Intelligent payment capture in failed authorization requests

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9741035-B1
Application number	US-201414567145-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Dec 11, 2014
Priority date	Dec 11, 2014
Publication date	Aug 22, 2017
Grant date	Aug 22, 2017

Abstract

Techniques and arrangements for capturing payments in cases involving a failed authorization. In some instances, a point-of-sale (POS) device may process a transaction while operating in an offline mode, and then send information regarding the transaction to a remote service after transitioning to an online mode. The remote service may attempt to authorize a payment instrument tendered to satisfy a cost of the transaction. In instances in which the payment instrument is declined, one or multiple payment-capture techniques may be utilized to capture a payment that satisfies at least a portion of the cost of the transaction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a mobile point of sale (POS) device comprising:
a card reader;
a first processor; and
first computer-readable media storing first instructions that, when executed by the first processor, cause the first processor to perform operations comprising:
storing, while the mobile POS device is in an offline mode, transaction information associated with a transaction, the transaction information identifying a payment instrument tendered to satisfy a cost of the transaction, the POS device configured to delay requesting authorization of the payment instrument until the POS device transitions to an online mode;
transitioning from the offline mode to the online mode; and
sending, based at least in part on the transition to the online mode, the transaction information to a remote device; and

the remote device comprising;
a second processor; and
second computer-readable media storing second instructions that, when executed by the second processor, cause the second processor to perform operations comprising:
receiving, from the POS device operating in the online mode, the transaction information associated with the transaction;
determining that the transaction was processed by the POS device in the offline mode;
determining that the payment instrument has been declined with respect to the cost of the transaction; and
attempting to authorize the payment instrument with respect to an available balance of the payment instrument at least partly in response to determining that the payment instrument has been declined with respect to the cost of the transaction.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein attempting to authorize the payment instrument is based at least in part on determining that the transaction was processed by the POS device in the offline mode.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the POS device is a mobile device configured to conduct the transaction and store information associated with the transaction in the offline mode.

4. The system of claim 1 , the acts further comprising:
determining the available balance of the payment instrument;
determining that the available balance satisfies a payment threshold; and
wherein attempting to authorize the payment instrument is based at least in part on determining that the available balance satisfies the payment threshold.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the payment threshold corresponds to an acceptable payment towards the cost of the transaction, the acceptable payment being determined based at least in part on an input from a merchant associated with the POS device.

6. The system of claim 1 , the second computer-readable media causing the second processor to perform operations further comprising:
calculating, after attempting to authorize the payment instrument, a remaining amount of the cost of the transaction;
determining that an authorizable value of the payment instrument is expected to increase during a future time period; and
attempting to authorize, during the future time period, the payment instrument with respect to the calculated remaining amount.

7. The system of claim 1 , the second computer-readable media causing the second processor to perform operations further comprising:
determining, during a first time period, the available balance of the payment instrument;
determining that the available balance does not satisfy a payment threshold;
determining that an authorizable value of the payment instrument is expected to increase during a second time period; and
attempting to authorize, during the second time period, the payment instrument with respect to the cost of the transaction.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein determining that the authorizable value of the payment instrument is expected to increase during the second time period comprises:
accessing historical transaction data that includes data corresponding to transactions that occurred over a period of time before the determining that the authorizable value of the payment instrument is expected to increase; and
determining, based at least in part on the accessed historical data, that the authorizable value of the payment instrument is expected to increase during the second time period.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the historical transaction data further includes data associated with one or more of: the payment instrument, or a class of payment instruments that includes the payment instrument.

10. A method comprising:
storing, at a point of sale (POS) device using a card reader, and while the POS device is in an offline mode, transaction information associated with a transaction, the transaction information identifying a payment instrument tendered to satisfy a cost of the transaction, the POS device configured to delay requesting authorization of the payment instrument until the POS device transitions to an online mode;
transitioning the POS device from the offline mode to the online mode;
sending, from the POS device and based at least in part on the transitioning to the online mode, the transaction information to a remote device;
receiving, from the POS device operating in the online mode, the transaction information associated with the transaction;
determining that the transaction was processed by the POS device in the offline mode;
determining that the payment instrument has been declined with respect to the cost of the transaction; and
attempting to authorize the payment instrument with respect to an available balance of the payment instrument at least partly in response to determining that the payment instrument has been declined with respect to the cost of the transaction.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein attempting to authorize the payment instrument is based at least in part on determining that the transaction was processed by the POS device in the offline mode.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the POS device is a mobile device configured to conduct a transaction and store the information associated with the transaction in the offline mode.

13. The method of claim 10 , the acts further comprising:
determining the available balance of the payment instrument;
determining that the available balance satisfies a payment threshold; and
wherein attempting to authorize the payment instrument with respect to the available balance is based at least in part on determining that the available balance satisfies the payment threshold.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the payment threshold corresponds to an acceptable payment towards the cost of the transaction, the acceptable payment being determined based at least in part on an input from a merchant associated with the POS device.

15. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
calculating, after attempting to authorize the payment instrument, a remaining amount of the cost of the transaction;
determining that an authorizable value of the payment instrument is expected to increase during a future time period; and
attempting to authorize, during the future time period, the payment instrument with respect to the calculated remaining amount.

16. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
determining, during a first time period, the available balance of the payment instrument;
determining that the available balance does not satisfy a payment threshold;
determining that an authorizable value of the payment instrument is expected to increase during a second time period; and
attempting to authorize, during the second time period, the payment instrument with respect to the cost of the transaction.

17. The

Assignees

• Square Inc

Inventors

• White Michael Wells
• Botros Paul
• Mocko Christopher Lang
• Ren Zhimin
• Zhao Jianliang

Classifications

• G06Q20/20

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

• G06Q20/40 Primary

  Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists · CPC title

• G06Q20/4037

  Remote solvency checks · CPC title

• G06Q20/405

  Establishing or using transaction specific rules · CPC title