Methods and systems for purchasing virtual items in kiosks for consumers

Abstract

Systems and computer-implemented methods for purchasing at least one virtual gift card by a user are disclosed. The method includes accessing a user selection indicative of a third-party merchant and a monetary amount transferable to the third-party merchant, accessing an identification of a user device, receiving an indication of a successful purchase of the user selection, generating at least one virtual item based on the purchased user selection, generating a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) hosting the at least one virtual gift card and transmitting the URL to the user device based on the identification thereof. The method can be implemented via a physical kiosk provided with a payment terminal. The virtual gift card may be usable or transferable on different types of devices, including smart phones.

Description

[0001] METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR PURCHASING VIRTUAL ITEMS IN KIOSKS FOR CONSUMERS

[0002] RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0003] This application claims the priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 735,060, filed on December 17, 2024, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0004] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0005] The technical field generally relates to virtual items purchasing, and more particularly to the purchasing virtual items, such as gift cards, via physical kiosks, located in shops and intended for end consumers.

[0006] BACKGROUND

[0007] Consumers may be more inclined to purchase a virtual item, such as a virtual gift card, while at a physical location, such as a retail store, since the shopping environment can serve as a prompt or inspiration for the purchase. The act of browsing products, seeing promotional displays, or engaging with store staff can remind the customer of an upcoming occasion or the need for a gift, leading to the decision to buy a virtual gift card.

[0008] However, despite its many advantages, the process of buying and using virtual items, for example virtual gift cards which become an increasingly popular payment method, remains cumbersome and inefficient. For instance, some consumers encounter challenges such as difficulties in redeeming virtual gift cards at checkout, unclear instructions and / or limited features for use.

[0009] Therefore, systems and methods for purchasing virtual items that can overcome these drawbacks may be desirable. SUMMARY

[0010] In accordance with one aspect, there is provided a computer-implemented method for purchasing at least one virtual item by a user. The method includes accessing, by a processor, a user selection indicative of at least one third-party merchant selected by the user and at least one monetary amount transferable to each of the at least one third-party merchant, accessing, by the processor, an identification of a user device associated with the user, receiving, by the processor, an indication of a purchase of the user selection successfully made by the user at a payment terminal, generating, by the processor, at least one virtual item based on the purchased user selection, generating, by the processor, a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) hosting the at least one virtual item, and transmitting, by the processor, the URL to the user device based on the identification thereof.

[0011] In accordance with another aspect, there is provided a method for purchasing at least one virtual gift card at a physical consumer-interactive kiosk by a user. The method comprises accessing, by a controller of the physical kiosk, a user selection made on a graphical user interface of the physical kiosk and communicably connected to the controller, the user selection being indicative of at least one third-party merchant selected by the user and at least one monetary amount transferable to each of the at least one third-party merchant. The method also comprises a step of accessing, by the controller, an identification of a user device associated with the user, the identification being entered on the graphical user interface of the physical kiosk. The method also comprises a step of receiving, by the controller, an indication of a purchase of the user selection successfully made by the user at a payment terminal of the physical kiosk. The method also comprises steps of generating, by the controller and / or by a remote server, at least one virtual gift card based on the purchased user selection; generating, by the controller, a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) for redeeming the at least one virtual gift card; and transmitting, by the controller, the URL to the user device based on the identification thereof.

[0012] In some implementations, accessing the user indication and the identification of the user device comprises receiving, by the processor, data indicative of the user indication and the identification of the user device from a graphical user interface communicably connected to the processor. In some implementations, the graphical user interface is a capacitive touchscreen. In some implementations, the graphical user interface and the payment terminal are mounted in a consumer-interactive kiosk.

[0013] In some implementations, generating at least one virtual item includes, for each of the at least one third-party merchant included in the user selection, accessing, by the processor, merchant credentials associated with the third-party merchant, transmitting, by the processor to a virtual program provider corresponding to the third-party merchant, a request for generating a virtual item using the merchant credentials, the request comprising an indication of the monetary amount included in the user selection for the third-party merchant and receiving, by the processor from the virtual program provider, the virtual item. In some implementations, the at least one virtual item is at least one virtual gift card.

[0014] In some implementations, the user device is a smartphone, and the identification of the user device is a phone number associated with the smartphone.

[0015] In some implementations, the URL is transmitted to the user device via a mobile communication network selected from a group of mobile communication networks comprising: Global System for Mobile (GSM) communication network and Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) communication network.

[0016] In some implementations, the method further includes receiving, by the processor, recharge instructions from the user device, the recharge instructions comprising indication of at least a portion of the monetary amount of a given virtual item, a given third-party merchant and an identification of a recipient account associated with the given third-party merchant, and transmitting, by the processor to the given third-party merchant through a corresponding Application Programming Interface (API), a request to deposit the portion of the monetary amount to the recipient account.

[0017] In accordance with one aspect, there is provided a system for purchasing at least one virtual item by a user, the system comprising a controller and a memory storing a plurality of executable instructions which, when executed by the controller, cause the system to access a user selection indicative of at least one third-party merchant selected by the user and at least one monetary amount transferable to each of the third-party merchant, access an identification of a user device associated with the user, receive an indication of a purchase of the user selection successfully made by the user at a payment terminal, generate at least one virtual item based on the purchased user selection, generate a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) hosting the at least one virtual item and transmit the URL to the user device based on the identification thereof.

[0018] In accordance with another aspect, a system is provided, for users to purchase virtual gift cards from a physical consumer-interactive kiosk. The system comprises the physical consumer-interactive kiosk. The kiosk comprises an interactive touchscreen for displaying on a graphical user interface a plurality of third-party merchants from which one or more gift cards can be bought; a payment terminal for receiving payments by the users; an onboard controller communicably connected to the interactive touchscreen and to the payment terminal, the controller storing a plurality of executable instructions to: access a user selection made on the interactive touchscreen, indicative of at least one third-party merchant selected by a user and at least one monetary amount transferable to each of the third-party merchant; access an identification of a user device, the identification being entered by the user on the interactive touchscreen; and receive an indication of a purchase of the user selection successfully made by the user at the payment terminal. The system also comprises a remote server in communication with the physical consumer-interactive kiosk, the remote server being configured to: generate at least one virtual gift card based on the purchased user selection; generate a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) associated with the at least one virtual gift card; and transmit the URL to the user device based on the identification thereof.

[0019] The system may further comprises a mobile application accessible by the user device, the mobile application being configured to: add, using the URL, the virtual gift card to an electronic wallet; activate the virtual gift card; and / or send the gift card to another recipient. The mobile application may be configured to receive a user selection of a date and / or time at which the virtual gift card is to be sent to the recipient; the remote server sending the virtual gift card to the recipient at the selected date and / or time.

[0020] In some implementations, the system is configured to access the user indication and the identification of the user device by receiving data indicative of the user indication and the identification of the user device from a graphical user interface communicably connected to the controller.

[0021] In some implementations, the graphical user interface is a capacitive touchscreen. In some implementations, the graphical user interface and the payment terminal are mounted in a consumer-interactive kiosk.

[0022] In some implementations, the system is configured to generate the at least one virtual item by, for each of the at least one third-party merchant included in the user selection, accessing merchant credentials associated with the third-party merchant, transmitting a request to a virtual program provider corresponding to the third-party merchant for generating a virtual item using the merchant credentials, the request comprising indication of the monetary amount included in the user selection for the third-party merchant and receiving the virtual item from the virtual program provider. In some implementations, the at least one virtual item is at least one virtual gift card.

[0023] In some implementations, the user device is a smartphone, and the identification of the user device is a phone number associated with the smartphone.

[0024] In some implementations, the URL is transmitted to the user device via a mobile communication network selected from a group of mobile communication networks comprising: Global System for Mobile (GSM) communication network and Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) communication network.

[0025] In some implementations, the system is further configured to receive recharge instructions from the user device, the recharge instructions comprising indication of at least a portion of the monetary amount of a given virtual item, a given third-party merchant and an identification of a recipient account associated with the given third-party merchant and transmit, to the given third-party merchant through a corresponding Application Programming Interface (API), a request to deposit the portion of the monetary amount to the recipient account.

[0026] Other features and advantages will be better understood upon of reading of detailed implementations with reference to the appended drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] The features and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in combination with the appended drawings, in which:

[0028] FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of virtual item purchase environment in accordance with a possible implementation of the present technology;

[0029] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a controller of a consumer-interactive kiosk of the environment of FIG. 1 in accordance a possible implementation of the present technology; and

[0030] FIG. 3 is a flow diagram showing operations of a method for purchasing at least one virtual item by a user in accordance with a possible implementation of the present technology.

[0031] FIG.4 shows a kiosk according to a possible implementation, FIG. 4i shows an end user interacting with the kiosk via a smart phone, and FIGs. 4a-4h show exemplary steps of the method performed by an end user on a kiosk of virtual gift cards.

[0032] FIG.5 shows the end user receiving a confirmation of the gift card on his / her smart phone, and FIGS.5a-5l show exemplary steps of the method performed by end users on the smart phone.

[0033] It is to be understood that throughout the appended drawings and corresponding descriptions, like features are identified by like reference characters. Furthermore, it is also to be understood that the drawings and ensuing descriptions are intended for illustrative purposes only and that such disclosures are not intended to limit the scope of the claims. It should also be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified herein, the drawings are not to scale.

[0034] DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] Various representative implementations of the described technology will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which representative implementations are shown. The present technology concept may, however, be implemented in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the representative implementations set forth herein. Rather, these representative implementations are provided so that the disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the present technology to those skilled in the art. In the drawings, the sizes and relative sizes of layers and regions may be exaggerated for clarity. Like numerals refer to like elements throughout.

[0036] To provide a more concise description, some of the quantitative expressions given herein may be qualified with the term "about". It is understood that whether the term "about" is used explicitly or not, every quantity given herein is meant to refer to an actual given value, and it is also meant to refer to the approximation to such given value that would reasonably be inferred based on the ordinary skill in the art, including approximations due to the experimental and / or measurement conditions for such given value.

[0037] It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used to distinguish one element from another, without necessarily imparting a preferred order or sequence to these elements. Thus, a first element discussed below could be termed a second element without departing from the teachings of the present technology. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0038] It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being "connected" or "coupled" to another element, it can be directly connected or coupled to the other element or intervening elements may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly connected" or "directly coupled" to another element, there are no intervening elements present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion (e.g., "between" versus "directly between," "adjacent" versus "directly adjacent," etc.). The terminology used herein is only intended to describe particular representative implementations and is not intended to be limiting of the present technology. As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises" and / or "comprising," when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.

[0039] Moreover, all statements herein reciting principles, aspects, and implementations of the present technology, as well as specific examples thereof, are intended to encompass both structural and functional equivalents thereof, whether they are currently known or developed in the future. Thus, for example, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that any block diagram herein represents conceptual views of illustrative circuitry embodying the principles of the present technology. Similarly, it will be appreciated that any flowcharts, flow diagrams, state transition diagrams, pseudo-code, and the like represent various processes which may be substantially represented in computer- readable media and so executed by a computer or processor, whether or not such computer or processor is explicitly shown.

[0040] The functions of the various elements shown in the figures, including any functional block labelled as a “controller”, "processor" or “processing unit”, may be provided through the use of dedicated hardware as well as hardware capable of executing software in association with appropriate software and according to the methods described herein. When provided by a processor, the functions may be provided by a single dedicated processor, by a single shared processor, or by a plurality of individual processors, some of which may be shared. In some implementations of the present technology, the processor may be a general purpose processor, such as a central processing unit (CPU) or a processor dedicated to a specific purpose, such as a digital signal processor (DSP). Moreover, explicit use of the term a "processor" should not be construed to refer exclusively to hardware capable of executing software, and may implicitly include, without limitation, application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), field programmable gate array (FPGA), read-only memory (ROM) for storing software, random access memory (RAM), and non-volatile storage. Other hardware, conventional and / or custom, may also be included.

[0041] With these fundamentals in place, we will now consider some non-limiting examples to illustrate various implementations of aspects of the present disclosure.

[0042] In the context of the present disclosure, a gift card is a prepaid financial instrument that represents a transferable monetary value, allowing the holder to redeem it for goods or services at specific third-party merchants. Gift cards may be issued by retailers, service providers, or financial institutions. Gift cards may be used for gifting purposes, promotional campaigns, or as incentives, providing a convenient way to transfer monetary value without the need for cash or traditional bank-based transactions. A gift card may include features such as reloadable balances, expiration dates, or restrictions on where and how they can be used. For instance, some gift cards are specific to a single merchant or chain, while others, often branded by financial networks, can be used across a wide range of retailers.

[0043] In the context of the present disclosure, a virtual gift card, or “digital gift card” or “e-gift card”, is a gift card issued in electronic form. For example, a virtual gift card may be associated with a unique code or identifier instead of being tied to a tangible object. This code may serve as the key to accessing the monetary value, allowing the recipient to redeem the card for goods or services at designated third-party merchants. The balance of the card may be stored electronically, and its use may be tracked through secure digital systems.

[0044] In the context of the present disclosure, a third-party merchant is a business entity or individual that operates a digital (e.g. a website) and / or physical (e.g. a retail shop) platform to sell goods or services to customers. For example, the third-party merchant may own an e-commerce website or mobile application that integrates various technologies to facilitate the buying and selling process including product listings, secure payment gateways, inventory management, and order tracking. As will be described in greater detail herein after, the third-party merchant may leverage a virtual item purchase environment to reach a broader audience and sell virtual items. The virtual item purchase environment acts as an intermediary, facilitating transactions between the third-party merchant and customers. For example, a third-party merchant may be MCDONALD’STMNETFLIX™, AMAZON™ or BOSTON PIZZA™.

[0045] In the context of the present disclosure, a virtual program provider is an entity that provides digital solutions for managing and delivering customer engagement programs, such as gift cards, loyalty rewards, and promotional offers, to merchants. More precisely, a virtual program provider may supply the technology and platforms that enable a merchant to create, distribute, and track virtual and physical gift cards. In use, a virtual program provider may provide secure payment processing, real-time balance management, reporting, and API integration for seamless integration with point-of-sale (POS) systems (e.g. a consumer-interactive kiosk). For example, a virtual program provider may be DATA CANDY™, GIVEX™, FREEBEES™ or ACKROO™.

[0046] Virtual item purchase environment

[0047] Referring to FIG. 1 , there is shown an example of a virtual item purchase environment 100 suitable for enabling an end consumer, or “user”, to purchase a virtual item at a physical kiosk for retailers' customers, in accordance with some implementations of the present technology. The virtual item may for example be a virtual gift card. Generally speaking, the environment 100 provides an autonomous user experience through a truly independent interactive consumer-interactive kiosk. This interactive consumer-interactive kiosk allows the user to purchase and receive virtual gift cards without requiring any direct interaction with a company or additional support (POS) for card activation. As such, any system variation configured to purchase of virtual gift cards, or more generally virtual items such as e-books, games codes, software licenses or subscriptions, online courses, digital tickets for public transport, concert or sport event tickets, etc., once teachings presented herein are appreciated. The example of virtual gift cards as the purchased virtual items is not limitative.

[0048] The virtual item purchase environment 100 includes a consumer-interactive kiosk 110 that may be disposed, for example, in a shopping mall, a pharmacy, a supermarket, a theater, a theme park, an airport, etc. By “consumer-interactive kiosk”, it is meant that the kiosk is used by a consumer, who can make purchases directly on the kiosk, without having to go through a merchant's website. The consumer-interactive kiosk 110 includes a graphical user interface (GUI) 112, a payment terminal 116 and a controller 114. The controller 114 may comprise a on-board computer with one or more processor(s), volatile and nonvolatile memory, with communication means (wired and / or wireless) and connections for interacting with the POS terminal 116 and the GUI 112. The GUI 112 may be used by a user 10 to autonomously interact with the consumer-interactive kiosk 110. For example, the GUI 112 may be a capacitive touchscreen. An example of a kiosk 110 with different GUI windows is shown in Figures 4a to 4h.

[0049] In this implementation, the controller 114 is communicably connected to a global server 15. The global server, also referred to as a remote server, may include one or more virtualized servers in a cloud infrastructure. The global server 15 may be in communications with a plurality of controllers 114 of the different consumer-interactive kiosks. In other words, the global server 15 may be used to manage the virtual item purchasing item across multiple consumer-interactive kiosks. As depicted on FIG. 1 , the controller 114 is communicably connected to, through the global server 15, one or more merchants (three merchants 8O1-8O3 being depicted on FIG. 1), a communication service 40, and one or more virtual program providers (three virtual program providers 7O1-7O3 being depicted on FIG.1) over a communication network 50 via any wired or wireless communication link including, for example, 4G, LTE, Wi-Fi, or any other suitable connection. In some implementations of the present technology, the communication network 50 may be implemented as the Internet. The global server 15 may comprise one or more physical or virtualized servers, either locally or in the cloud. In other implementations of the present technology, the communication network can be implemented differently, such as any wide-area communication network, local-area communication network, a private communication network and the like. The communication network 50 may also include sub-networks implemented in a different manner. How communication links between the controller 114, the merchants 8O1-8O3 and the virtual program providers 7O1-7O3 are implemented will depend inter alia on how the controller 114, the merchants 8O1-8O3 and the virtual program providers 7O1-7O3 are implemented. In this implementation, the controller 114 may communicate with the virtual program providers 7O1-7O3 through respective Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) 6O1-6O3. Controller:

[0050] FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of the controller 114 according to an embodiment of the present technology. The controller 114 comprises a computing unit or a plurality of cooperating computing units (represented as a computing unit 220 for simplicity), a memory device or a plurality of memory devices (represented as a memory device 230 for simplicity), and an input / output interface 240 allowing the controller 114 to communicate with other components of the consumer-interactive kiosk 110 and / or other components in remote communication with the consumer-interactive kiosk 110. The computing unit 220 is operatively connected to the memory device 230 and to the input / output interface 240. The memory device 230 includes a storage for storing parameters 234, including for example and without limitation merchant credentials associated with each of the third- party merchants, as will be described in greater detail herein after. The memory device 230 may comprise a non-transitory computer-readable medium for storing code instructions 232 that are executable by the computing unit 220 to allow the controller 114 to perform the various tasks allocated to the controller 114 in the methods disclosed herein.

[0051] The controller 114 is operatively connected, via the input / output interface 240, to the global server 15, the GUI 112, the payment terminal 116, the communication service 40, the merchants 8O1-8O3 and the virtual program providers 7O1-7O3. The controller 114 executes the code instructions 232 stored in the memory device 230 to implement the various above-described functions that may be present in a particular embodiment. FIG. 2 as illustrated represents a non-limiting embodiment in which the controller 114 orchestrates operations of the consumer-interactive kiosk 110. This particular embodiment is not meant to limit the present disclosure and is provided for illustration purposes. In alternative embodiments of the present technology, at least some of the functionalities of the controller 114 may be distributed and may be implemented via multiple controllers in remote communication with one another (e.g. through a cloud computing network) and / or by the global server 15.

[0052] User device: Referring back to FIG. 1 , the user 10 is associated with a user device 20 (e.g. a smart phone or cellphone or any equivalent mobile device). In some implementations, the user device 20 may be implemented by any of a conventional personal computer, a controller, and / or an electronic device (e.g., a server, a controller unit, a control device, a monitoring device etc.) and / or any combination thereof appropriate to the relevant task at hand. The user device 20 may be, for example, and without being limitative, a cellphone, a laptop, a tablet, a handheld computer, a personal digital assistant, a media player, a navigation device or a combination of two or more of these data processing devices or other data processing devices.

[0053] The user device 20 may include various hardware components including one or more single or multi-core processors, a solid-state drive, a random access memory (RAM), a dedicated memory and an input / output interface. The input / output interface may provide networking capabilities such as wired or wireless access. As an example, the input / output interface may include a networking interface such as, but not limited to, one or more network ports, one or more network sockets, one or more network interface controllers and the like. Multiple examples of how the networking interface may be implemented will become apparent to the person skilled in the art of the present technology. As a person in the art of the present technology may appreciate, multiple variations as to how the user device 20 is implemented may be envisioned without departing from the scope of the present technology.

[0054] In this implementation, the user device 20 is a cellphone or smartphone communicably connected to the communication service 40 of the environment 100 over a communication network 30 via any wired or wireless communication link including, for example, 4G, LTE, Wi-Fi, bluetooth™ or any other suitable connection. In this implementation, mobile communication network selected from a group of mobile communication networks comprising: Global System for Mobile (GSM) communication network and Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) communication network.

[0055] Purchase pipeline

[0056] Broadly speaking, an aspect of the present technology aims at enabling the user 10 to buy one or more virtual gift card(s) of a corresponding one or more three-party merchant in an autonomous manner at the consumer-interactive kiosk 110, as shown on FIG. 4 and 4i. In use, the user 10 may enter a user selection of one or more third-party merchants and corresponding monetary amounts upon purchasing a virtual gift card. Figure 4a shows a possible GUI displayed on the kiosk, where letters A to L would correspond to icons of third-party merchants (such as STARBUCKS, AMAZON, SPOTIFY, etc.). The merchants can be grouped per industry or product type (such as music, entertainment, food and beverages, sports, etc.), as represented by numbers 1 to 9. The merchants can also be scrolled via a carousel displayed on the GUI. For example, the user 10 may select a given merchant, such as AMAZON™, and select a corresponding monetary amount of 25$, as shown on FIG.4b. Said monetary amount selected during the purchase of a virtual gift card is the value denomination that the user 10 desires to assign to the virtual gift card. This amount represents the stored monetary value that a recipient of the virtual gift card (e.g. the user 10) may later redeem for goods or services at the issuing merchant (e.g. AMAZON in this example).

[0057] Once the user 10 has entered the user selection, thereby forming a consumer online cart as shown on FIG.4c, the controller 114 may initiate an identification process (e.g., a two- factor authentication (2FA) process, a one-time password (OTP) verification process, etc.). After the phone number is entered as shown on FIG. 4d, the controller 114 may validate the format to ensure it is correct. Then, a randomly generated OTP may be generated, which is associated with the current session and may be valid for a short period (e.g. 2 to 5 minutes). In this implementation, the controller 114 causes the communication service 40 to securely sent the code to the user device 20 via SMS through the mobile communication network 30. Upon receipt, the user 10 may enter the OTP using the GUI 112, as shown on FIG. 4e and 4f. The controller 114 further compares the entered OTP with the code generated previously generated. If both code matches and the matching occurs within the valid time frame, the verification is successful.

[0058] Once the identification process has been made, the controller 114 executes a payment process to enable the user 10 to proceed with the payment of the user selection. To do so, the controller 114 may display instructions at the GUI 112 to prompt the user 10 to present a payment method 22, such as a chip-enabled card, contactless card, or mobile payment device, to the payment terminal 116, as shown on FIG. 4g. The payment terminal 116 may be configured to read payment data using technologies like EMV (for chip cards), NFC (for contactless payments), or magnetic stripe readers. Once the payment data is captured, the payment terminal 116 may encrypt the data and initiates a secure connection with a payment processor through a payment gateway (not shown). The controller 114 may validate the payment details, as shown on FIG. 4h, and forwards the transaction request to an issuing bank of the user 10 via a card network or any other network suitable for payment processing (e.g., Visa, Mastercard, Interac). In some implementations, the payment terminal 116 may also receive cryptocurrency payments based on data provided to the user at the GUI 112 (e.g. a crypto-wallet address). For example, the controller 114 may cause the GUI 112 to display a QR-code which can be scanned by the user device 20 to access a weblink hosting information for executing a payment using crypto-currency, such as a crypto-wallet address and / or an identification key. Said information may also be transmitted to the user device in alternative manner such as text or email. The user 10 may use the user device 20 to proceed with the payment using the information provided. The controller 114 may be notified through a dedicated communication link that a payment has been received from the user 10 (e.g. a cryptocurrency account associated thereto) in response to the payment having been achieved.

[0059] Once the payment has been made, the controller 114 may generate the virtual items included in the user selection. In this implementation, the controller 114 accesses merchant credentials for each of the at least one third-party merchant 80 included in the user selection. For example, the merchant credentials may be stored in the memory device 230 (see FIG. 2) or retrieved from the third-party merchant 80 through the communication network 50 (see FIG. 1).

[0060] Using these merchant credentials, the controller 114 may further communicate with a virtual program provider 70 corresponding to the third-party merchant. For example, if the current third-party merchant is AMAZON™, and that a virtual gift card program provider that is responsible for managing the gift cards for AMAZON™ and is associated thereto is DATACANDY™, the corresponding virtual program provider 70 would be DATACANDY™. In this implementation, the controller 114 transmits a request to the corresponding virtual program provider 70. The request includes indication of the monetary amount included in the user selection for the third-party merchant 80. In response to the request, the virtual program provider 70 generates virtual gift card data (e.g. a barcode, or a unique identifier that allows for secure redemption and tracking of the card's stored value). The virtual gift card data is further received by the controller 114 from the corresponding virtual program provider 70. The controller 114 further generates the virtual gift card based on the virtual gift card data, as shown in Fig. 5.

[0061] These steps are repeated for each of the third-party merchants 80; included in the user selection, thereby reception of a set of one or more virtual gift cards by the controller 114, where each third-party merchants 80; is associated with a corresponding virtual program provider 70. In this implementation, the generations of the virtual gift cards at a plurality of different virtual program providers 70, for a plurality of corresponding third-party merchants 80 included in the user selection, are performed in parallel.

[0062] In this implementation, the controller 114 further generates a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) hosting the set of virtual gift cards and transmit the URL to the user device 20 via text message using the communication service 40 and the phone number previously entered by the user 10 on the GUI 112, as shown on FIG. 5a. Other methods of communicating the set of virtual gift cards (e.g. vie email) are contemplated in alternative implementations.

[0063] Upon accessing the set of virtual gift cards through the URL on the user device 20, the user 10 may access the virtual gift card hosted thereby, as shown on FIGS. 5b and 5c. The user 10 may further choose to add a given virtual gift card to an e-wallet on the user device 20, as shown on FIG. 5d. More precisely, the user 10 may access an e-wallet application, such as Apple Wallet, Google Wallet, or a proprietary merchant app, which may automatically detect or read the virtual gift card details, such as the unique alphanumeric code and associated PIN. The e-wallet application may tokenize the gift card by converting its identifying information into a secure digital format stored locally on the user device 20 and / or in the cloud. This tokenization process ensures that the sensitive card data is not directly exposed during transactions. Metadata such as the card issuer, balance, and terms of use may be stored alongside the tokenized card for easy reference.

[0064] Alternatively, the user 10 may choose to transmit a given virtual gift card to a recipient using an email address or a phone number of the recipient or any other suitable communication methods, as shown on FIGs. 5e and 5f. The user 10 may optionally preschedule the sending of the virtual gift card, by indicating a date / time for the virtual gift card to be sent, as shown on FIG. 5g. As another example, the user device 20 may generate a Quick Response (QR) code that may be scanned by a smartphone of the recipient to access and retrieve the virtual gift card, as shown on FIG. 5h. As long as the redeem code associated with the gift card has not been transferred, it appears in the user interface, as shown in Figure 5i. If the user decides to activate the card for their own use, a warning message, as shown in Figure 5j, may be displayed to notify the user that once the card is activated, the gift card cannot be transferred or refunded.. The user can then load their account or add the card to their virtual wallet, as shown in interface 5d.

[0065] In this implementation, when the user 10 purchases a virtual gift card for the first time at consumer-interactive kiosks communicably connected to the global server 15, the user 10 may create an account on a web application hosted by the global server 15 or another server communicably connected thereto. The web application may be accessed using the user device 20. For example, the web application may be a mobile application. The user account may be used to ensure that all purchased cards are securely linked to a profile of the user 10, allowing for safe and convenient retrieval and management. The application provides an interface where the user 10 may access and organize the purchased virtual items. For example, the user’s account may be structured around four key sections to facilitate navigation there through. A first section, referred to as "My Gift Cards", may contain all active virtual gift cards, displaying details such as balances and expiration dates for quick reference. Virtual gift cards with a zero balance may automatically be moved to an "Archived Cards" section, keeping the active card list organized while maintaining a record of previously used cards. Another section, referred to as "My Purchases" may offer a comprehensive transaction history, including details like purchase dates, amounts, and payment methods. The user 10 may also download detailed receipts for their records directly from this section. Another section, referred to as "My Account", may allow the user 10 to manage their personal information, update account settings, and maintain account security. For subsequent purchases of virtual gift cards, the user 10 may go through an identification process to access the corresponding user account to be able to use or transfer a virtual gift card. In one aspect, the present technology may be used to add funds or credits to an existing user account for a given third-party merchant 80, as illustrated in FIGS. 5k and 5I. In other words, the user 10 may use a purchased virtual gift card to recharge his own account at a given third-party merchant 80 corresponding to the purchased virtual gift card. For example, the third-party merchant 80 may be AMAZON™, and the user 10 may decide to add 25$ from a purchased gift card (having an associated monetary value of at least 25$) to his account at AMAZON™, referred to as the recipient’s account. The user 10 may enter recharge instructions comprising a monetary amount to be transferred and an identification of the recipient’s account (e.g. a username) in the mobile application, as shown in FIG. 5I. In response, the global server 15 may communicate with the given third- party merchant 80, e.g. through a corresponding API, and deposit the monetary amount to the recipient’s account based on the identification thereof. Subsequently, the global server 15 causes the adjustment of the monetary value of the virtual gift card, which corresponds to a subtraction of 25$ in this example.

[0066] FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of a method 300 for purchasing at least one virtual item by a user, according to some implementations of the present technology. For example, the at least one virtual item may be at least one virtual gift card. In one or more aspects, the method 300 or one or more steps thereof may be performed by a processor or a computer system, such as the controller 114 and / or the global server 15. The method 300 or one or more steps thereof may be embodied in computer-executable instructions that are stored in a computer-readable medium, such as a non-transitory mass storage device, loaded into memory and executed by a CPU. Some steps or portions of steps in the flow diagram may be omitted or changed in order.

[0067] The method 300 starts with accessing, at operation 310, by a processor of a consumer- interactive kiosk, a user selection indicative of at least one third-party merchant is selected by the user and at least one monetary amount transferable to each of the third-party merchant.

[0068] The method 300 continues with accessing, at operation 320, by the processor, an identification of a user device associated with the user. For example, the identification may be a phone number in circumstances where the user device is a smartphone. In some implementations, accessing the user indication and the identification of the user device includes receiving, by the processor, data indicative of the user indication and the identification of the user device from a graphical user interface communicably connected to the processor. For example, the graphical user interface may be a capacitive touchscreen. In this implementation, the graphical user interface and the payment terminal are mounted in a consumer-interactive kiosk.

[0069] The method 300 continues with receiving, at operation 330, by the processor, an indication of a purchase of the user selection successfully made by the user at a payment terminal.

[0070] The method 300 continues with generating, at operation 340, by the processor, at least one virtual item based on the purchased user selection. In some implementations, said generation includes, for each of the at least one third-party merchant included in the user selection, accessing merchant credentials associated with the third-party merchant, and transmitting a request for generating a virtual item using the merchant credentials to a virtual program provider corresponding to the third-party merchant, the request including indication of the monetary amount included in the user selection for the third-party merchant. Said generation further includes receiving, by the processor, the virtual item from the virtual program provider.

[0071] The method 300 continues with generating, at operation 350, by the processor, a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) hosting the at least one virtual item. In this implementation, the URL is transmitted to the user device via a mobile communication network, for example a Global System for Mobile (GSM) communication network or a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) communication network.

[0072] The method 300 continues with transmitting, at operation 360, by the processor, the URL to the user device based on the identification thereof.

[0073] In some implementations, the method 300 further includes receiving, by the processor, recharge instructions from the user device to recharge an existing account at a given third- party merchant. The recharge instructions include indication of at least a portion of the monetary amount of a given virtual item, the given third-party merchant and an identification of a recipient account associated with the given third-party merchant. In response, the processor is configured to transmit a request to deposit the portion of the monetary amount to the recipient account to the given third-party merchant through a corresponding Application Programming Interface (API).

[0074] It will be appreciated that at least some of the operations of the method 300 may also be performed by computer programs, which may exist in a variety of forms, both active and inactive. As such, the computer programs may exist as software program(s) comprised of program instructions in source code, object code, executable code or other formats. Any of the above may be embodied on a computer readable medium, which includes storage devices and signals, in compressed or uncompressed form. Representative computer readable storage devices include conventional computer system RAM (random access memory), ROM (read only memory), EPROM (erasable, programmable ROM), EEPROM (electrically erasable, programmable ROM), and magnetic or optical disks or tapes. Representative computer readable signals, whether modulated using a carrier or not, are signals that a computer system hosting or running the computer program may be configured to access, including signals downloaded through the Internet or other networks. Concrete examples of the foregoing include distribution of the programs on a CD ROM or via Internet download. In a sense, the Internet itself, as an abstract entity, is a computer readable medium. The same is true of computer networks in general.

[0075] As can appreciated, the proposed system and methods described above provide several technical advantages over existing technologies. Unlike existing gift card technologies, the present system, including the consumer-interactive kiosk and software application executed on the smart phones, is aimed directly at the end-user, and rather than at third- party merchants seeking to personalize or distribute their gift cards via a web platform.

[0076] The proposed system and methods are based on an autonomous user experience, through a truly independent consumer-interactive kiosk. The consumer-interactive kiosk enables end-consumers to purchase and receive virtual gift cards, without any direct interaction with a third-party merchant or additional support (POS) for card activation.

[0077] The proposed consumer-interactive kiosk offers virtual gift cards from different third-party merchants and using different gift card programs managed by the virtual program providers, without complex or cumbersome steps any additional steps to activate the cards. The proposed system can interact directly with a third-party merchants and virtual program providers as described herein before to issue virtual items such as virtual gift cards from one or more third-party merchants to an end customer.

[0078] With the proposed system and methods, payment for virtual gift card purchases can be made directly on the consumer-interactive kiosk by debit or credit card, by cryptocurrencies, or any other suitable manner (e.g. Interac).

[0079] As explained previously, when purchasing virtual items on the consumer-interactive kiosk, an identification process (e.g., a two-factor authentication (2FA) process, a one-time password (OTP) verification process) may be performed to improve a security of the transaction. For example, a code may be entered on the consumer-interactive kiosk and corroborated during the first purchase when creating an account. A text message containing a unique number may be sent and validated by the consumer on the kiosk to validate and authorize the transaction, guaranteeing the right person on the right mobile device to receive the virtual gift card purchased.

[0080] In some implementations, the user may have a personal account on a web application so that they can retrieve their virtual gift cards securely. On their account, users may find different tabs, including for example a first tab with the user’s cards, including all cards already purchased; a second tab with archived cards, including all cards with a zero balance; a third tab with the user’s purchases, including statements and details of transactions made by the user, and a fourth tab for the user’s account, including all customer information and the possibility of changing their password or deleting their account.

[0081] Another technical advantage offered by the proposed system and method is that end users can transfer virtual gift cards to another person in three distinct ways (email, text messages or bar code / QR-code). In addition, end users may add the virtual gift cards to an e-wallet, designed to host cards containing monetary value.

[0082] Finally, another technical advantage of the proposed system and methods resides in users being able to use their virtual gift card to fund their own client account directly, provided they have an account with a username and balance associated with a third-party merchant for which the virtual gift card has been purchased.

[0083] While various implementations of the present disclosure have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example, and not limitation. It would be apparent to one skilled in the relevant art(s) that various changes in form and detail could be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Thus, the present disclosure should not be limited by any of the abovedescribed implementations but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents.

Claims

CLAIMS1 . A system for users to purchase virtual gift cards from a physical consumer-interactive kiosk, the system comprising: the physical consumer-interactive kiosk comprising: an interactive touchscreen for displaying on a graphical user interface a plurality of third-party merchants from which one or more gift cards can be bought; a payment terminal for receiving payments by the users; an on-board controller communicably connected to the interactive touchscreen and to the payment terminal, the controller storing a plurality of executable instructions to: access a user selection made on the interactive touchscreen, indicative of at least one third-party merchant selected by a user and at least one monetary amount transferable to each of the third-party merchant; access an identification of a user device, the identification being entered by the user on the interactive touchscreen; receive an indication of a purchase of the user selection successfully made by the user at the payment terminal; a remote server in communication with the physical consumer-interactive kiosk, the remote server being configured to: generate at least one virtual gift card based on the purchased user selection; generate a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) associated with the at least one virtual gift card; and transmit the URL to the user device based on the identification thereof.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the interactive touchscreen and the payment terminal are mounted in the consumer-interactive kiosk.

3. The system of claim 1 or 2, wherein the remote server is configured to generate the at least one virtual gift card by, for each of the at least one third-party merchant included in the user selection: accessing merchant credentials associated with the third-party merchant ; transmitting a request to a virtual program provider corresponding to the third-party merchant for generating the virtual gift card using the merchant credentials, the request comprising indication of the monetary amount included in the user selection for the third-party merchant; and receiving the virtual gift card from the virtual program provider.

4. The system of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the user device is a smartphone, and the identification of the user device is a phone number associated with the smartphone.

5. The system of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the URL is transmitted to the user device via a mobile communication network.

6. The system of any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a mobile application accessible by the user device, the mobile application being configured to: add, using the URL, the virtual gift card to an electronic wallet; activate the virtual gift card; and / or send the gift card to another recipient.

7. The system of claim 6, further configured to: receive, at the remote server, recharge instructions from the user device, the recharge instructions comprising indication of at least a portion of the monetary amount of a given virtual gift card, a given third-party merchant and anidentification of a recipient account associated with the given third-party merchant; and transmit, to the given third-party merchant through a corresponding Application Programming Interface (API), a request to deposit the portion of the monetary amount to the recipient account.

8. The system of claim 6 or 7, wherein the mobile application is configured to, upon receiving an indication that the virtual gift card is to be sent to another recipient : display available communication methods to send the virtual gift card, including by email, text message or QR code; and upon receiving a selection of one of the communication methods, sending the virtual gift card to the recipient using the selected communication method.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the mobile application is configured to receive a user selection of a date and / or time at which the virtual gift card is to be sent to the recipient; the remote server sending the virtual gift card to the recipient at the selected date and / or time.

10. The system of any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the controller is configured to authenticate the user by: generating a random code associated with a current virtual gift card purchasing session, sending, either directly or via the remote server, the random code to the user device; receiving, via the interactive touchscreen a code entered by the user; and confirming authentication of the user if the code entered by the user matches the code randomly generated by the controller and allowing purchase of the user selection on the payment terminal.

11. A computer-implemented method for purchasing at least one virtual gift card at a physical consumer-interactive kiosk by a user, the method comprising: accessing, by a controller of the physical kiosk, a user selection made on a graphical user interface of the physical kiosk and communicably connected to the controller, the user selection being indicative of at least one third-party merchant selected by the user and at least one monetary amount transferable to each of the at least one third-party merchant; accessing, by the controller, an identification of a user device associated with the user, the identification being entered on the graphical user interface of the physical kiosk. receiving, by the controller, an indication of a purchase of the user selection successfully made by the user at a payment terminal of the physical kiosk; generating, by the controller, at least one virtual gift card based on the purchased user selection; generating, by the controller, a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) for redeeming the at least one virtual gift card; and transmitting, by the controller, the URL to the user device based on the identification thereof.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the graphical user interface is a capacitive touchscreen, the graphical user interface and the payment terminal being mounted in the consumer-interactive kiosk.

13. The method of any one of claims 11 or 12, wherein generating at least one virtual gift card comprises, for each of the at least one third-party merchant included in the user selection: accessing, by the controller, merchant credentials associated with the third-party merchant;transmitting, by the controller to a virtual program provider corresponding to the third-party merchant, a request for generating a virtual gift card using the merchant credentials, the request comprising an indication of the monetary amount included in the user selection for the third-party merchant; and receiving, by the controller, from the virtual program provider, the virtual gift card.

14. The method of any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein the user device is a smartphone, and the identification of the user device is a phone number associated with the smartphone.

15. The method of any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein the URL is transmitted to the user device via a mobile communication network selected from a group of mobile communication networks comprising: LTE communication network, 4G, 5G and / or 6G communication network, Global System for Mobile (GSM) communication network and Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) communication network.

16. The method of any one of claims 11 to 15, further comprising: receiving, by the controller of the kiosk or on a remote server in communication with the controller, recharge instructions from the user device, the recharge instructions comprising indication of at least a portion of the monetary amount of a given virtual gift card, a given third-party merchant and an identification of a recipient account associated with the given third-party merchant; and transmitting, by the controller or the remote server, to the given third-party merchant through a corresponding Application Programming Interface (API), a request to deposit the portion of the monetary amount to the recipient account.

17. The method of any one of claims 11 to 16, further comprising: providing a mobile application accessible by the user device, the mobile application being configured to allow the user to: add, using the URL, the virtual gift card to an electronic wallet;activate the virtual gift card; and / or send the gift card to another recipient.

18. The method of claim 17, comprising: receiving a selection, on the user device, of a date and / or time at which the virtual gift card is to be transmitted to the recipient, and a selection of the communication method to transmit the virtual gift card, including email text message or QR code; and sending the virtual gift card to the recipient at the date and time selected by the user, using the selected communication method.

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