Ephemeral Token Transaction Handoff to Mobile Device
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current electronic point-of-sale systems in retail establishments often create bottlenecks during payment processing, requiring customers to handle devices that may be unclean and inconvenient, and lack private options for tipping and feedback.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that allows transaction handoff from a point-of-sale terminal to a customer's smart device using ephemeral transaction authorization tokens, enabling payment authorization and completion without direct device handling, and providing private tipping and feedback options.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a staff member presents an electronic point-of-sale terminal to a guest for payment processing, then the transaction can be completed electronically with accurate pricing and automated processing, but the staff member must wait for the guest to complete the transaction on the device, creating a service bottleneck and awkward hovering behavior
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the payment completion function from the staff-controlled POS terminal and transfers it to the guest's personal mobile device. The staff member initiates the transaction on the POS terminal, but the actual payment authorization and completion occur on the guest's device, eliminating the staff member's need to wait and hover.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables guests to complete their own transactions using their personal mobile devices without requiring staff members to wait or assist with the payment process. The guest receives a notification, opens the payment application, and completes the transaction independently, making the system self-serving from the guest's perspective.
2Productivity
If a staff member presents an electronic point-of-sale terminal to a guest for payment processing, then electronic payment processing can be automated, but the guest must handle and manipulate the electronic device, which may be unclean and inconvenient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the payment interface from the shared POS terminal and places it on the guest's personal mobile device. This eliminates the need for the guest to handle the potentially unclean POS terminal while maintaining automated payment processing capabilities through the mobile device's camera or scanner.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses an intermediary mobile application on the guest's device that communicates with the POS terminal via QR code or other machine-readable format. This intermediary layer allows the guest to interact with their own clean device rather than the shared POS terminal, while still achieving automated payment processing.
3Measurement precision
If a staff member presents an electronic point-of-sale terminal to a guest for payment processing, then transaction data can be accurately captured, but the guest lacks private options for tipping and feedback
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by providing customized, private tipping and feedback options within the guest's mobile device interface. While the transaction data is accurately captured on the POS terminal, the guest can privately adjust tip amounts and provide feedback through their own device, creating a personalized experience that maintains data accuracy while adding versatility.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for transaction handoff includes: registering a payment instrument with a server, associating the payment instrument with ephemeral tokens, and storing a payment token that associates the ephemeral tokens with the payment instrument and a device identifier in a database record; via a device, receiving an ephemeral token from the server; via a point-of-sale (POS) terminal, scanning the ephemeral token, and transmitting ephemeral token via the internet cloud to the server; via the server, using the payment token to access the device identifier and transmitting a push notification; upon acceptance of the push notification, executing an application on the device and simultaneously displaying transaction details on both the device and POS terminal; receiving completion data that is entered via the device and transmitting the completion data to the server; and completing the transaction at the server and notifying the POS terminal and the device that the transaction is complete.