Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR GENERATING NOTIFICATIONS BASED ON
DIGITAL WALLET PASS DATA
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present application relates to digital wallets and, more
particularly, to systems
and methods for generating notifications based on digital wallet pass data.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Digital wallets or digital wallet applications often contain one
or more digital
payment cards that can be used for processing payments. Digital wallets may
also contain digital
passes such as for example loyalty point cards, gift cards, etc.
[0003] Users may forget or otherwise be unaware of what digital wallet
passes are stored
in their digital wallet.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0004] Embodiments are described in detail below, with reference to the
following
drawings:
[0005] FIG. I is a schematic operation diagram illustrating an operating
environment of an
example embodiment;
[0006] FIG. 2 is a simplified schematic diagram showing components of a
computing
device;
[0007] FIG. 3 is a high-level schematic diagram of an example computing
device;
[0008] FIG. 4 shows a simplified organization of software components
stored in a memory
of the example computing device of FIG. 3;
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-03-04
[0009] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing operations performed by a server in
generating
notifications based on digital pass data according to an embodiment;
[0010] FIG. 6 is an example interface displayed on a display screen of a
computing device
according to an embodiment;
[0011] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing operations performed by a server in
identifying a
notification event according to an embodiment;
[0012] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing operations performed by a server in
identifying a
notification event according to an embodiment;
[0013] FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing operations performed by a server in
applying digital
wallet pass data to a value card account according to an embodiment; and
[0014] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing operations performed by a server in
sending a signal
causing a computing device to display a machine-readable code associated with
digital wallet pass
data according to an embodiment.
[0015] Like reference numerals are used in the drawings to denote like
elements and
features.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF VARIOUS EMBODIMENTS
[0016] In one aspect there is provided a server computer system
comprising a
communications module; a processor coupled with the communications module; and
a memory
coupled to the processor and storing processor-executable instructions which,
when executed by
the processor, configure the processor to receive, via the communications
module and from a
computing device, a signal including digital wallet pass data; store the
digital wallet pass data in
association with an account; monitor location data and data associated with a
value card account
to identify a notification event; responsive to identifying the notification
event, generate a
notification based on the digital wallet pass data; and send, via the
communication module and to
the computing device, a signal causing the computing device to display the
notification.
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[0017] In one or more embodiments, the processor-executable instructions,
when executed
by the processor, configure the processor to engage an application programming
interface to
analyze at least one of the location data and data associated with the value
card account to identify
the notification event.
[0018] In one or more embodiments, when monitoring location data and data
associated
with the value card account to identify the notification event, the processor-
executable instructions,
when executed by the processor, further configure the processor to obtain, via
the communications
module and from a server, the data associated with the value card account;
analyze the data
associated with the value card account to determine that a transaction has
been completed at a
particular merchant; and responsive to determining that the transaction has
been completed at the
particular merchant, identify the notification event.
[0019] In one or more embodiments, the processor-executable instructions,
when executed
by the processor, configure the processor to determine a conversion rate of
the digital wallet pass
data based on at least one of the location data or the data associated with
the value card account,
wherein the notification includes a selectable option to apply the digital
wallet pass data to the
value card account at the determined conversion rate.
[0020] In one or more embodiments, the processor-executable instructions,
when executed
by the processor, configure the processor to receive, via the communications
module and from the
computing device, a signal indicating selection of the selectable option to
apply the digital wallet
pass data to the value card account at the determined conversion rate; and
responsive to receiving
the signal indicating selection of the selectable option to apply the digital
wallet pass data to the
value card account at the determined conversion rate, apply the digital wallet
pass data to the value
card account based on the determined conversion rate.
[0021] In one or more embodiments, when monitoring location data and data
associated
with the value card account to identify the notification event, the processor-
executable instructions,
when executed by the processor, further configure the processor to receive,
via the communications
module and from the computing device, the location data, the location data
identifying a location
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of the computing device; engage an application programming interface to
analyze the location data
to determine that the location of the computing device is within a threshold
distance of a particular
merchant; and responsive to determining that the location of the computing
device is within the
threshold distance of the particular merchant, identify the notification
event.
[0022] In one or more embodiments, the notification includes a selectable
option to apply
the digital wallet pass data to offset a future transaction at the particular
merchant.
[0023] In one or more embodiments, the processor-executable instructions,
when executed
by the processor, configure the processor to receive, via the communications
module and from the
computing device, a signal indicating selection of the selectable option to
offset the future
transaction at the particular merchant; and responsive to receiving the signal
indicating selection
of the selectable option to offset the future transaction at the particular
merchant, send, via the
communications module and to the computing device, a signal causing the
computing device to
display a machine-readable code associated with the digital wallet pass data.
[0024] In one or more embodiments, the digital wallet pass data includes
digital gift card
data and the notification event is identified based at least on the location
data.
[0025] In one or more embodiments, the digital wallet pass data includes
loyalty point data
and the notification event is identified based at least on the data associated
with the value card
account.
[0026] In another aspect there is provided a computer-implemented method
comprising
receiving, via a communications module and from a computing device, a signal
including digital
wallet pass data; storing the digital wallet pass data in association with an
account; monitoring
location data and data associated with a value card account to identify a
notification event;
responsive to identifying the notification event, generating a notification
based on the digital wallet
pass data; and sending, via the communication module and to the computing
device, a signal
causing the computing device to display the notification.
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[0027] In one or more embodiments, the method further comprises engaging
an application
programming interface to analyze at least one of the location data and data
associated with the
value card account to identify the notification event.
[0028] In one or more embodiments, monitoring location data and data
associated with the
value card account to identify the notification event comprises obtaining, via
the communications
module and from a server, the data associated with the value card account;
analyzing the data
associated with the value card account to determine that a transaction has
been completed at a
particular merchant; and responsive to determining that the transaction has
been completed at the
particular merchant, identifying the notification event.
[0029] In one or more embodiments, the method further comprises
determining a
conversion rate of the digital wallet pass data based on at least one of the
location data or the data
associated with the value card account, wherein the notification includes a
selectable option to
apply the digital wallet pass data to the value card account at the determined
conversion rate.
[0030] In one or more embodiments, the method further comprises
receiving, via the
communications module and from the computing device, a signal indicating
selection of the
selectable option to apply the digital wallet pass data to the value card
account at the determined
conversion rate; and responsive to receiving the signal indicating selection
of the selectable option
to apply the digital wallet pass data to the value card account at the
determined conversion rate,
applying the digital wallet pass data to the value card account based on the
determined conversion
rate.
[0031] In one or more embodiments, monitoring location data and data
associated with the
value card account to identify the notification event comprises receiving, via
the communications
module and from the computing device, the location data, the location data
identifying a location
of the computing device; engaging an application programming interface to
analyze the location
data to determine that the location of the computing device is within a
threshold distance of a
particular merchant; and responsive to determining that the location of the
computing device is
within the threshold distance of the particular merchant, identifying the
notification event.
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-03-04
[0032] In one or more embodiments, the notification includes a selectable
option to apply
the digital wallet pass data to offset a future transaction at the particular
merchant.
[0033] In one or more embodiments, the method further comprises
receiving, via the
communications module and from the computing device, a signal indicating
selection of the
selectable option to offset the future transaction at the particular merchant;
and responsive to
receiving the signal indicating selection of the selectable option to offset
the future transaction at
the particular merchant, sending, via the communications module and to the
computing device, a
signal causing the computing device to display a machine-readable code
associated with the digital
wallet pass data.
[0034] In one or more embodiments, at least one of the digital wallet
pass data includes
digital gift card data and the notification event is identified based at least
on the location data or
the digital wallet pass data includes loyalty point data and the notification
event is identified based
at least on the data associated with the value card account.
[0035] In another aspect there is provided a non-transitory computer
readable storage
medium comprising computer-executable instructions which, when executed,
configure a
processor to receive, via a communications module and from a computing device,
a signal
including digital wallet pass data; store the digital wallet pass data in
association with an account;
monitor location data and data associated with a value card account to
identify a notification event;
responsive to identifying the notification event, generate a notification
based on the digital wallet
pass data; and send, via the communication module and to the computing device,
a signal causing
the computing device to display the notification.
[0036] Other aspects and features of the present application will be
understood by those of
ordinary skill in the art from a review of the following description of
examples in conjunction with
the accompanying figures.
[0037] In the present application, the term "and/or" is intended to cover
all possible
combinations and sub-combinations of the listed elements, including any one of
the listed elements
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Date Recue/Date Received 2021-03-04
alone, any sub-combination, or all of the elements, and without necessarily
excluding additional
elements.
[0038] In the present application, the phrase "at least one of ...or..."
is intended to cover
any one or more of the listed elements, including any one of the listed
elements alone, any sub-
combination, or all of the elements, without necessarily excluding any
additional elements, and
without necessarily requiring all of the elements.
[0039] FIG. 1 is a schematic operation diagram illustrating an operating
environment of an
example embodiment. As shown, the system 100 includes a computing device 110
and a server
computer system 120 coupled to one another through a network 130, which may
include a public
network such as the Internet and/or a private network. The computing device
110 and the server
computer system 120 may be in geographically disparate locations. Put
differently, the computing
device 110 and the server computer system 120 may be located remote from one
another.
[0040] The computing device 110 is a computer system. The computing
device 110 may
be, for example, a smartphone as shown. The computing device 110 may, however,
be a computing
device of another type such as for example a personal computer, a laptop
computer, a tablet
computer, a notebook computer, a hand-held computer, a personal digital
assistant, a portable
navigation device, a mobile phone, a smart phone, a wearable computing device
(e.g. a smart
watch, a wearable activity monitor, wearable smart jewelry, a glasses and
other optical devices that
include optical head-mounted displays), and any other type of computing device
that may be
configured to store data and software instructions, and execute software
instructions to perform
operations consistent with disclosed embodiments. In certain embodiments, the
computing device
110 may be adapted to present a graphical user interface that allows for
communication with the
server computer system 120.
[0041] The server computer system 120 may be associated with a financial
institution.
The financial institution may be a digital wallet provider. The server
computer system 120 may
include a database that stores data associated with value card accounts. For
example, a value
card account may be associated with a credit card and the data associated with
the value card
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Date Recue/Date Received 2021-03-04
account may include a list of transactions made on the credit card. The list
of transactions may
include information related to the transactions such as for example a
transaction location, a
transaction date, a transaction amount, etc.
[0042] In this embodiment, the server computer system 120 also includes a
database that
stores digital wallet pass data. The digital wallet pass data may be
associated with an account of
the user. The account of the user may be a digital wallet account or may be
the value card
account of the user. As one example, the server computer system 120 may
include a database
that stores loyalty point data and digital gift card data. The loyalty point
data may include, for
example, authentication information (usemame/password) used to access a
loyalty point account
of the user and may also include a name of a provider of the loyalty points.
The digital gift card
data may include, for example, a gift card number, an access code of the gift
card, a type of the
gift card (e.g. a name of a merchant associated with the gift card) etc. As
will be described in
more detail below, responsive to identifying a notification event, the server
computer system 120
may generate notifications based on the digital wallet pass data.
[0043] The server computer system 120 is a computer server system. A
computer server
system may, for example, be a mainframe computer, a minicomputer, or the like.
In some
implementations thereof, a computer server system may be formed of or may
include one or more
computing devices. A computer server system may include and/or may communicate
with
multiple computing devices such as, for example, database servers, compute
servers, and the like.
Multiple computing devices such as these may be in communication using a
computer network
and may communicate to act in cooperation as a computer server system. For
example, such
computing devices may communicate using a local-area network (LAN). In some
embodiments,
a computer server system may include multiple computing devices organized in a
tiered
arrangement. For example, a computer server system may include middle tier and
back-end
computing devices. In some embodiments, a computer server system may be a
cluster formed of
a plurality of interoperating computing devices.
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[0044] The network 130 is a computer network. In some embodiments, the
network 130
may be an intemetwork such as may be formed of one or more interconnected
computer
networks. For example, the network 130 may be or may include an Ethernet
network, an
asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) network, a wireless network, a
telecommunications network,
or the like.
[0045] Although the server computer system 120 is described as being
associated with a
financial institution that may be a digital wallet provider, in another
embodiment the server
computer system 120 may be associated with a digital wallet provider that is
not a financial
institution.
[0046] The system may additionally include one or more third party
servers and the
server computer system 120 may communicate with the one or more third party
servers to obtain,
for example, data associated with value card accounts, data associated with
loyalty point
accounts, data associated with digital gift cards, etc. The data associated
with value card
accounts may include transaction data. The data associated with loyalty point
accounts may
include a loyalty point balance. The data associated with digital gift cards
may include a digital
gift card balance. The server computer system 120 may engage one or more APIs
to
communicate with the one or more third party servers. The server computer
system 120 may
store data associated with the one or more third party servers in one or more
databases. The data
associated with the one or more third party servers may be used to access one
or more accounts
hosted by the one or more third party servers. For example, the server
computer system 120 may
store authentication information that may be used to access an account hosted
by a third party
server.
[0047] FIG. 2 is a simplified schematic diagram showing component of an
exemplary
computing device 200. Computing device 110 may be of the same type as
computing device
200. The computing device 200 may include modules including, as illustrated,
for example, one
or more displays 210, an image capture module 220, a sensor module 230, and a
computer
device 240.
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[0048] The one or more displays 210 are a display module. The one or more
displays
210 are used to display screens of a graphical user interface that may be
used, for example, to
communicate with the server computer system 120 (FIG. 1). The one or more
displays 210 may
be internal displays of the computing device 200 (e.g., disposed within a body
of the computing
device).
[0049] The image capture module 220 may be or may include a camera. The
image
capture module 220 may be used to obtain image data, such as images. The image
capture
module 220 may be or may include a digital image sensor system as, for
example, a charge
coupled device (CCD) or a complementary metal¨oxide¨semiconductor (CMOS) image
sensor.
[0050] The sensor module 230 may be a sensor that generates sensor data
based on a
sensed condition. By way of example, the sensor module 230 may be or include a
location
subsystem which generates location data indicating a location of the computing
device 200. The
location may be the current geographic location of the computing device 200.
The location
subsystem may be or include any one or more of a global positioning system
(GPS), an inertial
navigation system (INS), a wireless (e.g., cellular) triangulation system, a
beacon-based location
system (such as a Bluetooth low energy beacon system), or a location subsystem
of another type.
[0051] The computer device 240 is in communication with the one or more
displays 210,
the image capture module 220, and the sensor module 230. The computer device
240 may be or
may include a processor which is coupled to the one or more displays 210, the
image capture
module 220, and/or the sensor module 230.
[0052] Referring now to FIG. 3, a high-level operation diagram of an
example computer
device 300 is shown. In some embodiments, the computer device 300 may be
exemplary of the
computer device 240 (FIG. 2) and/or the server computer system 120.
[0053] The example computer device 300 includes a variety of modules. For
example, as
illustrated, the example computer device 300 may include a processor 310, a
memory 320, a
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-03-04
communications module 330, and/or a storage module 340. As illustrated, the
foregoing
example modules of the example computer device 300 are in communication over a
bus 350.
[0054] The processor 310 is a hardware processor. The processor 310 may,
for example,
be one or more ARM, Intel x86, PowerPC processors or the like.
[0055] The memory 320 allows data to be stored and retrieved. The memory
320 may
include, for example, random access memory, read-only memory, and persistent
storage.
Persistent storage may be, for example, flash memory, a solid-state drive or
the like. Read-only
memory and persistent storage are a non-transitory computer-readable storage
medium. A
computer-readable medium may be organized using a file system such as may be
administered
by an operating system governing overall operation of the example computer
device 300.
[0056] The communications module 330 allows the example computer device
300 to
communicate with other computer or computing devices and/or various
communications
networks. For example, the communications module 330 may allow the example
computer
device 300 to send or receive communications signals. Communications signals
may be sent or
received according to one or more protocols or according to one or more
standards. For
example, the communications module 330 may allow the example computer device
300 to
communicate via a cellular data network, such as for example, according to one
or more
standards such as, for example, Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM),
Code
Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Evolution Data Optimized (EVDO), Long-term
Evolution
(LTE) or the like. Additionally or alternatively, the communications module
330 may allow the
example computer device 300 to communicate using near-field communication
(NFC), via Wi-Fi
(TM), using Bluetooth (TM) or via some combination of one or more networks or
protocols. In
some embodiments, all or a portion of the communications module 330 may be
integrated into a
component of the example computer device 300. For example, the communications
module may
be integrated into a communications chipset. In some embodiments, the
communications
module 330 may be omitted such as, for example, if sending and receiving
communications is
not required in a particular application.
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[0057] The storage module 340 allows the example computer device 300 to
store and
retrieve data. In some embodiments, the storage module 340 may be formed as a
part of the
memory 320 and/or may be used to access all or a portion of the memory 320.
Additionally or
alternatively, the storage module 340 may be used to store and retrieve data
from persisted
storage other than the persisted storage (if any) accessible via the memory
320. In some
embodiments, the storage module 340 may be used to store and retrieve data in
a database. A
database may be stored in persisted storage. Additionally or alternatively,
the storage module
340 may access data stored remotely such as, for example, as may be accessed
using a local area
network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), personal area network (PAN), and/or a
storage area
network (SAN). In some embodiments, the storage module 340 may access data
stored remotely
using the communications module 330. In some embodiments, the storage module
340 may be
omitted and its function may be performed by the memory 320 and/or by the
processor 310 in
concert with the communications module 330 such as, for example, if data is
stored remotely.
The storage module may also be referred to as a data store.
[0058] Software comprising instructions is executed by the processor 310
from a
computer-readable medium. For example, software may be loaded into random-
access memory
from persistent storage of the memory 320. Additionally or alternatively,
instructions may be
executed by the processor 310 directly from read-only memory of the memory
320.
[0059] FIG. 4 depicts a simplified organization of software components
stored in the
memory 320 of the example computer device 300 (FIG. 3). As illustrated, these
software
components include an operating system 400 and an application 410.
[0060] The operating system 400 is software. The operating system 400
allows the
application 410 to access the processor 310 (FIG. 3), the memory 320, and the
communications
module 330 of the example computer device 300 (FIG. 3). The operating system
400 may be,
for example, Google (TM) Android (TM), Apple (TM) iOS (TM), UNIX (TM), Linux
(TM),
Microsoft (TM) Windows (TM), Apple OSX (TM) or the like.
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[0061] The application 410 adapts the example computer device 300, in
combination
with the operating system 400, to operate as a device performing a particular
function. For
example, the application 410 may cooperate with the operating system 400 to
adapt a suitable
embodiment of the example computer device 300 to operate as the computer
device 240 (FIG. 2)
and/or the server computer system 120.
[0062] While a single application 410 is illustrated in FIG. 3, in
operation the memory
320 may include more than one application 410 and different applications 410
may perform
different operations. For example, in at least some embodiments in which the
computer device
300 is functioning as the computing device 110, the applications 410 may
include a banking
application. The banking application may be configured for secure
communications with the
server computer system 120 and may provide various banking functions such as,
for example,
the ability to display a quantum of value in one or more data records (e.g.
display balances),
configure or request that operations such as transfers of value (e.g. bill
payments, email money
transfers and other transfers) be performed, and other account management
functions.
[0063] As another example, in at least some embodiments in which the
computer device
300 functions as the computing device 110, the applications 410 may include a
web browser,
which may also be referred to as an Internet browser. In at least some such
embodiments, the
server computer system 120 may be a web server. The web server may cooperate
with the web
browser and may serve as an interface when the interface is requested through
the web browser.
For example, the web browser may serve as a mobile banking interface. The
mobile banking
interface may provide various banking functions such as, for example, the
ability to display a
quantum of value in one or more data records (e.g. display balances),
configure or request that
operations such as transfers of value (e.g. bill payments and other transfers)
be performed, and
other account management functions.
[0064] As yet another example, in at least some embodiments in which the
computer
device 300 functions as the computing device 110, the applications 410 may
include an
electronic messaging application. The electronic messaging application may be
configured to
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display a received electronic message such as an email message, short
messaging service (SMS)
message, or a message of another type. In at least some embodiments, the
server computer
system 120 may be configured, through computer-executable instructions, to
send an electronic
message to the computing device 110. For example, the server computer system
120 may be
configured to send a SMS message to a phone number associated with a user and
an electronic
messaging application on the computing device 110 may be configured to
retrieve the message
and display the message to the user. As another example, the server computer
system 120 may
be configured to send an email message to an email address associated with a
user and an email
application on the computing device 110 may be configured to retrieve the
message and display
the message to the user.
[0065] As yet another example, in at least some embodiments in which the
computer
device 300 is functioning as the computing device 110, the applications 410
may include a
digital wallet application. The digital wallet application may be configured
for secure
communications with the server computer system 120 and may provide various
digital wallet
functions such as for example the ability to store payment information and
passwords for
payment methods. The digital wallet application may engage the communications
module of the
computing device 110 to complete payments using, for example, near-field
communications. As
will be described in more detail below, the digital wallet application may
store digital wallet
passes such as for example loyalty point accounts, digital gift cards, etc.
and may generate
notifications based on digital wallet pass data.
[0066] The server computer system 120 is configured to generate
notifications based on
digital wallet pass data. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing operations performed
by the server
computer system 120 in generating notifications based on digital wallet pass
data according to an
embodiment. The operations may be included in a method 500 which may be
performed by the
server computer system 120. For example, computer-executable instructions
stored in memory
of the server computer system 120 may, when executed by one or more
processors, configure the
server computer system 120 to perform the method 500 or a portion thereof.
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[0067] The server computer system 120 receives, via the communications
module and
from the computing device, a signal including digital wallet pass data (step
510). In this
embodiment, the computing device may be the computing device 110.
[0068] In this embodiment, the digital wallet pass data includes digital
gift card data
and/or loyalty point data. The digital gift card data may be associated with a
digital gift card and
the loyalty point data may be associated with a loyalty point account.
[0069] Within the digital wallet application, a graphical user interface
(GUI) may be
provided that includes one or more selectable options to add one or more
digital wallet passes to
the digital wallet. Responsive to the user selecting the option to add one or
more digital wallet
passes to their digital wallet, the digital wallet application may display a
GUI.
[0070] An example GUI 600 displayed on a display screen of the computing
device 110
is shown in FIG. 6. As can be seen, the GUI 600 includes a first selectable
option 610 that, when
selected, displays a GUI having one or more input fields associated with
digital gift card data.
The digital gift card data may include, for example, a gift card number, an
access code of the gift
card, a type of the gift card (e.g. a name of a merchant associated with the
gift card) etc. The
GUI includes a second selectable option 620 that, when selected, displays a
GUI having one or
more input fields associated with loyalty point data. The loyalty point data
may include, for
example, authentication information (usemame/password) used to access a
loyalty point account
of the user and may also include a name of a provider of the loyalty points.
[0071] At least one of the input fields may include a drop-down menu. For
example, the
one or more input fields associated with digital gift card data may include a
drop-down menu
that includes a list of all types of gift cards that may be added to the
digital wallet application.
As another example, the one or more input fields associated with loyalty point
data may include
a drop-down menu that includes a list of all loyalty point providers that may
be added to the
digital wallet application.
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-03-04
[0072] Once the user has completed the one or more input fields, the user
may select a
selectable option to submit the digital wallet pass data. Responsive to the
user selecting the
selectable option, the computing device 110 sends a signal including the
digital wallet pass data
to the server computer system 120.
[0073] The digital wallet application may similarly allow a user to add
one or more value
cards to the digital wallet. For example, the digital wallet application may
include a selectable
option that, when selected by the user, displays a GUI having one or more
input fields associated
with credit card information. The credit card information may include a credit
card number,
credit card expiry date and card verification value (CVV) number. As another
example, the
digital wallet application may include a selectable option that, when selected
by the user,
displays a GUI having one or more input fields associated with authentication
information
(usemame/password) of a value card account of the user. As will be described,
the server
computer system 120 may engage an API associated with a value card provider
and, using the
authentication information, may obtain data associated with the value card
account of the user.
[0074] The server computer system 120 stores the digital wallet pass data
in association
with an account (step 520).
[0075] In this embodiment, the account may be a digital wallet account
and/or may be
the value card account of the user. For example, during setup of the digital
wallet application,
the user may be prompted to create a digital wallet account and may be
required to provide
authentication information such as a usemame and password. Within the digital
wallet
application, the user may access their digital wallet account by entering
their usemame and
password. It will be appreciated that in some embodiments the digital wallet
application may not
require a usemame and password as the user may, for example, unlock the
computing device 110
using facial recognition and this may allow the user to access their digital
wallet account via the
digital wallet application without any further authentication.
[0076] The server computer system 120 may communicate with a third party
server
associated with the digital wallet pass data to obtain additional data
associated with the digital
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wallet pass data. For example, additional data for loyalty account data may
include a loyalty
point balance. Additional data for digital gift card data may include a
digital gift card balance.
The server computer system 120 may engage one or more APIs to communicate with
the one or
more third party servers to obtain the additional data. The server computer
system 120 may store
the additional data and the additional data may be sent to the computing
device 110 and
displayed within the digital wallet application. The server computer system
120 may obtain
updated additional data (digital gift card balance and/or loyalty point
balance) and this may be
obtained responsive to the digital wallet application being opened on the
computing device 110
or responsive to the user requesting updated additional data within the
digital wallet application.
[0077] The additional data may be displayed within the digital wallet.
For example, the
digital wallet may include a graphical user interface configured to display
all digital wallet
passes active in the digital wallet. Each digital wallet pass may be displayed
as an icon and the
icon may include the additional data. For example, a digital gift card may be
displayed with a
logo of the associated merchant and the digital gift card balance may be
displayed adjacent to the
logo.
[0078] The server computer system 120 monitors location data and data
associated with a
value card account to identify a notification event (step 530).
[0079] In this embodiment, the notification event may be a pre-
transaction event or a
post-transaction event. A pre-transaction event is an event that may occur
prior to a transaction
being initiated on the value card account of the user. A post-transaction
event is an event that
may occur after a transaction has been completed on the value card account of
the user. The
location data and data associated with the value card account of the user may
be monitored to
identify a pre-transaction event or a post-transaction event.
[0080] As one example, data associated with the value card account may be
monitored to
identify the notification event. In this example, the notification event may
be a post-transaction
event. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing operations performed by the server
computer system 120 in
identifying a notification event according to an embodiment. The operations
may be included in
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Date Recue/Date Received 2021-03-04
a method 700 which may be performed by the server computer system 120. For
example,
computer-executable instructions stored in memory of the server computer
system 120 may,
when executed by one or more processors, configure the server computer system
120 to perform
the method 700 or a portion thereof.
[0081] The server computer system 120 obtains, via the communications
module and
from a server, the data associated with the value card account (step 710).
[0082] In this embodiment, the data associated with the value card
account includes a list
of transactions made on the credit card. The list of transactions may include
information related
to the transactions such as for example a transaction location, a transaction
date, a transaction
amount, etc. In one or more embodiments, the server computer system 120 may
obtain the data
associated with the value card account from, for example, the database that
stores data associated
with value card accounts. In another embodiment, the server computer system
120 may obtain
the data associated with the value card account through use of an API. For
example, the server
computer system 120 may store authentication information (username/password)
associated with
a value card account and, using the authentication information, the server
computer system 120
may engage an API associated with the value card provider to obtain the data
associated with the
value card account.
[0083] The server computer system 120 analyzes the data associated with
the value card
account to determine that a transaction has been completed at a particular
merchant (step 720).
[0084] In this embodiment, the data associated with the value card
account is analyzed to
identify the merchant who conducted the transaction. The server computer
system 120 may
compare the identified merchant to, for example, a list of partner merchants
who are eligible for
loyalty point redemption. When the merchant who conducted the transaction is
found in the list
of partner merchants, the server computer system 120 determines that the
transaction has been
completed at the particular merchant.
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[0085] Responsive to determining that the transaction has been completed
at the
particular merchant, the server computer system 120 identifies the
notification event (step 730).
When it is determined that the transaction has been completed at the
particular merchant, the
server computer system 120 identifies the notification event. The notification
event is identified
after the transaction has been completed and as such the notification event is
a post-transaction
event.
[0086] As another example, location data may be monitored to identify the
notification
event. In this example, the notification event may be a pre-transaction event.
FIG. 8 is a
flowchart showing operations performed by the server computer system 120 in
identifying a
notification event according to an embodiment. The operations may be included
in a method 800
which may be performed by the server computer system 120. For example,
computer-executable
instructions stored in memory of the server computer system 120 may, when
executed by one or
more processors, configure the server computer system 120 to perform the
method 800 or a
portion thereof.
[0087] The server computer system 120 receives, via the communications
module and
from the computing device, a signal including the location data, the location
data identifying a
location of the computing device (step 810). In this embodiment, the computing
device 110 may
engage a location subsystem which generates location data identifying the
location of the
computing device 110. The location may be the current geographic location of
the computing
device 110. The location of the computing device 110 is assumed to be the
current geographic
location of the user.
[0088] The server computer system 120 determines that the location of the
computing
device is within a threshold distance of a particular merchant (step 820). In
this embodiment, the
particular merchant may be a merchant associated with one or more digital gift
cards stored in
the digital wallet application.
[0089] Using the location of the computing device 110, the server
computer system 120
determines if the user is within the threshold distance of a particular
merchant. The particular
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merchant may be identified using, for example, a geographic location of the
merchant. The
threshold distance may be associated with a geofence representing a virtual
boundary set up
around the boundary of the geographic location of the merchant. The server
computer system
120 may engage one or more APIs such as for example Google Maps API or
Geofencing API.
The threshold distance may be selected such that the server 120 determines
that the computing
device 110, and thus the user, is located at the merchant. For example, the
computing device
110, and thus the user, may be inside a particular store.
[0090] In another embodiment, the server computer system 120 may identify
a merchant
within a threshold distance of the computing device 110. The server computer
system 120 may
compare the identified merchant to, for example, a list of partner merchants
who are eligible for
loyalty point redemption.
[0091] Responsive to determining that the location of the computing
device is within the
threshold distance of the particular merchant, the server computer system 120
identifies the
notification event (step 830).
[0092] As mentioned, the particular merchant may be a merchant associated
with one or
more digital gift cards stored in the digital wallet application. When it is
determined that the
computing device 110, and thus the user, is located within the threshold
distance of the particular
merchant, the server computer system 120 identifies the notification event.
The notification
event is identified prior to the user initiating a transaction at the
particular merchant and as such
the notification event is a pre-transaction notification event.
[0093] In embodiments where the server computer system 120 compares the
identified
merchant to the list of partner merchants who are eligible for loyalty point
redemption, the
notification event is identified when the identified merchant is found in the
list of partner
merchants.
[0094] Responsive to identifying the notification event, the server
computer system 120
generates a notification based on the digital wallet pass data (step 540).
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-03-04
[0095] As mentioned, in this embodiment the digital wallet pass data may
include loyalty
point data and/or digital gift card data. The notification events may include
pre-transaction
notification events and post-transaction notification events.
[0096] A post-transaction notification event may cause the server
computer system 120
to generate a notification based on the loyalty point data. For example, where
a transaction has
been completed at a merchant that is eligible for loyalty point redemption,
the notification may
be based on the loyalty point data.
[0097] A pre-transaction notification event may cause the server computer
system 120 to
generate a notification based on the digital gift card data. For example, when
it is determined
that the computing device 110 is within a threshold distance of a particular
merchant associated
with one or more digital gift cards stored in the digital wallet application,
the notification may be
based on digital gift card data.
[0098] A pre-transaction notification event may cause the server computer
system 120 to
generate a notification based on the loyalty point data. For example, when it
is determined that
the computing device 110 is within a threshold distance of a particular
merchant that is eligible
for loyalty point redemption, the notification may be based on the loyalty
point data.
[0099] The server computer system 120 sends, via the communications
module and to
the computing device, a signal causing the computing device to display the
notification (step
550).
[0100] In response to receiving the signal, the computing device 110 may
display the
notification within the digital wallet application. As another example, the
notification may be
displayed in a notification center of an operating system executing on the
computing device 110.
In this example, the notification may be displayed within a lock screen of the
computing device
110. In this manner, the user may see the notification on the computing device
110 without
having to unlock their phone and without having to open the digital wallet
application.
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[0101] In one or more embodiments, the notification may include one or
more selectable
options. For example, the notification may include a selectable option that,
when selected,
applies the digital wallet pass data to the value card account of the user.
Further, the notification
may include a conversion rate of the digital wallet pass data and the
conversion rate may be
included with the notification.
[0102] FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing operations performed by the server
computer
system 120 in applying the digital wallet pass data to the value card account
of the user
according to an embodiment. The operations may be included in a method 900
which may be
performed by the server computer system 120. For example, computer-executable
instructions
stored in memory of the server computer system 120 may, when executed by one
or more
processors, configure the server computer system 120 to perform the method 900
or a portion
thereof.
[0103] The server computer system 120 determines a conversion rate of the
digital wallet
pass data (step 910). In this embodiment, the conversion rate is a redemption
rate for the loyalty
points. For example, the conversion rate may be 1000 points = $1. As such, for
every 1000
loyalty points, the user may apply $1 to the value card account. In this
manner, the cost
associated with a transaction completed at a particular merchant may be
reduced or offset by
applying loyalty points to the value card account.
[0104] The conversion rate may be based on the particular merchant. For
example, when
a particular merchant has been identified, such as during step 720 of method
700 described
herein, the server computer system 120 may perform a lookup to determine a
conversion rate for
the particular merchant. The particular merchant may be a partner merchant and
as such the
conversion rate may be less than the conversion rate of a merchant who is not
a partner
merchant. For example, the partner merchant may have a conversion rate of 500
points = $1 and
a merchant that is not a partner merchant may have a conversion rate of 1000
points = $1.
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[0105] The notification sent during step 550 of method 500 may include a
selectable
option to apply the digital wallet pass data to the value card account at the
determined conversion
rate.
[0106] The server computer system 120 receives, via the communications
module and
from the computing device 110, a signal indicating selection of the selectable
option to apply the
digital wallet pass data to the value card account at the determined
conversion rate (step 920).
[0107] The user may select the selectable option to apply the digital
wallet pass data to
the value card account to reduce or offset the cost associated with a
transaction. In this manner,
the user may complete a purchase at a particular merchant. The user may be
unaware that they
have loyalty points that may be applied to offset or reduce the cost of the
purchase. The user
may also be unaware that the merchant has a reduced conversion rate. As such,
when the server
computer system 120 determines that the transaction has been completed, the
server computer
system 120 sends the notification to the computing device 110 and the user may
select the
selectable option to automatically apply loyalty points, at the conversion
rate, to the value card
account to reduce or offset the cost of the transaction.
[0108] The server computer system 120 applies the digital wallet pass
data to the value
card account at the determined conversion rate (step 930). Responsive to
receiving the signal
indicating selection of the selectable option, the server computer system 120
applies the digital
wallet pass data to the value card account at the determined conversion rate.
For example, the
server computer system 120 may send a signal to reduce or deduct loyalty
points from the loyalty
points account of the user. The signal may be sent, for example, to a third
party server associated
with the loyalty point provider and this may be done using the API associated
with the loyalty
point provider. The server computer system 120 may, based on the conversion
rate, convert the
loyalty points to dollars and may send a signal to apply the dollar amount to
the value card
account. For example, the signal may be sent to the database associated with
the value card
account. As another example, the signal may be sent to a third party server
associated with the
value card account and this may be done using the API associated with the
value card account.
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[0109] As another example, the notification may include a selectable
option that, when
selected, causes the computing device 110 to display a machine-readable code
associated with
the digital wallet pass data. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing operations
performed by the server
computer system 120 in causing the computing device to display a machine-
readable code
associated with the digital wallet pass data according to an embodiment. The
operations may be
included in a method 1000 which may be performed by the server computer system
120. For
example, computer-executable instructions stored in memory of the server
computer system 120
may, when executed by one or more processors, configure the server computer
system 120 to
perform the method 1000 or a portion thereof.
[0110] The server computer system 120 receives, via the communications
module and
from the computing device, a signal indicating selection of the selectable
option to offset a future
transaction at a particular merchant (step 1010).
[0111] In this embodiment, the particular merchant may be a merchant
associated with
one or more digital gift cards stored in the digital wallet application. As
such, the notification
includes a selectable option to offset a future transaction at the particular
merchant. The user
may select the selectable option on the computing device 110 and this may
indicate that the user
would like to user their gift card for the future transaction at the
particular merchant.
[0112] The server computer system 120 sends, via the communications
module and to
the computing device 110, a signal causing the computing device to display a
machine-readable
code associated with the digital wallet pass data (step 1020).
[0113] The machine-readable code associated with the digital wallet pass
data may be
generated by the server computer system 120. The machine-readable code may be
in the form of
a Quick Response (QR) code, barcode, or other machine-readable code that, when
scanned by a
scanning device, provides information to the scanning device regarding the
digital wallet pass
data. For example, a QR code may be associated with a digital gift card and as
such the QR code
may be displayed on the computing device 110 and scanned by a scanning device
to offset or
reduce the cost of a transaction at the particular merchant.
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[0114] Once the digital gift card has been used to complete the
transaction, the server
computer system 120 may obtain an updated digital gift card balance. The
updated digital gift
card balance may be displayed within the digital wallet application. In
embodiments where the
updated digital gift card balance is equal to $0, the server computer system
120 may send a
signal that causes the computing device to display a notification indicating
that the gift card
balance is $0. The notification may include a selectable option that, when
selected, removes the
digital gift card from the digital wallet application. The notification may
also include a
selectable option that, when selected, re-loads the gift card using a value
card of the user.
[0115] Although in embodiments digital gift card data is described as
being entered
manually by a user within the digital wallet application, other methods may be
used. For example,
the digital wallet application may include a selectable option that, when
selected, activates a
camera associated with the computing device 110. The user may be instructed to
capture an image
of a physical gift card, the image including a machine-readable code found on
the physical gift
card. The image may be stored and, responsive to a notification event, may be
displayed on a
display screen of the computing device 110 in manners similar to that
described herein. As another
example, the camera associated with the computing device 110 may be used to
scan the machine-
readable code found on the physical gift card and the server computer system
120 may generate a
digital gift card based on information retrieved from the scanned machine-
readable code. The
digital gift card may be stored and, responsive to a notification event, may
be displayed on a
display screen of the computing device 110 in manners similar to that
described herein. As another
example, a user may receive a digital gift card as a gift. The gift card may
be received in an email
message. In this example, the email message may include a selectable option to
add the digital
gift card to the digital wallet.
[0116] Although in at least some embodiments described herein
notifications are described
as including a selectable option to apply loyalty points to a value card
account, it will be
appreciated that other notifications may be generated and sent. For example, a
user may be close
to earning a threshold amount of loyalty points for a particular loyalty point
provider. When it is
determined that the user is within a threshold distance of a partner merchant
(or a threshold distance
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-03-04
of the loyalty point provider), the notification may inform the user that they
are within the threshold
distance that that they are close to the threshold amount of loyalty points.
The notification may
display an amount of money that is required to be spent to earn the threshold
amount of loyalty
points. For example, a user may be a "silver member" of a loyalty point
program and this may
indicate that the user has earned between 5,000 and 10,000 points. The user
may have earned 9980
points within the past year and as such are only 20 points away from becoming
a "gold member".
As such, the notification may indicate that the user is only 20 points away
from becoming a "gold
member" and that the user can become a "gold member" by spending $10 dollars
at the partner
merchant. The notification may also include recommendations for items that the
user may be
interested in purchasing at the partner merchant to become the "gold member"
and these
recommendations may be generated based on analyzing historical transaction
data of the value
card account of the user. As another example, the notification may indicate
that the user is within
a threshold distance of a partner merchant that has a promotion to earn
increased loyalty points.
[0117] The methods described herein may be modified and/or operations of
such methods
combined to provide other methods.
[0118] Example embodiments of the present application are not limited to
any particular
operating system, system architecture, mobile device architecture, server
architecture, or computer
programming language.
[0119] It will be understood that the applications, modules, routines,
processes, threads, or
other software components implementing the described method/process may be
realized using
standard computer programming techniques and languages. The present
application is not limited
to particular processors, computer languages, computer programming
conventions, data structures,
or other such implementation details. Those skilled in the art will recognize
that the described
processes may be implemented as a part of computer-executable code stored in
volatile or non-
volatile memory, as part of an application-specific integrated chip (ASIC),
etc.
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[0120]
As noted, certain adaptations and modifications of the described embodiments
can
be made. Therefore, the herein discussed embodiments are considered to be
illustrative and not
restrictive.
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