Automating price guarantees

• US 10,032,185 B2
• Filed: 05/10/2013
• Issued: 07/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: R2 Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Excalibur IP, LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Inventors: Watfa, Allie K., Nussel, Dale, Pardeshi, Mangesh, Kilroy, Jonathan
• Primary Examiner(s): Sittner, Matthew T
• Application Number:
  US13/891,904
• Publication Number:
  US 20140337116A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,901 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0234 Rebates after completed purchase

Abstract

Techniques are provided in which the current price of a commodity purchased from a seller by a buyer with a price guarantee policy is monitored. Upon detection of the current price dropping below the purchase price, the buyer and seller are notified, leading to a rebate being provided to the buyer from the seller to be redeemed based on the terms of the price guarantee policy. In some embodiments, buyers are offered incentives, such as a discounted price, in exchange for a reduced time period within which a price guarantee policy is redeemable.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

in response to an online search query from at least one buyer, retrieving from an information folder to a server, one or more price guarantee policies for one or more commodities or services from one or more sellers, wherein the price guarantee policies are included in sponsored search and non-sponsored search advertising in an auction-based online advertising marketplace, and each price guarantee policy includes a price guarantee limit for a time period when a price guarantee rebate can be obtained;

in response to the online search query from the at least one buyer, receiving pricing information for one or more commodities or services from the sellers at the server, wherein the pricing information is included in sponsored search and non-sponsored search advertising in the auction-based online advertising marketplace, and is obtained from the information folder, the server comprising a microprocessor and the database storing product and service information, pricing information, online advertising information and the price guarantee policies of the one or more sellers, and the purchase history of one or more buyers;

based on at least the purchase history, preference or query of the at least one buyer, the price guarantee policies from the sellers, the online advertising information and pricing information, generating and sending from the server over a wireless communication channel to a wireless device associated with the at least one buyer, offer for sale information from at least one seller for the commodities or services, wherein the offer for sale information is configured for display on the wireless device through at least one of a third party website visited by the buyer, the seller'"'"'s website visited by the buyer, email sent to the buyer, social network message, mobile device display, and short message service, and includes price guarantee policies associated with each of the commodities or services, and wherein the server is configured to accept as user input from the wireless device only one price guarantee selection where two or more price guarantee policies are displayed on the wireless device for an identified commodity or service;

receiving and storing in the database purchase information regarding one or more purchases of the commodities or services made by the buyers, wherein purchase information includes at least a purchase identification, purchase date, purchase price for each purchased commodity or service, and at most one price guarantee selection for each purchased commodity or service;

monitoring and storing periodically in the database current prices from the sellers for the commodities or services associated with the purchase identification;

if the current price of any seller for a purchased commodity or service associated with the purchase identification falls below the price guarantee limits of the price guarantee selection associated with that commodity or service within the time periods measured from the purchase date, sending on behalf of the buyer from the server, the purchase information to the seller associated with the price guarantee selection with a request for the price guarantee rebate for the buyers;

receiving at the server, an indication from the seller associated with the price guarantee selection that the price guarantee rebate has been granted for the buyers to receive a refund amount; and

sending from the server a request to issue the refund amount as a credit to one or more accounts of the buyers.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the offer for sale information includes one or more prices for the commodities or services with different price guarantee limits for different time periods such that the offer prices increase as the span of the price guarantee time periods increases in length.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the price guarantee rebates include an offer for a gift card redeemable with the sellers.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring and storing periodically the current price for the commodities or services associated with the purchase identification comprises monitoring the current price as displayed by online sellers.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring and storing periodically the current price for the commodities or services associated with the purchase identification comprises storing the price on virtualized pools of storage using an online network.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring and storing periodically the current price for the commodities or services associated with the purchase identification comprises ceasing monitoring and storing periodically when the time periods associated with the price protection policies expire.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein generating and sending offer for sale information for the commodities or services to one or more buyers comprises displaying the offer for sale information to the buyers on a website.

8. A system comprising:

one or more server computers coupled to a network; and

one or more databases coupled to the one or more server computers;

wherein the one or more server computers comprise a memory containing machine-readable instructions, which when executed by the processor, comprise;

in response to an online search query from the at least one buyer, retrieving from an information folder to a server, one or more price guarantee policies for one or more commodities or services from one or more sellers, wherein the price guarantee policies are included in sponsored search and non-sponsored search advertising in an auction-based online advertising marketplace, and each price guarantee policy includes a price guarantee limit for a time period when a price guarantee rebate can be obtained;

in response to the online search query from the at least one buyer, receiving pricing information for one or more commodities or services from the sellers at the server, wherein the pricing information is included in sponsored search and non-sponsored search advertising in the auction-based online advertising marketplace, and is obtained from the information folder, the server comprising a microprocessor and the database storing product and service information, pricing information, online advertising information and price guarantee policies of one or more sellers, and purchase history of one or more buyers;

based on at least the online search query of the at least one buyer, purchase history of one or more buyers, the price guarantee policies from the sellers, online advertising information and the pricing information, generating and sending from the server over a wireless communication channel to a wireless device associated with at least one buyer, offer for sale information from at least one seller for the commodities or services, wherein the offer for sale information is configured for display on the wireless device through at least one of a third party website visited by the buyer, the seller'"'"'s website visited by the buyer, email sent to the buyer, social network message, mobile device display, and short message service, and includes price guarantee policies associated with each of the commodities or services, and wherein the server is configured to accept as user input from the wireless device only one price guarantee selection where two or more price guarantee policies are displayed on the wireless device for an identified commodity or service;

receiving and storing in the database purchase information regarding one or more purchases of the commodities or services made by the buyers, wherein purchase information includes at least a purchase identification, purchase date, purchase price for each purchased commodity or service, and at most one price guarantee selection for each purchased commodity or service;

monitoring and storing periodically in the database current prices from the sellers for the commodities or services associated with the purchase identification;

if the current price of any seller for a purchased commodity or service associated with the purchase identification falls below the price guarantee limits of the price guarantee selection associated with that commodity or service within the time periods measured from the purchase date, sending on behalf of the buyer from the server, the purchase information to the seller associated with the price guarantee selection with a request for the price guarantee rebate for the buyers;

receiving at the server, an indication from the seller associated with the price guarantee selection that the price guarantee rebate has been granted for the buyers to receive a refund amount; and

sending from the server a request to issue the refund amount as a credit to one or more accounts of the buyers.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the offer for sale information includes one or more prices for the commodities or services with different price guarantee limits for different time periods such that the offer prices increase as the span of the price guarantee time periods increases in length.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the price guarantee rebates include an offer for a gift card redeemable with the sellers.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein monitoring and storing periodically the current price for the commodities or services associated with the purchase identification comprises monitoring the current price as displayed by online sellers.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein monitoring and storing periodically the current price for the commodities or services associated with the purchase identification comprises storing the price on virtualized pools of storage using an online network.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein monitoring and storing periodically the current price for the commodities or services associated with the purchase identification comprises ceasing monitoring and storing periodically when the time periods associated with the price protection policies expire.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein generating and sending offer for sale information for the commodities or services to one or more buyers comprises displaying the offer for sale information to the buyers on a website.

15. The system of claim 8, wherein generating and sending offer for sale information for the commodities to one or more buyers comprises displaying the offer for sale information to the buyers in response to a search query.

16. A non-transitory computer readable medium or media containing machine-readable instructions, which when executed by a processor, perform a method comprising:

in response to an online search query from the at least one buyer, retrieving from an information folder to a server, one or more price guarantee policies for one or more commodities or services from one or more sellers, wherein the price guarantee policies are included in sponsored search and non-sponsored search advertising in an auction-based online advertising marketplace, and each price guarantee policy includes a price guarantee limit for a time period when a price guarantee rebate can be obtained;

in response to an online search query from the at least one buyer, receiving pricing information for one or more commodities or services from the sellers at the server, wherein the pricing information is included in sponsored search and non-sponsored search advertising in the auction-based online advertising marketplace, and is obtained from the information folder, the server comprising a microprocessor and the database storing product and service information, pricing information, price guarantee policies and online advertising information of one or more sellers, and purchase history of one or more buyers;

based on at least the online search query from the at least one buyer, the purchase history of one or more buyers, the price guarantee policies from the sellers, the online advertising information and the pricing information, generating and sending from the server over a wireless communication channel to a wireless device associated with the at least one buyer, offer for sale information from the at least one seller for the commodities or services, wherein the offer for sale information is configured for display on the wireless device through at least one of a third party website visited by the buyer, the seller'"'"'s website visited by the buyer, email sent to the buyer, social network message, mobile device display, and short message service, and includes price guarantee policies associated with each of the commodities or services, and wherein generating and sending offer for sale information comprises displaying the offer for sale information to the buyers in response to a search query, and wherein the server is configured to accept as user input from the wireless device only one price guarantee selection where two or more price guarantee policies exist for an identified commodity or service, and each policy is presented as a selectable option for the buyer on the user device display;

receiving and storing in the database purchase information regarding one or more purchases of the commodities or services made by the buyers, wherein purchase information includes at least a purchase identification, purchase date, purchase price for each purchased commodity or service, and at most one price guarantee selection for each purchased commodity or service;

monitoring and storing periodically in the database current prices from the sellers for the commodities or services with the purchase identification;

if the current price of any seller for a purchased commodity or service associated with the purchase identification falls below the price guarantee limits of the price guarantee selection associated with that commodity or service within the time periods measured from the purchase date, sending on behalf of the buyer from the server, the purchase information to the seller associated with the price guarantee selection with a request for the price guarantee rebate for the buyers;

receiving at the server an indication from the seller associated with the price guarantee selection that the price guarantee rebate has been granted for the buyers to receive a refund amount; and

sending from the server a request to issue the refund amount as a credit to one or more accounts of the buyers.