Transaction Notification System for Split Bill Workflows

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Solution Overview

Problem

Users face difficulties in efficiently splitting bills among groups, as they need to manually identify and initiate repayment requests, which can lead to forgotten transactions due to the complexity and time-consuming nature of existing mobile payment workflows.

Innovation Solution

A system that identifies recent transactions and predicts whether they were incurred on behalf of a group, sending notifications to users recommending split transaction workflows or payment plans, using machine learning models to streamline the process by reducing user interactions and identifying relevant transactions automatically.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If users manually identify and initiate repayment requests through various user interfaces, then the repayment process can be completed, but the process becomes time-consuming and complex

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveease of splitting billVSAvoidtime required for repayment process

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by automatically identifying transactions that should be split and pre-preparing repayment requests before the user needs to take action. The notification system proactively presents split options to users, eliminating the need for them to manually search through transaction histories or initiate complex repayment workflows.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system enables self-service by automatically detecting group transactions and generating repayment requests without requiring extensive user intervention. The notification system allows users to review and approve pre-prepared split options with minimal input, transforming a complex manual process into a simple confirmation task.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

2Productivity

If the system sends notifications recommending split transactions, then the workflow is simplified and speed is improved, but additional system complexity is introduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvespeed of completing transaction workflowVSAvoidsystem complexity for notification and prediction

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The notification system acts as an intermediary layer between the transaction processing system and the user. It receives transaction data, processes it through prediction models, and presents simplified split options to users. This intermediary approach automates complex analysis while maintaining simple user interactions, resolving the contradiction between improved productivity and increased system complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS20250005581A1Notifications for splitting transactions

Publication Date: 2025.01.02 AMERICAN EXPRESS TRAVEL RELATED SERVICES CO INC

AI summary

Recommended notifications can be sent to mobile devices based at least in part on one or more conditions. The recommended notifications can recommend a user execute a split transaction workflow or a payment plan workflow for a recently charged transaction. In one examples, a system comprises a computing device. The computing device can be configured to identify an authorization of a transaction submitted by a merchant device and determine a context parameter associated with the transaction based at least in part on transaction data. A split classification can be determined for the transaction using a machine learning model based at least in part on the context parameter. A notification can be transmitted to a client device of a user associated with a payment instrument for the transaction based at least in part on the split classification.