Customer-Based Suggesting for Ticket Splitting

Abstract

This disclosure describes techniques and arrangements for splitting one or more items from a ticket to another ticket. Some techniques and arrangements facilitate the splitting of one or more items from an open ticket to one or more split tickets. In some implementations, a foster ticket is utilized to account for items associated with split tickets. Other techniques and arrangements include providing split ticket suggestions. In some implementations, split ticket suggestions are provided based on historical ticket information and/or customer information.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A point-of sale (POS) device comprising:
 a display;   a memory;   one or more processors; and   one or more computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform acts comprising:
 receiving, while a POS device associated with a merchant is in an open ticket mode, an input designating to an open ticket a set of unallocated items associated with a group of customers, the set of unallocated items including at least a first item and a second item; 
 storing, in the memory, the open ticket in association with the set of unallocated items; 
 causing presentation, on the display and via a user interface (UI) of the POS device, of information associated with the open ticket, wherein the information includes a first visual representation of the first item and a second visual representation of the second item; 
 transitioning the POS device from the open ticket mode to a split ticket mode; 
 receiving, at least partly via the UI, an instruction that causes the first item to be added to a split ticket, wherein the split ticket corresponds to a first customer of the group of customers; and 
 storing, in the memory, the split ticket in association with the open ticket. 
   
     
     
         2 . The POS device as  claim 1  recites, wherein the group of customers comprises diners at an establishment of the merchant and the set of unallocated items comprises at least one of a food item or a drink item. 
     
     
         3 . The POS device as  claim 1  recites, wherein the first visual representation of the first item and the second visual representation of the second item comprise selectable icons. 
     
     
         4 . The POS device as  claim 3  recites, wherein the display comprises a touchscreen display, and wherein the instruction that causes the first item to be added to the split ticket comprises a gesture by an operator of the POS device repositioning the first visual representation to a segment of the UI designated for the split ticket. 
     
     
         5 . The POS device as  claim 1  recites, wherein the instruction comprises a first instruction, wherein the split ticket comprises a first split ticket, and wherein the computer-executable instructions cause the one or more processors to perform acts further comprising:
 receiving, at least partly via the UI, a second instruction that causes the second item to be added to a second split ticket, wherein the second split ticket corresponds to a second customer of the group of customers. 
 
     
     
         6 . The POS device as  claim 1  recites, wherein the input comprises a first input, and wherein the transitioning is based at least in part on receiving, at least partly via the UI, a second input that initiates transitioning the POS device to a split ticket mode for splitting tickets. 
     
     
         7 . The POS device as  claim 1  recites, wherein the computer-executable instructions cause the one or more processors to perform acts further comprising:
 sending at least one of the open ticket or the split ticket to one or more servers of a payment processing service (PPS). 
 
     
     
         8 . The POS device as  claim 7  recites,
 wherein sending at least one of the open ticket or the split ticket to the one or more servers of the PPS comprises sending the open ticket to the one or more servers of the PPS prior to receiving the instruction that causes the first item to be added to the split ticket, and 
 wherein the instruction is based at least in part on a recommendation received by the POS device from the one or more servers, and 
 wherein the recommendation is based at least in part on the open ticket and a plurality of historical open tickets. 
 
     
     
         9 . The POS device as  claim 8  recites,
 wherein the input further comprises customer information about one or more customers of the group of customers, 
 wherein the plurality of historical open tickets includes associations between the one or more customers and items associated with the plurality of historical open tickets, and 
 wherein the recommendation is based at least in part on identifying an association between the first customer and the first item based on the plurality of historical open tickets. 
 
     
     
         10 . The POS device as  claim 8  recites, further comprising:
 sending, by the POS device to the one or more servers of the PPS, a request for the recommendation. 
 
     
     
         11 . The POS device as  claim 8  recites, wherein the recommendation received by the POS device comprises a visible change in an appearance of the first visual representation. 
     
     
         12 . A method comprising:
 receiving, by one or more servers of a payment processing service (PPS) and from a merchant device associated with a merchant, order information associated with a group of customers of the merchant, wherein the order information comprises a set of unallocated items ordered by the group of customers from the merchant, and wherein the set of unallocated items includes at least a first item and a second item;   generating, by the one or more servers of the PPS and based at least in part on the order information, an open ticket;   causing presentation, by the one or more servers of the PPS and via a user interface (UI) on a display of the merchant device, of information associated with the open ticket, wherein the information associated with the open ticket includes a first visual representation of the first item and a second visual representation of the second item;   sending, by the one or more servers of the PPS and to the merchant device, a recommendation that the first item be assigned to a split ticket, wherein the split ticket corresponds to a first customer of the group of customers;   receiving, by the one or more servers of the PPS and from the merchant device, an indication that the first visual representation has been moved to a portion of the UI representing the split ticket and that the first visual representation has been removed from a portion of the UI representing the open ticket; and   generating, by the one or more servers of the PPS and based at least in part on the indication, the split ticket and an updated open ticket.   
     
     
         13 . The method as  claim 12  recites, wherein the first visual representation of the first item and the second visual representation of the second item comprise selectable icons. 
     
     
         14 . The method as  claim 12  recites, wherein the display comprises a touchscreen display, and wherein the indication that the first visual representation has been moved comprises an indication that the first visual representation has been relocated via a gesture by an operator of the merchant device to the portion of the UI representing the split ticket. 
     
     
         15 . The method as  claim 12  recites, wherein the instruction is based at least in part on a recommendation received by the merchant device from the one or more servers of the PPS, wherein the recommendation is based at least in part on the open ticket and a plurality of historical open tickets. 
     
     
         16 . The method as  claim 12  recites, wherein the merchant device comprises a mobile point-of-sale (POS) device. 
     
     
         17 . The method as  claim 16  recites, wherein the open ticket is generated at least in part by the mobile POS device. 
     
     
         18 . A method comprising:
 receiving, at least partly via an open ticket mode of a user interface (UI) presented on a display of a computing device associated with a merchant, information designating a set of unallocated items ordered by a group of customers, the set of unallocated items including a first item and a second item;   generating an open ticket based at least in part on the set of unallocated items;   causing presentation, via the UI, of information associated with the open ticket, wherein the information associated with the open ticket includes a first visual representation of the first item and a second visual representation of the second item; and   receiving an instruction that causes the first visual representation to be added to a split ticket, wherein the split ticket corresponds to a first customer of the group.   
     
     
         19 . The method as  claim 18  recites, wherein the UI further comprises multiple portions including a portion of the UI including information associated with the split ticket, wherein the instruction that causes the first visual representation to be added to the split ticket comprises relocation of the first visual representation to the portion of the UI including information associated with the split ticket. 
     
     
         20 . The method as  claim 18  recites, wherein the open ticket is generated by one or more servers of a payment processing service.