FIELD OF THE INVETNION:
[0001] The present disclosure relates to point of sale terminal systems and mobile
payment systems and more particularly relates to methods and systems for completing a
transaction through BluetoothTM low energy technology enabled facilitator device.
BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION:
[0002] A cashless society generally describes an economic state whereby financial
transactions are accomplished through the transfer of digital information (electronic
representation of money) between the transacting parties. In last few decades, use of
non-cash transactions and digital payment methods were widespread in many countries,
with intermediaries such as digital wallet systems operated by companies, contactless
and NFC payments by electronic cards or smartphones, etc. Mobile communication
devices such as smartphones, personal digital assistants and the like are increasingly
being used to conduct payment transactions while purchasing products or services
online or during order fulfilment for products or services provided in retail locations,
such as grocery stores, restaurants, fast food chains, coffee shops and other retail
establishments.
[0003] Generally, most of the retail establishments utilize point of sale terminals
(POS terminals) for completing transactions. A point of sale terminal typically include
an internet enabled computer, a barcode scanner, a credit/debit card reader, a printer and
other equipment or software used for completing a transaction between the retail
establishment and a customer. During the transaction, the merchant calculates an
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amount owed by the customer by scanning the product barcode, prepares an invoice for
the customer and indicates one or more options for the customer to make payment. The
one or more options may include one of a cash payment, credit/debit cards, cash cards,
digital wallets, online payments, etc. More advanced point of sale terminals use near
field communication (NFC) technology that allows communication between the point of
sale terminal and an NFC enabled smartphone to complete the transaction. Further, few
smartphones utilize magnetic secure transmission (MST) technology using which the
smartphone emits a magnetic signal that simulates the magnetic strip found on the back
of a credit or debit card. Then the transaction is completed by the point of sale terminal
by processing the credit or debit card information.
[0004] Hence, with the conventional point of sale terminals, the consumers may
use many different payment methods such as credit/debit cards, online banking, stored
value cards, payment wallets, and the like, to complete to complete a transaction. As
described, the customer account identifiers and other data represented by the cards are
communicated to the point of sale terminal via magnetic stripes, near field
communication technologies, manual input, and other suitable mechanisms. Then the
transaction is completed by the point of sale terminal by processing the account
identifiers and other data represented by the cards.
[0005] In order to accomplish the transaction, the conventional point of sale
terminals requires a reliable internet connection and an internet service provider (ISP).
Further, standard point of sale terminals comprising a computer, digital touchscreen
interface, scanner, printer, cards processors and other peripherals are costly and are
expensive particularly for businesses or vendors. Furthermore, the conventional point of
sale terminals require periodic software upgrades, vendors have to pay for new licenses
4
or monthly subscription fees and hence involves additional post deployment
maintenance cost. Furthermore, customers who use their credit or debit cards when
making their purchases run the risk of exposing their personal information (e.g. PINs) to
other individuals (vendors). Further, the process of simple invoicing (calculation) and
digital payment is decoupled in the conventional POS systems, hence the overall
process is more cumbersome. Hence, small businesses face significant challenges in
adapting to, and taking advantages of the conventional point of sale terminals.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION:
[0006] Thus there exists a need for cost effective system and method for
completing a transaction which mitigates at least some of the disadvantages of the state
of the art.
[0007] This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simple
manner that are further described in the detailed description of the disclosure. This
summary is not intended to identify key or essential inventive concepts of the subject
matter nor is it intended for determining the scope of the disclosure.
[0008] A method and system for completing a transaction is disclosed. In some
embodiments of the present disclosure, the method comprises, generating a payload for
the transaction by a facilitator device, wherein the payload comprises at least encrypted
payment information, broadcasting a presence of the facilitator device by the facilitator
device, establishing a connection with the facilitator device, by a user device, wherein
the connection is established when the user device is in close proximity to the facilitator
device, fetching the payload for the transaction from the facilitator device by the user
5
device, communicating the payload for the transaction to an authentication server by the
user device, and completing the transaction by the user device, upon successful
authentication of the payload for the transaction by the authentication server.
[0009] The facilitator device for facilitating the transaction, wherein the facilitator
device comprises, a transaction controller configured for, generating a payload for the
transaction, wherein the payload comprises at least an encrypted payment information,
broadcasting a presence of the facilitator device, establishing a connection with a user
device, wherein the connection is established when the user device is in close proximity
to the facilitator device, communicating the payload for the transaction to the user
device, and indicating a status of the transaction on receiving the status from the user
device.
[00010] To further clarify advantages and features of the present disclosure, a more
particular description of the disclosure will be rendered by reference to specific
embodiments thereof, which is illustrated in the appended figures. It is to be appreciated
that these figures depict only typical embodiments of the disclosure and are therefore
not to be considered limiting of its scope. The disclosure will be described and
explained with additional specificity and detail with the accompanying figures.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES:
[0011] The disclosure will be described and explained with additional specificity
and detail with the accompanying figures in which:
6
[0012] Figure 1 illustrates an exemplary representation of a system for completing
a transaction in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0013] Figure 2 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary facilitator device in
accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0014] Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method of completing a transaction in
accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0015] Figure 4 illustrates an exemplary user interface of the payment application
enabling the user to establish a connection between the user device 110 and the
facilitator device 105 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; and
[0016] Figure 5 illustrates an exemplary user interface of the user device presenting
result of authentication in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure
[0017] Further, persons skilled in the art to which this disclosure belongs will
appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and may not have
necessarily been drawn to scale. Furthermore, in terms of the construction of the device,
one or more components of the device may have been represented in the figures by
conventional symbols, and the figures may show only those specific details that are
pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present disclosure so as not to
obscure the figures with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in
the art having benefit of the description herein.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION:
7
[0018] For the purpose of promoting an understanding of the principles of the
disclosure, reference will now be made to the embodiment illustrated in the figures and
specific language will be used to describe them. It will nevertheless be understood that
no limitation of the scope of the disclosure is thereby intended. Such alterations and
further modifications to the disclosure, and such further applications of the principles of
the disclosure as described herein being contemplated as would normally occur to one
skilled in the art to which the disclosure relates are deemed to be a part of this
disclosure.
[0019] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing general
description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory of the
disclosure and are not intended to be restrictive thereof.
[0020] The terms "comprises", "comprising", or any other variations thereof, are
intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process or method that
comprises a list of steps does not include only those steps but may include other steps
not expressly listed or inherent to such a process or a method. Similarly, one or more
devices or sub-systems or elements or structures or components preceded by
"comprises... a" does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other
devices, other sub-systems, other elements, other structures, other components,
additional devices, additional sub-systems, additional elements, additional structures, or
additional components. Appearances of the phrase “in an embodiment”, “in another
embodiment” and similar language throughout this specification may, but do not
necessarily, all refer to the same embodiment.
8
[0021] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have
the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which
this disclosure belongs. The system, methods, and examples provided herein are
illustrative only and not intended to be limiting.
[0022] Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below in detail
with reference to the accompanying figures.
[0023] The present disclosure relates to a system and method for completing a
transaction in a retail environment, wherein the system comprises a facilitator device, a
user device and an authentication server. The facilitator device at a merchant location
generates a payload for a transaction, wherein the payload for the transaction comprises
encrypted payment information. Upon generating the payload for the transaction, the
facilitator device broadcasts its presence by means of a custom BluetoothTM profile
thereby enables a user device, which is in close proximity to the facilitator device, to
establish a connection with the facilitator device. In a preferred embodiment of the
present disclosure, the connection is established by the user device. In some
implementations, the connection may be established by the facilitator device with the
user device which is in close proximity to the facilitator device. Upon successful
connection, the user device fetches the payload for the transaction from the facilitator
device and communicates the same to the authentication server. The authentication
server on the other hand, decrypts the payload for the transaction, authenticates the
payload for the transaction (decrypted data) and communicates a result to the user
device thereby enabling the user device to complete the transaction through any one of a
payment mode such as but not limited to a payment wallet, credit/debit card, cash card,
online transfer, unified payments interface (UPI), and the like. In a preferred
9
embodiment of the present disclosure, the user device is configured to communicate a
status of the transaction to the facilitator device and the facilitator device indicates the
status of the transaction by means of one or more LEDs, textual display and the like.
[0024] Figure 1 illustrates an exemplary representation of a system for completing
a transaction in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown,
the system 100 comprises a facilitator device 105, a user device 110 and an
authentication server 115, wherein the user device 110 and the authentication server 115
are communicatively connected through a communication network 120.
[0025] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the facilitator device 105 is a
re-implemented calculator configured for performing operations ranging from basic
arithmetic to complex mathematics. In a preferred embodiment of the present
disclosure, the facilitator device 105 is a portable re-implemented calculator carried by a
merchant and typically configured for performing basic arithmetic operations such as
addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, and optionally advanced operation
such as manipulation of percentages. Further, the facilitator device 105 does not require
internet connection or any data communication network to complete the transaction and
hence operates as an independent device at the merchant location. In one embodiment
of the present disclosure, the facilitator device 105 is assigned a unique ID (hereafter
referred to as facilitator device ID) which uniquely identifies the facilitator device 105
among plurality of facilitator devices. Further, the facilitator device ID is mapped with
the merchant information such as but not limited to merchant name, merchant address
and contact details, location of the facilitator device (pre-configured region within
which the facilitator device is operational), type of business, information pertaining to
10
financial entity associated with the merchant, etc. The facilitator device ID and
associated merchant information is recorded in the authentication server 115.
[0026] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the facilitator device is a
Bluetooth enabled device and comprises a custom key (“Pay” key), a custom transaction
controller and a Bluetooth low energy beacon. During operation i.e., during a
transaction, when the merchant calculates an amount owed by the customer and presses
the pay button, the facilitator device generates a payload for the transaction. Further, the
facilitator device 105 broadcasts a presence of a custom Bluetooth profile announcing
the presence of the facilitator device 105 to the nearby Bluetooth enabled devices. In
other words, the facilitator 105 broadcasts an advertisement data that announces the
presence of the facilitator device 105 with a custom Bluetooth profile to the nearby
Bluetooth enabled devices.
[0027] The user device 110 may be one of a smartphone, a personal data assistant
(PDA) and the like, capable of connecting to the internet and having other
communication capabilities. The user device 110 may communicate with the
authentication server 115 through the communication network 120 in one or more ways
such as wired, wireless connections or a combination thereof. It will be appreciated by
those skilled in the art that the user device 105 includes one or more functional elements
capable of communicating through the communication network 110 to receive one or
more services offered by the authentication server 115. In one embodiment of the
present disclosure, the user device 110 is a Bluetooth enabled device and communicates
with the facilitator device 105, when the user device 110 is in close proximity to the
facilitator device 105, to exchange data and hence builds a temporary personal area
network.
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[0028] In another embodiment of the present disclosure, the user device 110
comprises a payment application which enables a user to register with the system 100
by providing necessary registration credentials. The registration credentials may include
a user name, password, contact details, payment details, and the like. Upon successful
one time registration, the user may utilise the payment application to make payment to
any of the merchant who uses the facilitator device 105. During operation, when the
user launches and interacts with the application, for example, when the user selects an
option “Pay”, the payment application searches for facilitator devices nearby and
establishes a Bluetooth connection with one of the facilitator device whose signal
strength is greater than a pre-defined threshold signal strength. That is, the user device
110 compares signal strength of the received Bluetooth signal with the pre-defined
threshold signal strength and establishes the Bluetooth connection if the signal strength
of the received Bluetooth signal is greater than the pre-defined threshold signal strength.
In some implementations, the facilitator device 105 is no longer visible or connectable
to any other devices, once the facilitator device 105 establishes the connection with the
use device 110. Upon successful connection, the user device 110 (payment application)
fetches the payload for the transaction from the facilitator device 105 and communicates
the payload for the transaction to the authentication server 115. Hence, only the
connected user device is able to make the payment and complete the transaction. The
facilitator device will does not accept payment from any other user devices until
termination of the transaction or connection.
[0029] The communication network 120 may be a wireless network or a wired
network or a combination thereof. Wireless network may include long range wireless
radio, wireless personal area network (WPAN), wireless local area network (WLAN),
12
mobile data communications such as 3G, 4G or any other similar technologies. The
communication network 120 may be implemented as one of the different types of
networks, such as intranet, local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), the
internet, and the like. The communication network 120 may either be a dedicated
network or a shared network. The shared network represents an association of the
different types of networks that use a variety of protocols, for example, Hypertext
Transfer Protocol (HTTP), Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP),
Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), and the like. Further the communication network
120 may include a variety of network devices, including routers, bridges, servers,
modems, computing devices, storage devices, and the like. In one implementation, the
communication network 120 is internet which enables communication between the user
device 110 and the authentication server 115.
[0030] The authentication server 115 may include, for example, a computer server
or a network of computers or a virtual server which provides functionalities or services
for other programs or devices such as for the user device 110 and to merchant devices,
if any, for example, mobile device. In one implementation, the authentication server
115 is a cloud server comprising one or more processors, associated processing
modules, interfaces and storage devices communicatively interconnected to one another
through one or more communication means for communicating information. The
storage associated with the authentication server 115 may include volatile and nonvolatile
memory devices for storing information and instructions to be executed by the
one or more processors and for storing temporary variables or other intermediate
information during processing.
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[0031] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the authentication server 115
comprises a database that comprises information pertaining to one or more facilitator
devices, wherein the information may include but not limited to, facilitator device ID
and merchant information associated with the facilitator devices. As described, the
merchant information comprises, but not limited to, merchant name, merchant address
and contact details, location of the facilitator device (i.e., pre-configured region within
which the facilitator device is operational), type of business, information pertaining to
financial entity associated with the merchant such as merchant account number, branch,
account type, etc. Further, the database maintains a record of information pertaining to
the one or more user devices, wherein the information may include, but not limited to,
user device ID (or payment application ID), user login credentials, user contact
information such as phone number, email IDs, etc. That is, when a merchant subscribes
for the system, the information pertaining to the facilitator device is recorded in the
authentication server 115. Similarly, when a user installs payment application and
registers with the system, the information pertaining to the user device is recorded in the
authentication server 115. Hence, the system 100 provides a transaction platform for the
subscribed merchants and the registered users to execute and complete the transactions.
[0032] As described, the user device 110 (payment application) fetches the payload
for the transaction from the facilitator device 105 and communicates the payload for the
transaction to the authentication server 115. The authentication server 115 decrypts the
payload for the transaction, authenticates the payload for the transaction (decrypted
data) and communicates a result to the user device 115 thereby enabling the user device
110 to complete the transaction through any one of a payment mode such as but not
limited to a payment wallet, credit/debit card, cash card, online transfer, unified
14
payments interface (UPI), and the like. As described, payload for the transaction
comprises, encrypted payment information. In one embodiment of the present
disclosure, the authentication server 115 decrypts the received payload for the
transaction to determine the payment information, wherein the payment information
comprises facilitator device information for example, facilitator device ID and at least
an amount owed by the user. Up on decrypting, the authentication server 115 locates the
user device 110 to determine a location of the facilitator device 105. That is, the
authentication server 115 locates the user device 110 and compares the location of the
user device 110 (i.e., location of the facilitator device 105) with the recorded location of
the facilitator device, i.e., the pre-configured region within which the facilitator device
105 is operational or may operate. If the location of the facilitator device 105 is within
the pre-configured region within which the facilitator device 105 is operational, then the
authentication server 115 communicates a result to the user device 110 thereby enabling
the user device 110 to complete the transaction, wherein the result comprises, at least
one of an amount owed (amount to be paid by the user), breakup amount, the facilitator
device ID and merchant information. In some implementations, the facilitator device
105 comprises a GPS module and the payload for the transaction is authenticated by
locating the facilitator device 105 and comparing the location with the pre-configured
region within which the facilitator device 105 is operational or may operate.
[0033] Figure 2 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary facilitator device in
accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown, the facilitator
device 105 comprises basic blocks of a calculator such as a LCD display 205, a
microcontroller 210, a keyboard matrix 215, a power supply 220 and a register array
225, for performing basic arithmetic operations on the user input. In one embodiment of
15
the present disclosure, the facilitator device 105 further comprises a custom transaction
controller 230, a Bluetooth low energy (BLE) beacon 235 and a LED module 240. In
another embodiment of the present disclosure, the keyboard matrix 215 comprises a
“Pay” key 245 using which the merchant may initiate a transaction.
[0034] During operation, when the merchant hits a key, the microcontroller 210
identifies the digit and activates appropriate segments on the display 205 corresponding
to the digit. When the merchant hits subsequent digits, the microcontroller 210 displays
on the display 205 and keeps doing this until the merchant hits one of the operations
keys such as, ‘+’, ‘-’,’*’and ‘/’. Once merchant hits any of the operations key, for
example ‘+’, the microcontroller 210 stores the just entered number in one of the
register in the register array 225. Further, once the merchant inputs a second number,
the microcontroller 210 displays the number digit by digit and stores in a second
register in the register array 225. When the merchant hits ‘=’ key, the microcontroller
210 performs appropriate action on the content of the first and second register and
displays a result on the display 205. In this example, the microcontroller 210 adds two
number and displays the result on the display 205.
[0035] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the transaction controller 230
is a microcontroller configured for generating the payload for the transaction, wherein
the payload for the transaction comprises encrypted payment information. In some
implementations, when the merchant calculates the final amount and hits ‘pay’ key 245
to initiate a transaction, the transaction controller 230 fetches the result from the
controller 210 and encrypts the amount and the facilitator device ID to generate a
payload for the transaction. Further, the transaction controller 230 triggers the Bluetooth
low energy beacon (BLE beacon) 235.
16
[0036] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the BLE beacon 235
broadcasts a presence of the facilitator device 105 to the nearby one or more user
devices. In some implementations, the BLE beacon 235 uses Bluetooth low energy
proximity sensing and broadcasts a presence of custom Bluetooth profile (payment
service profile) announcing the presence of the facilitator device 105. In a preferred
embodiment, a LED from the LED module 240 is activated to indicate the merchant
about successful announcement.
[0037] Typically, in a merchant environment, there may be one or more of
facilitator devices and one or more user devices. In such a scenario, a user who intends
to pay brings his device (user device) in close proximity to one of facilitator device with
which the user is executing the transaction. Then a connection is established between
the user device and the facilitator device based on the received signal strength of the
Bluetooth signal. The manner in which a connection is established between the
facilitator device 105 and the user device 110, and the transaction is completed is
described in detail further below.
[0038] Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method of completing a transaction in
accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 3 may be described
from the perspective of the user device 110 that is configured to execute computerreadable
instructions to establish a connection with the facilitator device 105 and to
complete the transaction. In particular, the steps as described in Figure 3 may be
executed for establishing a connection with the facilitator device, fetching payload for
the transaction from the facilitator device, authenticating the payload for the transaction
and complete the transaction upon successful authentication.
17
[0039] As described with reference to Figure 2, the BLE beacon 235 broadcasts the
presence of the custom Bluetooth profile (payment service profile) announcing the
presence of the facilitator device 105. A user who intends to pay brings his device (user
device 110) in close proximity to the facilitator device 105. At step 305, the user device
110 compares received signal strength indication (value) of Bluetooth signal (RSSI)
with pre-defined threshold signal strength. In one embodiment of the present disclosure,
the pre-defined threshold signal strength is adjustable to set the proximity.
[0040] At step 310, if the received signal strength of the Bluetooth signal (signal
strength of the received Bluetooth signal) is greater than the pre-defined threshold
signal strength then control passes to step 315. Else, control passes to step 305 and the
user device 110 notifies the user to bring the user device 110 close to the facilitator
device 105.
[0041] At step 315, the user device 110 establishes a connection with the facilitator
device 105. In preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, a full duplex Bluetooth
connection is established between the user device 110 and the facilitator device 105. In
some implementations, the facilitator device 105 notifies the merchant about the
connection establishment by turning on one or more LEDs from the LED module 240 or
through textual display. Further, once the connection is established, the facilitator
device 105 stops broadcasting the presence of the custom Bluetooth profile (payment
service profile) announcing the presence of the facilitator device 105. Hence, the
facilitator device 105 is no longer visible or connectable to any other user devices until
the transaction completes or terminated by either by facilitator device 105 or the user
device 110. In an advantageous embodiment of the present disclosure, the facilitator
device 105 is configured for measuring the received signal strength of the user device
18
110 and comparing the value of received signal strength of the user device 110 with predefined
threshold signal strength value, wherein pre-defined threshold signal strength
value is pre-recorded in the facilitator device 105. If the value of the received signal
strength is greater than the pre-defined threshold signal strength value, then the
facilitator device 105 establishes a connection with the user device 110.
[0042] In some other implementations, the facilitator device 105 lists one or more
nearby user devices thereby enabling the merchant to select one of the user devices for
completing the transaction. That is, once the facilitator device 105 broadcasts its
presence, the one or more user devices which are in close proximity (signal strength is
greater than threshold) to the facilitator device 105 write a handshake signal thereby
enabling the merchant to select one of the user devices. Upon selection by the merchant,
a connection is established between the facilitator device and the user device for
completing the payment and hence the transaction. At step 320, the user device 110
fetches the payload for the transaction from the facilitator device 105 and communicates
the payload for the transaction to the authentication server 115 via the communication
network 120, wherein the payload for the transaction comprises encrypted payment
information. It has to be noted that, once the connection is established, the user device
110 may fetch the payload for the transaction from anywhere within the Bluetooth range
of the facilitator device 105.
[0043] At step 325, the user device 110 completes the transaction upon successful
authentication by the authentication server 115. In one embodiment of the present
disclosure, upon receiving the payload for the transaction, the authentication server 115
decrypts the payload for the transaction to determine the payment information, wherein
the payment information comprises facilitator device information such as facilitator
19
device ID and at least an amount owed by the user. Further, the authentication server
115 authenticates the payload for transaction as described in paragraph [0028] and
communicates the result to the user device 110, wherein the result comprises at least
one of an amount owed (amount to be paid by the user), breakup amount, the facilitator
device ID, merchant information and the like. Hence, the user may verify the result and
complete the transaction by making necessary payments through any known methods
such as credit/debit cards, online banking, stored value cards, payment wallets, and the
like. In preferred embodiment, the amount is credited to the merchant account number,
i.e., account number associated with the facilitator device 105 and a status of the
transaction is communicated to the facilitator device 105 which in turn notifies the
merchant about the status by turning on one or more LEDs from the LED module 240
or though textual display or any audio-visual alerts or combination thereof.
[0044] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the platform provides a
payment wallet using which the user may make the payment to complete the
transaction. Further, the merchant may install a merchant application (linked with the
facilitator device) in his smartphone or any other such devices for verifying the
transaction, for balance enquiry or for any such financial transactions.
[0045] Figure 4 illustrates an exemplary user interface of the payment application
enabling the user to establish a connection between the user device 110 and the
facilitator device 105 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
When the user launches the payment application and clicks on “connect” option 405,
the payment application searches for nearby facilitator device that is broadcasting the
presence of payment service profile and measures the value of the signal strength of the
received Bluetooth signal. If the value of the signal strength of the received Bluetooth
20
signal is greater than the pre-defined threshold signal strength, then payment application
establishes the connection between the user device 110 and the facilitator device 105.
Further, the payment application displays “pay bill” option 410 enabling the user to
accept reception of payload for the transaction. Once the user click on “pay bill” option
410, the payment application fetches the payload for the transaction from the facilitator
device 105 and communicates the same to the authentication server 115.
[0046] Figure 5 illustrates an exemplary user interface of the user device presenting
result of authentication in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. As
described, upon successful authentication, the authentication server 115 communicates
the result and the result is displayed on the user device 110 for further verification by
the user. As shown, the result window 505 displays at least the facilitator device ID,
merchant name and bill mount (amount owed by the user). Further, the user interface
provides “confirm” option 510 and “cancel” option 510. Clicking on “confirm” option
510, the payment application navigates the user to payment page where the user may
select one of the payment method such as wallet payment, credit/debit card, online
payment, etc., for completing the transaction. On the other hand, the user may cancel
the transaction by clicking on the “cancel” option 515 in cases where there is a
mismatch in the amount owed by the user or if the user wishes to terminate the
transaction.
[0047] Hence, the system and method to complete the transaction disclosed in the
present disclosure does not require a reliable internet connection at the POS terminal.
Hence, the system is cost effective and merchants involved in small businesses may
deploy the facilitator device with minimal cost compared to traditional POS terminal.
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[0048] Further, the facilitator device and the user device exchange data over
Bluetooth low energy technology and hence the system does not require NFC chip or
any other such communication interface for completing the transaction.
[0049] While specific language has been used to describe the disclosure, any
limitations arising on account of the same are not intended. As would be apparent to a
person skilled in the art, various working modifications may be made to the method in
order to implement the inventive concept as taught herein.
[0050] The figures and the foregoing description give examples of embodiments.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that one or more of the described elements may
well be combined into a single functional element. Alternatively, certain elements may
be split into multiple functional elements. Elements from one embodiment may be
added to another embodiment. For example, orders of processes described herein may
be changed and are not limited to the manner described herein. Moreover, the actions of
any flow diagram need not be implemented in the order shown; nor do all of the acts
necessarily need to be performed. Also, those acts that are not dependent on other acts
may be performed in parallel with the other acts. The scope of embodiments is by no
means limited by these specific examples. Numerous variations, whether explicitly
given in the specification or not, such as differences in structure, dimension, and use of
material, are possible. The scope of embodiments is at least as broad as given by the
following claims.

We Claim:
1. A method for completing a transaction, the method comprising:
generating, by a facilitator device, a payload for the transaction, wherein
the payload comprises at least an encrypted payment information;
broadcasting, by the facilitator device, a presence of the facilitator
device;
establishing a connection with the facilitator device, by a user device,
wherein the connection is established when the user device is in close proximity
to the facilitator device;
fetching, by the user device, the payload for the transaction from the
facilitator device;
communicating, by the user device, the payload for the transaction to an
authentication server; and
completing the transaction, by the user device, upon successful
authentication of the payload for the transaction by the authentication
server.
2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein generating the payload for the
transaction is based at least on an input from a user of the facilitator device.
3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein broadcasting the presence of the
facilitator device comprises broadcasting the presence of a custom Bluetooth
profile announcing the presence of the facilitator device.
4. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the payment service profile is a low
energy Bluetooth profile and comprises unique ID of the facilitator device.
5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein establishing the connection with the
facilitator device is through Bluetooth Low Energy.
6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein establishing the connection with the
facilitator device by the user device comprises:
comparing signal strength of the received Bluetooth signal with a predefined
threshold signal strength; and
establishing the connection with the facilitator device when the signal
strength of the received Bluetooth signal is greater than the pre-defined
threshold signal strength.
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7. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the connection is established by the
facilitator device by performing the steps of:
comparing signal strength of the received Bluetooth signal with a predefined
threshold signal strength; and
selecting one of the one or more user devices advertising the presence in
proximity to the facilitator device.
8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein authenticating the payload for the
transaction by the authentication server comprises:
receiving the payload for the transaction from the user device;
locating the user device to determine a location of the facilitator device;
and
authenticating the payload for the transaction if the location of the
facilitator device is within a pre-defined location to complete the transaction.
9. A system for completing a transaction, the system comprising a facilitator
device, a user device and an authentication server, wherein,
the facilitator device configured for:
generating a payload for the transaction, wherein the payload
comprises at least at least an encrypted payment information; and
broadcasting a presence of the facilitator device;
the user device configured for:
establishing a connection with the facilitator device, wherein the
connection is established when the user device is in close proximity to
the facilitator device;
fetching the payload for the transaction from the facilitator
device;
communicating the payload for the transaction to the
authentication server; and
completing the transaction, by the user device, upon successful
authentication of the payload for the transaction by the authentication
server.
10. The system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the facilitator device is Bluetooth
enabled.
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11. The system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the user device is a Bluetooth
enabled device.
12. A facilitator device for facilitating a transaction, the facilitator device comprises:
a transaction controller configured for:
generating a payload for the transaction, wherein the payload
comprises at least an encrypted payment information;
broadcasting a presence of the facilitator device;
establishing a connection with a user device, wherein the
connection is established when the user device is in close proximity to
the facilitator device;
communicating the payload for the transaction to the user device;
and
indicating a status of the transaction on receiving the status from
the user device.