Point of Sale System with Distributed Antennas for Contactless Payment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing point of sale (POS) systems for contactless payments are inconvenient and time-consuming, especially in settings with limited product selection, such as fast food restaurants or automatic vending machines, as they require users to navigate a delimited tap zone on the POS terminal, which can be difficult to reach and do not significantly enhance the efficiency of the payment process compared to traditional methods.
Innovation Solution
A POS system with multiple antennas, each associated with a respective product, allowing customers to select and pay for products by tapping their portable payment device on the corresponding antenna, enabling a "tap-to-buy" process that facilitates electronic payment through a payment processing unit connected to the antennas, which can initiate transactions based on antenna identification, timer expiration, or checkout confirmation, reducing the need for multiple financial transactions and enhancing security.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a single tap zone is located on the POS terminal, then contactless payment is enabled, but the tap zone is difficult to reach by the user
Solution Approach 1:
The single tap zone is segmented into multiple distributed antennas, each positioned at different locations (e.g., near different products in a vending machine). This allows users to access the tap zone at multiple convenient locations rather than one hard-to-reach spot, directly resolving the accessibility issue while using segmentation to distribute the functionality across multiple points.
Solution Approach 2:
The tap zone is extended from a single two-dimensional area on the POS terminal to a three-dimensional distributed network of antennas positioned at various heights and locations. This dimensional expansion allows users to tap at multiple spatial positions, making the system more accessible while maintaining contactless payment functionality.
2Productivity
If traditional POS terminals are used for contactless payments, then payment processing is enabled, but the payment process is time-consuming and not significantly more efficient than traditional methods
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by having antennas continuously active and ready to detect payment devices, and by pre-associating each antenna with specific products. When a user taps, the system already has the antenna identification and product information ready, enabling immediate transaction processing without the delays associated with traditional POS terminals that require manual input or card insertion.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-service payment where the antenna automatically identifies the tapped device and associates it with the relevant product, then initiates the transaction without requiring user navigation through menus or additional inputs. This automated self-service process significantly reduces payment time compared to traditional terminals that require more manual interaction.
3Ease of operation
If multiple antennas are deployed for product-specific payment, then tap-to-buy convenience is achieved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Each antenna is designed to be multi-functional: it can detect payment devices, identify itself, associate with products, and initiate transactions. This universal design means that while multiple antennas are deployed, each unit performs the same set of functions, simplifying the overall system architecture compared to having different specialized components for each function. The repetition of identical multi-functional units reduces configuration complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses identical copies of the antenna module throughout, where each antenna is a replicated unit with the same detection and identification capabilities. This copying approach allows the system to scale to multiple antennas without increasing the complexity of individual components or the overall system architecture, as each copy performs the same functions in the same way.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system provides a convenient, time-efficient, and cost-effective contactless payment method that eliminates the need for cashier-staffed checkouts and reduces network resource utilization by allowing multiple products to be paid for through a single transaction, improving customer experience and security by minimizing small transactions in bank accounts.
Implementation Method 1
the POS terminal is typically equipped with a short-distance communication antenna configured for converting an electromagnetic signal comprising payment-facilitating data, typically payment card data, received from a contactless payment card or another portable payment device for contactless payments, into an analogue signal
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to a point of sale [POS] system (1) for contactless payment of products, comprising a payment processing unit (10) for facilitating electronic payment of products based on payment-facilitating information received from a portable payment device (30), such as a contactless card. The payment processing unit (10) is connected to a plurality of antennas (20a-20d), each associated with a respective product and each configured to read payment-facilitating information from a portable payment device (30) when the portable payment device is brought in the vicinity of the antenna. The payment processing unit (10) is configured to, upon reading of payment-facilitating information by any of the antennas (20a-20d), receive the payment-facilitating information and identify a product to be paid for based on which of the plurality of antennas (20a-20d) read the payment-facilitating information, and to facilitate a financial transaction comprising payment of the identified product using the payment-facilitating information.