Apparatus and method for facilitating transactions

• US 20020133424A1
• Filed: 03/11/2002
• Published: 09/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GTJ Ventures, LLC (Raymond Anthony Joao)
• Original Assignee: Raymond Anthony Joao
• Inventors: Joao, Raymond Anthony
• Granted Patent: US 7,433,834 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/188 Electronic negotiation

Abstract

An apparatus and method for facilitating a transaction, including a memory device for storing information regarding at least one of a good, a product, and a service, and a processor for processing at least one of a request for information regarding the at least one of a good, a product, and a service, and at least one of a bid and an offer to purchase the at least one of a good, a product, and a service. The processor processes at least one of the request for information and the at least one of a bid and an offer in conjunction with information contained in the memory device, and further wherein the processor generates a transaction report, wherein the transaction report contains at least one of the requested information and a response to the at least one of a bid and an offer, and further wherein the response contains at least one of an acceptance and a rejection of the at least one of a bid and an offer.

Claims

1. An apparatus for facilitating a transaction, comprising:

a memory device for storing information regarding at least one of a good, a product, and a service; and

a processor for processing at least one of a request for information regarding the at least one of a good, a product, and a service, and at least one of a bid and an offer to purchase the at least one of a good, a product, and a service, wherein the processor processes at least one of the request for information and the at least one of a bid and an offer in conjunction with information contained in the memory device, and further wherein the processor generates a transaction report, wherein the transaction report contains at least one of the requested information and a response to the at least one of a bid and an offer, and further wherein the response contains at least one of an acceptance and a rejection of the at least one of a bid and an offer.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a receiver for receiving the request for information and the at least one of a bid and an offer; and

a transmitter for transmitting the transaction report to a user device associated with a shopper.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a display device for displaying information contained in the transaction report.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the user device is located at at least one of a store, an establishment, a lobby, a mall, a point-of-sale and a point-of-transaction.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor generates an electronic coupon, and further wherein the transaction report contains the electronic coupon.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor processes the at least one of the request and the at least one of a bid and an offer in conjunction with information regarding at least one of the at least one of the price of, the cost of, the prices paid for, or wholesale prices paid for, the respective goods, products or services, the retail or resale prices of the respective goods, products, or services, the profit margins corresponding to the respective goods, products, or services, sale prices for the respective goods, products, or services, sale times for the respective goods, products, or services, times of sales pertaining to any of the respective goods, products, or services, operating data or information for the respective establishment(s), store(s), retail store(s), wholesale store(s), wholesaler(s), or commercial establishment(s), inventory cost data for the establishment(s), store(s), retail store(s), wholesale store(s), wholesaler(s), and/or commercial establishment(s), expense requirements for a specific time period for a respective establishment(s), store(s), retail store(s), wholesale store(s), wholesaler(s), and/or commercial establishment(s), profit margins for the various goods, products, or services, offered by or provided by the respective establishment(s), store(s), retail store(s), wholesale store(s), wholesaler(s), and/or commercial establishment(s), instantaneous profit margins for a present price or present sale price of any goods, products, or services, and inventory, of or for the respective establishment(s), store(s), retail store(s), wholesale store(s), wholesaler(s), or commercial establishment(s).

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor generates a notification report containing information regarding an acceptance of a shopper'"'"'s at least one of a bid and offer.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one of a bid and an offer contains at least one of a bid and an offer to purchase an option for the at least one of a good, a product, and a service.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the transaction report contains information regarding an option for the at least one of a good, a product, and a service.

10. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the processor stores information regarding at least one of a use of and a non-use of the electronic coupon.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus provides advertisement information.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the price change is at least one of a price reduction, a discount, and a price increase.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising:

a transmitter for transmitting at least one of information regarding the price change and notification of the price change to at least one of a store computer, a salesperson, an electronic price display device, and a user device associated with a shopper.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the processor can effect a price change for the at least one of a good, a product, and a service.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising:

a receiver for receiving at least one of the at least one of goals and expectations and information regarding at least one of sales, revenues, profits and losses.

17. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the processor determines a price change in conjunction with information regarding at least one of profit margin information for a respective goods, products, or services, the number or quantities of the respective goods, products, or services previously sold, selling prices, the number or quantity of the respective goods, products, or services currently being held in inventory or stock, and at least one of fixed, variable, or overhead, costs associated with the respective goods, products, or services.

18. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the processor determines at least one of whether at least one at least one of sales, revenues, and profits can be increased and whether losses can be reduced, and further wherein the processor identifies at least one of a good, a product, and a service, for which a price change is recommended, and further wherein the processor determines a price change for the at least one of a good, a product, and a service.

19. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising:

a memory device for storing information regarding at least one of a bid and an offer for at least one of a good, a product, and a service, wherein the at least one of a bid and an offer is at least one of entered into the apparatus via an input device and received by a receiver, wherein the processor processes information regarding the at least one of a bid and an offer in conjunction with a price change, and further wherein the processor generates a notification message for providing notification to a shopper that a shopper'"'"'s at least one of a bid and an offer is accepted.

12. An apparatus for facilitating a transaction, comprising:

a memory device for storing information regarding at least one of goals and expectations regarding at least one of sales, revenues, profits, and losses, regarding at least one of an establishment and a store;

a processor for processing at least one of sales information, revenue information, profit information, and loss information, in conjunction with the at least one of goals and expectations, wherein the processor determines if the at least one of goals and expectations have been met, and further wherein the processor identifies at least one of a good, a product, and a service, for which a price change is recommended, and further wherein the processor determines a price change for the at least one of a good, a product, and a service.

20. An apparatus for facilitating a transaction, comprising:

a memory device for storing information regarding at least one of a good, a product, a service, and at least two affiliated marketing program participants;

a processor for processing a requesting individual'"'"'s at least one of request for information regarding the at least one of a good, a product, and a service, and at least one of a bid and an offer to purchase the at least one of a good, a product, and a service, wherein the processor processes at least one of the request for information and the at least one of a bid and an offer in conjunction with information stored in the memory device, wherein the processor at least one of determines whether a referring establishment can at least one of provide the requested information and provide the at least one of a good, a product, and a service, and whether an affiliated marketing program participant can at least one of provide the requested information and provide the at least one of a good, a product, and a service, and further wherein the processor generates a report in response to at least one of the request for information regarding the at least one of a good, a product, and a service, and at least one of a bid and an offer to purchase the at least one of a good, a product, and a service, wherein the report contains at least one of a response to the request, a response to the bid, an offer to sell the at least one of a good, a product, and a service, a counteroffer to the bid, an offer to sell at least one of a comparable, complementary, supplementary, and accessory, at least one of good, product, and service, an upsell offer, at least one of a coupon and an electronic coupon, an affiliated marketing program participant'"'"'s at least one of a response to the request, a response to the bid, an offer to sell the at least one of a good, a product, and a service, a counteroffer to the bid, an offer to sell at least one of a comparable, complementary, supplementary, and accessory, at least one of good, product, and service, an upsell offer, and at least one of a coupon and an electronic coupon, and

a transmitter for transmitting the report to a communication device associated with the requesting individual.