Patent Publication Number: US-2021174386-A1

Title: Payment application and method

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to monetary transfer methods, more specifically but not by way of limitation, a payment application and method that facilitates payment between a patron of an establishment such as but not limited to a night club, wherein the payment application facilitates a method of payment wherein the patron is provided an efficient technique to pay for products in advance of attending the establishment. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Millions of individuals routinely visit establishments such as but not limited to nightclubs and bars. Conventional protocols involve patrons visiting the establishment and making selections of various products such as but not limited to drinks or food wherein the payment for the aforementioned product is rendered upon completion of the delivery thereof. Standard methods of payment involve either local currency or a bank card. This can require the consumer to either ensure they have the correct amount of currency or make sure if carrying a bank card that any limits ensure the ability to execute the necessary transaction for purchase of the products. Carrying cash is undesirable for most individuals as that presents additional safety risks especially in consideration of the conventional time and location of some night activity focused establishments. 
     Conventional payment methods further inhibit the establishment from being able to have value added engagement with their patrons. As the nightclub industry is very competitive, marketing to potential clients is important in order to maintain the long-term viability of the establishment. The current consumer is engrossed with their technology devices such as but not limited to smart phones and leverages the applications available thereon to execute many tasks and perform various activities. Social media applications are utilized significantly on smart phones and connect extended groups of individuals. Many clients of establishments attend for an event such as but not limited to a birthday party. While conventional social media provides a channel for individuals to notify and invite people, it does not provide an establishment to be involved and market to the attendees and make offers thereto. 
     It is intended within the scope of the present invention to provide a software application that facilitates a method of payment between an establishment and its clients wherein the method of the software application further provides a technique to engage clients for patronage and event attendance wherein the method of the present invention can facilitate prepayment of product and offer promotions to patrons. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is the object of the present invention to provide a software application operable to facilitate engagement between an establishment and patrons for marketing and product purchase wherein the method of the present invention facilitates the creation of an event for individuals to attend at a designated establishment. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a software application that facilitates the ability for a patron of an establishment to pre-pay for a product of the establishment prior to visiting the establishment wherein the establishment provides marketing of offers and items such as but not limited to product lists for a patron to view and select and pay for prior to attending the establishment. 
     A further object of the present invention is to provide a software application operable to facilitate engagement between an establishment and patrons for marketing and product purchase wherein the method facilitates the ability for individuals to prepay for product and provide the prepaid product as a gift to a host of an event. 
     Still another object of the present invention is to provide a software application that facilitates the ability for a patron of an establishment to pre-pay for a product of the establishment prior to visiting the establishment wherein the software application provides registration of both the establishment and individuals by creating accounts for each. 
     An additional object of the present invention is to provide a software application operable to facilitate engagement between an establishment and patrons for marketing and product purchase wherein the software application provides a menu of product items for purchase to a user of the software application of the present invention. 
     Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide a software application that facilitates the ability for a patron of an establishment to pre-pay for a product of the establishment prior to visiting the establishment wherein the software application utilizes a QR code or similar technology to execute the transaction of product delivery once a patron is at the establishment. 
     An alternate object of the present invention is to provide a software application operable to facilitate engagement between an establishment and patrons for marketing and product purchase wherein the establishment can include gratuity and similar service fees in the price of the product so as to be included within the purchase. 
     Still a further object of the present invention is to provide a software application that facilitates the ability for a patron of an establishment to pre-pay for a product of the establishment prior to visiting the establishment wherein the software application provides a list of registered establishments for selection by users. 
     An additional object of the present invention is to provide a software application operable to facilitate engagement between an establishment and patrons for marketing and product purchase wherein the software application facilitates creation of an event by a user such as but not limited to a birthday party and provides tracking of attendees thereof subsequent invitation delivery. 
     A further object of the present invention is to provide a software application that facilitates the ability for a patron of an establishment to pre-pay for a product of the establishment prior to visiting the establishment wherein the software application provides the ability for registered users to invite individuals to register with the software application of the present invention. 
     An alternative objective of the present invention is to provide a software application operable to facilitate engagement between an establishment and patrons for marketing and product purchase wherein the software application facilitates communication between a patron and the establishment for VIP events and parameters associated therewith. 
     Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide a software application that facilitates the ability for a patron of an establishment to pre-pay for a product of the establishment prior to visiting the establishment wherein the software application will provide a gift option list for attendees of an event to which they were invited. 
     An additional object of the present invention is to provide a software application operable to facilitate engagement between an establishment and patrons for marketing and product purchase that ensures payment for services and/or products of delivered to patrons upon occurrence of the event. 
     To the accomplishment of the above and related objects the present invention may be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Attention is called to the fact that the drawings are illustrative only. Variations are contemplated as being a part of the present invention, limited only by the scope of the claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       A more complete understanding of the present invention may be had by reference to the following Detailed Description and appended claims when taken in conjunction with the accompanying Drawings wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic overview of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 2  is a general process workflow facilitated by the present invention; and 
         FIG. 3  is a flowchart of the event creation process facilitated by the present invention; and 
         FIG. 4  is flowchart of the event attendance process facilitated by the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring now to the drawings submitted herewith, wherein various elements depicted therein are not necessarily drawn to scale and wherein through the views and figures like elements are referenced with identical reference numerals, there is illustrated a payment software application and method  100  constructed according to the principles of the present invention. 
     An embodiment of the present invention is discussed herein with reference to the figures submitted herewith. Those skilled in the art will understand that the detailed description herein with respect to these figures is for explanatory purposes and that it is contemplated within the scope of the present invention that alternative embodiments are plausible. By way of example but not by way of limitation, those having skill in the art in light of the present teachings of the present invention will recognize a plurality of alternate and suitable approaches dependent upon the needs of the particular application to implement the functionality of any given detail described herein, beyond that of the particular implementation choices in the embodiment described herein. Various modifications and embodiments are within the scope of the present invention 
     It is to be further understood that the present invention is not limited to the particular methodology, materials, uses and applications described herein, as these may vary. Furthermore, it is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is used for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. It must be noted that as used herein and in the claims, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” include the plural reference unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, a reference to “an element” is a reference to one or more elements and includes equivalents thereof known to those skilled in the art. All conjunctions used are to be understood in the most inclusive sense possible. Thus, the word “or” should be understood as having the definition of a logical “or” rather than that of a logical “exclusive or” unless the context clearly necessitates otherwise. Structures described herein are to be understood also to refer to functional equivalents of such structures. Language that may be construed to express approximation should be so understood unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. 
     References to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, “exemplary embodiments”, and the like may indicate that the embodiment(s) of the invention so described may include a particular feature, structure or characteristic, but not every embodiment necessarily includes the particular feature, structure or characteristic. 
     Now referring to the Figures submitted herewith, the payment software application and method  100  includes a server database  10  that is a conventional computing device having a database wherein the server database  10  includes the necessary electronics to receive, store, manipulate and transmit data. The server database  10  is communicably coupled to the Internet utilizing conventional communication protocols. The server database  10  has stored thereon the software application  12  of the present invention. The software application  12  is accessible via remote computing devices  15  through direct access to the server database  10  via the Internet or through services such as but not limited to application warehouses. The remote computing devices  15  are contemplated to be any computing device having operating software compatible so as to facilitate the downloading of the software application  12  and the operation thereof. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the remote computing devices  15  could be embodied as smart phones, tablet PC or other computing devices. 
     Now referring in particular to  FIG. 2  submitted herewith, a general process workflow facilitated by the payment software application and method  100  is diagrammed therein. In step  201 , an operator of the payment software application and method  100  will publish the software application  12  to the server database  10 . Step  203 , the server database  10  is communicably coupled to the Internet so as to make the software application  12  available to users. In step  205 , users will download the software application  12  to their remote computing devices  15 . Step  207 , subsequent downloading the software application  12 , a user will open the software application  12  on their remote computing device  15 . In step  209 , the user will be presented with the registration process. The payment software application and method  100  is operated by both individual consumers and establishments such as but not limited to nightclubs. During the registration process depending upon the entity type registering, the software application  12  will prompt for and collect general information. By way of example but not limitation, the information collected for an individual user can be name, address, confirmation of age and email contact. For an establishment parameters such as but not limited to business name, location and primary business contact are collected during the registration process. In step  211 , the collected parameters are stored for each individual and/or establishment. Step  213 , the registration process is completed with saving of the collected parameters 
     In step  215 , a user and/or establishment is provided with an account creation page. The account creation page provides the ability for a user and/or establishment to enter additional data for use by the payment software application and method  100  in order to facilitate engagement therewith. The account creation page facilitates data entry for fields such as but not limited to personal/business information, profile picture, payment methods, password information, notification preferences, receipts, ordering, policies, terms and conditions of use and analytic reporting. The aforementioned parameters of the account creation page are further discussed herein. Furthermore, the aforementioned parameters of the account creation page are exemplary and it is contemplated within the scope of the present invention that the account creation page could include additional parameters. In step  217 , the user or establishment will complete the account creation process and wherein a user or establishment can update any account information at any time. 
     In step  219 , a user or establishment will login into the software application  12  ensuing registration with the payment software application and method  100  a primary interface is presented to a user or establishment during login. The primary interface is the main graphical interface for a user or establishment to engage with the software application  12 . In step  221 , the primary interface in a preferred embodiment presents the following categories to a user or establishment that has logged into the software application  12 . The categories of account settings, establishment directory, payment methods, upcoming events, event creation, payment scanning and search engine are contemplated within the scope of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It is contemplated within the scope of the present invention that the aforementioned categories could be added to so as to provide additional functionality. Ensuing being presented with the primary interface and the categories, the user or establishment will select account setting category in order to initiate or update the parameters thereof in step  223 . Step  223  can include the entering and storing of parameters such as but not limited to personal or establishment information, profile picture, payment methods, password information, notification preferences, receipt history, ordering, terms and conditions of use, and analytic reporting. It should be understood within the scope of the present invention that step  223  could occur initially or at anytime during use of the software application  12 . 
     In step  225 , a user will select the establishment directory. The establishment directory provides users a list of all of the establishments that are registered with the payment software application and method  100 . The establishment directory provides users detailed information on each registered establishment such as but not limited to location, special event and offers, website and contact information. Each registered establishment utilizes the payment software application and method  100 , specifically the establishment directory, to direct market to registered users of the payment software application and method  100 . In step  227 , users will select payment methods and enter preferred payment information such as credit cards or electronic transfer accounts. Payment options are utilized to secure payment for orders placed within the payment software application and method  100  from a user for a particular establishment. In step  229 , a user will select upcoming events to browse either events for which they have provided a RSVP or to see events to either which they have been invited or are interested in attending. Step  231 , a user will select event creation to initiate the process of creating an event. The event creation process facilitated by the payment software application and method  100  is further discussed herein. In step  233 , a user can select the scanner interface wherein the scanner interface presents a QR code or similar graphic wherein the establishment can scan the graphic in order to facilitate the receipt of a product from the establishment. It is contemplated within the scope of the present invention that the scanner interface present a specific image for each product type of the establishment in order to assist with accurate analytics discussed further herein. In step  235 , a user can enter the search directory to search for either registered users so as to invite to an event or for non-registered users and provide a link to the non-registered users to join the payment software application and method  100 . It is contemplated within the scope of the present invention that the operator of the payment software application and method  100  will provide incentive to registered users to recruit new users. It should be understood within the scope of the present invention that the step  223  through step  235  can occur at anytime and do not need to be executed in any particular order. 
     Now referring in particular to  FIG. 3  submitted herewith, an exemplary process flow for an event creation is diagrammed therein. One of the primary benefits of the payment software application and method  100  is the ability to link establishments with users wherein the users can create events and pay for services and/or products offered by the establishment in advance of the event. In step  301 , a user will open the software application  12  of the present invention. Step  303 , a user will login into the payment software application and method  100  using a remote computing device  15 . In step  305 , ensuing login a user is presented the primary interface. Step  307 , the user will select event creation. The event creation category will provide the ability for a user to select an establishment, create an event and invite attendees. In step  309 , the user is provided with a directory of establishments to choose from to host the event. The directory will include detailed information about the establishment, any special promotions provided by the establishment as well as a menu of services and products offered by the establishment. Step  311 , the user will browse the directory of establishments in order to identify a preferred establishment to host their event. In step  313 , the user will select an establishment to host their event. Step  315 , the user will create a name for the event such as but not limited to birthday party. In step  317 , the user will specify a day and a time at which they would like the event to occur. Step  319 , the user will create a guest list wherein the guest list can be created from registered users of the payment software application and method  100  and non-registered users. In step  321  the software application will transmit invitations to the selected guests as well as transmit notification to the selected establishment. It should be understood within the scope of the present invention that in the directory of establishments information about capacity and availability is provided to a user so as to ensure a user identifies an establishment that can host their desired event. 
     In step  323 , the payment software application and method  100  will provide tracking of attendees of the event wherein invited guest who have provided an RSVP are identified to the event host. Step  325 , the user is provided with event features such as but not limited to VIP service or bottle service wherein the establishment markets to the user hosting the event through the software application  12 . In step  327 , ensuing providing notification of attending the event, the guests can pay for gifts, wherein the gifts are products or services from the hosting establishment and transmit the gifts to the user hosting the event to be redeemed at the event. Step  329 , the software application provides guests various cancellation options if they are unable to attend after providing notification of acceptance. It is contemplated within the scope of the present invention that the cancellation policy could include but is not limited to holding the value of the purchased product or service for a year for use by the purchaser for subsequent redemption at the establishment. In step  331 , the user will attend the event. 
     Now referring to  FIG. 4 , a process flow for event attendance is diagrammed therein. In step  401 , a user will receive an event invitation. Step  403 , the recipient of the event invitation will open the software application  12  of the present invention wherein a link thereto was embedded in the event invitation. Step  405 , the invited guest is presented with the primary interface subsequent logging into the software application  12 . In step  407 , the invited guest will select the upcoming events category. Step  409 , the invited guest will be presented and select the event to which they are responding to the invitation. Step  411 , utilizing the software application, the invited guest will provide a RSVP to the host of the event so as to provide confirmation of attendance. In step  413 , the invited guest will then be provided with a product and/or service list of items for purchase to be consumed or delivered at the event. The software application  12  facilitates the ability for the establishment to direct market to the invited guest during this step by providing special offers and/or promotions that can be redeemed at the event. In step  415 , the user will select products whereupon ensuing selection of products a user is provide a product specific QR code or similar graphic to be stored in the software application  12  on the remote computing device  15  of the user. Step  417 , the user will complete the purchase of the products using the payment method identified in the payment methods within the account categories. Step  419 , the user may have purchased products/services for themselves to be redeemed at the event or may have purchased products/services to be transmitted to the host as a gift prior to the event. In the event of the latter, the software application  12  will transmit the gift to the user wherein the gift is delivered in the form of a redeemable QR code. In step  421 , the payment software application and method  100  will provide cancellation options to an invited guests an various parameters such as but not limited to future redemption of purchased products/services in the event the invited guest is unable to attend. 
     Step  423 , the invited guests will attend the event. In step  425 , the user will present the product specific QR code, which will be scanned utilizing a suitable device by the establishment. Step  427 , the invited guest will receive the purchased product/service. In step  431 , ensuing attending events or an establishment hosting an event, a plurality of data analytics are available to each. This is to include but not limited to amount/type product sold or purchased, available balances, totals per bartender, average gratuity and number of establishments visited over a defined time period. 
     While process flows of the payment software application and method  100  are described herein, it should be understood within the scope of the order of the process flows and steps thereof are exemplary and could be substituted or rearranged and not deviate from the desired scope of the present invention. 
     In the preceding detailed description, reference has been made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments, and certain variants thereof, have been described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention. It is to be understood that other suitable embodiments may be utilized and that logical changes may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. The description may omit certain information known to those skilled in the art. The preceding description is, therefore, not intended to be limited to the specific forms set forth herein, but on the contrary, it is intended to cover such alternatives, modifications, and equivalents, as can be reasonably included within the spirit and scope of the invention.