NCR Corporation has been awarded a patent for electronic signature capture - the technology that allows consumers to ‘sign and go’ when they make purchases in a store.
Signature capture terminals, or pads, are used by retailers worldwide to complete paper-free credit card and similar transactions. The device typically includes a display screen, digitizer element and writing stylus. Instead of signing a paper form with a pen, consumers use the stylus to write their signature on the screen of the terminal. With such a device, the retailer no longer has to store and maintain a paper record of the transaction.
“We’re pleased that the US Patent Office has confirmed NCR as the original inventor of electronic signature capture, a technology that is a significant part of our daily lives,” says Peter Zee, VP
(APac), Retail Solutions Division, NCR. “In addition to helping busy consumers complete their transactions more quickly, electronic signature capture terminals provide significant savings to businesses.”
Besides eliminating the need to buy multi-part credit/debit card forms, electronic signature capture allows retailers to avoid the expense of handling, storing and transporting paper receipts. It also speeds the payment processing cycle and eliminates the burden of producing a signed receipt to resolve a charge back dispute. Moreover, the technology helps protect consumers from fraud by eliminating the store’s carbon copies of traditional charge card receipts.
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