Beacon assisted commercial recognition system

A system, comprising:

• a primary communication path;
• a validation communication path for carrying validation information in the form of a validation communication;
• a mobile unit including:
• a first communication device interfaced with the primary communication path and including a transmitter and receiver for enabling thereover,
• a first validation node interfaced with the validation communication path and including a transmitter and receiver for enabling bidirectional communication thereover;
• a transaction location including:
• a second communication device interfaced with the primary communication path for communicating over the primary communication path to the first communication device and having a transmitter and receiver for enabling such bidirectional communication,
• a second validation node interfaced with the validation communication path for communicating with the first validation node and having a transmitter and receiver for enabling such bidirectional communication, and
• a beacon transmitter associated with the second validation node for broadcasting a beacon signal over the validation communication path to the first validation node;
• and
• a controller for controlling the communication path between the first and second communication devices to allow or inhibit communication there over;
• the receiver on the first validation node for receiving the beacon signal from the beacon transmitter associated with the second validation node and using information from the broadcast to validate the beacon signal against a predetermined validation database and, upon validation, initiating a validation communication with the second validation node;
• whereupon, after validation, a continuous bidirectional communication handshake is established and maintained during control of communications over the primary communication path by the controller controlling bidirectional communication of information between the first validation node and the second validation node over the validation communication path so as to establish a continuous validation communication presence, the generation of the validation condition requiring a continuous validation communication presence;
• wherein the presence of a bidirectional validation communication of validation information between the first and second validation nodes over the validation communication path constitutes a validation condition and the controller is controlled by the presence of the bidirectional validation communication of validation information and the existence of the validation condition during a control of communications by the controller of communications over the primary communication path to control a mode of operation of the communication over the primary communication path between the first communication device and the second communication device to be at least one of inhibiting communication over the primary communication path or allowing communication over the primary communication path;
• wherein the beacon transmitter is associated with a beacon associated with the second communication device, the beacon transmitter for broadcasting the beacon signal, and the beacon transmitter having unique properties and disposed proximate in location to the second communication device;
• and
• wherein a beacon receiver is associated with the first validation node, the beacon receiver being for receiving the beacon signal broadcast from the beacon and extracting unique information therefrom, the first validation node using the extracted unique information to validate an identity of the broadcast beacon signal from the validation database and, upon validation of the unique information, the first validation node initiating a bidirectional validation communication with the second validation node over the validation communication path and the second validation node, upon receiving an initiated communication from the first validation node over the validation communication path causing the validation condition to be generated.