| CPC G06Q 30/0645 (2013.01) [G06Q 20/322 (2013.01); G06Q 20/3224 (2013.01); G06Q 20/3278 (2013.01); G06Q 30/016 (2013.01); G06Q 50/30 (2013.01); G07F 17/0057 (2013.01)] | 13 Claims |
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1. A method of completing a pre-arranged transaction comprising:
completing, by mobile communication device software that executes on a processor of a mobile communication device, a reservation for a vehicle with a vehicle rental transaction system, wherein the vehicle rental transaction system records loyalty information for a customer, reservation times for the reservation, and the reservation in a transaction record and associates the transaction record with a customer profile of the customer, wherein the customer profile comprising payment information that the vehicle rental transaction system processes for payment of the reservation, preferences for electronic receipts, preferences for messages and alerts to the mobile communication device, pick-up and drop-off preferences including preferences for interacting with a beacon, and customer preferences for vehicle features and settings;
receiving, by the mobile communication device software a signal from the beacon at a transaction location identified in the transaction record, wherein receiving further includes just detecting, by the mobile communication device software, the signal from the beacon and a beacon identifier for the beacon included in the signal;
facilitating, by the mobile communication device software and a server of the vehicle rental transaction system, a network connection to one another based on receipt of the signal at the transaction location by the mobile communication device and using text-based messaging between the mobile communication device and the vehicle rental transaction system based on receipt of the signal;
sending, by the mobile communication device software, a first message containing the beacon identifier in response to receipt of the signal from the beacon at the transaction location over the network connection, wherein the beacon identifier associated with a known location for the beacon, wherein sending further includes sending, by the mobile communication device software, the first message to the vehicle rental transaction system associated with the transaction location, wherein the first message is indicative of the mobile communication device being at the transaction location based on the beacon identifier, and wherein the first message initiates a next phase of a pre-staged transaction associated with the reservation at the transaction location with the vehicle rental transaction system; and
receiving, by the mobile communication device from the vehicle rental transaction system, a second message in response to the first message containing information for completing the next phase of the pre-staged transaction associated with the reservation at a car rental facility based on the transaction record and the customer profile, wherein receiving further includes receiving the second message on the mobile communication device as a text message, wherein the second text message includes a vehicle location at the car rental facility for the vehicle reserved by the pre-staged transaction and completing the pre-staged transaction by interaction between the beacon, the mobile communication device, and the vehicle rental transaction system when the mobile communication device is detected as being located at the transaction location using the text-based messaging; and
processing the method without the customer stopping at a vehicle rental office or a vehicle rental location board at the car rental facility.
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