Glossary
The vocabulary of proximity.
Every term gets a one sentence definition, the longer version, and how it relates to the Parousya method. A to Z, no filler.
B
- BLE beaconA BLE beacon is a small device that broadcasts a Bluetooth Low Energy signal so nearby phones can detect it. Beacons mark a place or a provider without connecting to anything.
- Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)Bluetooth Low Energy, or BLE, is a short range wireless standard designed for low power communication over roughly tens of metres. It is widely used for beacons and for detecting nearby devices.
C
- Cashierless checkoutCashierless checkout lets shoppers take what they want and leave, with payment handled automatically. It depends on the store recognizing who is present and charging the right person without a till.
- Contactless paymentContactless payment is any payment made without physical contact between a card and a reader, usually over NFC within a few centimetres. Tap to pay is its most common form.
D
E
F
G
- GeofenceA geofence is a virtual boundary around a real place. When a device crosses it, an action can trigger. Geofences answer whether you are in an area, not precisely who is nearest.
- GeofencingGeofencing is the practice of triggering an action when a device enters or leaves a mapped area. It is location based and coarse, good for area context but not for resolving who is nearest.
I
M
N
- NFC (near field communication)NFC, or near field communication, is a very short range wireless standard that works over a few centimetres and requires a deliberate tap. It runs at 13.56 MHz and powers most contactless card and phone payments today.
- NFC tagAn NFC tag is a small, unpowered chip that a phone reads by tapping within a few centimetres. Tags store a little data, such as a link or an identifier, and draw power from the reading device.
P
- Patent priority dateA patent's priority date is the date that fixes its place in line against later filings. For the Parousya patents it is 26 June 2014, which anchors the whole family.
- Presence detectionPresence detection senses that a person or device is here, using a short range signal rather than a login or scan. It is the first step in recognizing who is nearest before anything acts on it.
- Proximity identificationProximity identification is the process of working out which provider or person is nearest and treating that as the identity. It is the identification half of proximity payment, and it can run on its own.
- Proximity paymentProximity payment is a way to pay based on physical nearness. A provider broadcasts a short range signal, the payer's phone identifies the nearest recipient, and a central server routes the payment so the two devices never connect directly.
Q
R
- Real time location system (RTLS)A real time location system tracks where people or things are inside a defined space as they move. It uses signals like ultra wideband or Bluetooth to place items on a live map.
- RFID (radio frequency identification)RFID, or radio frequency identification, is a method where a reader powers and reads a tag over radio. Passive UHF RFID can reach several metres, and NFC is a special short range case of RFID.
S
- Server routed transactionA server routed transaction travels through a central server that holds both parties' accounts, instead of passing between the two devices directly. It is the payment half of the proximity method.
- Short range wirelessShort range wireless refers to radio technologies that work over a limited distance, such as Bluetooth, NFC, ultra wideband, and WiFi Direct. Proximity payment uses them to establish that two parties are physically near.
T
- Tap to payTap to pay is contactless payment made by holding a card or phone within a few centimetres of a reader, over NFC. It removed the swipe and the dip, but it still requires a deliberate gesture.
- Third party queryingThird party querying lets an authorized outside system ask who is present or nearest, and receive an answer, without being one of the two paired parties. It is a capability of the divisional patent US11392923B2.
- TokenizationTokenization replaces sensitive data, such as a card number, with a stand in token that has no value if stolen. It lets a system act on payment details without exposing the real ones.
- Trusted intermediaryA trusted intermediary is a central party that both sides rely on to complete a transaction, so they never deal with each other's accounts directly. In the proximity method, the routing server is that intermediary.
U
W
Elsewhere in resources
Licensing
See your industry in the method?
We license the Parousya method to companies building where proximity and payment intersect. If you can see an application, we would like to hear from you.