Wireless transactions for enhancing customer experience

What is this patent about?

’700 is related to the field of wireless transaction systems, specifically those used in hospitality and retail environments like restaurants or stadiums. Traditionally, mobile payments often required customers to hand over their smartphones to staff or walk to a central terminal, creating security risks and communication gaps. The invention addresses the need for a localized, secure way to manage orders and payments directly from a customer’s seat or table without relinquishing control of their device.

The underlying idea behind ’700 is to bridge the gap between a customer’s physical presence and a digital point-of-sale system by using location-specific identifiers. By placing unique tags—such as NFC chips or QR codes—at specific seats or tables, the system allows a mobile device to automatically inform the central terminal exactly where the customer is located. This spatial awareness enables the system to route service, manage specific tabs, and facilitate group interactions based on the physical proximity of multiple users.

The claims of ’700 focus on a point-of-sale terminal that manages and merges individual transactions into a collective bill based on these location identifiers. The terminal receives unique location data from multiple customer devices, each having scanned a local wireless tag. The system specifically protects user autonomy by providing a mechanism where one customer can request to link their bill with another, but the second customer must explicitly accept or deny the invitation before a unified invoice is created.

In a practical implementation, a customer scans a tag at their restaurant placement to establish a session. The terminal then serves a menu and tracks orders tied to that specific spot. The innovation shines in group settings; rather than a waiter manually splitting a check, the terminal provides a dynamic linking interface. One user can view a list of active bills at nearby locations—such as other seats at the same table—and initiate a merge, allowing for seamless group payments while maintaining individual security through a digital wallet.

This approach differs from prior solutions by removing the need for manual staff intervention to associate a device with a table. By utilizing passive wireless tags to transmit both a network address for the terminal and a unique seat code, the invention creates a self-service environment. Unlike generic mobile payment apps, this system uses the physical layout of the premises as the primary organizational structure for the transaction, ensuring that staff know exactly where to deliver items and which customers are authorized to share a tab.