Square, Inc.

Technology is described for managing a user account. An example method includes: a payment service system (PSS) receiving payroll funds for a user having an account with the PSS, and generating a tax payment account on behalf of the user. The PSS determines an amount of the payroll funds (or other income funds) to divert to the tax payment account based on tax liability information. Furthermore, the PSS determines, based on transaction information associated with the user account, a modified amount of the income funds to divert to the tax payment account, and the PSS causes the modified amount of the payroll funds to be diverted to the tax payment account.

Disclosed herein is a technology for automatically triggering delivery of a digital receipt for a financial transaction based on a previously stored electronic address for receiving digital receipts. In at least some embodiments, the technology includes a digital receipt system working in coordination with one or more merchants' POS device to deliver receipts for current transactions based on a previously stored electronic address from past transactions. The first time a user utilizes a payment instrument in a transaction, the system associates and stores the payment-instrument information with an identifier of the user. The next time a transaction is detected that involves the identifier, the system automatically triggers receipt delivery to an electronic address associated with the identifier.

A system for sensing a proximity of a near field communication (NFC) device includes an NFC reader that communicates with a remote NFC device through load modulation. The NFC reader transmits a wireless carrier signal from an antenna, and the remote NFC device modulates such carrier signal by changing its internal impedance in order to transmit data to the NFC reader. The NFC reader has at least one antenna for receiving the modulated signal. This antenna is coupled to circuitry that measures a spectrum of the received signal and identifies a resonant frequency of the NFC device based on the measured spectrum. Such circuitry also determines the signal's amplitude at such resonant frequency and precisely estimates the distance of the remote NFC device from the reader based on such amplitude. By estimating the precise distance of the remote NFC device from the reader, the location of the remote NFC device relative to the reader can be precisely determined, and this information may be used to operate the NFC reader more efficiently.

Contextual routing and/or management of communications is described. Server(s) of service provider can receive a first communication via a first communication channel. The first communication can be associated with a first service offered by the service provider and with a merchant identifier of a merchant that is an intended recipient of the first communication. The server(s) can generate, based at least partly on context data associated with the first communication, a recommendation for the merchant to respond via (i) a second communication channel that is different than the first communication channel and/or (ii) a second service that is different than the first service. The server(s) can cause the first communication and the recommendation to be presented via a consolidated communication user interface of a computing device of the merchant that presents (i) the first communication and (ii) a second communication between the merchant and a second customer of the merchant.

An example computer-implemented method includes: receiving assets from an external entity for use with a payment service; receiving a request to process payment for a transaction associated with a user; determining that a reward configuration is associated with a user account of the user; determining, based on a characteristic of the transaction and the reward configuration, an amount of the assets to assign to the user in association with the transaction; and assigning the amount of the assets to a wallet of the user, wherein assigning the amount of the assets includes: updating, using an internal ledger, a wallet of the payment service to indicate that the amount of the assets is owned by the user; and updating the wallet of the user to indicate ownership of the amount of the assets, without accessing the external entity at the time of the updating.

A computer-implemented method associated with a payment service provided by a payment server, comprising processing, by the payment server, a payment for a point-of-sale (POS) transaction using a payment instrument associated with a user account maintained in a data store of the payment server. The payment server determines a reward configuration stored in the user account, wherein the reward configuration includes settings to reward the user account with cryptocurrency assets and is based on historical transaction activity associated with the user account. The payment server calculates an amount of cryptocurrency assets according to the reward configuration, wherein the amount of the cryptocurrency assets is based on a value of the cryptocurrency at a time of the transaction. The payment server assigns the amount of cryptocurrency assets from a cryptocurrency wallet of the payment service to a cryptocurrency wallet of the user.

In a restaurant having a customer-facing food service counter, a video camera is positioned to produce video of an area that includes the food service counter. The video is analyzed to determine the ingredients that are used to prepare each of multiple customer meals. This information may be used to recommend a modified ingredient layout of the food service counter, where the modified ingredient layout is formulated so as to improve serving efficiency or customer convenience.

Techniques described herein are directed to intelligent virtualization of merchant services. In an example, interaction data indicative of interaction(s) between merchant(s) and a service provider can be received from merchant device(s) operable by the merchant(s). Server(s) of the service provider can access inventory data of a merchant and can determine, based at least in part on the interaction data and the inventory data, whether the merchant is a candidate for virtualization. The server(s) can send, to a merchant device operable by the merchant, a recommendation to virtualize an item based at least in part on the determining, wherein the recommendation can be presented via a merchant-facing user interface that includes a user interface element to allow the merchant to virtualize the item.

A payment reader and a POS terminal may communicate over a wireless connection. The methods and systems include monitoring one or more parameters corresponding to a payment reader and another device in proximity to the payment reader. The first device, through a set of customized instructions, determines whether behavior of the second device substantially corresponds to the first device, in order to detect suspected hardware or software intrusion associated with the secure first device. On successful detection of a suspected intrusion, the first device generates an alert for a user of the first device if illegal intrusion is suspected by the processor.

Customized interactive image collection generation is described. A plurality of interactive images associated with at least one merchant can be accessed. An interactive image of the plurality of interactive images can depict one or more items offered for sale by the merchant and individual items of the one or more items can be associated with individual selectable controls. A selectable control can enable a customer to view item information associated with an individual item with which the selectable control is associated. Customer data can be accessed and a subset of interactive images of the plurality of interactive images can be selected based at least in part on the customer data. The subset of interactive images can comprise a personalized lookbook that can be presented via a display of a device to enable the customer to add the individual item to a virtual cart via an interaction with the selectable control.