Merchant alert based system and method including customer presence notification
AssigneeVisa International Service Association
InventorsMark Carlson, Patrick Stan, Ayman Hammad, Ben Rewis, Patrick L. Faith
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Embodiments of the present invention disclosed herein include systems and methods for sending merchant alert messages. The merchant can specify criteria indicating the types of customers for which he desires to receive alerts. Merchant alert messages can be sent based on characteristics of a customer, including the customer's proximity to the merchant. The merchant can use the alert message to provide better service to the customer or prevent the customer from engaging in transactions, depending on the contents of the merchant alert message.
Claims18
A method for alerting, comprising:
- providing an interface allowing a merchant to arbitrarily specify criteria for an alert, the criteria comprising a past transaction type, an average transaction amount, or a transaction volume;
- receiving an indication from a merchant proximity system of a consumer entering a store of the merchant;
- retrieving a profile of the consumer based on the indication;
- retrieving the criteria based upon the indication;
- determining, by a server computer, that the criteria is satisfied by the consumer by comparing the profile of the consumer to the criteria;
- generating an alert message based on the determination;
- and
- sending the alert message to the merchant before the merchant conducts a transaction with the consumer.
A server computer, comprising:
- a processor;
- and
- a memory operatively coupled to the processor and storing program instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to
- provide an interface allowing a merchant to arbitrarily specify criteria for an alert, the criteria comprising a past transaction type, an average transaction amount, or a transaction volume,
- receive an indication from a merchant proximity system of a consumer entering a store of the merchant,
- retrieve a profile of the consumer based on the indication,
- retrieve the criteria based upon the indication,
- determine that the criteria is satisfied by the consumer by comparing the profile of the consumer to the criteria,
- generate an alert message based on the determination, and
- send the alert message to the merchant before the merchant conducts a transaction with the consumer.
A computer-readable storage medium embodying information indicative of instructions for causing one or more machines to perform operations comprising:
- providing an interface allowing a merchant to arbitrarily specify criteria for an alert, the criteria comprising a past transaction type, an average transaction amount, or a transaction volume;
- receiving an indication from a merchant proximity system of a consumer entering a store of the merchant;
- retrieving a profile of the consumer based on the indication;
- retrieving the criteria based upon the indication;
- determining, by a server computer, that the criteria is satisfied by the consumer by comparing the profile of the consumer to the criteria;
- generating an alert message based on the determination;
- and
- sending the alert message to the merchant before the merchant conducts a transaction with the consumer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.