Method and apparatus for establishing prices for a plurality of products
First Claim
1. A method for adjusting a price of at least one of a plurality of products, comprising:
- providing an indication of a plurality of products, each of said plurality of products having an initial price;
providing an indication of an available price adjustment;
providing an indication of a subsidy offer associated with said price adjustment, said subsidy offer including at least one qualifying action; and
determining a second price for at least one of said plurality of products.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus for enabling or allowing a merchant to sell one or more products to different customers at different prices and to adjust the prices of one or more products sold or offered for sale on a customer-by-customer basis. More specifically, the method and apparatus enables or allows a customer to commit or agree to perform a qualifying action in return for receiving a price adjustment for one or more products sold by or available from a merchant. The qualifying action may be part of a subsidy offer provided by the merchant to the customer. In exchange for accepting the subsidy offer or completing the qualifying action, the customer receives the price adjustment.
-
Citations
95 Claims
-
1. A method for adjusting a price of at least one of a plurality of products, comprising:
-
providing an indication of a plurality of products, each of said plurality of products having an initial price;
providing an indication of an available price adjustment;
providing an indication of a subsidy offer associated with said price adjustment, said subsidy offer including at least one qualifying action; and
determining a second price for at least one of said plurality of products. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 57, 58, 59)
-
-
56. A method for adjusting a total price for a plurality of products, comprising:
-
providing an indication of a plurality of products;
providing an indication of an initial total price of said plurality of products and a price adjustment;
providing an indication of a subsidy offer associated with said price adjustment, said subsidy offer including at least one qualifying action; and
adjusting said initial total price of said plurality of products by said price adjustment.
-
-
60. A method for adjusting a price for each of a plurality of products, comprising:
-
providing an indication of a plurality of products;
providing an indication of an initial price for each of said plurality of products and a corresponding price adjustment for each of said plurality of products;
providing an indication of a subsidy offer associated with said plurality of products, said subsidy offer including at least one qualifying action; and
adjusting said initial price for at least one of said plurality of products by its corresponding price adjustment. - View Dependent Claims (61, 62, 63, 64)
-
-
65. A method for adjusting a price for one or more items, comprising:
-
providing an indication of a plurality of items;
providing an indication of an initial price for each of said plurality of items and a corresponding price adjustment for each of said plurality of items;
providing an indication of at least one qualifying action associated with at least one of said plurality of items; and
adjusting said initial price for at least one of said plurality of items by its corresponding price adjustment. - View Dependent Claims (66, 67, 68, 70)
-
-
69. A method for adjusting prices of one or more items available at a restaurant, comprising:
-
receiving a request for a list of items associated with a restaurant;
providing an indication of said list, wherein said list includes a plurality of items available from said restaurant, each of said plurality of items having an associated initial price and an associated price adjustment available upon completion of a qualifying action;
receiving an indication of a commitment to complete said qualifying action; and
adjusting the associated initial price of at least one of said plurality of items by its respective price adjustment.
-
-
71. A method for adjusting a price of at least one item available at a restaurant, comprising:
-
receiving a request for a plurality of items associated with a restaurant;
providing an indication of said plurality of items, each of said plurality of items having an associated initial price;
providing an indication of a plurality of qualifying actions associated with said plurality of items, each of said qualifying actions having an associated price adjustment;
receiving an indication of a selected one of said plurality of qualifying actions;
determining an adjusted price for at least one of said plurality of items using said price adjustment associated with said at least one of said plurality of qualifying actions; and
providing an indication of said adjusted price for at least one of said plurality of items. - View Dependent Claims (72, 73, 74)
-
-
75. A method for adjusting prices of at least one item available at a restaurant, comprising:
-
receiving a request for a menu of items associated with a restaurant;
providing an indication of said menu, wherein said indication includes an item available from said restaurant, said item having an associated initial price and an associated price adjustment available upon completion of a qualifying action;
receiving an indication of a commitment to complete said qualifying action; and
determining a second price for said item using said price adjustment.
-
-
76. A method for adjusting prices of one or more items available at a merchant, comprising:
-
receiving an indication of a plurality of items, each of said plurality of items having an associated initial price;
receiving an indication a second price for at least one of said plurality of items;
requesting a verification of said second price; and
receiving an indication of a verification of said second price. - View Dependent Claims (77, 79)
-
-
78. A method for adjusting prices of one or more items available at a merchant, comprising:
-
establishing a respective initial price for each of a plurality of items available at a merchant;
providing an indication of said plurality of items;
receiving an indication of an adjustment in price for at least one of said plurality of items;
requesting a verification of said price adjustment; and
receiving an indication of a verification of said adjustment in price.
-
-
80. A method for adjusting the price of an item, comprising:
-
receiving an indication of a plurality of items, each of said plurality of items having an initial price;
receiving an indication of a price adjustment;
receiving an indication of a subsidy offer associated with said price adjustment, said subsidy offer including at least one qualifying action; and
receiving an indication of a second price for at least one of said plurality of items.
-
-
81. A method for adjusting prices of one or more items available at a restaurant, comprising:
-
providing a request for a list of items associated with a restaurant;
receiving an indication of said list, wherein said list includes a plurality of items available from said restaurant, each of said plurality of items having an associated initial price and an associated price adjustment available upon completion of a qualifying action;
providing an indication of a commitment to complete said qualifying action; and
receiving an indication of an adjustment of at least one of said plurality of items item initial price by its respective price adjustment.
-
-
82. A method for allowing a third party to subsidize a price of an item available from a merchant, comprising:
-
providing an indication of a commitment to subsidize a price reduction for at least one item available from a merchant, said commitment having an associated qualifying action;
receiving an indication of a completion of said qualifying action; and
providing a subsidization amount. - View Dependent Claims (83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91)
-
-
92. A system for adjusting the price of at least one product, comprising:
-
a memory;
a communication port; and
a processor connected to said memory and said communication port, said processor being operative to;
provide an indication of a plurality of products, each of said plurality of products having an initial price;
provide an indication of a price adjustment;
provide an indication of a subsidy offer associated with said price adjustment, said subsidy offer including at least one qualifying action; and
determine a second price for at least one of said plurality of products.
-
-
93. A computer readable medium for use in a pricing system, the computer readable medium storing a computer program comprising:
-
computer readable means for sending an indication of a plurality of products, each of said plurality of products having an initial price;
computer readable means for sending an indication of a price adjustment;
computer readable means for sending an indication of a subsidy offer associated with said price adjustment, said subsidy offer including at least one qualifying action; and
computer readable means for establishing a second price for at least one of said plurality of products.
-
-
94. An article of manufacture, comprising:
a computer usable medium having a computer readable program means embodied therein for operating an information system, the computer readable program means in said article of manufacture operable to;
provide an indication of a plurality of products, each of said plurality of products having an initial price;
provide an indication of a price adjustment;
provide an indication of a subsidy offer associated with said price adjustment, said subsidy offer including at least one qualifying action; and
determine a second price for at least one of said plurality of products.
-
95. An apparatus, comprising:
-
means for sending an indication of a plurality of products, each of said plurality of products having an initial price;
means for sending an indication of a price adjustment;
means for sending an indication of a subsidy offer associated with said price adjustment, said subsidy offer including at least one qualifying action; and
means for establishing a second price for at least one of said plurality of products.
-
Specification