On-line interactive system and method for transacting business

• US 20050171862A1
• Filed: 04/01/2005
• Published: 08/04/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Duncan Ventures Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Duncan Ventures Incorporated
• Inventors: Duncan, Dana B.
• Granted Patent: US 7,249,078 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0611 Request for offers or quotes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/60 Business processes related to postal services shipping G06Q10/083; franking apparatus G07B17/00

Abstract

The present invention includes a method for transacting business over a network between multiple buyers and sellers. In an exemplary embodiment, the invention operates within an improved extranet system which is a secure, limited access network which operates within the larger public packet switched network (Internet) and allows only registered buyers and sellers to access the website while the system communicates with, and takes advantage of, existing credit, billing, collection, clearinghouse, insurance, transportation, tracking and banking systems. The interactive database includes real-time information in connection with a transaction, where the buyer submits a request for product and the request for the product locks out the requested product from selection by any other buyers.

Claims

1-37. -37. (canceled)

38. A method for facilitating a sales transaction over a computer network among a buyer, a merchant and a freight carrier, comprising the steps of:

qualifying, by said freight carrier, at least one buyer and at least one merchant to participate in said sales transaction facilitated by a freight carrier, wherein said freight carrier is distinct from said buyer and said merchant, and said freight carrier is a financial facilitator between said buyer and said merchant;

and wherein qualifying includes analyzing merchant qualifying data associated with said merchant, wherein said merchant qualifying data includes at least one of credit information, system users, business references, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HAACP) Compliance Certificate, Food and Drug Administration regulations, site inspection information, designated bank, amount of inventory for posting, percentage of inventory for posting, Certified Insured Freight (CIF), fee structure and payment type;

contractually obligating said merchant to refrain from selling goods associated with a locked out line item, obligating said merchant to relinquish control of said goods to said freight carrier, and transferring responsibility of collection of buyer funds to said freight carrier;

receiving information related to establishing a buyer account containing deposited buyer funds at a financial institution which is associated with said freight carrier;

receiving, by said freight carrier, a buyer account code from said buyer to allow said freight carrier to effect a hold on at least a portion of said deposited buyer funds to establish held buyer funds, wherein said buyer account code corresponds to an account which includes said deposited buyer funds in a buyer account;

receiving, by said freight carrier, a merchant account code from said merchant to allow said freight carrier to effect the depositing of said held buyer funds into a merchant account, wherein said merchant account code is associated with said merchant account;

providing a host database for facilitating on-line display of a plurality of descriptive line items corresponding to, respectively, one of a plurality of available goods from a plurality of merchants, wherein each of said descriptive line items comprises an identification of a unique good available from a unique one of a plurality of merchants;

providing access of said on-line display by said buyer;

receiving selected identification, from said buyer, of a particular one of said plurality of line items for subsequent purchase by buyer;

effecting a lock-out of at least a portion of said identified line item on said on-line display such that at least one of said on-line display indicates unavailability of said line item and a portion of said line item is no longer displayed;

notifying said merchant to remove a unique one of said goods from one of said merchants corresponding to said locked-out line item from available inventory;

analyzing buyer'"'"'s credit;

if buyer'"'"'s credit is satisfactory, directing, by said freight carrier, said financial institution to effect a hold on a portion of said deposited buyer funds equal to a cost of at least one of said goods associated with said identified line item and a transaction fee to establish held buyer funds through the use of said buyer account code and said selected identification, such that said portion of said deposited buyer funds are unavailable for use by said buyer as a result of said hold initiated by said freight carrier,

and closing the transaction;

if buyer'"'"'s credit is unsatisfactory, effecting an unlock of said identified line item on said on-line display such that said identified line item is re-displayed for viewing and un-removing said goods corresponding to said locked-out line item from available inventory;

wherein said closing the transaction comprises the steps of;

effecting the deposit, by said freight carrier, using said merchant account code and a tracking code, of a portion of said held buyer funds into said merchant account; and

,

shipping said goods based on said selected identification and corresponding to said locked-out line item from said merchant to said buyer, via said freight carrier without notifying any third party entity outside of said freight carrier, said merchant and said buyer, wherein said freight carrier includes trucks dedicated to said freight carrier and said freight carrier dispatches said trucks without coordinating with other entities, wherein said trucks are used for shipping said goods.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein allowing said freight carrier to effect a hold on at least a portion of said buyer funds to establish held buyer funds includes effecting a hold on said buyer funds equal to an amount of said transaction plus an amount of a transaction fee.

40. The method of claim 38, wherein providing a host database for facilitating on-line display of a plurality of line items corresponding to available goods from a plurality of merchants includes a plurality of line items corresponding to available goods from a plurality of merchants in a similar industry.

41. The method of claim 38, wherein providing a host database for facilitating on-line display of a plurality of line items further includes on-line display of industry-specific information.

42. The method of claim 38, wherein allowing said freight carrier to effect a hold on at least a portion of said buyer funds to establish held buyer funds includes said freight carrier having a pre-existing relationship with a financial institution which maintains said buyer account.

43. The method of claim 38, wherein effecting the deposit, by said freight carrier, using said merchant account code, of said held buyer funds into said merchant account includes said freight carrier having a pre-existing relationship with a financial institution which maintains said merchant account.

44. The method of claim 38, wherein a first financial institution associated with said buyer account and a second financial institution associated with said merchant account originate in different countries.

45. The method of claim 38, further comprising notifying at least one of said shipper, said buyer, and said merchant in substantially real-time of at least one of analyzing buyer'"'"'s credit and closing the transaction.

46. The method of claim 38, wherein said providing a host database for facilitating on-line display of a plurality of line items corresponding to available goods from a plurality of merchants includes line items corresponding to seafood.

47. The method of claim 38, wherein the merchant may enter information into said host database at least one of product information, SKU numbers, fresh or frozen characteristics of the seafood, type of seafood, sales information, and buyer information.

48. The method of claim 38, wherein said freight carrier has a pre-existing relationship with an international network of financial institutions in different countries

49. The method of claim 38, wherein said freight carrier facilitates, for said buyer and said merchant, at least one of freight insurance services, custom services, tariffs services, duties services, language services, currency services, shipping services at multiple drop points, transaction fee services, clearinghouse services, tracking of goods services, and establishing terms of sale.

50. The method of claim 38, wherein said line items include at least one of product, size, packaging, quality, origin, quantity, SKU and price per pound.

51. The method of claim 38, further including receiving merchant sales data from said merchant, wherein said merchant sales data includes at least one of inventory information, product information, SKU numbers, fresh characteristics of said perishable goods, frozen characteristics of said perishable goods, type of said perishable goods, species name, sales information and buyer information.

52. The method of claim 38, further including receiving buyer input data, wherein said buyer input data includes at least one of price, quantity, fresh characteristics of said perishable goods, frozen characteristics of said perishable goods, packaging, type of perishable goods, species of perishable goods, identification of an existing merchant, drop shipping points, and FOB sites.

53. The method of claim 38, wherein analyzing said buyer'"'"'s credit includes analyzing said buyer'"'"'s credit based upon at least one of said buyer'"'"'s pre-existing profile and credit information within a database of said freight carrier, wherein said buyer'"'"'s profile includes buyer order history information and buyer inspection information.

54. The method of claim 38, further including transmitting an email notification to said buyer and said merchant regarding said held buyer funds.

55. The method of claim 38, further including notifying a CIF inspector to inspect said goods corresponding to said locked-out line item.

56. The method of claim 38, further including creating an invoice including at least one of a bill of material and a bill of lading.

57. The method of claim 38, further including effecting the deposit of a portion of said held buyer funds into an account related to said freight carrier representing a transaction fee.

58. The method of claim 38, wherein shipping said goods includes shipping said goods at a previously selected FOB site associated with said buyer.

59. The method of claim 38, wherein said goods include perishable soft goods having a limited shelf life.

60. The method of claim 38, further including receiving a signature of said buyer on a bill of lading.