Location-Based Bill Completion Using Beacon-Detected Buyer Exit
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Solution Overview
Problem
The conventional process of paying a bill at a restaurant or similar establishment is time-consuming, requiring interaction with servers and multiple steps, which can be inefficient.
Innovation Solution
A system enabling location-based payments using a buyer's mobile device to automatically determine the buyer's location within the establishment, receive the bill, and facilitate payment through a service computing device, eliminating the need for direct interaction with establishment personnel.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the conventional bill payment process is used, then the customer can pay the bill through server interaction, but the payment process becomes time-consuming and inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables customers to independently initiate and complete bill payment through their mobile devices without requiring server interaction. The customer's mobile device automatically detects their location via wireless beacons, retrieves the bill information, and processes payment electronically, making the payment process self-service oriented and eliminating the need for server assistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical interaction system (physical bill delivery and cash/card handling by servers) with an electronic automated system. Wireless beacons transmit location data electronically, mobile devices process payments through electronic transactions, and the system automatically matches customers with their bills based on location, eliminating the need for manual server intervention in the payment process.
2Productivity
If automatic location-based payment is implemented, then payment efficiency is improved, but the system complexity increases due to wireless beacons and mobile device integration
Solution Approach 1:
The mobile device serves multiple functions within the system: it acts as a location detector via its wireless communication capabilities, a bill retrieval interface, a payment processing terminal, and a customer identification device. By making the mobile device multi-functional, the system avoids adding separate dedicated hardware for each function, thereby reducing overall system complexity despite the automation benefits.
Solution Approach 2:
The mobile device acts as an intermediary between the customer and the payment system infrastructure. Instead of requiring direct integration between complex server systems and payment processors, the mobile device simplifies communication by handling location detection, bill retrieval, and payment processing through standard mobile technologies, thereby mediating the complexity of the underlying infrastructure.
3Ease of operation
If location-based automated bill retrieval is used, then the bill finding process is simplified, but measurement precision requirements increase for location detection accuracy
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses wireless beacons that emit signals with sufficient precision to identify specific table locations or dining areas, rather than requiring absolute precise location measurement. This partial precision approach is adequate for the application context, as the system only needs to distinguish between different tables or areas, not provide meter-level accuracy, thereby reducing the measurement precision requirements while maintaining operational convenience.
Data Source
AI summary
In some examples, a buyer in a group may leave an establishment associated with a merchant with an open bill. In response to the buyer leaving the establishment, a transaction associated with that buyer can be completed to pay the buyer's portion of the bill. As one example, a payment service system can receive first beacon information that identifies the presence of a first device at a merchant location. The first device may be associated with a buyer in a group (e.g., a group dining at a restaurant), where the buyer has a transaction record with the merchant. The payment service system can receive second beacon information identifying a second location of the first device that is not associated with the merchant. In response to the first device no longer being present at the merchant location, payment service system can complete the transaction between the buyer and the merchant.