Cloud Transaction Bridge for App-Free In-Store Payments
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Solution Overview
Problem
Retailers and service providers face challenges in engaging shoppers in physical stores without requiring them to download specific mobile apps for payment and transaction purposes, which limits adoption and complicates managing multiple merchant apps and payment wallets.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a cloud-based system that allows shoppers to make purchases and engage with merchants using cloud-based apps without the need to download a specific mobile app, utilizing touchpoints like QR codes, NFC tags, or Bluetooth devices for interaction, enabling transactions through a transaction bridge platform that manages sensitive information securely.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If shoppers are required to download specific mobile apps for each merchant, then merchants can provide personalized shopping experiences and process transactions, but shopper adoption is limited and device storage becomes cluttered with multiple apps
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a cloud-based transaction bridge platform that acts as an intermediary between merchants and shoppers. Instead of requiring shoppers to install individual merchant apps, the system uses a universal cloud platform with touchpoints (QR codes, NFC tags, Bluetooth devices) that redirect shoppers to merchant-specific web experiences. This mediator eliminates the need for multiple app installations while maintaining personalized transaction capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical system of app installation and device storage with a cloud-based web system. Touchpoints display merchant information and transaction details that shoppers can access through their mobile device browsers without installing any applications. This substitution eliminates the need for device storage allocation while maintaining full transaction functionality.
2Ease of operation
If merchants use cloud-based apps without requiring shopper app downloads, then shopper adoption increases and device complexity is reduced, but secure management of sensitive information becomes more challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts sensitive information management from the shopper's device environment and relocates it to a secure cloud-based transaction bridge platform. By taking out the security-critical functions from the client device and centralizing them in the cloud, the system maintains high security standards while providing convenient access to shoppers through web browsers without app installations.
Solution Approach 2:
The cloud-based transaction bridge platform provides universal functionality for secure information management that serves multiple merchants and shoppers. The platform handles authentication, transaction processing, and data protection through standardized web-based interfaces, eliminating the need for each merchant to implement separate security systems while maintaining robust security controls.
3Adaptability or versatility
If merchants implement traditional mobile app solutions, then they can manage transactions and customer data, but the system complexity and cost of implementation increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple merchant-specific functionalities into a single universal cloud-based transaction bridge platform. Instead of each merchant implementing separate transaction management systems, the platform consolidates payment processing, customer data management, and transaction tracking into one shared infrastructure that serves multiple merchants through standardized touchpoints and web interfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses web-based copies of merchant experiences accessible through mobile device browsers instead of requiring actual app installations. Touchpoints display merchant information and transaction interfaces that replicate the functionality of native apps through web technologies, providing the same user experience without the complexity of app deployment and maintenance.
Data Source
AI summary
A system for facilitating payment and non-payment transactions between a computing device that lacks an activated payment application and a merchant is described. In an embodiment, a transaction bridge server receives, from a merchant server, transaction information for a particular transaction between a user and a merchant. The transaction bridge server generates a URL representing the particular transaction, sends the URL to the merchant server, and receives, from a web browser of a computing device, an indication of an interaction between the computing device and a touchpoint comprising the URL, the indication comprising a request to access the URL. The transaction bridge server generates a display page customized for the user, the display page comprising the transaction information, sends the display page to the web browser of the computing device, receives an acceptance of the particular transaction, and initiates the particular transaction.