System and method for providing mediator services between service provider and service purchaser, and computer program for same
First Claim
1. A method for allowing a mediator server to act as an intermediary agent between a service provider and a service purchaser comprising the steps of;
- (a) providing a mediator server communicatable with at least one service provider and at least one service purchaser through their respective terminals over a communication network, and (b) receiving at said mediator server service offering information including the service provider'"'"'s name, offered services and other information from said service provider, (c) forwarding said service offering information to said service purchaser from said mediator server, (d) at said mediator server receiving purchase service request information including the service purchaser'"'"'s name, service being purchased and other information from said service purchaser, and (e) forwarding said purchase service request information to said service provider from said mediator server, wherein said mediator server acts as an intermediary agent between the service provider and the service purchaser.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method and system that enables a mediator server to provide opportunities for individuals to sell and buy services between them. Mediator server acts as an intermediary agent to support the service transactions occurring between service providers and service purchasers. Mediator server is connected to a service provider terminal and to a service purchaser terminal over a network. The mediator server contains a database for a list of service providers, and the mediator server presents the list of service providers to the service purchaser for display on the service purchaser terminal, from which the service purchaser selects the service provider expected to offer the service desired. Responsive to selection of the service provider by the service purchaser, the mediator server transfers a service purchase request to the appropriate service provider for display on the service provider terminal, to allow the service provider to decide on whether to accept or decline the request, based on the information in the request. This decision is communicated to the mediator server, which transfers it to the service purchaser.
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Citations
23 Claims
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1. A method for allowing a mediator server to act as an intermediary agent between a service provider and a service purchaser comprising the steps of;
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(a) providing a mediator server communicatable with at least one service provider and at least one service purchaser through their respective terminals over a communication network, and (b) receiving at said mediator server service offering information including the service provider'"'"'s name, offered services and other information from said service provider, (c) forwarding said service offering information to said service purchaser from said mediator server, (d) at said mediator server receiving purchase service request information including the service purchaser'"'"'s name, service being purchased and other information from said service purchaser, and (e) forwarding said purchase service request information to said service provider from said mediator server, wherein said mediator server acts as an intermediary agent between the service provider and the service purchaser. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 5)
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4. A method for allowing a mediator server to act as an intermediary agent between a service provider and a service purchaser when services are sold and purchased between the service provider and service purchaser wherein said mediator server, said service provider and said service purchaser can communicate with each other through their respective terminals over a communication network and wherein said method includes the steps of:
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(a) allowing said service provider to send the service offering registration information from said service provider'"'"'s terminal, referred to as “
provider terminal”
to said mediator server over the network;
(b) allowing said mediator server to record, in adatabase, the service offering registration information received from said provider terminal;
(c) allowing said service purchaser to send the service purchaser identification information from said service purchaser'"'"'s terminal, referred to as “
purchaser terminal”
to said mediator server over the network;
(d) allowing said mediator server to record, in said database, the service purchaser identification information received from said purchaser terminal;
(e) allowing said service purchaser to select a particular service purchase information from said service offering information displayed on said purchaser terminal, and send the selected service purchase information from said purchaser terminal to said mediator server over the network;
(f) in response to said service purchase information received from said service purchaser, allowing said mediator server to create the service purchase request information for forwarding it to the service provider selected by said service purchaser for display on said provider terminal;
(g) allowing said service provider, based on the service purchase request information received from said mediator server and displayed on said provider terminal, to make a decision on whether said service provider should accept or decline the service purchase request, and to notify the resulting decision to said mediator server over the network; and
(h) allowing said mediator server to forward said decision received from said service provider to said service purchaser over the network, wherein if the decision made by said service provider is to accept the service purchase request, it is determined that an agreement is reached between said service provider and said service purchaser, and the service is supplied from said service provider to said service purchaser.
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6. A service transaction mediating system for allowing a mediator server to act as an intermediary agent in service transaction between a service provider and a service purchaser, wherein
said mediator server, service providers and service purchasers are communicatable with each other through their respective terminals over a communication network; -
said mediator server includes a database on which the service offering registration information submitted by said service provider is recorded;
said mediator server includes means for allowing said mediator server to send a listing of services offered from said service providers and recorded on said database to any of said service purchasers and for allowing said service purchaser to select any particular service provider from said listing being displayed on said service purchaser'"'"'s terminal, whereby said service purchaser and said service provider may use their respective terminal to conduct the service transaction through said mediator server. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8)
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9. A transaction mediating system for allowing a mediator server to act as an intermediary agent on service transaction between a service provider and a service purchaser comprising:
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a terminal used by a service provider, referred to as “
provider terminal”
;
a terminal used by a service purchaser referred to as “
purchaser terminal”
; and
a mediator server having a database and being connectable to said provider terminal and to said purchaser terminal over a network, wherein (a) said provider terminal includes means for allowing said service provider to provide the service offering registration information on the service offering registration entry display appearing on said provider terminal, and to send said service offering registration information to said mediator server over the network;
(b) said purchaser terminal includes means for allowing said service purchaser to provide the purchaser identification information on the service purchaser registration entry display appearing on said purchaser terminal, and to send said purchaser identification information to said mediator server over said computer network; and
(c) said mediator server includes means for allowing said mediator server to record the service offering registration information received from said provider terminal and the purchaser identification information received from said purchaser terminal on said database, and wherein (d) said purchaser terminal further includes means for displaying the service offering information received from said mediator server on said purchaser terminal, and for allowing said service purchaser to identify and select a service to be purchased from the service offering information, to enter the service purchase information including the identified and selected service, and to send the service purchase information to said mediator server over the network;
(e) said mediator server further includes means for allowing said mediator server to produce a service purchase request information from said service purchase information received from said purchaser terminal, and forward the service purchase request information to the service provider of the selected service for display on said provider terminal;
(f) said provider terminal further includes means for allowing said service provider, based on said service purchase request information displayed on said provider terminal, to make a decision on whether said service provider should accept or decline said service purchase request, and to send the information for the decision back to said mediator server; and
(g) said mediator server further includes means for recording the decision information received from said service provider on said database, and means for notifying the decision to said service purchaser, (h) whereby said service purchaser may be ready to receive the service offered by said service provider when said service provider makes the decision to accept the service purchase request submitted by said service purchaser. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A mediator server apparatus, said mediator server apparatus being connectable to service provider terminals and to service purchaser terminals over a network and comprising:
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means for allowing said mediator server to record services offered by said service provider terminal on a database;
means for allowing said mediator server to send a list of service providers to a service purchaser for display on said service purchaser terminal so that said service purchaser can select a service purchaser from the list of service providers being displayed on said service purchaser terminal; and
means for allowing said mediator server to send a service purchase request information for the service selected by said service purchaser to said service provider for display on said service provider terminal. - View Dependent Claims (18)
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19. A mediator server apparatus to act as an intermediary agent in the service transaction between a service provider and a service purchaser, said mediator server apparatus having a database and being connectable to a terminal used by said service provider referred to as “
- provider terminal”
, and to a terminal used by said service purchaser, referred to as “
purchaser terminal”
, over a network, the apparatus comprising;
means for allowing said mediator server to receive, over the network, a service offering registration information provided by said service provider on a service registration information entry display on said provider terminal and a purchaser identification information provided by said service purchaser on a service purchaser registration entry display on said purchaser terminal, and to record said service offering registration information and said purchaser identification information on said database;
means for allowing said mediator server to receive the service offering information from said service provider and transfer said service offering information to said purchaser terminal;
means for allowing said mediator server to receive, from said purchaser terminal and over the network, the service purchase information containing the service to be purchased that is provided by said service purchaser selecting a desired service from said service offering information displayed on said purchaser terminal and entering any required purchase information together with the selected service on said purchaser terminal, and to transfer a service purchase request information to the provider terminal on the service provider offering said selected service;
means for allowing said mediator server to receive, from said provider terminal and over the network, the decision on whether to accept or decline the service purchase request that is made by said service provider looking at said service offering information displayed on said provider terminal, and record the information on the decision, i. e. accept or decline, on said database; and
means for allowing said mediator server to notify the decision to said service purchaser, whereby when the decision made by said service provider is to accept the service purchase request, the agreement between said service provider and said service purchaser is determined to be reached, and the service selected by said service purchaser may be supplied by said service provider to said service purchaser. - View Dependent Claims (20, 23)
- provider terminal”
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21. A computer readable program product for performing, service transactions on a mediator server, said mediator server acting as an intermediary agent, service transactions between a service provider and a service purchaser, and said mediator server having a database and being connectable to a terminal used by said service provider referred to as “
- provider terminal”
, and to a terminal used by said service purchaser referred to as “
purchaser terminal”
, over a network,wherein the program product causes the mediator server to perform the steps comprising;
(a) allowing said mediator server to receive, over the network, a service offering registration information provided by said service provider on a service registration information entry display at said provider terminal, and a purchaser identification information provided by said service purchaser on a service purchaser registration entry display at said purchaser terminal, and to record said service offering registration information and said purchaser identification information on said database;
(b) allowing said mediator server to receive the service offering information from said service provider and transfer said service offering information to said purchaser terminal;
(c) allowing said mediator server to receive, from said purchaser terminal and over the network, the service purchase information containing a service to be purchased that is provided by said service purchaser selecting the desired service from said service offering information displayed on said purchaser terminal, and entering any required purchase information together with the selected service on said purchaser terminal, and to transfer a service purchase request information to the provider terminal on the service provider offering said selected service;
(d) allowing said mediator server to receive, from said provider terminal and over the network, the decision on whether to accept or decline the service purchase request made by said service provider looking at said service offering information displayed on said provider terminal, and record the information on the decision, i. e., accept or decline, on said database; and
(e) allowing said mediator server to notify the decision to said service purchaser. - View Dependent Claims (22)
- provider terminal”
Specification