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`categories of goods and/or services of interest and these categories may be stored as part of the
`
`user profile. The user profile may also be linked to a social network or list of friends and items
`
`of interest to the user may be inferred from items or interest,
`
`including items purchased, by
`
`friends or social network contacts. The user profile may also be partially or entirely imported
`
`from an external source such as a website managing the social network. The identifier of the
`
`user may provide access to the user’s account on the social network (or other) site, and thus,
`
`provide access to an external user profile.
`
`[0187] At operation 2306, a geolocation of the mobile device is determined. The geolocation
`
`may be determined by the location sensor 230 shownin Fig.2.
`
`[0188] At operation 2308, a merchantor plurality of merchants is identified that is within a
`
`predetermined proximity of the geolocation of the mobile device. The merchant(s) may be
`
`identified by referencing a map of merchant
`
`locations and comparing the map with the
`
`geolocation of the mobile device to determine distances between the mobile device and various
`
`merchants. The predetermined proximity may be a distance such as a radius that forms a circle
`
`around the user as shownin Fig. 22.
`
`[0189] At operation 2310 the items identified at operation 2304 are compared with items
`
`offered by the merchant identified at operation 2308. Conversely, the items offered by the
`
`merchant at opcration 2308 may be compared with the items identificd at opcration 2304. This
`
`way, the merchant may identify if its offered items are similar to any of the items of interest to
`
`the user. The offered items may include any goods and/or services in the inventory of that
`
`merchant.
`
`[0190]
`
`In one implementation, the geolocation of the merchant and the currently in stock
`
`items of the merchant may be received from the merchant at operation 2312. For example, the
`
`merchant may submit its geolocation andlist of current inventory to a server for incorporation in
`
`a merchant profile such as the merchant profiles 124 shown in Fig. 5. A server, such as the
`
`server(s) 118 discussed above, may compare the items of interest to the user and the merchant’s
`
`inventory without revealing any of the user’s information to the merchant. This may allow the
`
`user to receive the benefit of knowing when a nearby merchantis offering items that match, or
`
`are related to, his or her interests without having to reveal information to the merchant.
`
`[0191]
`
`In another implementation, a list of the items of interest to the user is provided to the
`
`merchant at opcration 2314. The comparison may be performed by the merchant and then a
`
`response may be received from the merchant at operation 2316. Either or both of the user and
`
`the server may receive the response. The response may indicate a “yes” or “no” depending onif
`
`the merchant has items that match the user’s interests. The response may also indicate a
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`payment or payment commitment from the merchant to the source (e.g.,
`
`the server) that
`
`identified the items of interest to the user. Providing the items of interest to the user directly to
`
`the merchant may allow the list to be compared with the merchant’s inventory without requiring
`
`a server. This may be appropriate when the mobile device can communicate directly with the
`
`merchant, but the mobile device is unable to access a network connection for communicating
`
`with a server.
`
`[0192]
`
`Irrespective of the techniques used for making the comparison, at operation 2318, it is
`
`determined whether or not the merchant offers items of interest to the user or items related to
`
`items of interest to the user. For example, if a baseball is an item of interest to the user it may be
`
`inferred that a bat or glove, although not direct matches, would also be of interest to the user. If
`
`no match exists, process 2300 proceeds along the “no” path and returns to operation 2306. As
`
`the mobile device moves, different merchants may come within the predetermined proximity of
`
`the mobile device and one of these new merchants may offer an item that is of interest to the
`
`user. If the merchant does offer an item of interest to the user, process 2300 proceeds along the
`
`“yes” path. The following portions of process 2300 are shown on Fig. 23B.
`
`[0193] At operation 2320, a notification of the determination from operation 2318 is
`
`generated. The notification may simply state that a match exists. However, the notification may
`
`also identify such things as which item of interest to the user is offered by the merchant, which
`
`nearby merchant offers that item for sale, a map to the merchant, a price of the goodor service,
`
`any coupon or discount available for the good or service, a redemption period for the coupon or
`
`discount, a maximumnumberofitems available per person, and/or other information.
`
`[0194] Whena plurality of merchants is identified at operation 2308, the notification may
`
`include a list or map of those merchants. If the idcntificd merchants are relatively nearby (c.g.,
`
`within 100 yards) the notification may be a list of the merchants showing a distance to the
`
`merchants.
`
`If the identified merchants are farther away (e.g., within five miles) the notification
`
`may include a map showing the locations of the merchants. The notification may also include
`
`the price of the item at the merchants so that the user can easily compare prices.
`
`[0195] At operation 2322, a decision is made to contact or not to contact the merchant. This
`
`decision may be based on a user profile or other type of information about the user that is
`
`associated with the identifier of the user. When the merchant is not contacted, process 2300
`
`proceeds along the “no”path to operation 2324.
`
`[0196] At operation 2324, the notification generated at operation 2320 is sent to the mobile
`
`device. For example, the items identified at operation 2304 may be a list of goods and/or
`
`services the user has on a shoppinglist for Christmas or another holiday. As the user, with his or
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`her mobile device, moves through a shopping mall the mobile device may receive a series of
`
`notifications telling the user which items from his or her shopping list are at which stores. This
`
`may allow the user to quickly find and purchase the items on his or herlist and this technique
`
`may also allow the user to find the merchant with the lowest price for items on thelist.
`
`[0197]
`
`If at operation 2322 the decision is made to contact the merchant, then process 2300
`
`proceeds along “yes” path to operation 2326. At operation 2326, the notification generated at
`
`operation 2320 is sent to the merchant. Once informed that the merchant offers items that are of
`
`interest to the user, the merchant may wish to contact the user of the mobile device with the hope
`
`of making a sale. The decision to contact the user may be based onan available and unused
`
`inventory of the merchant. For example, if the merchant is a service provider like a spa or a
`
`restaurant
`
`the merchant may have relatively fixed costs, and thus, be concerned about
`
`minimizing unused capacity. The merchant may decide how many users to contact and how
`
`aggressively to promote a item of interest to the user based on the merchant’s excess capacity or
`
`excess inventory.
`
`[0198] At operation 2328, a payment may be received from the merchant. The payment may
`
`be received by a server implementing the process 2300 such as, for example, the server(s) 118
`
`shown in Figs.
`
`1 and 3.
`
`The payment may be received and processed by the payment
`
`module 318 shown in Fig. 3. Responsive to receiving the payment, the process 2300 may
`
`proceed to operation 2324 and send a notification to the mobile device. The payment amount
`
`may be arrived at through a bidding process between multiple merchants. For example, when
`
`more than one merchant within the predetermined proximity of the mobile device has the same
`
`good or service for salc, cach of those merchants may place competitive bids and the merchant
`
`with the winning bid may be included in the notification sent
`
`to the mobile device at
`
`operation 2324.
`
`[0199]
`
`The notification to the mobile device sent at operation 2324 may also included a
`
`coupon for one of the goods or services of interest to the user. Merchants may choose to have
`
`coupons included in the notification in order to encourage the user to purchase the good or
`
`service that matches his or her interests. The user’s interest may be determined from the user
`
`information 120 shownin Fig. 4.
`
`In some implementations, data mining techniques may be
`
`applied to the user information in order to infer the user's interests. For example, if the user’s
`
`interests are derived from an online shopping cart the user has established with an online
`
`merchant, the merchant may provide a coupon that lowers the price of the goods or service to
`
`equal or less than the price offered by the online retailer. The online retailers may choose to
`
`reveal the contents of online shopping carts and the price of the items in those shopping carts to
`
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`the merchants only if the merchants compensate the online retailer for “taking” the sale. For
`
`example, if the online retailer’s profit margin generates profits of one dollar for the sale of a
`
`certain good, then the online retailer may provide shopping cart information to the merchant in
`
`exchange for a fee of one dollar. The fee may also be contingent on whether or not the user
`
`actually purchases the good from the merchant.
`
`In some implementations, payments from the
`
`merchant to an online retailer may be mediated by the server(s) 118.
`
`[0200]
`
`As discussed above,
`
`the notification may also be a map showing locations of
`
`merchants that have items matching the items of interest to the user.
`
`For example, each
`
`indication on the map of a merchant location may provide additional information about that
`
`merchant (¢.g., in a pop-up window) suchas the list of matching or similar items, item prices,
`
`identification of couponsor deals available to the user the mobile device, and the like.
`
`[0201]
`
`Fig. 24 illustrates a process 2400 for providing recommendations of online purchases
`
`together with information about a nearby brick-and-mortar merchant. At operation 2402, an
`
`identifier of a user is received from a mobile device. Similar to operation 2302 shownin Fig. 23,
`
`receiving an identifier of a user can function to associate information about the user with the
`
`mobile device.
`
`[0202] At operation 2404, a request for recommendation of a merchant that
`
`is within a
`
`predetermined proximity of the mobile device is received.
`
`In some implementations, the request
`
`may be sent manually by the user of the mobile device for example in response to the user
`
`pressing a “recommend nearby merchants” button.
`
`In other implementations, the request may be
`
`transmitted automatically by the mobile device.
`
`[0203] At operation 2406,
`
`the geolocation of the mobile device is determined.
`
`The
`
`geolocation may be determined by the location sensor 230 showninFig.2.
`
`[0204] At operation 2408, a merchant within the predetermined proximity of the mobile
`
`device that also provides a discount to the user of the mobile device is identified. The discount
`
`may be based on anattribute associated with the identifier of the user received at operation 2402.
`
`For example, if the user is a memberof a group that receives a discount at a particular merchant,
`
`then that merchant may be identified if the user-member is within the predetermined proximity.
`
`If the merchant is nearby the users home or work address then the contact information of the user
`
`may be a source of determining eligibility for a discount. Similarly, financial information of the
`
`uscr such as a type of credit card owned by the user or a credit score may provide the user with
`
`access to discounts that are not universally available. When more than one merchant within the
`
`predetermined proximity of the mobile device offers a discount to the user of the mobile device,
`
`a plurality of merchants within the predetermined proximity may be identified. The geolocations
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`of each of the plurality of merchants may be used to generate a map, for example with “flags” or
`
`“pins” in the map showing the location of the merchants. This map may be sent to the mobile
`
`device of the user so that the user can navigate to and select from the plurality of merchants.
`
`[0205]
`
`In some implementations, a merchant or merchants may be identified based on a
`
`transaction record 406 of the user.
`
`For example,
`
`the transaction record 406 may identify
`
`merchants with which the user has a pre-existing relationship. The transaction record 406 may
`
`also identify merchants at which the user has previously used a coupon or otherwise received a
`
`discount.
`
`[0206]
`
`In other implementations, the merchant may be identified based on a list of goods
`
`and/orservices 410 of interest to the user. This list 410 may be anyofthe types oflists shownin
`
`Fig. 4 such as a list of goods and/or services that the user has previously viewed, a wish list of
`
`goods and/orservices, a list of goods and/or services in a shopping cart associated with the user
`
`or a list derived directly or indirectly from information in a user profile of the user. For example,
`
`the user's interest may be inferred by identifying those merchants at which the user has logged in
`
`to an online system from his or her mobile device.
`
`[0207]
`
`In further implementations, a merchant may be identified based on ratings or reviews
`
`2410 of that merchant. The ratings and reviews 2410 may be the sameasthe ratings and reviews
`
`506 from the merchant profilcs 122 shown in Fig. 5. For example, only high-ranked merchants
`
`(e.g., four-star or five-star ranking) may be eligible to be identified. The use of ratings and/or
`
`reviews 2410 to identify merchant may also involve social networking as a source forthe ratings
`
`and reviews 2410. Thus, ratings and/or reviews 2410 from others the user's social network may
`
`be a source, or the sole source, of ratings and reviews 2410 usedto identify the merchant.
`
`[0208]
`
`At operation 2412, a recommendation of the merchant is sent to the mobile device.
`
`In
`
`some implementations, the recommendation may be generated and sent by the recommendation
`
`module 310 of the server(s) 118 that is shown in Fig. 3. The recommendation provides user with
`
`information about a merchantthat is both nearby and that provides a discountto the user.
`
`[0209]
`
`The recommendation of the merchant may include a list of merchants 2414 when
`
`multiple merchants within the predetermined proximity match the criteria specified by the user.
`
`The recommendation may also be accompanied by ratings or reviews 2410 of the merchant
`
`derived from other users, professional reviews, and the like. The ratings and reviews 2410 may
`
`also be included in the recommendation.
`
`If the ratings and reviews 2410 were not used to
`
`identify the merchant at operation 2408, the user may consider the ratings and reviews 2410
`
`when evaluating the recommendation. The recommendation mayalso included directions 2416
`
`to the merchant.
`
`In some implementations, a coupon 2418 for the merchant may be included
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`with the recommendation. The coupon 2418 may provide an additional discount beyond the
`
`discount associated with the user identifier. The recommendation sent at operation 2410 may
`
`also include any combination of the above features.
`
`[0210]
`
`At operation 2420, a recommendation for a good or service available from an online
`
`retailer is also sent to the mobile device.
`
`‘This recommendation may be generated by the
`
`recommendation module 316. The recommendation for the good or service available online may
`
`be an advertisement that encourages the user to purchase the good or service from the online
`
`retailer. The good or service available online may be competitive with the goods and/or services
`
`offered by the merchant recommended at operation 2410.
`
`In other words, the user may be
`
`provided with information about where to purchase a good or service at a nearby merchant and
`
`information about how to purchase a same or similar good or service from an onlineretailer.
`
`[0211]
`
`In some implementations, the online retailer may pay an advertising fee (e.g., to the
`
`entity that operates the server(s) 118) in order to have a recommendation sent to the mobile
`
`device. Conversely, the merchant may also be provided an opportunity to pay a fee to limit
`
`potential
`
`online
`
`competitors
`
`from having a
`
`recommendation piggybacked onto
`
`the
`
`recommendation of the merchant. For example, merchants may request that when they are
`
`included in a recommendation sent at operation 2412 that the recommendation for an online
`
`good or service sent at operation 2420 recommends something from that merchant’s online store,
`
`recommends something from any online merchant except for a specified list of “rival” online
`
`merchants, or otherwise influence the recommendation provided that operation 2420. The online
`
`retailer and the merchant may also compete or bid against each other for control of the
`
`recommendation provided at opcration 2420.
`
`[0212]
`
`In othcr implementations, the good or service available from the online retailer may be
`
`a good or service that has been deemed complementary to the goods and/or services offered by
`
`the merchant. The user, the merchant, the online retailer, a server or any other entity may make
`
`determinations as to which goods and/or services are complementary.
`
`Illustrative Promotions Based on Geolocation
`
`[0213]
`
`Fig. 25 showsan illustrative timeline 2500 showing activation of a coupon or other
`
`promotion when the mobile device 104 is at a merchant 106. The coupon, or other promotion,
`
`may betied to a specific geolocation so that the user 102 can only redeem the coupon whenheor
`
`she is located at a particular merchant 106. This may drive foot traffic to the merchant 106
`
`because users may wish to activate and redeem the coupon. Even if the coupon is unrelated to
`
`the goods and/or services sold by the merchant 106,
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`merchant 106 because the users once at the merchant 106 might purchase a good and/orservice.
`
`[0214] At time 1, the mobile device has an electronic document 216 stored in memory as
`
`shown in Fig. 2.
`
`In some implementations, this electronic document 216 may be an electronic
`
`book or an eBook. The electronic document 216 includes an inactive coupon 2502 within the
`
`document. The inactive coupon 2502 may be included as part of the text or other content of the
`
`electronic document 212. The inactive coupon 2502 may also be attached to or otherwise
`
`appended to the electronic document 212. The inactive coupon 2502 mayalso be provided as a
`
`stand-alone productthat is not included in an electronic document 212.
`
`[0215] Whenthe user 102 and the mobile device 104 are not located at the merchant 106 the
`
`inactive coupon 2502 may remain inactive. The inactive/active status of the coupon may be
`
`regulated by the coupon activation module 214 of the mobile device 104 shown in Fig. 2.
`
`In
`
`some implementations, the inactive coupon 2502 may be concealed from the user 102 of the
`
`mobile device 104 until
`
`the mobile device 104 is located at the merchant 106.
`
`In other
`
`implementations, only one or more aspects of the coupon are concealed. Alternatively, all
`
`aspects of the coupon may berevealed to the user 102 even when the mobile device 104 is not
`
`located at the merchant 106.
`
`If the inactive coupon 2502 is provided by itself without an
`
`electronic document 212, the existence of the inactive coupon 2502 may not be wholly concealed
`
`from the user 102, but the specific nature of the “deal” or coupon may be concealed. For
`
`example, a user may be able to tell that he or she has an inactive coupon 2502 from a certain
`
`merchant, but not know whatthe coupon ts for or the size of the discount. Curiosity may drive
`
`foot traffic to the merchants that provide this type of partially-hidden coupon.
`
`[0216]
`
`In some implementations in which the coupon is fully concealed, the coupon may
`
`function like a surprise or “Easter cgg” that unexpectedly rewards the uscr. Once one person
`
`discovers the existence of the coupon, this information may spread informally or “virally” and
`
`can create a further incentive for additional people to obtain the electronic document 212.
`
`In
`
`implementations in which only some aspects of the coupon are concealed, the merchant at which
`
`the coupon can be redeemed may be exposed to the user 102, but other details such as the
`
`amount of discount may remain concealed.
`
`[0217] At time 2, whenthe user 102 and the mobile device 104 arrive at the merchant 106, the
`
`coupon may becomean active coupon 2504. Activation may also be linked to time. A coupon
`
`may not become an active coupon 2504 unless the current time matches a time specified by the
`
`inactive coupon 2502. For example, in order to encourage repeat business a coupon may not be
`
`active until the following day. Thus, in some implementations, both time and place must be as
`
`specified in order for an inactive coupon 2502 to becomean active coupon 2504.
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`[0218] Activation of the coupon may be implemented by the mobile device 104 receiving a
`
`signal from the point-of-sale device 110 or from the network 116. Activation may also be
`
`implemented by the coupon activation module 214 alone or
`
`in conjunction with other
`
`components of the mobile device
`
`104 such as
`
`the location sensor 230 and/or
`
`the
`
`calendar/clock 228. The location sensor 230 may determine that the geolocation of the mobile
`
`device 104 corresponds to the geolocation of the merchant 106 and the coupon activation
`
`module 214 may activate the coupon. For coupons that are valid only during a certain time
`
`period, the calendar/clock 228 may also determine if the current time is within a time period
`
`specified for redemption of the coupon. At this point, any aspects of the coupon that were
`
`concealed may be revealed to the user 102.
`
`[0219]
`
`Fig. 26 shows an illustrative process 2600 for activating and using a coupon in an
`
`electronic document. At operation 2602, an electronic document containing a coupon may be
`
`downloaded to a mobile device. Depending on the relative perceived value of the electronic
`
`document and of the coupon, the user of the mobile device may choose to initiate the download
`
`primarily to receive the electronic documentor primarily to receive the coupon.
`
`[0220] At operation 2604, all or part of the coupon may be concealed when the mobile device
`
`is not located at the merchant. This may tie the value of the coupon to the user’s presence at the
`
`merchant. Thus, for example, a coffee shop may pay to have coupons placed in cBooks in order
`
`to bring people into the coffee shop to redeem the coupon with the hope that those people will
`
`buy something from the coffee shop.
`
`[0221] At operation 2606,
`
`it
`
`is determined if the mobile device storing,
`
`in memory,
`
`the
`
`electronic document that contains the coupon is at the merchant. The mobile device may be
`
`characterized as being “at” the merchant when the mobile device is within a predetermined
`
`proximity of the merchant. The mobile device may also be determined to be at the merchant
`
`when the mobile device receives a signal from the merchant. The signal may be a “heartbeat” or
`
`“ping” that is transmitted only over a short distance. When the mobile device is at the merchant,
`
`process 2600 follows the “yes” path to operation 2608. When the mobile device is not at the
`
`merchant, process 2600 follows the “no” path and returns to operation 2604 whereall or part of
`
`the coupon may remain concealed.
`
`[0222] At operation 2608, any part of the coupon that was concealed may be revealed or
`
`shown to the user. At operation 2610 when the mobile device is at the merchant, the coupon is
`
`activated. In some implementations the coupon activation module 214 of the mobile device may
`
`activate the coupon. The coupon maybe activated in response to determining that the mobile
`
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`device is located at the merchant in operation 2606. The coupon may also be activated in
`
`response to a signal from the merchant 2612.
`
`[0223] At operation 2614, a command from the user of the mobile device to use the coupon as
`
`part of purchase of a good or service is received. The command maybe an explicit command to
`
`use the coupon or the command maybe implicit in that the coupon is automatically applied when
`
`the purchase is transacted. The transaction may be a purchase of a good or service at the same
`
`merchant where the coupon was activated 2616 or the transaction may be with an online
`
`retailer 2618. The transaction with the online retailer 2618 may be completed by using the
`
`mobile device.
`
`[0224]
`
`If the active coupon is redeemed at the merchant 2616, the active coupon may appear
`
`in the electronic document as a machine-readable code such as a barcode that can be presented to
`
`the point-of-sale device at the merchant. The active coupon may also be a code or pass phrase
`
`that the user can show ortell an employee of the merchantin order to receive the discount.
`
`[0225]
`
`In implementations in which,
`
`the coupon is be activated at
`
`the merchant, but
`
`redeemable at an online retailer 2618. The mobile device may connect to a network from within
`
`the merchant to use the active coupon at an online retailer. The active coupon may remain active
`
`once activated even if the mobile device later leaves the merchant or, in other implementations,
`
`the active coupon mayrevert to an inactive coupon once the mobile device is no longer located
`
`at the merchant.
`
`Conclusion
`
`[0226]
`
`These processes discussed above are each illustrated as a collection of blocks in a
`
`logical flow graph, which represent a sequence of operations that can be implemented in
`
`hardware, software, or a combination thereof.
`
`In the context of software, the blocks represent
`
`computer-executable instructions stored on one or more computer-readable storage media that,
`
`when executed by one or more processors, perform the recited operations. Generally, computer-
`
`executable instructions include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, and the
`
`like that perform particular functions or implement particular abstract data types. The order in
`
`which the operations are described should not be construed as a limitation, and any number of
`
`the described blocks can be combinedin any order and/orin parallel to implement the process.
`
`[0227] Although the subject mattcr has been described in language specific to structural
`
`features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the
`
`appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described. Rather, the
`
`specific features and acts are disclosed as illustrative forms of implementing the claims.
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`Whatis claimed is:
`
`CLAIMS
`
`1.
`
`One or more computer-readable storage media storing computer-executable
`
`instructions that, when executed by one or more processors,
`
`instruct a computing device to
`
`perform acts comprising:
`
`detecting that a mobile device is present within a predetermined proximity of a merchant
`
`location;
`
`determining if the merchantis a trusted merchant;
`
`whenthe merchantis a trusted merchant, logging in to the merchant;
`
`sharing information about a user of the mobile device with the merchant; and
`
`completing a purchase between the merchant and the user using the information about the
`
`user and at least partly in response to detecting that the mobile device is present within the
`
`predetermined proximity of the merchant location.
`
`2.
`
`One or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 1, wherein the
`
`detecting is performed by at
`
`least one of the mobile device,
`
`the merchant, or a network
`
`component.
`
`3,
`
`One or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 1, wherein the
`
`predetermined proximity is based at least in part on a density of other merchants in the merchant
`
`location.
`
`4.
`
`One or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 1, wherein the
`
`merchant comprises a point-of-sale computer system and the sharing the payment information
`
`comprises communication between the mobile device and the point-of-sale computer system
`
`through a direct communicationslink.
`
`5.
`
`One or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 1, wherein
`
`completing the purchase comprises automatically completing the purchase without the user
`
`interacting with the mobile device.
`
`56
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`

`WO 2011/119407
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`PCT/US2011/028825
`
`6.
`
`A mobile device comprising:
`
`one or more processors;
`
`a location sensor coupled to the one or more processors;
`
`a wireless network interface coupled to the one or more processors; and
`
`a memory coupledto the one or more processors, the memory comprising:
`
`a user identification module correlated with user information, the user information
`
`available on a network accessed by the wireless network interface; and
`
`a transaction module configured to interpret data from the location sensor, to
`
`recognize when the mobile device is present within a predetermined proximity of a
`
`merchant, and, based at least in part on recognizing that the mobile device is present
`
`within the predetermined proximity of the merchant, facilitate a transaction with the
`
`merchant using the user information.
`
`7.
`
`The mobile device as recited in claim 6, wherein the user information comprises
`
`identification of merchants as trusted merchants, and the transaction module decreases an
`
`amount of user interaction used to complete the transaction as a trust level of the merchant
`
`increases.
`
`8.
`
`The mobile device as recited in claim 6, wherein the transaction module
`
`authorizes a transaction with a merchant having a highest trust level automatically when the
`
`mobile device is within the predetermined proximity of the merchant and without further input
`
`from a user of the mobile device.
`
`9.
`
`A computer-implemented method comprising:
`
`under control of one or more computer systems configured with executable instructions,
`
`detecting that a mobile device associated with a user is at a location of a merchant with
`
`whom theuserhas initiated a transaction;
`
`communicating a presence of the user to the merchant at least partly in response to
`
`detecting that the mobile device is at the location of the merchant, the communicating effective
`
`to enable the merchant to complete the transaction; and
`
`sending a message to the mobile device confirming completion of the transaction.
`
`57
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`WO 2011/119407
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`PCT/US2011/028825
`
`10.
`
`The computer-implemented methodas recited in claim 9, wherein the transaction
`
`has been initiated on a computing device other than the mobile device and at a location other
`
`than the location of the merchant.
`
`11.
`
`The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 9, wherein detecting that
`
`the mobile device is at the location of the merchant comprises detecting the presence of the
`
`mobile device within a threshold distance of the location of the merchant.
`
`12.
`
`The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 9, further comprising
`
`providing user information associated with the user to the merchant to enable the merchant to
`
`modify the transaction based at least in part on the user information.
`
`13.
`
`One or more computer-readable storage media storing computer-executable
`
`instructions that, when executed by one or more processors,
`
`instruct a computing device to
`
`perform acts comprising:
`
`determining that a mobile device is within a predetermined proximity of a merchant;
`
`responsive to the determining, sending a notification to the mobile device comprising (i)
`
`a request for a user of the mobile device to perform an action, and (ii) a threshold number of
`
`users of mobile devices within the predetermined proximity of the merchant to perform the
`
`action in order for a couponto be sent to the mobile devices of the users that perform the action;
`
`determining a number of users within the predetermined proximity that have performed
`
`the action;
`
`comparing the number of users within the predetermined proximity that performed the
`
`action to the threshold number; and
`
`when the number of users within the predetermined proximity that performed the action
`
`exceeds the threshold number, sending a coupon redeemable at the merchant to the mobile
`
`devices of the users that perfor