System and method for product attribute comparison

• US 20050240525A1
• Filed: 04/21/2005
• Published: 10/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Rajesh Arjun Bagayatkar
• Original Assignee: Rajesh Arjun Bagayatkar
• Inventors: Bagayatkar, Rajesh Arjun
• Application Number:
  US11/111,195
• Publication Number:
  US 20050240525A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

Product attribute comparison after a product is purchased is provided. In an embodiment, relevant product attribute(s) (e.g., product purchase price) are received from a purchase receipt, which are compared against the current value of the attribute offered by the seller, wherein if a desirable attribute change has occurred (e.g., the price for the same or similar product has dropped) the buyer is alerted. Some embodiments further automatically effecting a refund to the buyer when the desirable attribute change was detected.

Claims

1. A system for product attribute comparison related to a product purchase transaction between at least one seller and a buyer, the seller generating a receipt documenting that the product was purchased by the buyer from the seller, the system comprising:

means for receiving at least one relevant product attribute from the purchase receipt;

means for comparing said at least one received product attribute against the current value of the attribute offered by the at least one seller and detecting if a desirable attribute change has occurred; and

means for alerting the buyer if said desirable attribute change was detected.

2. The product attribute comparison system of claim 1 further comprising means for automatically effecting a refund to the buyer if said desirable attribute change was detected.

3. The product attribute comparison system of claim 1 further comprising:

means for generating a product attribute tracking report; and

means for delivering said product attribute tracking report to the buyer.

4. The product attribute comparison system of claim 1 further comprising means for tracking a product trade-in offer by the seller.

5. The product attribute comparison system of claim 1, wherein said desirable attribute change was detected during a product return period specified by the seller.

6. The product attribute comparison system of claim 1 further comprising means for receiving from the buyer an indication of which of said at least one product attributes said comparing means will use as a basis for comparison.

7. The product attribute comparison system of claim 1 wherein said comparing means compares said at least one product attribute with a similar product attribute of functionally equivalent product.

8. A method for product attribute comparison related to a product purchase transaction between at least one seller and a buyer, the seller generating a receipt documenting that the product was purchased by the buyer from the seller, the method comprising the Steps of:

receiving at least one relevant product attribute from the purchase receipt;

comparing said at least one received product attribute against the current value of the attribute offered by the at least one seller and detecting if a desirable attribute change has occurred; and

alerting the buyer if said desirable attribute change was detected.

9. The product attribute comparison method of claim 8 further comprising the Step of automatically effecting a refund to the buyer if said desirable attribute change was detected.

10. The product attribute comparison method of claim 8 further comprising the Steps of:

generating a product attribute tracking report; and

delivering said product attribute tracking report to the buyer.

11. The product attribute comparison method of claim 8 further comprising the Step of tracking a product trade-in offer by the seller.

12. The product attribute comparison method of claim 8, wherein the Step of alerting occurs when the desirable attribute change was detected during a product return period specified by the seller.

13. The product attribute comparison method of claim 8 further comprising the Step of receiving from the buyer an indication of which of said at least one product attributes will be use as a basis for comparison in the comparing Step.

14. The product attribute comparison method of claim 8 wherein the comparing Step compares said at least one product attribute with a similar product attribute of functionally equivalent product.

15. A computer program product for product attribute comparison related to a product purchase transaction between at least one seller and a buyer, the seller generating a receipt documenting that the product was purchased by the buyer from the seller, the computer program product comprising:

computer code that receives at least one relevant product attribute from the purchase receipt;

computer code that compares said at least one received product attribute against the current value of the attribute offered by the at least one seller and detecting if a desirable attribute change has occurred;

computer code that alerts the buyer if said desirable attribute change was detected; and

a computer-readable medium that stores the computer code.

16. The computer program product according to claim 15, further comprising computer code that automatically effects a refund to the buyer if said desirable attribute change was detected.

17. The computer program product according to claim 15, further comprising:

computer code that generates a product attribute tracking report; and

computer code that delivers said product attribute tracking report to the buyer.

18. The computer program product according to claim 15, further comprising computer code that tracks a product trade-in offer by the seller.

19. The computer program product according to claim 15, further comprising computer code that receives from the buyer an indication of which of said at least one product attributes said comparing means will use as a basis for comparison.

20. The computer program product according to claim 15, wherein the computer-readable medium is one selected from the group consisting of a data signal embodied in a carrier wave, a CD-ROM, a hard disk, a floppy disk, a tape drive, and semiconductor memory