Reprogrammable point-of-sale transaction flows

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11017361-B2
Application number	US-202016933073-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 20, 2020
Priority date	Jul 29, 2016
Publication date	May 25, 2021
Grant date	May 25, 2021

Abstract

Integrating payment processing functionality into a third-party application via software development kit (SDK) instructions is described. In an example, a payment card reader can include reader instructions executable on the payment card reader to configure the payment card reader to read payment card data from a payment card and transmit the payment card data to a mobile device for processing by SDK instructions on the mobile device. The SDK instructions can be executable on the mobile device to configure the mobile device to process the payment card data from the payment card reader. The SDK instructions, which can be provided by a payment processor, can be configured to be integrated into a third-party application on the mobile device, wherein the third-party application is provided by an entity distinct from the payment processor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A point-of-sale (POS) application comprising:
first instructions inserted into the POS application by an application developer and from first code prepared by the application developer, wherein the first instructions are executable by a device to configure a function of the device including the POS application; and
second instructions including a first portion and a second portion,
wherein the first portion of the second instructions are inserted into the POS application by the application developer and from second code prepared by a software development kit (SDK) developer,
and wherein the first portion of the second instructions are executable by the device to configure the device to communicate with a payment card reader that includes the second portion of the second instructions that are inserted into the payment card reader by the SDK developer and from the second code prepared by the SDK developer.

2. The POS application as claim 1 recites, wherein the first portion of the second instructions are further executable to configure the device to (i) receive payment card data from the payment card reader and (ii) process a card-present payment transaction via a payment processor associated with the SDK developer.

3. The POS application as claim 1 recites, wherein the first portion of the second instructions are further executable to configure the device to:
determine transaction data associated with a transaction, the transaction data including at least an amount of the transaction;
cause, based at least in part on determining the transaction data, the payment card reader to read payment card data; and
responsive to receiving the payment card data from the payment card reader, securely transmit the payment card data to a payment processor to process payment for the amount of the transaction.

4. The POS application as claim 3 recites, wherein the first portion of the second instructions are further executable to configure the device to associate additional transaction data with the transaction, wherein the additional transaction data includes at least one of a geolocation associated with the transaction, an identity of an entity associated with the transaction, a payment method associated with the transaction, or a descriptor of an item associated with the transaction.

5. The POS application as claim 1 recites, wherein the first portion of the second instructions are further executable to configure the device to instruct the payment card reader to read payment card data.

6. The POS application as claim 5 recites, wherein the first portion of the second instructions are further executable to configure the device to authenticate the POS application with a payment processor at least partly prior to at least one of instructing the payment card reader to read the payment card data or processing the payment card data.

7. The POS application as claim 1 recites, wherein the first portion of the second instructions are further executable to configure the device to (i) receive payment card data associated with a payment card without the payment card having interacted with the payment card reader, and (ii) securely process a card-less payment transaction via a payment processor.

8. The POS application as claim 1 recites, wherein the first portion of the second instructions are further executable to configure the device to present a user interface for procuring a signature in association with a transaction, the user interface being configurable by a user of the device.

9. The POS application as claim 1 recites, wherein the first portion of the second instructions are further executable to configure the device to securely transmit, in association with payment card data read by the payment card reader, information via a uniform resource locator to a payment processor.

10. The POS application as claim 1 recites, wherein the first portion of the second instructions are further executable to configure the device to determine, at a first time, that the device is associated with an offline state and, securely sending payment card data read by the payment card reader to a payment processor at a second time after the first time.

11. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing first instructions and at least a first portion of second instructions that are executable by one or more processors, wherein:
the first instructions are provided by an application developer and from first code prepared by the application developer, wherein the first instructions are executable by the one or more processors to configure a function of a device; and
the second instructions include the first portion and a second portion,
wherein the first portion of the second instructions are provided by the application developer and from second code prepared by a software development kit (SDK) developer,
and wherein the first portion of the second instructions are executable by the one or more processors to configure the device to communicate with a payment card reader that includes the second portion of the second instructions that are inserted into the payment card reader by the SDK developer and from the second code prepared by the SDK developer.

12. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media as claim 11 recites, wherein the first portion of the second instructions are further executable by the one or more processors to configure the device to (i) receive payment card data from the payment card reader and (ii) process a card-present payment transaction via a payment processor associated with the SDK developer.

13. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media as claim 11 recites, wherein the first portion of the second instructions are further executable by the one or more processors to configure the device to:
determine transaction data associated with a transaction, the transaction data including at least an amount of the transaction;
cause, based at least in part on determining the transaction data, the payment card reader to read payment card data; and
responsive to receiving the payment card data from the payment card reader, securely transmit the payment card data to a payment processor to process payment for the amount of the transaction.

14. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media as claim 13 recites, wherein the first portion of the second instructions are further executable by the one or more processors to configure the device to associate additional transaction data with the transaction, wherein the additional transaction data includes at least one of a geolocation associated with the transaction, an identity of an entity associated with the transaction, a payment method associated with the transaction, or a descriptor of an item associated with the transaction.

15. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media as claim 11 recites, wherein the first portion of the second instructions are further executable by the one or more processors to configure the device to instruct the payment card reader to read payment card data.

16. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media as claim 15 recites, wherein the first portion of the second instructions are further executable by the one or more processors to configure the device to authenticate a point-of-sale application, with which the first instructions and at least the first portion of the second instructions are associated, with a payment processor at least partly prior to at least one of instructing the payment card reader to read the payment card data or processing the payment card

Assignees

• Square Inc

Inventors

• Wolter Jonathan Andrew
• Ricau Pierre-Yves
• Dickerson Robert

Classifications

• G06Q20/202

  Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR · CPC title

• G06Q20/20

  Point-of-sale [POS] network systems · CPC title

• G07G5/00

  Receipt-giving machines · CPC title

• G06Q20/085 Primary

  involving remote charge determination or related payment systems · CPC title