Interactive computer-implemented system and method for negotiating sale of goods and/or services

• US 20050033660A1
• Filed: 09/15/2004
• Published: 02/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Travelport Incorporated (Travelport Worldwide Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Netmarket Group Inc.
• Inventors: Solomon, Robert S.
• Granted Patent: US 8,498,944 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0611 Request for offers or quotes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

A computer-implemented method and system for negotiating the purchase of goods and/or services by customers utilizes a simulated human merchant having predefined behavioral attributes. An algorithm representing behavioral attributes of a simulated human merchant is used to receive customer input data relating to particular goods and/or services desired to be purchased. The customer input data is processed to generate merchant responses to the customer input data, and the sale of goods and/or services are agreed to at a particular price as a result of processing of customer replies to merchant responses according to the algorithm.

Claims

1. An interactive, computer-implemented system for negotiating purchases of goods and/or services, comprising:

a database storing merchant character data which simulates a merchant;

interface means for enabling a customer to input data relating to the purchase of particular goods and/or services; and

a database engine which utilizes said merchant character data and said data inputted by a customer to generate responses to said data inputted by said customer;

whereby the occurrence of a sale for said particular goods and/or services at a specific price is determined as a function of customer replies to merchant responses to customer-inputted data.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein merchant responses include graphical depictions of facial expressions indicating emotional state.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein customer input data includes indication of a customer'"'"'s emotional state.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said database stores customer profile data and historical customer result data.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said database stores merchant character data for a plurality of different merchants, each merchant being associated with particular categories of goods and/or services.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said database engine outputs textual dialogue indicative of the emotional state of a merchant.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is implemented on a distributed network.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein said distributed network is the Internet, and said interface means comprises a Web browser.

9. A computer-implemented method for negotiating the purchase of goods and/or services by customers utilizing a simulated merchant represented by stored merchant data, comprising the steps of:

storing an algorithm representing character data of a simulated merchant;

receiving customer input data relating to particular goods and/or services desired to be purchased;

processing said customer input data according to said stored algorithm to generate merchant responses to said customer input data; and

agreeing to sell said goods and/or services to a customer at a particular price as a result of processing of customer replies to merchant responses according to said algorithm.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein merchant responses include graphical depictions of facial expressions indicating emotional state.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein customer input data includes indication of a customer'"'"'s emotional state.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of storing customer profile data and historical customer result data.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of storing merchant character data for a plurality of different merchants, each merchant being associated with particular categories of goods and/or services.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of outputting textual dialogue indicative of the emotional state of a merchant.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the method is implemented on a distributed network.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said distributed network is the Internet, and said customer input data is received by a Web browser.

17. A computer-implemented method for negotiating the purchase of goods and/or services by customers utilizing a simulated merchant represented by stored merchant data, comprising the steps of:

receiving customer input data relating to particular goods and/or services desired to be purchased;

processing said customer input data to generate merchant responses to said customer input data, said merchant responses containing offers of additional goods and/or services to said customer as negotiating factors for the purchase of said particular goods and/or services; and

agreeing to sell goods and/or services to a customer at a particular price as a result of processing of customer replies to merchant responses according to a predetermined algorithm.