Reusable bag with integrated wireless identifier and methods of operation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11514427-B2
Application number	US-201916664460-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 25, 2019
Priority date	Oct 25, 2019
Publication date	Nov 29, 2022
Grant date	Nov 29, 2022

Abstract

A wireless tag is integrated into a reusable bag. The tag is registered to a payment account. During a transaction, a unique identifier for the tag is wirelessly acquired from the bag and linked to the payment account. When checkout for the transaction is required, the transaction price for the transaction is charged against the linked account without requiring any additional payment screens or payment interfaces at a transaction terminal where the transaction is being processed. In an embodiment, custom use, price, item type, store type, and/or weight restrictions with respect to the transaction and registered with the tag are enforced during checkout by the transaction terminal.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
providing executable instructions to a processor of a transaction terminal causing the processor to execute the executable instructions and perform operations comprising:
wirelessly interacting with a wireless tag that is integrated into a bag during a transaction at a transaction terminal by sending electromagnetic waves from a wireless tag reader of a vertically integrated bagging scale of the transaction terminal causing the wireless tag to power on and communicate with the vertically integrated bagging scale when the bag hangs from two horizontal posts that extend out horizontally from the vertically integrated bagging scale of the transaction terminal;
receiving, by the vertically integrated bagging scale, a unique identifier from the wireless tag;
obtaining, from a server, a payment account linked to the unique identifier of the bag and custom-defined rules associated with the unique identifier, wherein the custom-defined rules associated with the unique identifier during initial registration of the wireless tag and associated with the payment account;
updating the transaction as items are scanned at the transaction terminal and placed in the bag;
recording weights of the items including produce items placed in the bag as each item that is scanned is placed in the bag and as each produce item is identified and placed in the bag; and
processing at least a portion of a transaction total for the transaction against the payment account based on enforcement of the custom-defined rules for a checkout of the transaction at the transaction terminal when a transaction interface of the transaction terminal indicates a checkout and pay option was activated for the transaction.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving further includes receiving the unique identifier at: a start of the transaction, during the transaction, or when a checkout option for the checkout is selected on the transaction terminal.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein obtaining further includes obtaining transaction-based restrictions associated with the payment account or the unique identifier.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein processing further includes enforcing the transaction-based restrictions to process a first portion of the transaction total against the payment account.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein enforcing further includes obtaining a second portion of the transaction total from a different account or cash provided by a customer associated with the transaction.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein processing further includes processing an entire amount of the transaction total against the payment account.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising, concluding the checkout without presenting any payment screens on a display of the transaction terminal and as soon as a checkout option is selected on the transaction terminal.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising, reporting the at least a portion of the transaction total and transaction details to a tag account manager that manages the unique identifier associated with the wireless tag.

9. A method, comprising:
providing executable instructions to a processor of a server causing the processor to execute the executable instructions and perform operations comprising:
registering a payment account to a unique identifier associated with a wireless tag of a reusable bag during registration and interaction with a mobile application, wherein registering further includes receiving custom rules associated with using the payment account for transaction payments from a registered user associated with the payment account and the unique identifier of the wireless tag;
providing an account identifier for the payment account and the custom rules linked to the payment account to a transaction terminal when the transaction terminal provides the unique identifier after a wireless tag reader of a vertically integrated bagging scale of the transaction terminal sends electromagnetic waves causing the wireless tag to power on and communicate with the vertically integrated bagging scale when the bag hangs from two horizontal posts that extend out horizontally from the vertically integrated bagging scale of the transaction terminal, wherein the vertically integrated bagging scale reads the unique identifier from the wireless tag of the reusable bag for a transaction being processed on the transaction terminal through wireless interaction between the transaction terminal and the wireless tag of the reusable bag and wherein the transaction terminal provides the unique identifier to the server, wherein the unique identifier is linked to the account identifier and the custom rules; and
processing the payment account for the transaction when a transaction interface of the transaction terminal indicates a checkout and pay option was activated for the transaction without the transaction interface presenting any payment screens on a display of the transaction terminal for the checkout and pay option.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising, changing the payment account to a different payment account upon direction from a registered user associated with the payment account and the unique identifier of the wireless tag.

11. The method of claim 9 further comprising, sending instructions to the mobile application of a registered user operating a mobile device, wherein the instructions provided by the mobile application to the wireless tag to change the unique identifier of the wireless tag to a different unique identifier.

12. The method of claim 9 further comprising, transferring funds from a different payment account to the payment account upon direction of a registered user associated with the payment account and the unique identifier of the wireless tag to credit an amount for use with the payment account.

13. A system comprising:
a server comprising a server processor and a server non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having executable instructions representing a bag manager;
a transaction terminal comprising vertically integrated bagging scale with a wireless tag reader, a transaction processor, and a transaction non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having executable instructions representing a transaction manager;
a reusable bag comprising an integrated wireless tag;
the bag manager when executed by the server processor from the server non-transitory computer-readable storage medium causes the server processor to:
link a payment account to a unique identifier associated with the integrated wireless tag of the reusable bag; and
provide an account identifier for the payment account and custom-defined rules associated with the account identifier to the transaction manager during a transaction when the transaction manager provides the unique identifier;
the transaction manager when executed by the transaction processor from the transaction non-transitory computer-readable storage medium causes the transaction processor to:
wireless interact with the integrated wireless tag of the reusable bag during the transaction by sending electromagnetic waves from a wireless tag reader of a vertically integrated bagging scale of the transaction terminal causing the wireless tag to power on and communicate with the vertically integrated bagging scale when the bag hangs from two horizontal post that extend out horizontally from the vertically integrated bagging scale of the transaction terminal;
wirelessly read the unique identifier from the integrated wireless tag of the reusable bag;
provide the unique identifier to the bag manager;
obtain the account identifier for the

Assignees

• Ncr Corp

Inventors

• Perrucci Levino Felix

Classifications

• G07G1/0036

  Checkout procedures · CPC title

• G06Q20/3276

  using a pictured code, e.g. barcode or QR-code, being read by the M-device · CPC title

• G06Q20/3278 Primary

  RFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices · CPC title

• G06Q20/20

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

• G06K19/0723 Primary

  the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs · CPC title