to the goods), then delivery confirmation is provided. This may be accomplished by providing a receipt (e.g., barcode, etc.) to the individual's (mobile) device, which can be presented to (and scanned by) the delivery person (or drone, robot, etc.) for delivery confirmation. It should be appreciated that while location data may be used to facilitate a transaction, it may also (or instead) be used by the delivery person, drone, robot, etc. to locate the individual or to where the goods should be delivered. In another embodiment, a receipt may also (or instead) be provided to a mobile device carried by the delivery person. If the goods are electronic in nature, delivery confirmation may also (or instead) be provided to the goods, where delivery confirmation results in at least one function being performed. For example, in the case of a vehicle, the vehicle may require delivery confirmation before it allows entry and/or operates properly. By way of another example, in the case of a computing device (laptop, smartphone, etc.), the device may require delivery confirmation before it operates properly.

Having thus described several embodiments of a system and method for using at least location information to facilitate a transaction, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that certain advantages of the system and method have been achieved. It should also be appreciated that various modifications, adaptations, and alternative embodiments thereof may be made within the scope and spirit of the present invention. The invention is solely defined by the following claims.

Claims

1. A method for using at least location information to facilitate a transaction between a first party and a second party, comprising:

opening an application on a mobile device, said application being in communication with a host device via a wide area network (WAN);

receiving login information from said first party, said login information being used to identify an account for said first party, said account being linked to at least one payment method;

determining a location of said mobile device, said location being provided to said host device via said WAN and used to identify said second party and at least a particular act of commerce, said particular act of commerce comprising at least one of performing a service and supplying a product;

receiving from said host device via said WAN information on at least said second party and said particular act of commerce, said application being used to provide said information to said first party;

receiving by said application an acknowledgement that said first party would like to purchase at least said particular act of commerce from said second party, said acknowledgement being provided to said host device via said WAN and resulting in said payment method being used for said purchase; and

providing by said application a receipt for said purchase to said first party.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of receiving login information from said first party comprises receiving at least a user name, a password associated with said account, and at least one biometric of said first party.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of determining a location of said mobile device comprises using at least data acquired from global positioning satellites (GPS) to determine said location.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of determining a location of said mobile device comprises using multilateration of radio signals between plural cellular towers in communication with the mobile device to determine said location.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of determining a location of said mobile device comprises using location information provided by at least one radio head in communication with said mobile device to determine said location.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of receiving a purchase request at a time, said location and said time being used to identify at least said particular act of commerce.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said step of receiving said purchase request comprises receiving said purchase request from said second party.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein said step of receiving said purchase request comprises receiving said purchase request from said first party.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said information further comprises information on plural acts of commerce that are provided by said second party, said first party selecting at least said particular act of commerce from said plural acts of commerce.

10. A system for using at least location information to facilitate a transaction between a first party and a second party, comprising:

A mobile device in communication with a host device via a wide area network (WAN) and comprising at least one memory device for storing an application adapted to perform the steps of: receiving login information from said first party, said login information being used to identify an account for said first party, said account being linked to at least one payment method; determining a location of said mobile device, said location being provided to said host device via said WAN and used to identify at least said second party and a particular act of commerce, said particular act of commerce comprising at least one of performing a service and supplying a product; receiving from said host device via said WAN information on at least said second party and said particular act of commerce; providing said information to said first party via a display on said mobile device; receiving from said first party an acknowledgement that said first party would like to purchase at least said particular act of commerce from said second party, said acknowledgement being provided to said host device via said WAN, after which said payment method is used for said purchase; and providing a receipt for said purchase to said first party via said display on said mobile device.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein said login information comprises at least a user name, a password associated with said account, and at least one biometric of said first party.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein said location of said mobile device is determining using at least data acquired from global positioning satellites (GPS).

13. The system of claim 10, wherein said location of said mobile device is determined using at least multilateration of radio signals from a plurality of cellular towers in communication with said mobile device.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein said location of said mobile device is acquired from at least one radio head in communication with said mobile device.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein said host device receives a purchase request at a time, at least said time and said location being used to identify said particular act of commerce.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein said purchase request is received from said second party.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein said purchase request is received from said first party.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein said information further comprises information on plural acts of commerce that are provided by said second party, and said application is further configured to receive a selection from said first party of at least said particular act of commerce from said plural acts of commerce.

19. A method for facilitating a transaction between a first party and a second party, comprising:

receiving from said first party data that can be used to at least identify an account for said first party, said account being linked to at least one payment method;

receiving by said application data that can be used to determine a location of said mobile device, said location being used to identify at least said second party and a particular act of commerce provided by said second party, said second party being located at said location;

using said application to provide information to said first party on at least said second party and said particular act of commerce;

receiving by said application an acknowledgement that said first party would like to purchase at least said particular act of commerce from said second party, said acknowledgement resulting in said payment method being used for said purchase; and

providing by said application a receipt for said purchase to said first party.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising the step of receiving a purchase request at a time, said location and said time being used to identify at least said particular act of commerce.