Offline POS Synchronization for Local Order Continuity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing payment systems require merchants to share sensitive financial account information with customers, which is time-consuming and risky, and may not be feasible in sparsely populated or seasonal locations without a point-of-sale infrastructure.
Innovation Solution
A payment proxy system that allows customers to process transactions using a payment beacon or device, which transmits payment information wirelessly, enabling transactions without direct access to the merchant's financial account, and can operate in real-time or offline modes, supporting various devices and environments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If merchants share sensitive financial account information with customers to enable money transfers, then payment transactions can be processed, but security risks increase and time consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a payment proxy as an intermediary that replaces direct sharing of sensitive financial account information. The payment proxy contains account number information that can be shared safely without exposing the merchant's actual financial account details, thus enabling transactions while maintaining security
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a copy or representation of the financial account information in the form of a payment proxy. This copy contains the necessary account number information for transactions but is designed to be safely shareable without compromising the original sensitive data
2Reliability
If merchants set up traditional point-of-sale infrastructure to process payments, then transactions can be processed reliably, but device complexity and infrastructure requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential payment processing function from the complex traditional point-of-sale infrastructure. By using mobile devices with payment proxy sharing capability, the system removes the need for merchants to maintain physical POS terminals, card readers, and other bulky infrastructure
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables universal payment processing capability across multiple device types (smartphones, tablets, wearables) without requiring device-specific infrastructure. The payment proxy system works across different platforms and operating systems, eliminating the need for merchant-specific hardware
3Reliability
If merchants are physically present to process payments securely, then security is maintained, but ease of operation decreases and transaction flexibility is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables customers to independently process payments without requiring merchant presence. The customer uses their own mobile device to share the payment proxy and complete the transaction, making the system self-service oriented and eliminating the need for the merchant to be physically present
Data Source
AI summary
In some examples, a point-of-sale (POS) device may detect an offline mode that prevents the POS device or one or more other devices (which couple with the POS device via a short-range network) from communicating with a remote server via a long-range network. Responsive to detecting the offline mode, the POS device may authenticate the other devices to communicate over the short-range network and synchronize, between the POS and the other devices, information associated with an order over the short-range network. In response to detecting that the offline mode has concluded, the POS device may transmit the information from the POS device or at least one of the other devices to the remove server via the long-range network.