Security for mobile device

The present application relates to transactions using a user's profile and geographical location.

This application is filed on March 23, 2010, US Patent Provisional Application No. 61 / 316,527, and on June 4, 2010, No. 61 / 351,743, and on June 22, 2010. U.S. Patent Application No. 12 / 820,672 filed, No. 12 / 820,705 filed on June 22, 2010, No. 12 / 894,287 filed on September 30, 2010, and September 2010. Claim the interests of No. 12 / 894,323 filed on the 30th.

The widespread use of mobile phones and the increasing sophistication of smartphones have created a society in which personal mobile computing capabilities have become nearly ubiquitous. Content for mobile computing devices typically derives from the technology originally used in desktop computers. Several aspects of mobile computing devices, such as a small form factor with limited display capabilities and a lack of a full-size keyboard, have hampered the adoption of content originally designed for desktop computers. Other aspects, such as portability in itself, offer a unique opportunity to use mobile computing devices in a way that is very different from desktop computers. Content development that recognizes limitations while taking full advantage of the unique aspects of mobile computing devices is an active and mature area.

In addition, consumers are becoming more and more comfortable with virtual dialogues such as online shopping. However, despite the relative convenience of the virtual world as opposed to the real world, friction and security concerns still limit the adoption of virtual dialogue. For example, remembering passwords and maintaining multiple accounts creates friction in virtual world interactions. In addition, anonymity and lack of direct interaction between consumers and merchants pose potential security issues. Therefore, content designed specifically for mobile computing devices that eliminates trading friction and addresses security concerns is of great value to consumers.

Some merchants have both online and web-based stores, as well as real-world stores, but the online and real-world are generally separate. However, mobile computing devices allow both being "online" and being in a real-life store at the same time. In some transactions, such as the purchase of goods or services, consumers may initially be more concerned with price, convenience, and quality than the online or offline form of the transaction. In addition, advertising and marketing opportunities targeting both the real and online worlds may offer merchants additional ways to appeal to potential consumers. Therefore, the fusion of online presence and real-world position can facilitate trading and enhance advertising for the benefit of both consumers and merchants.

<figref num="1">Demonstrates an exemplary architecture for facilitating efficient transactions between mobile device users, merchants, and online retailers.</figref><figref num="2">The mobile device in Figure 1 is shown in more detail.</figref><figref num="3">The server (s) in Figure 1 is shown in more detail.</figref><figref num="4">The user information in FIG. 1 is shown in more detail.</figref><figref num="5">The merchant profile and advertising database in Figure 1 are shown in more detail.</figref><figref num="6">It is a flow chart of an exemplary process for automatically completing a transaction between a user of a mobile device and a merchant.</figref><figref num="7">It is a flow diagram of an exemplary process for completing a purchase by sharing information about mobile device users with merchants.</figref><figref num="8">A flow diagram of an exemplary process for configuring a mobile device to engage in low friction (eg, zero-dialogue or single-dialogue) transactions with a merchant.</figref><figref num="9">Demonstrates an exemplary architecture for mobile device users to complete a transaction with a merchant upon arriving at the merchant's geographic location.</figref><figref num="10">It is a flow chart of an exemplary process for completing a transaction with a mobile device and a user of the mobile device when they arrive at the merchant.</figref><figref num="11">Demonstrates an exemplary architecture for making transactions between a child device and a merchant, mediated by the parent device.</figref><figref num="12">A flow diagram of an exemplary process that completes a transaction between a child device and a merchant and transmits transaction instructions to the parent device.</figref><figref num="13">Mobile Device User Work Shows an exemplary map of the mobile device's temporal geographic location during the day.</figref><figref num="14">It is a flow diagram of an exemplary process for protecting mobile devices based on differences from a map of temporal geographic location.</figref><figref num="15">It is a flow chart of an exemplary process for protecting a mobile device based on biometric data.</figref><figref num="16">Demonstrates an exemplary architecture for providing merchant advertising or promotions to merchants or mobile devices in their vicinity.</figref><figref num="17">It is a flow diagram of an exemplary process for presenting an advertisement on a mobile device based on a bid submitted by a merchant.</figref><figref num="18">It is a flow chart of an exemplary process for providing a promotion to a mobile device when the number of mobile devices on the merchant exceeds a threshold.</figref><figref num="19">It is a flow chart of an exemplary process for sending a coupon to a mobile device.</figref><figref num="20">Group A flow chart of an exemplary process for providing coupons to mobile devices based on group behavior.</figref><figref num="21">It is a flow chart of an exemplary process for activating a coupon on a mobile device in response to a user login.</figref><figref num="22">Demonstrates an exemplary architecture for mobile device users to selectively interact with merchants within a given neighborhood of a mobile device selling a particular product and / or service.</figref><figref num="23A">A flow diagram of an exemplary process for a nearby merchant to notify a user of a mobile device when a user is selling a product or service of interest.</figref><figref num="23B">A flow diagram of an exemplary process for a nearby merchant to notify a user of a mobile device when a user is selling a product or service of interest.</figref><figref num="24">A flow diagram of an exemplary process for recommending nearby merchants and online products or services to users of mobile devices.</figref><figref num="25">An electronic document on a mobile device shows an exemplary timeline containing coupons that are activated when the mobile device is located on a merchant.</figref><figref num="26">A flow diagram of an exemplary process for activating coupons in an electronic document when a mobile device is located on a merchant.</figref>

The embodiments for carrying out the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In a drawing, the leftmost digit (s) of the reference number identifies the drawing in which the reference number first appears. Use in different drawings with the same reference number indicates similar or identical items.

Many activities are defined in whole or in part by the location where these activities occur. In some cases, activity can be inferred with high probability accuracy based solely on position. For example, a car at a tollhouse is likely to pay a toll there and pass through, and a person waiting near the boarding gate of an airplane is likely to be a ticket holder and booked at a hotel. Those who have entered are likely to go to the hotel to check in when they arrive in the lobby. Many types of activity can be estimated at some locations, but there are specific activities that occur only at these locations. For example, many things can happen at the front door of a house, but activating or deactivating a home security system is only done at that location. Mobile computing devices that can locate and predict or guess what a user might be doing at that location automate some activities and provide a high level of user convenience. be able to.

This disclosure is, in part, intended to facilitate transactions based on geographic location and unique user identification. For example, these transactions include e-commerce or any other type of transaction. Innovations in e-commerce such as one-click shopping carts have made the "Internet shopping" experience smoother and reduced the friction felt by users. For example, clicking a single button to complete a purchase requires fewer steps than entering a password, address, credit card number, etc. Reduction of steps, clicks, etc. reduces friction in trading. Commercial transactions in the real world, in some cases, bring even more friction to consumers than transactions in the electronic commerce world. For example, explaining the item you want to buy, presenting the payment to the cashier, waiting for the cashier to process the payment, and finally receiving the desired item is a typical example and relatively It is a real deal of high friction.

Access to the World Wide Web from mobile devices provides a platform for e-commerce similar to Internet shopping from desktop computers. Mobile computing devices, such as mobile phones, are often carried by users throughout their day-to-day interactions in the real world. Many of these mobile computing devices have Global Positioning System (GPS) functionality that determines the location of the device and thus the location of the corresponding user. This disclosure e-commerce mobile device location recognition to provide a frictionless or, in some cases, "zero-click" solution for consumer-merchant interactions in the real world. Combined with relatively low friction trading. Unique user identification is a thread that binds information about a particular user (eg, credit card data), a link between the user and a given mobile computing device, and the user wants to have with a given merchant. Provide relationships (eg, zero-click purchase selection).

Merchants include, for example, any person or legal entity, such as, but not limited to, a seller of goods or services engaged in a transaction with a customer. For example, a government can be a merchant in the context of providing government services, privileges, and / or rights. Online retailers also include any person or corporation that is the seller of goods or services, but online retailers engage in remote transactions with customers over electronic communications networks (eg, websites). Base retailer, but not limited to this). A single company may have both web presence and real-life stores, so aspects of the same company can be categorized as online retailers and merchants.

Mobile devices that provide wireless connectivity to the Internet (or other networks) allow access to the so-called "mobile web." The mobile web can be accessed from coffee shops, parks, airports, shopping centers, or any other location where sufficient radio signals are present. According to the mobile web, access to the Internet is no longer limited to workplaces, libraries, dorms, and locations with computers and Internet connections. Many mobile devices that provide access to the mobile web are also equipped with a Global Positioning System (GPS) or other types of location sensing technology. Thus, the Internet accessed by a mobile device can be considered to "exist" at a particular regional or "geographical location" of the mobile device. Therefore, the content presented to the user of the mobile device from the Internet (or from another source such as a local storage device) may vary depending on the geographic location of the mobile device.

The present disclosure is, in part, intended to provide information to users of mobile devices. For example, if a product or service that a user may wish to purchase is sold by a nearby merchant, that information may be provided to the user. One source of information about users carrying mobile devices is past purchases made from online retail websites, to-purchase lists of items selected by users, frequently viewed or recently by users. It may be the user's web identity that can contain information such as the web page viewed. Identity on the web can suggest what kind of goods and / or services a user wants, and the geographic location of a mobile device can suggest a real merchant in a convenient neighborhood. This combination of identity and physical location on the web may also be used to suggest users to purchase goods or services from nearby merchants on behalf of online retailers.

This disclosure is intended, in a further part, to provide additional access to content based on geographic location. The content may be a promotion such as a coupon that provides the user with a financial incentive (along with the user's mobile device) to go to a particular geographic location. The geographic location may be a merchant who wishes to bring potential customers to the store, for example by creating coupons that are only available within the store. Coupons may be associated with goods and / or services sold by merchants, or may be related to goods and / or services sold by online retailers. Content may also be provided after the user has gone to multiple locations (eg, some merchants) and logged in or checked in to a server or other computer at each of those locations.

The techniques described may be implemented in many ways and in many situations. Illustrative realizations and situations are provided with reference to the drawings below, as described in more detail below. However, it is understood that the following implementations and situations are illustrations of many possible implementations and situations.

Illustrative environment and system architecture FIG. 1 shows an exemplary architecture 100 in which a representative user 102 employs a mobile device 104 to interact with a merchant 106. The merchant 106 may include a merchant server 108 and a point-of-sale information management device 110 (eg, a "cash register"). In some embodiments, one point-of-sale information management device 110 may have one merchant server 108. Merchant server 108 may also include a merchant application that manages the interaction between merchant 106 and mobile device 104. Merchant applications may include applications that regulate point-of-sale information management transactions, online transactions, advertising provisioning, promotions, coupons, information, and the like. Merchant Server 108 may also store customer information about past or potential future customers. In some embodiments, the customer information may include personal information about the customer, information such as customer preferences, and the like.

Mobile devices 104 include mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), laptop computers, netbooks, e-readers, personal media players (PMPs), handheld game systems, automotive navigation systems, etc. It may be realized as any number of mobile devices, not limited to these. The device 104 is location-aware or can provide information to another entity (eg, a server computer) so that another entity can determine the location of the device 104. A position on the surface of the earth, or "geographical position," may be provided to the device by satellites 112, such as GPS satellites. Alternatively, a radio signal from the radio antenna 114 or the like may be used to determine the geographic location of the device 104 with respect to a known location of the radio antenna 114. Other techniques for determining geographic location, such as calculating geographic location based on network access points (eg, WiFi hotspots) or from location display signal broadcasts from known locations such as Merchant 106. And methods are also assumed to be within the scope of this disclosure.

Device 104 and Merchant 106 may connect to network 116. Network 116 is any one of several different types of networks such as cable networks, local area networks, personal area networks, wide area networks, internet, wireless networks, ad hoc networks, mesh networks, and / or similar. Alternatively, a combination may be included. In some embodiments, satellite 112 and / or radio antenna 114 may provide network connectivity and geographic location to mobile device 104. For example, the wireless antenna 114 gives the mobile device 104 network access according to the universal next-generation mobile phone system-2000 standard (3G network) or the universal next-generation mobile phone system advanced standard (4G network). May be provided. Other embodiments may include one source of geolocation data such as satellite 112 and a separate source of network connectivity such as WiFi hotspots. Merchant 106 may connect to network 116 through Merchant Server 108 using any suitable mechanism, such as a wired or wireless connection.

One or more servers 118 may also be connected to network 116 and configured to manage interactions between mobile device 104 and merchant 106. In some embodiments, all or part of the interaction between the mobile device 104 and the merchant 106 may be through a direct communication link 120 without going through the server 118 or network 116. The direct communication link 120 provides wireless transmission (eg, IEEE 802.11, Bluetooth), infrared signals, radio frequency identification (RFID), magnetic force (eg, magnetic strips such as those used on credit cards), devices to human operators 104. It may be implemented by displaying the code above, or by any other method, such as scanning the Merchant 106 and / or passing information directly between the Mobile Device 104 and the Merchant 106.

Server (s) 118 accommodates or connects to multiple datastores, including user information 122, merchant profile 124, advertising (ad) database 126, and / or other datastores. May have. Generally, the user information 122 contains information about the user 102 associated with the mobile device 104. User information 122 enables an efficient and personalized dialogue between user 102 and merchant 106. Merchant profile 124 generally contains information about one or more merchants, including merchant 106 with which user 102 is interacting. Types of interaction between Merchant 106 and User 102 include advertising served from Merchant 106 to Device 104, as well as purchasing goods and / or services from Merchant 106 when User 102 is in the Merchant position. Information for generating related advertisements may be contained in the advertisement database 126. Information about goods and / or services that the user is interested in purchasing may be contained within User Information 122. Each of the data stores is described in more detail below.

Also, the server (s) 118 is accurate with the correct user information 122, merchant profile 124, advertising database 126, and other information as the correct entity (eg, user 102 and / or point of sale device 110). May include an authentication module 124 that compares login information from mobile device 104 and / or merchant 106 to ensure that they are associated with each other. Authentication module 124 is described in more detail below.

Also, one or more online retailers 128 may be connected to network 116. Online retailers (s) 128 may sell goods and / or services on network 116 without having a real merchant location. Each of the mobile device 104, merchant 106, server (s) 118, and online retailer (s) 126 may communicate with each other over network 116. A company or store may have both an online retail store 128 and one or more merchants 106 located at multiple geographic locations.

Illustrative mobile device FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of the mobile device 104 of FIG. The mobile device 104 includes one or more processors 202 and a memory 204. The memory may thus include a user identification module 206, which may thus contain a user identifier 208 and / or user information 210. The memory 204 may also include the transaction module 212, the security module 214, the electronic document 216, and the coupon activation module 218. The user identifier 208 may be a unique number or code that uniquely identifies the user 102 of the mobile device 104. The user identifier 208 may be the same user identifier 208 that the user 102 uses to interact with the online retailer 128 and the like. In some embodiments, the user identifier 208 may be entered into the mobile device 104 by the user 102, such as by entering a username and password during the setup procedure. In other embodiments, the user identifier 208 may be included within the hardware of the mobile device 104. For example, when the user 102 purchases the device 104, the unique serial number of the mobile device 104 may be linked with the user name and password. As a further embodiment, a subscriber identification module (SIM) on a removable SIM card in device 104 may include a user identifier 208. In this embodiment, the user identification 208 may be an identifier between devices by moving the SIM card.

The device 104 may also include user information 210 locally stored in the memory 204. This information may be configurable by the user 102, including payment information, home location, and / or a map of past movements of the device 104, past transaction history, and / or any other related to the user 102. Information can be included.

The trading module 212 may recognize when the mobile device 104 is in the merchant position and may, in response, facilitate trading with the merchant 106. The transaction may be in part based on user information 210. The trading module 212 receives information from merchant 106 (eg, merchant name and requested payment) and provides corresponding information about user 102 (eg, payment information and user identification 208) in a standard communication protocol. May be configured with the appropriate application programming interface (API) to establish. In some embodiments, the trading module 212 is a software application that the user 102 can install on the user's device 104, such as by downloading from a website. In other embodiments, the trading module 212 may be pre-installed by the manufacturer or retailer of the mobile device 104 and / or may be incorporated into the mobile device 104 as a type of firmware or hardware. The transaction module 212 coordinates between user identification 208, user information 210, geographic location, etc. to facilitate transactions between user 102 and merchant 106.

Given the ability of the mobile device 104 to act as a platform for zero-click purchases, there is a need to provide security to prevent unauthorized billing. Security module 214 addresses this need by limiting the functionality of mobile device 104 and initiating security events in appropriate circumstances. Security module 214 may process login information such as passwords and / or biometric information to authenticate user 102 and prevent others from using mobile device 104. Security module 214 also analyzes behaviors such as purchase patterns and / or movement patterns, as described in more detail below, and speculates that anomalous behavior may suggest fraudulent or unauthorized activity. Therefore, the device functionality may be limited.

The memory 204 may also contain an electronic document 216. Electronic document 216 may be any type of electronic document accessed by computing devices such as word processor documents, spreadsheet documents, emails, web pages, electronic books and the like. In some embodiments described below, electronic document 216 may include coupons. Coupons may be associated with one or more merchants.

As used herein, the terms "book" and / or "electronic book" may include electronic or digital representations of printed works, as well as text, multimedia, hypertext, and / or hypermedia. Includes content. Examples of printed and / or digital works include books, magazines, newspapers, periodicals, institutional papers, reference books, telephone directories, textbooks, selections, instruction manuals, meeting minutes, forms, address lists, Maps, web pages, etc., but are not limited to these. Thus, the terms books and / or e-books may include any content in electronic or digital form.

In some embodiments, the mobile device 104 may facilitate transactions either online or with merchant 106 while user 102 is present on that merchant. The transaction may be completed completely using the mobile device 104 to initiate and pay for the transaction. Digital or electronic coupons may occasionally be provided to mobile device 104. These coupons may offer a discount to user 102 of mobile device 104 when the user makes a purchase.

Coupon Activation Module 218 may regulate the use and redemption of coupons based on geographic location and / or other factors. The coupon activation module 218 may activate the coupon when the mobile device 104 is located at merchant 106. Prior to activation, the coupon activation module 218 may hide all or part of the coupon from user 102. For example, a user reading electronic document 214 may not be able to see the coupon contained in electronic document 214 unless the user brings the mobile device 104 into a particular merchant 106. In another embodiment, user 102 knows that electronic document 214 contains a coupon, but browses the discount amount or other aspect of the coupon until user 102 and mobile device 104 are at merchant 106. You don't have to be able to.

The mobile device 104 also includes one or more input and output devices 220. The output device may include one or more display devices 222, including a touch screen display, which also serves as an input device. The accelerometer 224 detects the rotation or vibration of the mobile device 104. The accelerometer 224 can be a convenient mechanism for the user 102 to communicate input to the mobile device 104 by tapping, shaking, twisting, and / or making movements that the accelerometer 224 can detect. The mobile device 104 may also include a camera 226 capable of capturing a still image or video. The antenna 228 in the mobile device 104 may transmit radio signals and receive from sources such as the radio antenna 114 and satellite 112. Antenna 228 may, in some embodiments, communicate directly with Merchant 106, such as by exchanging radio signals with Point of Sale device 110 located at Merchant 106. The device 104 may further include, for example, other input / output devices 230 such as microphones and speakers used in the realization that the mobile device 104 functions as a telephone.

In some embodiments, the mobile device 104 may also include a calendar / clock 232, a position sensor 234, and a network interface 236. The calendar / clock 232 may calculate time, date, and other data that can be derived from time data and date data. In some embodiments, the calendar / clock 232 may communicate with the position sensor 234 to determine the day length at the current position of the device 104, eg, based on a date. This can allow the device 104 to determine whether it is daytime or nighttime based on time, date, and geographic location.

The calendar / clock 232 and position sensor 234 may also communicate to log where the device 104 is located at multiple time points. Logs of time-location data may be organized into maps showing device movement over time and over different dates. This map may be stored in memory 204, for example, as part of user information 210. Position sensor 234 includes, but is not limited to, a global positioning system for satellites orbiting the earth, including any type of system that informs mobile device 104 of its geographic location. Alternatively, the position sensor may determine the geographic location by radio signal triangulation (eg, triangulation based on radio antenna signal strength).

Network interface 236 may be configured to communicate wirelessly with network 116. Network interface 236 may use any standard protocol for network communication. The network interface 236 may be capable of high-speed wireless network communication. In some embodiments, network interface 236 may use antenna 228 to transmit and receive data from network 116. In a further embodiment, the network interface 236 may provide information to the location sensor 234 (eg, the closest network access point), from which the location sensor 234 can infer or calculate the location of the mobile device 104. .. In some embodiments, the coupon activation module 218 may activate the coupon in response to a signal received from merchant 106 via network interface 236. In another embodiment, the coupon activation module 218 may activate the coupon when the mobile device 104 is within a predetermined neighborhood of the merchant associated with the coupon.

Illustrative server FIG. 3 is a schematic representation of the server (s) 118 in FIG. One or more servers 118 may be implemented as a single computing device, a server farm with multiple servers, a distributed network, a cloud computing configuration, and / or the like. The server (s) 118 comprises one or more processors 302 and memory 304. The memory 304 may contain the same user identifier (1) 208 associated with the mobile device 104 of FIG. In some embodiments, the memory 304 may contain thousands or even millions of distinct user identifiers, represented herein as user ID (N) 306, where N. Is any number greater than 1. Each user identifier may be associated with its own mobile device.

The user identifier 208 represents the user 102 interacting with the server (s) 118 through the mobile device 104. The authentication module 124 determines whether the communication coming from the mobile device 104 should be associated with the user identifier 208. In some embodiments, authorization may involve, for example, handshaking or other matching between the authentication module 124 of the server (s) 118 and the security module 214 of the mobile device 104. Authentication module 124 may similarly authenticate the identity of merchant 106 / or online retailer 126. Providing strong data security can avoid fraudulent transactions from both mobile device 104 and merchant 106.

Server (s) 118 may also include trading module 308. In some embodiments, the trading module 308 on the server (s) 118 is similar to the trading module 212 on the mobile device 104. Transactions between user 102 and merchant 106 are facilitated by trading modules 212 and 308, or both, when the device's geographic location matches or is within its threshold distance. May be done. Trading module 308 may be configured using APIs to exchange information with both merchant 106 and mobile device 104. In some embodiments, the API exposed to Merchant 106 may be regulated to prevent unauthorized merchants from accessing the system and improve data security. The API exposed to mobile device 104 may be generic or customized for a particular device hardware and operating system. Providing multiple sets of APIs allows the server (s) 118 to translate communications between mobile device 104 and merchant 106, which would otherwise be incapable of exchanging information. obtain.

Map 310 stored on the server (s) 118 may contain the geographic location of merchant 106. The correlation between a particular merchant 106 and a particular geographic location is that the mobile device 104 is located in or near the geographic location associated with that merchant 106 in map 310. Or it may be used to infer that it is located in the vicinity. Map 310 may also contain real-time information about each geographic location of the mobile device 104 associated with each user identifier 208-306. From this information, it may be possible to determine how many mobile devices 104 belonging to the system are in a given merchant position. It may also be possible to identify other mobile devices 104 within the vicinity of a given mobile device 104. For example, map 310 may indicate that the user's friends (or at least their friends' mobile devices) are on the next merchant.

The server (s) 118 may also promote the advertisement via the advertisement sent from the merchant 106 or from its agents to the mobile device 104. In some cases, the bidding module 312 may receive and process bids for the privilege of placing advertisements on mobile device 104. User 102 may choose to receive the advertisement and present the relevant advertisement based on the geographic location of mobile device 104 and user information 122. Bids may be structured according to any known bidding system or otherwise. The operator of server 118 may structure the bid to maximize the advertising revenue paid by merchant 106.

Server (s) 118 may also include notification module 314. In some embodiments, the notification module 314 on the server (s) 118 provides notifications to the mobile device 104 in the form of email, text, or similar messages. The notification is when there is a match between the goods and / or services that user 102 is interested in and the goods and / or services offered by merchant 106 within a given neighborhood of the mobile device 104's geographic location. , May be sent. In some embodiments, the notification module 314 may send a notification to the merchant 106 notifying the merchant that a nearby user 102 may be interested in the goods or services offered by the merchant 106.

Recommendation module 314 stored on server (s) 118 may provide recommendations to mobile device 104. Recommendations may suggest to user 102 of mobile device 104 a nearby merchant 106 who sells goods or services that user 102 may be interested in. Recommendation module 314 may also identify nearby merchants 106 that offer coupons or discounts in such form to user 102. In some embodiments, recommendation module 314 may also recommend goods or services sold by online retailer 128. Online retailer 128 recommendations may be provided along with recommendations from nearby merchant 106. Depending on the goods and / or services sold by Merchant 106 and Online Retailer 128, the relationship may be one of a competitor or alliance. In a relationship considered to be a competitor, Recommendation Module 316 may notify User 102 that both neighboring Merchant 106 and Online Retailer 128 will sell the same goods or services. However, in a relationship that is considered complementary, online retailer 128 offers something that is not available from nearby Merchant 106, but that can enhance or complement the goods or services sold by that Merchant 106. You may.

The server (s) 118 may also promote advertising via communications (eg, notifications, recommendations, etc.) transmitted from Merchant 106 or its agents to the mobile device 104. For example, an entity controlling server (s) 118 may have privileges included in notifications sent from notification module 314 and / or recommendations sent from recommendation module 316 to merchant 106 and / or online retailer 128. You may generate income by charging the fee. The payment module 318 in the server (s) 118 may receive and process payments from merchant 106 and / or online retailer 128. Payments are accepted as payments by the entity controlling the server (s) 118, but may be in the form of "virtual" currencies or points that are not standard currencies. User 102 may choose to receive notifications and recommendations provided by server (s) 118. Payments received by payment module 318 may be structured as flat rates, unit charges, or determined by bidding between various merchants 106 and / or online retailers 128. The operator of server 118 may structure the payment system to maximize the revenue paid by merchant 106 and / or online retailer 128.

FIG. 4 is a data store containing user information 122 that may be contained or connected within a server (s) 118. The user information 122 may include some or all of the same stored information as the user information 210 on the mobile device 104. In some embodiments, the user information 122 stored on the server (s) 118 backs up or recovers the user information 210 on the mobile device 104, for example, if the mobile device 104 is lost or damaged. May be used for.

User information 122 may provide separate data associated with each of the user identifiers 208-306 shown in FIG. For example, user ID (1) 208 may be associated with payment information 402, user profile 404, transaction record 406, list 408 of trusted merchants, and list 410 of items of interest to the user. Payment information 402 may include credit or debit card numbers, bank account information, electronic payment system information, and / or the like. The user profile 404 is a list of user preferences, interests and hobbies, instructions on the type of communication and / or transaction selected by user 102 to receive, personal information such as marriage brokerage service preferences, and any information associated with user 102. It may contain other types of information, as well as the user's user ID (1) 208. Transaction record 406 may include a list of past transaction history, including the identity, time, geographic location, and transaction subject of the seller (eg, merchant 106 or online retailer 128).

User 102 may select some subset of these merchants from all the merchants participating in the system as trusted merchant 408. In some embodiments, whenever a user trades with a merchant, the user may be asked if he or she wishes to add the merchant to the list of trusted merchants. This credible merchant status may be part of user information 122. The status as a trusted merchant may also allow Merchant 106 to trade with User 102 via User's Mobile Device 104. Also, the status as a trusted merchant is the dialogue required by the user 102 to complete an electronic transaction using the mobile device 104 compared to other merchants not on the trusted merchant list. The amount may be reduced. Within the list of trusted merchants 408, different merchants may be given different credit levels by user 102. For example, a transaction with the most trusted merchant may be completed automatically simply by having user 102 (and mobile device 104) enter the position of merchant 106.

In contrast to other merchants 106, where user 102 does not want to use such "zero-click" transactions, user 102 has some minimum between user 102 and mobile device 104 to complete the transaction. May suggest a lower level of credit that requires a dialogue with. This can be thought of as a "one-click" dialogue, but that particular dialogue can be something other than a "click." For other merchants that User 102 associates with an even lower level of credit, User 102, such as entering a password and login, before the mobile device 104 is able to complete a transaction with Merchant 106, etc. You may request more than one click.

The list of goods 410 of interest to the user may provide a list of goods and / or services that the user 102 may wish to purchase. The user's wishes may be inferred from past activity by user 102, which explicitly or implicitly suggests that the user is interested in a product or service. For example, a previously viewed list of goods and / or services 412 may track those web pages or product / service descriptions previously viewed by user 102 in a web browser or another format. By viewing the content of the purchase schedule list 414 generated by the user 102, a more definitive suggestion of the user's interest may be determined. User 102 establishes a purchase schedule list on multiple online retail stores 128, in another location such as a personal website, etc., and all of the different purchase schedule lists are stored as part of user information 120. It may be integrated into the to-do list 414. Browsing the content of the online shopping cart 416 may determine a stronger indication of what the user 102 is likely to purchase. The shopping cart 416 may represent a product or service in which user 102 has started a purchase from online retail store 128 but has not finished. In some online retailers 128, the shopping cart may disappear if user 102 does not complete the purchase within a fixed period, while in other online retailers 128, the virtual shopping cart survives indefinitely. obtain. User 102 may have multiple shopping carts at various online retail stores 128, each containing one or more goods or services. The shopping cart 416 contained within the user information 120 may represent an aggregation of individual shopping carts from a plurality of different online retailers 128.

FIG. 5 shows a plurality of data stores, including a merchant profile 124 and an advertising database 126, which may be contained within or may be connected to a server (s) 118. Merchant Profile 124 includes geographic location 500 of the merchant's actual location, goods and / or services 502 sold by Merchant 106, promotional 504 offered by Merchant, Merchant Criticism and Rating 506, and mobile device 104. Other data about merchants that can be used to facilitate transactions (eg, types of credit cards accepted) Contains information about merchants such as 508. Geographic location 500 can be the source of one of the data used to create map 310 stored on server (s) 118. The geographic location 500 can be one source of data used to determine if the mobile device 104 is "near" or within a given neighborhood of the merchant location. In some embodiments, the geographic location 500 may be stored as coordinates such as latitude and longitude and compared to coordinates of the mobile device 104 such as latitude and longitude determined by GPS. The goods and / or services 502 available on Merchant 106 may be a list of real-time or near-real-time inventory items, or the identified goods and / or services 502 are currently available on Merchant 106. Regardless of gender, it may suggest what is normally sold.

Promotion 504 may include coupons or discounts for goods or services offered by the merchant. The promotion 504 may, for example, give a discount to a user 102 who designates a merchant as a trusted merchant. The promotion 504 may also be available for different merchants. For example, a merchant may offer a coupon to user 102 of mobile device 104 when a user enters a competitor's store. As a further embodiment, the user may receive redeemable promotions on a second different merchant by logging in or checking in with the first merchant. The first merchant may pay some or all of the costs associated with providing the promotion with the second merchant. The sales promotion 504 may give a discount to the user 102, for example, based on the user information 120 of the user 102. For example, merchant 106 may provide user 102 of mobile device 104 with a coupon for an item included in the user's to-purchase list 414. Coupons may offer fixed discounts or percentage discounts. For example, the coupon may offer the recipient a fixed discount of $ 20 for any purchase of $ 50 or more. Alternatively, the coupon may offer a 50% discount. Similarly, coupons may offer one free for one purchase, a third for two, or a similar type of discount related to the number of items purchased.

Merchant reviews and ratings 506 may be provided by professional editors or critics, or by voting or group ratings from several users.

Communication between the merchant and the mobile device 104 may also include advertising. The mobile device 104 may have a user interface with a designated window or ad box for displaying advertisements sent by merchant 106. The advertising database 126 stores the advertising content 510 in association with the geographical location 512 and the merchant information 514. Since the advertisement targets the mobile device 104, which may include the location sensor 234, the advertising content 510 is associated with one or more geographic locations 512 to serve location-related advertisements. For example, an advertisement for a merchant may appear when a user 102 carrying a mobile device 104 approaches the geographical location of one of the merchant's retail stores. For example, when a user approaches a coffee shop, the coffee shop may provide an advertisement or promotion for a discounted cup of coffee when the user is near or inside the coffee shop.

The advertising content 510 may appear when the mobile device 104 is at a predetermined distance from the merchant. In some embodiments, a given distance is the speed at which the mobile device 104 is moving so that a person traveling by car can receive advertising content 510 at a distance farther from the merchant than a walking person. May depend on. In some embodiments, the display of advertisements may be disabled based on the speed at which the mobile device 104 is moving. This feature can prevent the driver from being distracted by blocking ads, or at least putting the mobile device in silent mode, when the speed of the mobile device 104 exceeds the speed threshold. The merchant information 514 may specify a merchant that supplies the advertising content 510. This suppresses the serving of advertisements from other merchants, while serving the advertisements from the merchants that the user 102 is interested in (either explicitly or implicitly). May be used in conjunction with profile 404. Merchant Information 514 may also include a bid amount that suggests the maximum amount that the merchant is willing to bid to "successfully bid" and display the merchant's advertisement on the user's mobile device. This bid amount may be used by the bid module 312 to determine which advertising content 510 is to be displayed on a given mobile device 104.

Illustrative dealings between merchants and mobile devices FIG. 6 illustrates process 600, which includes associating user information with a device in operation 602. The user information may include, for example, the user information 122 illustrated in FIG. In some embodiments, the device may be the exemplary mobile device 104 of FIG. Associating user information with a device associates the user's identity with the device and allows the device to represent the user in an electronic transaction. Next, in operation 604, the position of the device is determined. As mentioned above, the position may be determined by the position sensor 230, which determines the geographical position as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2.

Action 606 then correlates the position with the merchant. The merchant may, for example, provide a wireless network connection on or near its premises, the connection being able to identify the merchant. By doing so, each device using that network connection can recognize its current location as being in the merchant. In some embodiments, the device may, in addition or as an alternative, recognize theoretical positions such as latitude and longitude provided by GPS. Map 608 of the merchant position may be used to match the latitude and longitude of the device with the merchant position. It is possible to identify the geographic location of a device, however, there may be locations where that geographic location may not be correlated with any merchant location. For example, the device may be on the street near some merchants, but not in any of those merchants.

At determination point 610, it is determined whether the device is located on the merchant. In some cases, this determination may include determining whether the device is within the merchant, while in other cases it may include whether the device is within a predetermined distance of the merchant. May include determining. If no, process 600 follows the "no" path and returns to operation 604. This loop may be repeated continuously until the device is located on the merchant. When the device is located on the merchant, process 600 follows a "yes" path to decision point 612.

At determination point 612, it is determined whether or not the transaction with this merchant is automated. For example, the user may decide that the user wants to automatically complete a particular type of transaction with a particular type of merchant. In such situations, the user may enable the automatic trading functionality of the user's mobile device. However, for other merchants, or for other types of transactions, the user may desire more dialogue, such as specifying transaction details or positively agreeing to the transaction. If this transaction with this merchant is not automated, process 600 follows a "no" path and returns to action 604. If the transaction is automated, process 600 follows a "yes" path to action 614.

In action 614, in some cases, the transaction between the user of the device and the merchant is automatically completed. The automatic completion of this transaction when the user is in the merchant provides the user with a frictionless experience. Linking with location-aware mobile computing devices enables zero-click trading.

As an exemplary embodiment, a user can associate a user's prepaid card (or other payment method) at a local coffee shop with a mobile device. The user can additionally set that the user's favorite drink at this coffee shop is a tall-sized latte. This information may be stored somewhere on a mobile device such as user information 210 or on a network such as user information 122. A local coffee shop may have many stores, and each store location may be associated with unique latitude and longitude coordinates. When the user carrying the user's mobile device arrives at any of the store locations, the device recognizes their coordinates corresponding to the local coffee shop and implements the transaction specified by the user. In this embodiment, the user specifies that the mobile device uses the user's prepaid card to purchase a tall-sized latte whenever the user enters one of the local coffee shop locations. be able to. The user can walk directly to the counter and receive the user's tall-sized latte without opening the user's wallet or even ordering verbally. This is a frictionless transaction. This embodiment can take several modifications. For example, the merchant may require the user to show the user's identity (eg, driver's license), verbally state the password associated with the user, and so on. Alternatively, the user may receive a phone call or text message and may confirm the completion of the transaction via one of these communication channels.

As another exemplary embodiment, the merchant may be an ambulance, which is itself a mobile with the ability to recognize location and communicate with mobile devices. A portion of user information 122 and / or 210 may contain medical information about the user. This information may be encrypted and available only through a given API, or may otherwise be restricted to disclosure only to "merchant" who provides medical services such as ambulances. When the geographic location of the ambulance and the geographic location of the mobile device are the same, medical information from the mobile device may be automatically provided to the medical service provider in the ambulance. The medical information may potentially contain a picture of the user so that the emergency physician can ensure that the person actually in the ambulance is the correct user to associate with the medical information. it can. This medical information may include, for example, the user's medical history, drugs that the user is allergic to, etc., thus allowing the emergency physician to properly treat the user in the event of an emergency.

The mobile device 104 may also facilitate transactions with the merchant even when the user 102 is not at or near the merchant 106's geographic location. For example, some merchants, such as online dating / marriage brokerage services, may not have a physical location associated with the user. For this type of merchant, the point-of-sale information management device 110 can be the server itself or a component of merchant server 108. In such cases, user 102 may interact with an online merchant, although at a geographical location associated with another merchant, such as a restaurant.

In the implementation of online dating, the transaction may depend on the geographic location of one user with respect to another, rather than the geographic location of user 102 with respect to merchant 106. For example, a member of an online dating service may choose to make the merchant server of the online dating service available to the geographic location of each member's mobile device. The merchant server determines whether the two mobile devices are within a mutual threshold distance and whether the two users are determined to match by the dating service (eg, the match is, at least in part, the user. It may be determined (which may be defined on user information 122, such as profile 404), and the transaction may be initiated between one or both of the mobile devices and the online dating service. The transaction may include a "membership match" notification in which one of the users may respond by requesting contact with the other user who is "membership match". The other user who receives the contact request may accept the contact request, decline the contact request, or ignore the contact request. If the contact request is accepted, the online dating service may allow mediated contact between the two users. In some embodiments, the direct contact information may be kept secret so that communication between two users must go through an online dating service (eg, a merchant server for the online dating service). ..

Figure 7 illustrates process 700, which involves detecting the presence of a device on a merchant 702. Detection may be performed by a mobile device, a merchant, a network component such as the server (s) 118 illustrated in FIG. 1, or a combination thereof. For example, the distance of a mobile device from three mobile phone towers may be used to triangulate the geographic location of the mobile device, which detects that the mobile device is present on the merchant. May be used for. The indication that the device is present on the merchant may be context-dependent (eg, it may depend on neighborhood density). For example, in a dense neighborhood where many stores are directly adjacent to each other, "existence" is said to remain within a narrow spatial boundary, and the mobile device stays within that boundary for periods such as 30 seconds, 10 minutes, or 1 hour. It may be defined by a requirement. The time requirement can actually prevent the mobile device from falsely detecting "existing" when the user is simply passing by the merchant. In other situations, for example, at a tollhouse on an empty highway, mobile devices may be designated to be present at the tollhouse, although they are still hundreds of yards away, based on the speed and trajectory of the user device. This could allow mobile devices to pay tolls in time to open the tollhouse gates without the need for vehicles approaching the tollhouse to slow down significantly. ..

At determination point 704, it is determined whether or not the merchant is a credible merchant for the user. The determination may be based in part on List 408 of trusted merchants illustrated in FIG. When the merchant is a trusted merchant, process 700 proceeds to action 706 along the "yes" path. At operation 706, the user device logs in to the merchant. The login may be completed using the user identifier 208 illustrated in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4.

In action 708, information about the device user is shared with the merchant. The information may include payment information 710, preference information 712, and user identifier 714. In some embodiments, the user identifier 714 provided to the merchant in this operation may be the same user identifier 208 described above. In other embodiments, the user identifier 714 in operation 708 may be different, such as a unique user identifier 714 for this particular merchant, a "nickname" that is a substitute for the user identifier 714, or another identifier. The information may be shared with the merchant's point-of-sale information management device 110, such as that illustrated in FIG. The preference information 712 may suggest what kind of goods or services the device user prefers to purchase. Returning to the coffee shop embodiment, preference information 712 may suggest that the user wishes to purchase a tall-sized latte while at the coffee shop . In a tollhouse embodiment, preference information 712 may suggest that the user drives a motorcycle rather than a car and therefore wishes to pay an appropriate toll for the motorcycle. In some embodiments, the mobile device may simply provide the user identifier 714 to the merchant, which is tied to the user identifier 714 from a communication network such as network 116 illustrated in FIG. Other information (eg, payment information, preference information, etc.) may be retrieved.

Then, in action 716, the purchase between the user and the merchant is completed. The purchase may be completed using payment information 402. The purchase may also be completed using Preference Information 712, in which case, in some embodiments, it is the goods suggested by User Preference Information 712 when the mobile device is detected by the merchant. It can be used to automate purchases, just as services are purchased automatically. In other embodiments, the completion of the purchase in Action 716 may involve only a single interaction between the user and the mobile device. For example, a user may need to press a specific number on a numeric keypad on a mobile device or a softkey on a touch screen display. In addition, a single dialogue may include speaking into a microphone on the mobile device or shaking the mobile device to enable an accelerometer inside the mobile device. On the other hand, some transactions may involve multiple dialogues.

However, at decision point 704, if the merchant is not recognized as a trusted merchant, process 700 proceeds to operation 718 along the "no" path. In action 718, the user is queried as to whether or not to proceed with the purchase on this merchant and how to proceed. For example, the user may refuse to interact with this untrustworthy merchant. Alternatively, the user may choose to log in to the merchant, although not a trusted merchant, and proceed to complete the purchase.

Figure 8 illustrates Process 800 for configuring a mobile device to interact with a merchant in one or more of the above methods. The user may select a merchant from the list of merchants in Action 802. The list of merchants may include merchants who choose to participate in this e-commerce system. This selection may be made on the mobile device or on another computing device where the list of selected merchants is sent to the mobile computing device. In action 804, one or more of the selected merchants are designated with a level of trade matching. The level of transaction verification does not necessarily correspond to the credit level described above. The user may specify a particular merchant on which the user can complete the transaction using transaction collation (and therefore the user wants to complete the transaction automatically without interaction with the user's mobile device). .. Examples where this level trade matching may be suitable are, among other things, coffee shops and tollhouses. For other merchants, the user may wish to take some positive steps to collate the transaction, and therefore a single interaction (or it) with the mobile device to collate the transaction. (Above) is used. This may be desirable for trusted merchants who sell relatively expensive goods or services. For example, a user may wish to use the user's mobile device to pay for veterinary services, but without at least a single interaction on the mobile device collating the transaction, $ 1, to the user's account. I don't want to be charged 000. For other merchants, it may be possible to specify a level of transaction matching that requires more than one dialogue. This higher level of collation can be anything from pressing two keys on a mobile device to a complex login process that involves entering a password and providing payment information such as a card number. You may.

In action 806, sharing user information with the merchant is selected. The user information may include any or all of the user information 122 shown in FIG. 1 and / or the user information 210 shown in FIG. For example, sharing the user identifier 208 with a merchant allows the merchant to recognize the mobile device by the user identifier 208. In addition, the user may choose to share different information with different merchants. For example, credit card information can be shared with one merchant, while bank account information is shared with another merchant.

Then, in Action 808, when the mobile device is on the merchant, a transaction is initiated between the merchant and the mobile device. Transactions may be collated according to the level of trade collation suggested in Action 804. As mentioned above, in some embodiments it may include a zero dialogue 810 between the user and the mobile device, in other embodiments it is between the user and the mobile device. It may include a single dialogue 812 (or more). By preconfiguring the mobile device, it is possible to establish the default behavior when the mobile device is in the merchant position. In some embodiments, this configuration information may expire after a length of time, such as 24 hours. Upon expiration, the level of transaction matching may be reset to require a full login to any merchant, or in some embodiments, the number of required interactions will be progressively increased. (For example, a zero-dialogue merchant now requires a single interaction with a mobile device, a single-dialogue merchant now requires at least two interactions with a mobile device, and so on). In other embodiments, the configuration information does not expire, but rather may persist until the user makes a change.

FIG. 9 shows an exemplary architecture 900 in which a representative user 102 employs device 902 to initiate a transaction that is completed when the user later arrives at merchant 106. The process already shown in FIGS. 6-8 generally relates to a transaction initiated when user 102 is in the same position as merchant 106. However, Architecture 900 is further applicable to situations where the user 102 may start trading at a certain location and at some point, and then later arrive at Merchant 106 to complete the trading.

The user may initiate transaction 904 through interaction with device 902. The device 902 may be a mobile device 104, or it may be a different computing or communication device such as a telephone, desktop computer, laptop computer, thin client, set-top box, game console or the like. Device 902 may be connected directly or indirectly to network 906. The network 906 may be the same network as the network 116 illustrated in FIG. User identifier 208 is associated with transaction 904. User identifier 208 allows merchant 106 to match transaction 904 with the exact user. Initiating the transaction may put the transaction in the transaction queue of Merchant 106. In some embodiments, this transaction queue may be maintained on the merchant server 108 illustrated in FIG. The transaction queue can include a pre-order for a cup of coffee (delivered when the user arrives at the coffee shop) or a hotel reservation (confirmed by the user checking in at the hotel). A transaction may be kept in a transaction queue for a period of time (eg, minutes or days), but it can also be realized immediately or almost immediately.

User 102 later arrives at Merchant 106 with the user's mobile device 104. Also, recall that the mobile device 104 can also be associated with the user identifier 208, as illustrated in FIG. In some embodiments, satellite 112 provides mobile device 104 with a geographic location that can be compared or matched with the geographic location of merchant 106. When in the position of the merchant, the computer systems of the mobile device 104 and the merchant 106 can communicate directly on the communication path 908 or indirectly via the network 906. Merchant 106 may access network 906 to retrieve transaction 904 when the mobile device 104 associated with user identifier 208 is present at the merchant location. The information provided by merchant 106 to mobile device 104 may be used by user 102 to complete transaction 904. In some embodiments, completing a transaction may involve the user being charged and subsequently gaining access to the protected location 910. Protected location 910 may include hotel rooms, planes, homes, workplaces, borders, or any other geographical location where admission is restricted. Admission to the protected location 910 may be provided to user 102 by a personalized code. The personalized code may be stored in user information 122. For example, the code may be a series of numbers and letters that the user 102 wants to reuse whenever access requests entry of the code, such as on a keypad. As a further embodiment, the code may be based, at least in part, on biometric data from user 102. Biometric data are described in more detail below with respect to FIG. In some implementations, this code allows merchant 106 to receive only the user identifier 208, but the user's personalized code.

For example, the user may make a hotel reservation from the user's home computer. The reservation, along with the user's user identifier, is transmitted through the communication network to the hotel's computer system. A user identifier contained within a user's mobile device to retrieve a reservation when the user arrives at the hotel after a certain amount of time (eg, a few days) and the user's mobile device is detected at the hotel's geographic location. Is used. Similarly, after confirming payment by credit card or the like associated with the user's user identifier, the hotel sends a text message or other communication containing the user's room number to the user's mobile device. This may occur while the user is walking through the lobby to the elevator without stopping at all at the reception. Once in the user's room, the presence of the user's mobile device outside the door is detected by the wireless communication network in the hotel, the door may be unlocked automatically. Room keys may be provided within the hotel room. In an embodiment where the user identifier is also tied to the user profile (and the user chooses to share the user's user profile with the hotel), for example, the hotel employee is given the type of chocolate that the user prefers. User profiles may be used to customize the user's guest experience at the hotel by instructing them to be placed on the pillow. Similar to the purchase of goods, the system can provide a frictionless experience of purchasing services.

As a further embodiment, the architectures and systems described herein can be applied to immigration offices and border security. In this situation, transaction 904 may be to permit entry. First, a person wishing to travel to a different country may enter user information about the prospective trip into the computing device 902 and associate that information with the transaction 904 as well as the prospective traveler's user identifier 208. .. In some embodiments, the passport number can be used as the user identifier 208. Upon arriving at the immigration office in the second country, the mobile device 104 carried by the traveler signals the immigration office authorities that the person has arrived and is requesting entry. Good. In some embodiments, the user identifier 208 may be associated with a mobile device 104, such as a mobile phone, that the user 102 is instructed to bring with him when traveling to another country. In other embodiments, the mobile device 104 may be a small electronic device attached to the user's passport as an entry visa. In yet another embodiment, the passport itself may include the mobile device 104 and the RFID in the passport may be the user identifier 208. This system allows a person to be partially completed in advance of an immigration office transaction, and by automatically identifying the person and the corresponding information when the person is located at the point of entry. Can reduce the friction associated with the process of entering the country.

FIG. 10 illustrates process 1000 for completing a transaction between a user and a merchant when the user arrives at the merchant's geographic location. At action 1002, a transaction is initiated between the user and the merchant. The initiation of a transaction may be separated from the completion of the transaction in space and time, however, such separation is not always necessary.

Upon arriving at the merchant's geographic location, the mobile device is detected by the merchant in action 1004. The detection may be direct, such as the realization that the signal broadcast by the mobile device is picked up by the merchant's receiver. Alternatively, the detection may be indirect or inferred by correlating the current geographic location of the mobile device with the geographic location of the merchant. In action 1006, the user's presence is communicated to the merchant. The communication may trigger the merchant to access the transaction.

User information may be provided to the merchant in operation 1008. The user information may be provided directly from the memory of the mobile device, or the user identifier associated with the mobile device may be used to retrieve the user information from the network or other remote data source. As described above, the user information may include payment information, a user profile, and the like. The user profile may include user preferences that the merchant uses to modify the transaction. User preferences may include window or aisle seats on airplanes, smoking or non-smoking rooms in hotels, and the like. Then, in action 1010, the transaction between the user and the merchant is completed. Completion may include collecting payments, confirming reservations, making purchases, and so on.

Following the completion of the transaction, in action 1012, the merchant may send a message confirming the completion of the transaction to the mobile device. The message may be a receipt for the transaction, or in some embodiments, it may be the code or other information needed to access a protected location such as a hotel room or airplane. May be good. For example, the message may include a boarding pass barcode that can be displayed on the screen of a mobile device and scanned by a conventional device when the user boarded an airplane. In other embodiments, the message may be an electronic token that provides additional functionality to the mobile device. For example, electronic tokens may allow mobile devices to broadcast signals that can be used to open doors and gain access to protected locations (eg, similar to garage door openers).

Illustrative parent and child devices Figure 11 shows an exemplary architecture 1100 in which two parent-child devices interact to complete a transaction with a merchant. This embodiment describes techniques in parent / child situations, but these techniques include employer / employee situations, teacher / student situations, adult children / elderly parents, and / or any other. It may be applied similarly to the situation of. This relationship can generally be thought of as a master-slave relationship between computing devices. Child 1102 is a user of child device 1104. The child device 1104 may be associated with a given user (ie, child 1102) based on the user's login or authentication to the child device 1104. In some embodiments, the login may be associated with user information 122 of child 1104, thus providing the same functionality and parental restrictions on any device used by child 1102. The child device 1104 may be a mobile device similar to the device 104 illustrated in FIG. In some embodiments, the child device 1104 may be designed with a simple user interface, limited functionality, large buttons, bright colors, and / or otherwise adapted to young users. May be good. Parent 1106 interacts with parent device 1108. The parent 1106 and parent device 1108 may be similar to the user 102 and mobile device 104 illustrated in FIG. However, the parent device 1108 may be a non-mobile device such as a desktop computer. Although designated as "parent" and "child" in the present specification, the two users may have a relationship other than the parent-child relationship as described above. However, as described in more detail below, the parent device 1108 may have limited control and / or monitoring functionality over the child device 1104. The hierarchical relationship between the two devices may be realized in employment and family situations.

The satellite 112 and the radio antenna 114 are identical to those shown in FIG. The child device 1104 recognizes its geographic location, or another entity can track this geographic location. Geolocation information may be provided by satellite 112, radio antenna 114, and / or alternative sources, as described above. The child device 1104 and the parent device 1108 share at least one communication connection. In some embodiments, the two devices, such as a mobile phone, may communicate via the wireless antenna 114. In the same or different implementations, the two devices may have a connection to network 1110, such as the Internet. The network 1110 may be identical to the network 116 shown in FIG. In other embodiments, it may be a different network, such as a subset of network 116 restricted to content and connections that are considered suitable for the child.

Merchant 106 may also have a connection to network 1110 on which information can be shared with either the child device 1104 or the parent device 1108. The child device 1104 may communicate with the merchant 106 through network 1110 and / or may communicate directly with the merchant 106 over direct communication link 1112. The direct communication link 1112 may be similar to the direct communication link 120 illustrated in FIG.

FIG. 12 illustrates process 1200 for completing a transaction between a child device and a merchant and transmitting transaction instructions to the parent device. Action 1202 determines the geographic location of the child device. The geographic location of the child device may be determined with reference to satellite 112 or radio antenna 114 shown in FIG. Then, in action 1204, the geographic location of the child device is correlated with the merchant. Correlation may be achieved through any of the mechanisms described above, for example comparing the geographic location of the child device with a map of the merchant location. At operation 1206, a transaction is initiated between the user of the device and the merchant. The transaction may be initiated automatically in some embodiments, or in other embodiments, the transaction may involve one or more inputs from the user of the child device prior to initiation. ..

In operation 1208, transaction instructions are transmitted to the parent device. The instructions may inform the user of the parent device about the details of the transaction between the child device and the merchant. In some embodiments, the instructions may be provided to the parent device in real time. Transaction records or logs of child devices may be maintained for access by users of the parent device. The log may store any combination of started, completed, and / or rejected transactions. In some embodiments, the log may be similar to the transaction record 406 illustrated in FIG. The log may be stored in association with either the parent or child user identifier. Depending on the level of control the parent wishes to perform on the transaction made by the child, parental approval from the parent device to the child device may be required to complete the transaction. The requirements for parental approval may depend on the nature of the transaction. For example, a parent may configure the system to allow a child to purchase a book without parental approval, but to require parental approval to purchase sweets. In addition, or as an alternative, the parental approval requirements may depend on the price of the transaction (ie, the dollar price), the geographic location of the child device, and / or other factors. In one embodiment, the parent may provide the child with a budget (in terms of money or other metrics), and if within the budget, the child may not be required to approve, but exceeds the budget. The transaction may require approval. In situations where parental approval is required, the instructions may include a request for the parent to respond by either approving or rejecting the transaction.

At determination point 1210, it is determined whether parental approval is required. If parental approval is not required, process 1200 proceeds to operation 1212 along the "no" path. At operation 1212, the transaction between the child device and the merchant is completed. In some embodiments, the transaction may be completed, in part, based on the user profile associated with the child. Moreover, in the same or different implementations, the user profile associated with the parent can also influence how the transaction is completed. For example, if a child suggests that he wants to automatically purchase a particular confectionery when he enters the confectionery store, that part of the child's user profile completes the purchase of that type of confectionery. May be used for. The user profile associated with the parent may be used, among other things, as a source of payment information to complete the confectionery purchase.

If parental approval is required, process 1200 proceeds from decision point 1210 to decision point 1214 along the "yes" path. At the determination point 1214, it is determined whether or not the parent's approval has been given. For example, if the parent's approval is given by the parent interacting with the parent device, process 1200 proceeds to operation 1212 along the "yes" path to complete the transaction. However, if approval is denied, process 1200 proceeds to operation 1216 along the "no" path and the transaction is terminated. Closing a transaction may result in a message being sent to the child device and / or the merchant.

Mobile device security FIG. 13 shows an exemplary map 1300 of the mobile device's temporal geographic location during the work day of the mobile device user. Differences from those patterns by creating a map of where the devices are typically located and when the devices are in those locations may have been stolen or misplaced. It acts as a trigger to suggest that, and can initiate a security event, such as requesting a password to shut down the device or complete a purchase with the device. This type of security feature may be implemented automatically by the device itself, just before the user realizes that a problem exists. The mobile device may include the security module 214 illustrated in FIG. 2 to realize these security features.

The user may start the user's work day at the user's home with a fixed geographic location. Typically, the user, specifically the user's mobile device, can be at home from about 6:00 PM to about 7:00 AM, which constitutes the first temporal geographic location 1302 of the user's work day. Can be done. Commuting from home can be accompanied by driving along the road from about 7:00 AM to about 7:30 AM. The user's vehicle is also associated with the user's user identifier 208, and thus includes additional devices such as an on-board navigation system that also contributes to building a map of the user's temporal geographic location. It may be. The user may recognize this temporal geographic location 1304, even though the system of the user device is not a single fixed location, but rather a set of geographic locations and a set of time points. You may use the same route every day for commuting. After arriving in the city center, the user's day may include another temporal geographic location 1308, including walking from the parking lot to the user's workplace from about 7:30 AM to about 7:45 AM. While at work, users and user devices move around the workplace from about 7:45 AM to about 12:00 PM, but can remain in the geographical location of the workplace. This is another temporal geographical location 1310.

Until lunch time, this user's typical weekday schedule can be nearly constant. However, during lunch, the user may travel to different geographic locations associated with different restaurants, here referred to as Restaurant A, Restaurant B, and Restaurant C. The user can generally be present in one of the restaurants from about 12:10 PM to about 12:50 PM. This temporal geographical location 1312 may have an ambiguously defined location, albeit at a well-defined time. For example, any geographical location within a 10-minute walk from the workplace may be considered part of this user's typical weekday travel during lunch time. After lunch, the user can return to work. The workplace is in the same geographical location as in the morning, but for different periods, so being in the workplace from about 1:00 PM to about 5:00 PM is even more different in this user's work day map. Create a temporal geographical location of 1314.

A user may have more than one route on his way home from work. During the winter months, for example, a user can return home through a more direct road, leave work at about 5:10 PM, and arrive at home at about 6:00 PM. This creates a temporal geographic location 1314 that spans a range of space and time similar to the temporal geographic location 1304 that represents a commute. In the summer, this user can return home via a scenic route. The summer return route may have a geographical location that is completely or partially different from the winter return route. Also, the summer return trip can take longer, with the user leaving the office at 5:10 PM but not arriving at home until 6:10 PM. This creates an alternative temporal geographic location 1316 to the temporal geographic location 1314 that represents the winter return route. Due to the security settings of the mobile device, the mobile device does not have to trigger a security event, no matter which route the user takes to return home, even when using the winter road in the middle of summer. As an alternative, passing through summer roads in the middle of winter can trigger security events, but during mid-March, mobile devices will not trigger security events if stricter security settings are applied. , The user may be allowed to take either road.

By recording the time, date, and geographic location of a mobile device as it is used and moved, what a security system, such as security module 214, is typical of movement over space and time. It is possible to learn. This user's "geographic location signature" can be stored in the data file as a series of time-location data points. Some or all of these data points may be layered together to create a multidimensional map containing past geographic location and time information of the mobile device.

Figure 14 illustrates Process 1400 for protecting mobile devices based on differences from a map of temporal geographic location. Operation 1402 detects the geographic location of the mobile device. Action 1404 records the time point at which the geographic location was detected. The geographic location is then stored in action 1406 in association with the time point at which the geographic location was detected. This combination of geographic location and time point is a temporal geographic location. The temporal geographic location data points may be recorded with various levels of particle size based on the memory capacity of the mobile device 104, the speed at which the mobile device 104 is moving, and the like. The particle size for recording temporal geographic location data points may occur at regular frequencies, such as every 30 seconds or every 10 minutes. In some embodiments, this data may be stored in memory 204 of mobile device 104 shown in FIG. The temporal geographic location data may be stored, among other places, as user information 210, also shown in FIG. 2 above, or within the security module 214.

A map is created in Action 1408 from the temporal movement of a mobile device based on multiple temporal geographic locations. As shown above, this may be a multidimensional map consisting of latitude, longitude, time, and date dimensions. It is also possible to include additional and / or alternative dimensions in the map. This map can become more detailed and potentially more useful as a larger amount of data is accumulated. For example, when a user first purchases a mobile device, it may not be possible to detect whether the mobile device has left the user's "normal" temporal geographic map. If the user knows that the user is traveling on an atypical (ie, "off the map") path, the user manually records the temporal geographic location data points. You can turn it off with. This can prevent the inclusion of data in the map, which can reduce the accuracy of the map rather than improve it.

To detect whether the mobile device has been stolen, misplaced, or otherwise in an unreasonable place at an unreasonable time, the determination point 1410 is the current time of the mobile device. The geographical location may be compared with the map to determine whether the current temporal geographical location differs from the map by more than the threshold amount. In some embodiments, this comparison may be achieved, at least in part, through the use of artificial intelligence, heuristics, or fuzzy logic. In some embodiments, the threshold may be configurable by the user of the mobile device. The analysis may also utilize the user's calendar or schedule information to determine if the user has scheduled a different outing than the user's regular map. The calendar information may be included in the user information 210 and provided to the security module 214.

When the amount of difference is less than the threshold amount, process 1400 proceeds along the "no" path and returns to decision point 1410 to re-query whether the mobile device has changed significantly from the map. This loop may be repeated continuously, periodically or irregularly. The frequency of repeating this loop may be based, in part, on the processor power of the mobile device 104, the speed at which the mobile device 104 is moving, and / or other factors. For example, the frequency of performing the analysis at determination point 1410 can be lower when the mobile device 104 is moving at walking speed, and the frequency is when the mobile device 104 is moving at highway speed (eg, a car). Can be higher (while in).

Also, the threshold amount may be based, at least in part, on the presence of other mobile devices within or near the same geographic location of the mobile device. For example, the user may differ from the user's established map during the holidays. However, during the holidays, the user may travel with the user's family, who may have their own mobile device. In one embodiment, family (or, as a further embodiment, a colleague) mobile device may be associated with each other. A type of association is the parent-child relationship illustrated in Figure 8 above. The presence of these other mobile devices may be used to adjust the threshold. The absence of other devices may also be used to adjust the threshold. For example, if mobile devices are rarely seen within a particular geographic location unless other mobile devices are nearby, the absence of those devices can be a difference from the user's map. For example, a mobile device associated with a parent may occasionally be located on the soccer field in the evening when the child is playing soccer. However, in those evenings, the child's mobile device is also on the soccer field. For example, if the user forgets the user's mobile device to the soccer field, a security event can be triggered once the child's mobile device leaves the soccer field's geographic location. The presence or absence of other mobile devices may constitute an additional dimension of the temporal geographic location map.

Returning to process 1400, process 1400 proceeds to decision point 1412 along the "yes" path when the current temporal geographic location differs beyond the threshold amount. At decision point 1412, the threshold may be adjusted based on the presence of other mobile devices within the same geographic location as the mobile device. When the threshold is adjusted, process 1400 proceeds along the "yes" path to re-evaluate based on the adjusted threshold and returns to decision point 1410. If the difference threshold amount is not adjusted, process 1400 proceeds to operation 1414 along the "no" path and initiates a security event. Security events include shutting down a mobile device, initiating an automatic phone call or text message to another device, including the current location of the mobile device, and passwords before the mobile device can be used. It may include requesting input and the like. User 102 may, for example, manually turn off security events if user 102 is going to a new location (or at a new time) and wishes to avoid a "false positive" security event. Good.

Figure 15 illustrates process 1500 for protecting devices based on biometric data. Providing security based on biometric data, at least in part, provides an opportunity for someone other than a legitimate user of the mobile device to exploit the mobile device, for example by making an unauthorized transaction with a merchant. Can be minimized. Biometric data is available once an hour or daily to continue to use the Zero Interactive Trading feature to strike a balance between providing a zero interactive trading experience and verifying the user's identity. It may be requested on a regular basis (or at any regular or irregular time), such as once every time. Alternatively, in an embodiment in which the user trades using a single dialogue, entering biometric data may include that single dialogue.

At operation 1502, biometric data is received from the sensor of the mobile device. Many mobile devices, such as the mobile device 104 illustrated in FIG. 2, include input devices that can be used for multiple purposes, including receiving biometric data. For example, the mobile device 104 may include a camera 222. The mobile device may also include a microphone 1504. In other embodiments, the input device for collecting biometric data may be dedicated to collecting biometric data, such as the fingerprint scanner 1506. General purpose input devices and / or dedicated biometric data input devices used to collect other types of biometric data are also assumed to be within the scope of this disclosure.

Next, in motion 1508, the biometric data is analyzed. In some embodiments, the biometric data may be analyzed by a processor and software that resides on the mobile device itself. The embodiment may allow a mobile device to provide a stand-alone verification of a user's identity without requiring access to a network or other computing device. In other embodiments, biometric data may be transmitted from a mobile device to another computing device for analysis. This embodiment may enable techniques for analyzing more sophisticated and computer-intensive biometric data than can be easily achieved on mobile and potentially low capacity devices. Analysis of biometric data may convert analog inputs into digital data, or may convert complex sets of data such as fingerprints into a relatively simple set of data such as hash codes. The analysis of biometric data may be adapted to the type of data received. For example, if the camera 222 is used to collect biometric data by taking a picture of a person's face, the picture may be analyzed using face recognition techniques. Alternatively, if a microphone 1504 is used to record a voice sample, the data may be analyzed by using voice recognition techniques. For an additional level of security, multiple types of biometric data are combined, for example, taking a picture of a person's face, recording the person's voice, and then analyzing both sets of biometric data. May be used.

At determination point 1510, a determination is made as to whether the analysis of the biometric data input matches the stored biometric data associated with the mobile device. For example, the hash code generated from the fingerprint scan can be compared to the stored hash code entered by the user while the user is configuring the mobile device. In some embodiments, the stored biometric data used for comparison is stored locally on the mobile device. The biometric data may be stored, for example, as part of the user information 210 shown in FIG. Again, this may allow mobile devices to provide stand-alone analytics. In other embodiments, the stored biometric data may be stored remotely from the mobile device, for example, as part of the user profile 404 illustrated in FIG. Reserving biometric data remotely can save memory space on the mobile device and prevent unauthorized persons from extracting biometric data from lost or stolen mobile devices. Can provide better security.

When the analysis of the biometric data matches the stored biometric data, process 1500 proceeds along the "yes" path, giving access to the functions of the mobile device in action 1512. The function may include any kind of operational features, data, etc. that are available or realized on the mobile device. For example, the ability to initiate and complete a transaction with a merchant is a function. The ability to make phone calls is a type of feature on mobile phone devices. Associating a particular mobile device with an individual user's identity is another type of feature. For example, a network server, such as the server (s) 118 illustrated in FIG. 3, mobiles user ID (1) 208 stored on the network, at least in part, based on login using biometric data. It may be associated with the serial number of the device. In this embodiment, the user can interact with multiple mobile devices, and each device has a unique user identifier 208 of the user, as well as payment information 402, user profile 404, and credit as shown in FIG. It can be tied to something else associated with that user identifier 208, such as a list 408 of a merchant (s).

If at decision point 1510 it is determined that the analyzed biometric data does not match the stored biometric data, process 1500 proceeds along the "no" path and initiates a security event at action 1514. You may. The security event can be anything from shutting down and completing the deletion of all stored data on the mobile device to displaying a warning message on the mobile device. In some embodiments, the security event may limit the functionality of the mobile device to features such as those that do not incur additional charges. Other types of security events may include sending emails or making phone calls communicating the current location of the mobile device. The security event in operation 1514 may be the same as or different from the security event triggered in operation 1414 illustrated in FIG.

Security events may be triggered by other mechanisms in addition to differences from temporal geographic location maps or biometric login failures. In some embodiments, the user may be able to manually initiate a security event remotely from the mobile device. Some mechanisms to achieve this include calling phone numbers, sending e-mails, entering commands from web pages, and so on. The web page may be a security web page of the mobile device showing the current geographic location of the mobile device, past transaction data, and the like. For example, if a user suspects that a user's mobile device has been lost or stolen, the user can call a specific phone number and enter a code, then the signal is on the network and It may be broadcast to the mobile device and temporarily shut down the mobile device. In other embodiments, different triggers may be used to initiate a security event. Some of those triggers include sending an alert message when a financial transaction, such as a large purchase, is initiated using a mobile device.

Advertising and promotion Figure 16 shows an exemplary architecture 1600 for delivering merchant advertising or promotions to mobile devices in or near a merchant. Mobile devices that provide the features of mobile e-commerce described above can also be desirable targets for merchants to advertise in order to promote their mobile e-commerce. In architecture 1600, multiple merchants are shown as Merchant (1) 1602, Merchant (2) 1604, and Merchant (N) 1606, where N may be any number greater than or equal to 3. Merchant may submit bid 1608 to server (s) 118. Bid 1608 may indicate the amount each merchant is willing to pay to ensure that the advertisement 1610 is sent to the mobile device. Advertisement 1610 may be served by ad database 126, as illustrated in FIG.

One user 102 and one mobile device 104 receiving advertisement 1610 may be identical to those illustrated in FIG. There may be other users 1612, each with their own mobile device 1614. Although only two users and two mobile devices are shown in Figure 16, any number of users and mobile devices may be present within this architecture and are appropriate recipients of Advertising 1610. It is understood that it is also good.

Each of the mobile devices 104 and 1614 may receive geolocation information from satellite 112 or other sources. The respective mobile devices 104 and 1614 may receive geolocation information from different sources (eg, one mobile device is a wireless antenna and the other mobile device is a WiFi hotspot). The geographic locations of mobile devices 104 and 1614 may match the geographic location (s) 512 associated with the advertising content 510 illustrated in FIG. It can provide location-related advertising to mobile devices 104 and 1614.

Figure 17 illustrates the process 1700 for presenting an ad on a device based on a bid submitted by a merchant. At operation 1702, an indication of the geographic location of the mobile device is received. The geographic location may be determined with reference to satellite 112 shown in FIG. In operation 1704, the advertising preference of the user of the mobile device is determined. The system may be configured so that the user does not receive the advertisement until the user positively chooses to receive the advertisement. The user preference information may be part of a user profile such as the user profile 404 illustrated in FIG. The advertising preference may also specify the category and merchant of the advertisement in which the user is willing to receive the advertisement. In some embodiments, a list 408 of trusted merchants (s) may determine which merchants can send advertisements to users. Advertising preferences may include any other type of user information. For example, user information may include information about past transactions between the user and the merchant. This may be, for example, for items that the user may have purchased in the past and wish to purchase again (eg, tall-sized latte), or related items that the user may wish to purchase as well (eg, you). May be used to create targeted ads by telling users about buying chili dogs for lunch, wanting to buy antacids at our nearby pharmacy?).

Action 1706 then identifies the merchant based on the geographic location of the mobile device and the user's advertising preferences. The identified merchant may include only those within a specified distance from the mobile device. This can limit the potential sources of advertising to merchants located close to the geographic location of the mobile device. For example, if a user is walking down a street lined with restaurants, the restaurants along that street may be eligible to advertise on mobile devices, while restaurants located across the city are eligible. It may not be. The threshold or radius at which a merchant is identified as close to a mobile device may vary based on the type of ad. For example, restaurant ads may only be sent to mobile devices within 1/4 mile of the restaurant's geographic location. However, hotel advertisements may be sent to users with mobile devices within 5 miles of the hotel's geographic location. In addition, ads can cover restaurant ads that are more common or larger geographic areas within hours before dinner time, and hotel ads that cover larger geographic areas early in the morning. However, it may be distinguished by time, such that the geographical focus can be gradually narrowed toward night.

Once a pool of merchants has been identified, at least based on geographic location and advertising preferences, bids are received from those merchants in Action 1708. Bids may be received and processed by the bid module 312 illustrated in FIG. Each of the bids may include different factors that the merchant is bidding on, as well as maximum bids, bid ranges, or other bid features. For example, a merchant may bid for a higher amount to place an ad on the mobile device of a user who has previously made a purchase from that merchant. As a further embodiment, the merchant bids more to place ads on mobile devices closer to the merchant and bids less to place ads on mobile devices farther away from the merchant. May be good.

In action 1710, the ad is selected. The ads selected may be determined based on bids, user preferences, and other factors, such as whether the merchant has enough money in the advertising account to pay the bids. .. In some embodiments, the winning bid that determines the ad selected may be the bid associated with the maximum amount. Other bids or auction arrangements are also possible, for example, where the highest bidder pays the bid amount by the second highest bidder.

Then, in action 1712, the selected ad is presented on the mobile device. Advertising may be sourced from the advertising database 126 illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 16. More specifically, the advertisement may be generated based on the advertising content 510 illustrated in FIG. The advertisement may be presented on the mobile device as a banner in a dedicated advertisement window or the like. In some embodiments, the advertisement may be integrated with the map so that the user can easily identify the location of the merchant corresponding to the advertisement. The advertisement may stay on the mobile device for a variable period of time. Some ads may expire after a fixed time, such as 1 minute. Ads may also expire based on the mobile device's geographic location so that when the mobile device leaves the geographic location near the merchant, the merchant's ads are switched to different ads.

FIG. 18 illustrates process 1800 for providing promotions to devices when the number of devices on the merchant exceeds a threshold. The advertisement may contain information that touts the strengths of the merchant, or the advertisement may also include a coupon or a type of promotion that may encourage the user to visit the merchant. Merchants want to encourage large numbers of people to enter and exit merchant stores, and structure promotions to encourage many users to enter and exit merchant stores at the same time. Can be selected. It can also contribute to the particular mood or mood of a busy, lively merchant. Social networking functionality on mobile devices may be used to spread these types of promotions "like a virus" or directly from user to user.

In operation 1802, the number of mobile devices on the merchant is determined based on the geolocation provided by each of the mobile devices. For example, each mobile device detects its own geographic location based on satellites or other systems so that the geographic location of multiple mobile devices is contained within map 310, which correlates with the geographic location of the merchant. The information can be published to the server (s) 118. The number of mobile devices can represent the number of unique users present at that geographic location.

Next, at decision point 1804, the number of mobile devices on the merchant is compared to the threshold number. The threshold number may be set by the merchant, for example, as the number of people the merchant wants to have on its premises. In this embodiment, the threshold value may be an integer. The number of thresholds may be based, at least in part, on the number of mobile devices on the merchant that the merchant is designated as a trusted merchant. For example, if a merchant wants to bring in a new user in the hope that the user will designate this merchant as a trusted merchant, the threshold will be, for example, 3 of all existing mobile devices. It may be set as a ratio such that the threshold is exceeded when more than one-third does not designate this merchant as a trusted merchant. When the number of mobile devices on the merchant exceeds the threshold number, process 1800 proceeds from decision point 1804 to action 1806 along the "yes" path to provide the user with a promotion. The promotion may be a discount on the goods or services available to the merchant. Promotions may be offered to all users present in the merchant, or to only a subset. For example, a coupon may be sent to the mobile device of a user who has previously traded with this merchant to reward a superior customer.

Promotions may be personalized to each user of the mobile device based on the user information associated with the mobile device. The information used may be the same as the user information 210 illustrated in FIG. 2 or the user information 122 illustrated in FIG. For example, at a coffee shop, each user may receive a $ 1 discount coupon for a coffee beverage that the user suggests is a favorite beverage. In addition, other user information may be analyzed in order to personalize the promotion. Coupons can be offered at a later point in time (eg, this coupon is valid for 10 days from tomorrow), or by offering a geographic discount (eg, this coupon is me). Please use it in one of our other stores), you may encourage users to return to the merchant. The coupon may also be associated with user identification so that the coupon is automatically applied the next time the user makes a transaction with the merchant.

However, if the number of mobile devices on the merchant does not exceed the threshold, process 1800 may proceed to operation 1808 along the "no" path and send a message to the mobile device. The message may be a notification of how many more devices must be present on the merchant in order to exceed the threshold. This is by encouraging the user to use the user's mobile device to call or text the user's friends to come to this merchant position so that the threshold is exceeded and everyone receives the promotion. Can be a source of viral marketing. In an embodiment where the mobile device is counted as being in the merchant's geographic location only if the user of that mobile device chooses to expose the user's geographic location to the merchant, this is because it receives a promotion. Can encourage silent users to share this information. Many other realizations are also possible that take advantage of the "companion pressure" effect by providing promotions for collective behavior.

There may also be cases where a large number of customers, as suggested by the number of mobile devices, is undesirable for merchants and / or users. Thus, in one embodiment, the "advertisement" may include notifications about how many mobile devices are present on the merchant and to what extent this number exceeds the maximum or threshold number. For example, a restaurant may report that there are more mobile devices in its geographic location than the restaurant has seats. With this information, the user may be warned in advance that the user may have to wait for the table to become available at the restaurant. As another embodiment, the airline will notify these users that the flight is overbooked for users who are not yet at the airport (or are not within the threshold distance of the boarding gate) and will be boarding. Mobile devices may be identified. This embodiment provides user information 122 (eg, flight booking) to offer a suggestion to take a slower flight (perhaps in exchange for an upgrade, etc.) to the customer most likely to take advantage of that suggestion. In addition, the geographical location may be used. In these cases, the process flow from determination point 1804 may be switched to sending a message when the number of user devices exceeds the threshold number.

After sending the message in operation 1808, process 1800 may return to operation 1802 and re-determine the number of devices in the merchant. This may be repeated until the threshold is exceeded or until the promotion period ends. The process illustrated in FIG. 16 may be combined with process 1800. For example, merchants may bid on the right to send advertisements, including promotions.

Location-based coupon Figure 19 illustrates the process 1900 for providing geographically relevant coupons to mobile devices. Coupons represent a type of promotion or advertisement sent by a merchant to a mobile device. Geographically related coupons can be considered to be associated with a particular location when the merchant accepting the coupon is located nearby. If the user is presented with a coupon related to the user's current position rather than all available coupons, the friction associated with selecting and using the coupon is minimized. Encouragement to receive discounts by using coupons combined with the merchant's regional neighborhood can encourage users who would otherwise be able to bypass the merchant to stop by and make a purchase.

In operation 1902, a computing device such as server 118, shown in FIG. 1, may receive one or more coupon requests related to the geographic location of the mobile device. In some embodiments, the user of the mobile device may initiate communication, for example by pressing the "send coupon" button. In other embodiments, communication may be initiated automatically by the mobile device. For example, the user may preliminarily indicate willingness to receive geographically relevant coupons as such coupons become available.

Action 1904 determines the geographic location of the mobile device. The geographic location may be determined by the position sensor 230 in FIG. 2, for example using GPS technology.

In operation 1906, a user profile such as the user profile 404 shown in FIG. 4 may be accessed, for example, by server 118. The user profile may contain information about the user, such as a to-purchase list of goods or services that the user has previously been interested in. The purchase schedule list may be a list of things that the user wants to purchase for himself, or the purchase schedule list may be a shopping list or a gift list to buy for others. The user profile may also include transaction records such as transaction record 406 shown in FIG. Transaction records may identify goods or services previously purchased by the user.

In action 1908, a merchant may receive a bid for the privilege of sending a coupon to a mobile device. The coupon may act as a form of advertising, and a merchant who wishes to send the coupon to a mobile device may be charged a fee to send the coupon. In some embodiments, the highest bidder merchant may be allowed to send coupons to mobile devices.

In action 1910, geographically relevant coupons are selected to be sent to mobile devices. The choice may be based on the mobile device's geographic location 1912. The coupons selected are geographically relevant as they can be redeemed at merchant locations that are relatively close to the current location of the mobile device. As mentioned above, the concept of "neighborhood" may be determined by the presence of a mobile device within a given neighborhood of the merchant location.

In some embodiments, other factors may also be used to select a coupon. For example, a coupon may have a limited time range in which the coupon is valid. Restaurant coupons can only be valid from Sunday to Thursday. Coffee shop coupons can only be valid after 11:00 AM. Therefore, the user may have to be in the right place (ie, geographical location) in a timely manner in order to use the coupon. Therefore, it may be frustrating and limited use for the user to send the user a coupon that cannot be used in the near future due to either regional or time restrictions. Therefore, action 1910 may also select geographically relevant coupons based on the period 1914 in which the geographically relevant coupons are valid.

In addition, user profile 1916 may be used to select geographically relevant coupons and send them to mobile devices. If the user profile includes a to-purchase list, coupons for goods or services included in the to-purchase list may be selected. Similarly, if user profile 1916 contains transaction records, the coupon sent to the mobile device may be based on transaction records. For example, a guess may be made about what the user is likely to buy in the future, based on past purchases recorded in the transaction record. Therefore, based on the transaction record, coupons for goods or services that are likely to be of interest to the user may be selected.

The choice of coupon to send to the mobile device may also be based on bid 1918 received from the merchant in Action 1908. For example, if a mobile device is in the vicinity of competing merchants, those merchants may wish to send their coupons to the mobile device and prevent competitors from sending coupons. Therefore, bid 1908 can be an additional factor used in the selection of coupons to send to mobile devices. In some embodiments, the winning bidder may not pay the bid until the user actually redeems the coupon. Any combination of the above factors (eg, geographic location 1912, period 1914, user profile 1916, and / or bid 1918) may be used to select coupons to send to mobile devices.

In operation 1920, the selected geographically related coupon is sent to the mobile device. The coupon may be transmitted wirelessly as a signal from, for example, the wireless antenna 114 shown in FIG.

Figure 20 illustrates the process 2000 for providing coupons to mobile devices based on group group behavior. As mentioned above, merchants may want more (or fewer) customers to come to their merchant position. One way to encourage behavior is by offering coupons based on group or group behavior. For example, if the number of mobile devices exceeds a threshold, the coupon may be made available to all mobile devices in the merchant position, but the coupon will be available on any of the mobile devices until the threshold is reached. It does not have to be provided.

In operation 2002, it is determined that the mobile device is within a predetermined neighborhood of the merchant. The determination of existence in a predetermined neighborhood may be the same as that described above.

In operation 2004, a notification is sent to the mobile device in response to the determination that the mobile device is within a predetermined neighborhood. The notification is a request for the user to take an action, and a threshold for other users of the mobile device within a given neighborhood of the merchant who must also take the action before the coupon is sent to the mobile device. It may include a number indication. The action may be to log in to an account maintained on a communication network such as network 116 shown in FIG. The login may be a signal that the user is present and ready to receive the coupon. The user may log in to server 118 or merchant server 108, for example. Other actions may be required, such as making a purchase with a merchant or sending a message to a friend inviting them to come to the merchant.

The notification may also include a description of the coupon. For example, a notification may suggest that if 10 people come to this coffee shop and log in to their account, they will all receive a $ 1 discount coupon for a cup of coffee.

At the determination point 2006, it is determined whether or not the notification includes a time limit. In some embodiments, there may be a time limit for the user to perform an action. In such an embodiment, the notification sent in Action 2004 may also include a time limit indication. At decision point 2006, if the notification does not include a time limit, process 2000 proceeds along the "no" path and continues operation 2008. If the notification includes a time limit, process 2000 proceeds to decision point 2014 along the "yes" path.

In operation 2008, the number of users in a predetermined neighborhood who performed the action is determined. If the action is to log in to a web-based service or account, the entity that manages the service or account may count the number of users based on the login.

At determination point 2010, the number of users in a given neighborhood performing the action may be compared to the number of thresholds provided in the notification sent in Action 2004. If it is determined that a number less than the threshold has performed the action, process 2000 proceeds along the "no" path to redetermine how many users within a given neighborhood have performed the action. Return to operation 2008.

If the number of users exceeds the threshold, process 2000 proceeds to operation 2012 along the "yes" path. In Action 2012, a merchant redeemable coupon is sent to the mobile device of the user who performed the action.

Returning to decision point 2006, process 2000 proceeds to decision point 2014 along the "yes" path when the notification suggests a time limit. At the determination point 2014, it is determined whether or not the time limit has expired. If the time limit has a definite end period, once that time is reached, no more coupons will be sent to the user. Therefore, if it is determined that the time limit has expired, process 2000 proceeds to operation 2016 along the "yes" path and process 2000 terminates.

If the time limit has not expired because the time the coupon is sent has either not yet started or is currently in progress, Process 2000 will go to the "No" route. Proceed to operation 2018 along.

In operation 2018, the number of users in a predetermined neighborhood who performed the action within the time limit is determined.

At the determination point 2020, the number of users in the predetermined neighborhood who performed the action within the time limit is compared with the threshold number. When less than the threshold performs the action, process 2000 proceeds along the "no" path and re-determines the number of users in the given neighborhood who performed the action within the time limit, in action 2018. go back.

If more users than the threshold perform the action, Process 2000 proceeds to Action 2012 along the "yes" path, where the merchant redeemable coupon takes the action within the time limit. Sent to your mobile device.

Figure 21 illustrates the process 2100 for activating coupons on a mobile device in response to a user of the mobile device logging in to a server or other computing device. In some embodiments, the user may wish to select a coupon in advance and download it to the user's mobile device. One way to do this is for the user to access the account from some other computing device, which may differ from the desktop computer, or mobile device, and then be pushed to the mobile device, or the user's uniqueness. It may involve selecting a coupon that is associated with the identifier of and later retrieved from the mobile device.

In operation 2102, the user login credentials are received. Login credentials may be entered from a mobile device or from another computing device such as a desktop computer. In some embodiments, the login credentials may also suggest membership in a group with special privileges, or otherwise differ from those provided to users who are not members of the group. You can receive coupons. For example, coupons that can be redeemed at stores that require membership (eg Costco, Bi-Mart, etc.) can only be sent to members who are members. The user's login credentials may also be associated with the user's transaction record.

In operation 2104, a plurality of coupons available on a network accessible database, such as the advertising database 126 shown in FIG. 4, may be presented to the user. Network-accessible databases are accessible through the Internet and may be presented as web pages within the user interface. In other embodiments, a network-accessible database, such as an application store (or, in this case, a "coupon store"), is available from a limited network, such as a network operated by a mobile phone service provider. It may be realized.

In action 2106, a user's selection of coupons that can be redeemed by a merchant is received. The user may also select two or more coupons at a time.

In action 2108, an invalidated version of the coupon may be sent to the mobile device. The unactivated version may be a coupon placeholder or abbreviated representation. It has a small file size, but can also be characterized by uniquely identifying the coupon itself. The unactivated version also provides a complete coupon with all the information needed to redeem the coupon, but with the code, token, key, or similar data to activate the coupon. Until, it may be achieved by blocking the coupon or otherwise deactivating it.

Action 2110 may identify a coupon that has an unenabled version on the mobile device. It may be thought of as creating a list of coupons that the user has already downloaded to the user's device and can be used once activated.

In action 2112, one of the unactivated coupons identified in action 2110 may be recommended to the user. Recommendations may be based on any number of factors such as the geographic location of the mobile device, the user's transaction record, and so on. The user may forget which coupon the user has and is available on the mobile device, or the user may not be aware that there is a merchant nearby who has already downloaded the coupon. By recommending coupons to users, it is possible to help users make full use of their coupons.

In operation 2114, login credentials are received from the mobile device while the mobile device is located within a predetermined neighborhood of the merchant. For example, after arriving at a merchant (or in the parking lot in front of the merchant), the user can authenticate the user's login to access the coupon, notify the merchant that the user has arrived, or for another reason. You may enter the information manually. In some embodiments, the user may configure the mobile device to automatically send a message when it enters a predetermined neighborhood of the merchant. By automatically providing user login credentials, the friction associated with redeeming coupons can be reduced.

Action 2116 determines the current time. The current time may be determined by the calendar / clock 228 shown in FIG. In some embodiments, the current time may be the time when login credentials are received in operation 2114.

At the determination point 2118, the time for receiving the login authentication information of the mobile device may be compared with the predetermined time. When the time to receive the login credentials matches the predetermined time, the process 2100 follows the "yes" path and proceeds to operation 2120. When the time to receive the login credentials does not match the predetermined time, process 2100 follows the "no" path, returns to operation 2116, and redetermines the current time. In an embodiment in which providing login credentials serves to determine the time, the user may need to re-enter or retransmit the login credentials in order to reset the current time.

In operation 2120, the coupon-activating data is transmitted to the mobile device. The data may be a code, token, key, or the like. Once activated, the user must present it to the merchant as either a barcode or another code that the employee enters on the point-of-sale terminal as shown on the display of the mobile device. Depending on, you may choose to use a coupon, or in some embodiments, the coupon may be applied automatically when you make a purchase using your mobile device.

Illustrative notices and recommendations based on geographic location FIG. 22 shows an exemplary architecture 2200 in which a representative user 102 receives information about neighboring merchants on a mobile device 104. User 102 and user's mobile device 104 may be located in the vicinity of several merchants, represented here as Merchant (1) 2202, Merchant (2) 2204, and Merchant (3) 2206. The merchant may be similar to the merchant 106 shown in FIG. The position of the mobile device 104 may be determined by the position sensor 230 shown in FIG. For example, satellite 112 may provide global positioning information to mobile device 104. The locations of the various merchants 2202, 2204, and 2206 may be provided directly to the mobile device 104 (eg, by radio transmission), or within the merchant profile 122 available on the server (s) 118. It may be included as a geographic location 500 stored in. In this embodiment, the server (s) 118 places the merchants' geographic locations 2202, 2204, and 2206 on the mobile device 104 to determine the relative neighborhood of the user 102 with the merchants 2202, 2204, and 2206. It may be compared with the geographical location of.

The concept of "neighborhood" may be determined by a predetermined neighborhood such as a circle 2208 centered on the user 102 and the mobile device 104. The dimensions of circle 2208, which can be represented by a radius, can vary based on the geographic location of the mobile device 104, user preferences set by the user 102, the strength of the radio signal received by the mobile device 104, or other factors. .. Also, the dimensions of the circle 2208 can change over time and can change based on the nature of the interaction between the user 102 and the mobile device 104. Although exemplified here as a circle 2208, the predetermined neighborhood with respect to the mobile device 104 may have any shape. For example, if the user 102 is in an urban environment where the streets are arranged in a regular grid pattern, the shape may be square or rectangular.

The position of the circle 2208 or the point centered on the circle may be based on a fixed position rather than the current position of the mobile device 104 in some embodiments. For example, user 102 may provide the user's home, work, or other address. User 102 may shop frequently around this fixed position and may frequently return to this fixed position. Therefore, in some embodiments, user 102 receives coupon notifications that are useful to merchants near the user's home, work, etc., even when the user's mobile device 104 is in a different geographic location. You may.

Architecture 2200 also shows Merchant (4) 2210 and Merchant (5) 2212, which are outside the predetermined neighborhood of mobile device 104. In some embodiments, information about these merchants 2210 and 2212 does not have to be provided to user 102 because the merchants 2210 and 2212 are considered too far away. Three merchants 2202, 2204, and 2206 are shown to be in a given neighborhood, and two merchants 2210 and 2212 are shown to be outside a given neighborhood, but these numbers are illustrated in the illustration. Not too much, any number of merchants (including zeros) may be inside or outside a given neighborhood.

Each of Merchant 2202, 2204, 2206, 2210, and 2212 may be associated with a Goods / Services 502 sold by that Merchant. The specific goods / services available may be identified by the server (s) 118 with reference to the respective merchant profiles 122 of the respective merchants 2202, 2204, 2206, 2210, and 2212.

The server (s) 118 may also have access to the user information 120 shown in FIG. The user identifier 208 associated with the mobile device 104, and the user information 120 for that user, are the goods and / or services that the server (s) 118 sells a list of items 408 that the user is interested in by various merchants. It may be possible to compare with 502. The user 102 may be notified of the match when a match exists and the matching merchant is within a predetermined neighborhood of circle 2208 or mobile device 104.

Also, one or more online retailers 126 may be in communication with a server (s) 118 or may be in communication with a mobile device 104. In some embodiments, the server (s) 118 provides the goods and / or services offered by the online retailer (s) 126 to the goods offered by neighboring merchants 2202, 2204, and 2206. And / or recommendations to User 102 that include offerings from online retailers (s) 126 and / or offerings from nearby merchants 2202, 2204, and 2206 compared to Service 502. You may go.

Information provided to User 102 in the form of notifications, recommendations, or communications is available for sale to User 102, where neighboring merchants 2202, 2204, and 2206 compete with other real-life merchants and online retailers 128. It may be a kind of advertisement to be performed. For example, neighboring merchants 2202, 2204, and 2206 use data from the "online world" such as transaction record 406 or list 410 of items of interest to the user in an attempt to promote real-life sales. You may. Alternatively, Merchant 2202, 2204, and 2206 submit a list of goods and / or services for sale, as well as promotions such as coupons, to an online repository such as Merchant Profile 124 shown in Figures 1 and 5. You may. An online repository (eg, a server (s) 108 connected to Merchant Profile 122) is a user feature to determine which users will receive promotions or notifications about merchants 2202, 2204, and 2206. May be analyzed. Conversely, the online retailer 128 may allow information about its goods to be transmitted along with information about goods 502 for local merchants 2202, 2204, and 2206. If the online retailer 128 can offer a lower price, this can prevent user 102 from making a purchase from a real merchant. Other types of competition and partnerships between online retailers and offline merchants that utilize the geographic location of mobile device 104 and user information 120 are described below.

Figures 23A and 23B illustrate process 2300 for sending notifications about items available on a merchant to users of mobile devices. In operation 2302, the user's identifier is received from the mobile device. The user identifier may be the same as or similar to the user identifier 208 shown in FIGS. 2-4.

Action 2304 may identify an item of interest to the user. The identification of which item is of interest to the user may be based on the user's identifier. Items of interest to you include a list of goods and / or services that you have previously viewed, a list of planned purchases of goods and / or services, and goods and / or items that are in your online retail shopping cart. Alternatively, it may be a list of services, an item identified in the user profile associated with the user, or another similar source of information about the user's interests. The user profile may be similar to the user profile 404 shown in FIG. For example, the user may also manually select categories of goods and / or services of interest, which may be stored as part of the user profile. User profiles may also be tied to social networks or lists of friends, and items of interest to users may be inferred from items or interests, including items purchased by friends or social network contacts. .. User profiles may also be partially or wholly captured from external sources such as websites that manage social networks. The user's identifier may provide access to the user's account on a social network (or other) site, and thus may provide access to an external user profile.

Action 2306 determines the geographic location of the mobile device. The geographic location may be determined by the position sensor 230 shown in FIG.

Action 2308 identifies a merchant (s) within a given neighborhood of the mobile device's geographic location. A merchant (s) may be identified by referring to a map of the merchant location, comparing the map to the geographic location of the mobile device, and determining the distance between the mobile device and the various merchants. .. The predetermined neighborhood may be a distance, such as a radius, that forms a circle around the user, as shown in FIG.

In action 2310, the item identified in action 2304 is compared to the item provided by the merchant identified in action 2308. Conversely, the item provided by the merchant in Action 2308 may be compared to the item identified in Action 2304. In this way, the merchant may identify whether the goods offered by the merchant are similar to any of the goods of interest to the user. The goods offered may include any goods and / or services within the merchant's inventory.

In one embodiment, in Action 2312, the merchant's geographic location and the merchant's currently in-stock items may be received from the merchant. For example, a merchant may submit a list of merchant geographic locations and current inventory items to a server for inclusion in a merchant profile such as Merchant Profile 124 shown in FIG. A server, such as the above-mentioned server (s) 118, may compare items of interest to the user and items in the merchant's inventory without revealing any of the user's information to the merchant. This may allow the user to enjoy the benefit of knowing when a nearby merchant is offering an item that matches or is associated with the user's interests, without the information being known to the merchant.

In another embodiment, action 2314 provides the merchant with a list of items that the user is interested in. The comparison may be performed by the merchant, and then in action 2316, a response may be received from the merchant. Either the user and / or the server may receive the response. The response may suggest "yes" or "no" depending on whether the merchant has an item that matches the user's interests. The response may also suggest a payment or commitment from the merchant to a source (eg, a server) that identifies the item of interest to the user. Providing the item of interest to the merchant directly to the user may allow the list to be compared to the merchant's inventory items without asking the server. This may be appropriate when the mobile device can communicate directly with the merchant, but the mobile device cannot access the network connection to communicate with the server.

Regardless of the technique used to make the comparison, action 2318 determines whether the merchant provides an item of interest to the user or an item related to the item of interest to the user. For example, if a baseball ball is an item of interest to the user, it is not a direct match, but a bat or glove can also be speculated to be of interest to the user. If no match exists, process 2300 follows the "no" path and returns to operation 2306. As the mobile device moves, different merchants are within a given neighborhood of the mobile device, and one of these new merchants may offer the item of interest to the user. If the merchant offers an item of interest to the user, Process 2300 follows the "yes" path. The continuation of Process 2300 is shown on Figure 23B.

In operation 2320, a notification of judgment from operation 2318 is generated. The notice may simply state that a match exists. However, notifications are also available for maps to merchants, prices of goods or services, goods or services, which items of interest to the user are offered by the merchant, which neighboring merchants sell the goods. You may also specify any coupon or discount, the redemption period for the coupon or discount, the maximum number of items available per person, and / or other information.

When multiple merchants are identified in action 2308, the notification may include a list or map of those merchants. If the identified merchant is relatively close (eg, within 100 yards), the notification may be a list of merchants showing the distance to the merchant. If the identified merchant is far away (eg, within 5 miles), the notification may include a map showing the location of the merchant. The notification may also include the price of the item at the merchant so that the user can easily compare the prices.

Action 2322 makes a decision to contact or not contact the merchant. This decision may be based on the user profile or other type of information about the user associated with the user's identifier. When the merchant is not contacted, process 2300 proceeds to operation 2324 along the "no" path.

In action 2324, the notification generated in action 2320 is sent to the mobile device. For example, the goods identified in Action 2304 can be a list of goods and / or services that the user has on the shopping list for Christmas or another holiday. As the user travels through the shopping center with the user's mobile device, the mobile device may receive a series of notifications telling the user which items from the user's shopping list are in which store. This may allow the user to quickly find and purchase items on the user's list, and this technique also allows the user to find the merchant with the lowest price for the item on the list. obtain.

If action 2322 makes a decision to contact the merchant, process 2300 proceeds to action 2326 along the "yes" path. In action 2326, the notification generated in action 2320 is sent to the merchant. Once notified that a merchant offers an item of interest to the user, the merchant may wish to contact the user of the mobile device in the hope of making a sale. The decision to contact the user may be based on the merchant's available and unused inventory items. For example, if the merchant is a service provider such as a spa or restaurant, the merchant has a relatively fixed fee and may therefore be interested in minimizing unused capacity. A merchant may decide how many users to contact and how aggressively to promote the item of interest to the user, based on the merchant's surplus capacity or excess inventory items.

In action 2328, payment may be received from the merchant. Payments may be received by a server that implements Process 2300, for example, the server (s) 118 shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. Payments may be received and processed by payment module 318 shown in FIG. In response to receiving the payment, process 2300 may proceed to operation 2324 and send a notification to the mobile device. The payment amount may be derived through a bidding process among multiple merchants. For example, when two or more merchants within a given neighborhood of a mobile device sell the same goods or services, each of those merchants may place a competitive bid, and the merchant with the winning bid operates. It may be included in the notification sent to the mobile device in 2324.

The notification to the mobile device sent in Action 2324 may also include a coupon for one of the goods or services of interest to the user. Merchants may choose to include coupons in their notifications to encourage users to purchase goods or services that match their interests. The user's interest may be determined from the user information 120 shown in FIG. In some embodiments, data mining techniques may be applied to the user information in order to infer the user's interests. For example, if a user's interest is derived from an online shopping cart that the user has established with an online merchant, the merchant may offer a coupon that lowers the price of the goods or services below the price offered by the online retailer. .. Even if an online retailer chooses to publish to the merchant the contents of the online shopping cart and the prices of the items in those shopping carts only if the merchant pays the online retailer for the "acquisition" of the sale. Good. For example, if an online retailer's profit margin makes a profit of $ 1 on the sale of a particular item, the online retailer may provide the merchant with shopping cart information in exchange for a $ 1 commission. The fee may also be conditioned on whether or not the user actually purchases the item from the merchant. In some embodiments, payments from merchants to online retailers may be mediated by server (s) 118.

As mentioned above, the notification may also be a map showing the location of merchants with items that match the item the user is interested in. For example, each indication on a map of a merchant's location provides additional information about that merchant, such as a list of matching or similar items, item prices, identification of coupons or treatments available to the user on their mobile device, etc. You may (for example, in a pop-up window).

Figure 24 illustrates Process 2400 for providing online purchase recommendations, along with information about real-life merchants in the neighborhood. At operation 2402, the user's identifier is received from the mobile device. Similar to behavior 2302 shown in FIG. 23, receiving a user's identifier can function to associate information about the user with the mobile device.

In action 2404, a request for a recommendation from a merchant within a given neighborhood of the mobile device is received. In some embodiments, the request may be sent manually by the user of the mobile device, eg, in response to the user pressing the "Recommend Neighbor Merchant" button. In other embodiments, the request may be automatically transmitted by the mobile device.

Action 2406 determines the geographic location of the mobile device. The geographic location may be determined by the position sensor 230 shown in FIG.

Action 2408 identifies a merchant within a predetermined neighborhood of the mobile device, which also offers a discount to the user of the mobile device. The discount may be based on the attributes associated with the user's identifier received in Action 2402. For example, if the user is a member of a group that receives a discount on a particular merchant, that merchant may be identified if the user member is within a predetermined neighborhood. If the merchant is in the vicinity of the user's home or work address, the user's contact information can be the source of eligibility for the discount. Similarly, a user's financial information, such as the type of credit card or credit score owned by the user, may provide the user with access to discounts that are not generally available. When two or more merchants in a given neighborhood of a mobile device offer a discount to a user of the mobile device, multiple merchants in the given neighborhood may be identified. For example, the geographical location of each of a plurality of merchants may be used to generate a map with "flags" or "pins" indicating the location of the merchants in the map. The map may be sent to the user's mobile device so that the user can navigate to and select from multiple merchants.

In some embodiments, the merchant (s) may be identified based on the user's transaction record 406. For example, transaction record 406 may identify merchants with whom the user has an existing relationship. Transaction record 406 may also identify merchants who have previously used the coupon or received a discount in another way.

In other embodiments, the merchant may be identified based on a list 410 of goods and / or services of interest to the user. This list 410 may be a list of goods and / or services that the user has previously viewed, a list of purchases of goods and / or services, a list of goods and / or services in the shopping cart associated with the user, or a user profile of the user. It may be any kind of list shown in FIG. 4, such as a list derived directly or indirectly from the information in. For example, the user's interest may be inferred by identifying the merchant who logged in to the online system from the user's mobile device.

In a further embodiment, a merchant may be identified based on the merchant's rating or critique 2410. Ratings and criticisms 2410 may be identical to ratings and criticisms 506 from merchant profile 122 shown in FIG. For example, only high-ranked (eg, 4-star or 5-star) merchants may be eligible to be identified. The use of Ratings and / or Criticism 2410 to identify merchants may also utilize social networking as a source of Ratings and Criticism 2410. Thus, a rating and / or critique 2410 from others on a user's social network may be the source, or the sole source, of the rating and critique 2410 used to identify a merchant.

At action 2412, the merchant's recommendations are sent to the mobile device. In some embodiments, recommendations may be generated and transmitted by recommendation module 310 of server (s) 118 shown in FIG. Recommendations provide users with information about both nearby merchants and those who offer discounts to users.

Merchant recommendations may include a list of merchants 2414 if multiple merchants in a given neighborhood meet the criteria specified by the user. Recommendations may also be accompanied by merchant ratings or critiques 2410, expert critiques, etc. from other users. Ratings and criticisms 2410 may also be included within the recommendations. If in action 2408, the rating and rating 2410 is not used to identify the merchant, the user may consider the rating and rating 2410 when evaluating the recommendation. Recommendations may also include directions 2416 to the merchant. In some embodiments, Merchant Coupon 2418 may be included in the recommendations. Coupon 2418 may offer an additional discount beyond the discount associated with the user identifier. The recommendations sent in operation 2410 may also include any combination of the above features.

In action 2420, recommendations for goods or services available from online retailers are also sent to mobile devices. This recommendation may be generated by Recommendation Module 316. Recommendations for goods or services available online may be advertisements that encourage users to purchase goods or services from online retailers. The goods or services available online may compete with the goods and / or services offered by the merchants recommended in Operation 2410. In other words, users are provided with information about where to buy goods or services from nearby merchants, and how to buy the same or similar goods or services from online retailers. You may.

In some embodiments, online retailers may pay advertising fees (eg, to the entity operating the server (s) 118) to ensure that recommendations are sent to mobile devices. .. Conversely, merchants may also be offered the opportunity to pay fees to limit potential online competitor recommendations from being piggybacked on their recommendations. For example, a merchant "competes" so that when a merchant is included in a recommendation sent in Action 2412, the recommendation for an online product or service sent in Action 2420 recommends one from that merchant's online store. You may request that you recommend one from any of the online merchants except the designated list of "other" online merchants, or otherwise influence the recommendations provided in that behavior 2420. Online retailers and merchants may also compete with or bid for the recommended controls provided in Operation 2420.

In other embodiments, the goods or services available from the online retail store may be goods or services that are considered complementary to the goods and / or services offered by the merchant. A user, merchant, online retailer, server, or any other entity may make a determination as to which goods and / or services are complementary.

Illustrative promotion based on geographic location FIG. 25 shows an exemplary time series 2500 showing the activation of coupons or other promotions when the mobile device 104 is on Merchant 106. Coupons or other promotions may be tied to a particular geographic location so that the user 102 can redeem the coupon only when the user is located at a particular merchant 106. This may encourage a visit to Merchant 106 as the user may wish to activate and redeem the coupon. This is because the user may purchase goods and / or services once they are in Merchant 106, even if the coupon is not related to the goods and / or services sold by Merchant 106. May provide benefits.

At time 1, the mobile device has an electronic document 216 stored in memory, as shown in FIG. In some embodiments, the electronic document 216 may be an electronic book or electronic book. Electronic document 216 includes an invalidated coupon 2502 in the document. The Unactivated Coupon 2502 may be included as part of the text or other content of Electronic Document 212. Also, the deactivated coupon 2502 may be attached to electronic document 212 or added in another way. In addition, the deactivated coupon 2502 may be provided as a stand-alone product that is not included in the electronic document 212.

If user 102 and mobile device 104 are not located at merchant 106, the deactivated coupon 2502 may remain in the deactivated state. The coupon activation / activation state may be regulated by the coupon activation module 214 of the mobile device 104 shown in FIG. In some embodiments, the deactivated coupon 2502 may be hidden from user 102 of mobile device 104 until mobile device 104 is located at merchant 106. In other embodiments, only one or more aspects of the coupon are hidden. Alternatively, all aspects of the coupon may be exposed to user 102 even when the mobile device 104 is not located at merchant 106. If the Disable Coupon 2502 is provided by itself without Electronic Document 212, the presence of the Disable Coupon 2502 cannot be completely concealed from User 102, but is "treatment" or the particular nature of the coupon. May be hidden. For example, the user may know that the user has an unactivated coupon 2502 from a particular merchant, but may not know what the coupon is for or the magnitude of the discount. Curiosity may drive a visit to merchants who offer this type of partially hidden coupon.

In some embodiments where the coupon is completely hidden, the coupon may act like a surprise or "Easter egg" that rewards the user unexpectedly. Once a person discovers the existence of a coupon, this information may be disseminated informally or "like a virus" and can provide additional people with further encouragement to obtain electronic document 212. In the embodiment where only some aspects of the coupon are hidden, merchants who can redeem the coupon may be exposed to user 102, but other details such as the discount amount remain hidden. There may be.

At time 2, when user 102 and mobile device 104 arrive at merchant 106, the coupon may become activation coupon 2504. Activation may also be tied to time. The coupon does not have to be the activated coupon 2504 unless the current time matches the time specified by the unactivated coupon 2502. For example, coupons do not have to be activated until the next day to encourage repetitive business. Therefore, in some embodiments, both the time and place must be as specified for the unactivated coupon 2502 to become the activated coupon 2504.

Coupon activation may be achieved by the mobile device 104 receiving a signal from the point-of-sale information management device 110 or from the network 116. Activation may also be achieved by the coupon activation module 214 alone or in conjunction with other components of the mobile device 104 such as the position sensor 230 and / or the calendar / clock 228. The position sensor 230 may determine that the geographic location of the mobile device 104 corresponds to the geographic location 106 of the merchant, and the coupon activation module 214 may activate the coupon. For coupons that are valid only for a particular time period, the calendar / clock 228 may also determine if the current time is within the time period specified for coupon redemption. At this point, any aspect of the hidden coupon may be made public to User 102.

FIG. 26 illustrates an exemplary process 2600 for activating and using coupons in electronic documents. At operation 2602, an electronic document containing the coupon may be downloaded to the mobile device. Depending on the relative perceived value of electronic documents and coupons, users of mobile devices choose to initiate downloads primarily to receive electronic documents or primarily to receive coupons. Can be done.

In action 2604, if the mobile device is not located on the merchant, all or part of the coupon may be hidden. This can link the value of the coupon to the user's presence on the merchant. So, for example, coffee shops have coupons posted in e-books to bring people to the coffee shop to redeem them in the hope that they will buy something from the coffee shop. You may pay to do so.

In operation 2606, it is determined whether the merchant has a mobile device that stores an electronic document containing a coupon in memory. A mobile device may be considered to be "in" the merchant if the mobile device is within a predetermined neighborhood of the merchant. The mobile device may also be determined to be on the merchant when the mobile device receives a signal from the merchant. The signal may be a "heartbeat" or "ping" that is transmitted only over a single distance. If the mobile device is on the merchant, process 2600 follows a "yes" path to operation 2608. If the mobile device is not on the merchant, process 2600 can follow a "no" path and return to action 2604, leaving all or part of the coupon hidden.

In action 2608, any portion of the hidden coupon may be revealed or shown to the user. In action 2610, if the mobile device is on the merchant, the coupon will be activated. In some embodiments, the mobile device coupon activation module 214 may activate coupons. The coupon may be activated in action 2606 in response to determining that the mobile device is located on the merchant. The coupon may also be activated in response to a signal from Merchant 2612.

In action 2614, a user of a mobile device receives a command to use a coupon as part of a purchase of a product or service. The command may be an explicit command to use a coupon, or the command may be implied in that the coupon is automatically applied when the purchase transaction is made. The transaction may be the purchase of goods or services on the same Merchant 2616 as the coupon-enabled Merchant, or may be a transaction with an online retailer 2618. Transactions with online retailer 2618 may be completed by using a mobile device.

If the activation coupon is redeemed at Merchant 2616, the activation coupon may appear in the electronic document as a machine-readable code, such as a barcode, that can be presented to the merchant's point-of-sale device. The activation coupon may also be a code or passphrase that the user can show or convey to a merchant employee to receive a discount.

Coupons are activated by merchants, but in an embodiment that is redeemable at online retailers 2618, mobile devices can connect to the network from within the merchants to use the activated coupons at online retailers. Good. Once activated, the activation coupon may remain activated even if the mobile device later leaves the merchant, or in other embodiments, the activation coupon is once activated. When the mobile device is no longer in the merchant, you may revert to the deactivated coupon.

Conclusion These processes described above are illustrated by a logical flow graph, which represents a set of operations that can be achieved by hardware, software, or a combination thereof as a set of blocks. In the context of software, a block represents a computer-executable instruction stored on one or more computer-readable storage media that performs the listed actions when executed by one or more processors. In general, computer-executable instructions include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. that perform a particular function or implement a particular abstract data type. The order in which the behavior is described should not be construed as a limitation, and any number of described blocks can be combined in any order and / or in parallel to implement the process.

The subject matter has been described in a language specific to structural features and / or methodical acts, but the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described. Is understood. Rather, the specific features and actions are disclosed as an exemplary form that realizes the claims.