IP Library Granted Patent US 12,217,283
Granted Patent B2
US 12,217,283 · App. 18/309,332 · Granted Feb 4, 2025

Cross-merchant promotions

Inventors: Zachary Brock (San Francisco, CA); John Ryan Crepezzi (San Francisco, CA); Bruce Bell (New York, NY)
Assignee: Block, Inc.
G06Q30/0268G06Q30/0214G06Q30/0224G06Q30/0238G06Q30/0255G06Q30/0259G06Q30/0271
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,217,283
App. No.
18/309,332
Granted
Feb 4, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

Technology is disclosed for facilitating and processing cross-merchant promotions. In examples, the disclosed technology comprises identifying a first merchant and a second merchant as complementary merchants based at least in part on first transaction data associated with a plurality of merchants; generating a recommendation for the first and second merchants to participate in a cross-merchant promotion; receiving an indication that the first merchant and the second merchant intend to participate in the cross-merchant promotion; receiving second transaction data for a second transaction of the first merchant; applying the cross-merchant promotion to the second transaction based at least in part on a payment card number offered for payment in the second transaction; processing payment for the second transaction based at least in part on the cross-merchant promotion; and apportioning the payment between the first and second merchant according to an agreement between them.

Claims (49)

1. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions executable by the one or more processors, wherein the instructions program the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

based at least in part on first transaction data associated with transactions of a plurality of merchants, identifying, by a payment service, a first merchant and a second merchant of the plurality of merchants as complementary merchants;

generating, by the payment service, a recommendation for the first merchant and the second merchant to participate in at least one cross-merchant promotion;

receiving, by the payment service, an indication that the first merchant and the second merchant intend to participate in the at least one cross-merchant promotion;

receiving, by the payment service, second transaction data associated with a second transaction associated with the first merchant, wherein the second transaction data includes a payment card number of a payment card offered for payment in the second transaction;

based at least in part on the payment card number, determining to apply the at least one cross-merchant promotion to the second transaction based on a transaction history of a customer associated with the payment card number;

processing a payment associated with the second transaction, wherein the payment is based at least in part on the at least one cross-merchant promotion; and

apportioning, by the payment service, the payment between the first merchant and the second merchant according to an agreement between the first merchant and the second merchant.

2. The system as claim 1 recites, wherein identifying the first merchant and the second merchant as complementary merchants is further based at least in part on output of a data model that has received as input inventory data associated with the plurality of merchants.

3. The system as claim 1 recites, wherein identifying the first merchant and the second merchant as complementary merchants based at least in part on the first transaction data comprises determining that the first merchant and the second merchant are at least one of (1) merchants from whom one or more customers purchase within a time that satisfies a time criterion, (2) merchants associated with one or more customers sharing demographic attributes, (3) merchants associated with a same type of item, (4) merchants associated with transactions involving a same customer identifier, or (5) merchants associated with locations that are within a distance of each other that meets a distance criterion.

4. The system as claim 1 recites, wherein identifying the first merchant and the second merchant as complementary merchants is further based at least in part on determining that one or more first inventory items of the first merchant and one or more second inventory items of the second merchant are at least one of (1) a similar item type, (2) purchased within a threshold amount of time of each other in a spending trend of at least one customer, or (3) purchased in a same transaction.

5. The system as claim 1 recites, wherein identifying the first merchant and the second merchant as complementary merchants is further based at least in part on (i) an indication that the first merchant and the second merchant are willing to participate in cross-merchant promotions, or (ii) a business relationship between the first merchant and the second merchant.

6. The system as claim 1 recites, the operations further comprising:

responsive at least in part to receiving, by the payment service, the indication that the first merchant and the second merchant intend to participate in the at least one cross-merchant promotion, facilitating, the payment service, transmission of a notification of the at least one cross-merchant promotion to one or more customers of at least one of the first merchant or the second merchant, wherein the notification comprises at least one of a direct message, an online advertisement, or a digital receipt.

7. The system as claim 1 recites, wherein the recommendation includes suggested items for promotion in the at least one cross-merchant promotion.

8. The system as claim 1 recites, the operations further comprising:

causing presentation, by the payment service and on at least one of a first merchant device of the first merchant or a second merchant device of the second merchant, of a notification of application of the at least one cross-merchant promotion in the second transaction.

9. The system as claim 1 recites, the operations further comprising:

receiving, by the payment service, and from a plurality of merchant computing devices associated with the plurality of merchants, the first transaction data, the plurality of merchant computing devices each executing an instance of a merchant application installed for configuring the plurality of merchant computing devices as point-of-sale (POS) terminals, the instances of the merchant application configuring the POS terminals to communicate the first transaction data over a network.

10. The system as claim 1 recites, wherein identifying the first merchant and the second merchant as complementary merchants is further based at least in part on input to a user interface provided by the payment service indicating a desired merchant type with which to be paired.

11. A method comprising:

based at least in part on first transaction data associated with transactions of a plurality of merchants, identifying, by a payment service, a first merchant and a second merchant of the plurality of merchants as complementary merchants;

generating, by the payment service, a recommendation for the first merchant and the second merchant to participate in at least one cross-merchant promotion;

receiving, by the payment service, an indication that the first merchant and the second merchant intend to participate in the at least one cross-merchant promotion;

receiving, by the payment service, second transaction data associated with a second transaction associated with the first merchant, wherein the second transaction data includes a payment card number of a payment card offered for payment in the second transaction;

based at least in part on the payment card number, determining to apply the at least one cross-merchant promotion to the second transaction based on a transaction history of a customer associated with the payment card number;

processing a payment associated with the second transaction, wherein the payment is based at least in part on the at least one cross-merchant promotion; and

apportioning, by the payment service, the payment between the first merchant and the second merchant according to an agreement between the first merchant and the second merchant.

12. The method as claim 11 recites, wherein identifying the first merchant and the second merchant as complementary merchants is further based at least in part on output of a data model that has received as input inventory data associated with the plurality of merchants.

13. The method as claim 11 recites, wherein identifying the first merchant and the second merchant as complementary merchants based at least in part on the first transaction data comprises determining that the first merchant and the second merchant are at least one of (1) merchants from whom one or more customers purchase within a time that satisfies a time criterion, (2) merchants associated with one or more customers sharing demographic attributes, (3) merchants associated with a same type of item, (4) merchants associated with transactions involving a same customer identifier, or (5) merchants associated with locations that are within a distance of each other that meets a distance criterion.

14. The method as claim 11 recites, wherein determining that the first merchant and the second merchant are complementary merchants is further based at least in part on determining that one or more first inventory items of the first merchant and one or more second inventory items of the second merchant are at least one of (1) a similar item type, (2) purchased within a threshold amount of time of each other in a spending trend of at least one customer, or (3) purchased in a same transaction.

15. The method as claim 11 recites, wherein the recommendation includes suggested items for promotion in the at least one cross-merchant promotion.

16. The method as claim 11 recites, further comprising:

causing presentation, by the payment service and on at least one of a first merchant device of the first merchant or a second merchant device of the second merchant, of a notification of application of the at least one cross-merchant promotion in the second transaction.

17. The method as claim 11 recites, wherein identifying the first merchant and the second merchant as complementary merchants is further based at least in part on input to a user interface provided by the payment service indicating a desired merchant type with which to be paired.

18. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions executable by one or more processors that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

based at least in part on first transaction data associated with transactions of a plurality of merchants, identifying, by a payment service, a first merchant and a second merchant of the plurality of merchants as complementary merchants;

generating, by the payment service, a recommendation for the first merchant and the second merchant to participate in at least one cross-merchant promotion;

receiving, by the payment service, an indication that the first merchant and the second merchant intend to participate in the at least one cross-merchant promotion;

receiving, by the payment service, second transaction data associated with a second transaction associated with the first merchant, wherein the second transaction data includes a payment card number of a payment card offered for payment in the second transaction;

based at least in part on the payment card number, determining to apply the at least one cross-merchant promotion to the second transaction based on a transaction history of a customer associated with the payment card number;

processing a payment associated with the second transaction, wherein the payment is based at least in part on the at least one cross-merchant promotion; and

apportioning, by the payment service, the payment between the first merchant and the second merchant according to an agreement between the first merchant and the second merchant.

19. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media as claim 18 recites, the operations further comprising:

causing presentation, by the payment service and on at least one of a first merchant device of the first merchant or a second merchant device of the second merchant, of a notification of application of the at least one cross-merchant promotion in the second transaction.

20. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media as claim 18 recites, the operations further comprising:

receiving, by the payment service, and from a plurality of merchant computing devices associated with the plurality of merchants, the first transaction data, the plurality of merchant computing devices each executing an instance of a merchant application installed for configuring the plurality of merchant computing devices as point-of-sale (POS) terminals, the instances of the merchant application configuring the POS terminals to communicate the first transaction data over a network.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 28, 2023
From: BROCK, ZACHARY; CREPEZZI, JOHN RYAN; BELL, BRUCE
To: SQUARE, INC.
Reel/Frame 063481/0580 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Apr 28, 2023
From: SQUARE, INC.
To: BLOCK, INC.
Reel/Frame 063499/0497 →
Continuity (3)
Continuation 16888642 · May 29, 2020
Continuation 14482948 · Sep 10, 2014
Related Publication 20230259978A1 · Aug 17, 2023
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