Item rental process

• US 20060026031A1
• Filed: 07/29/2005
• Published: 02/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Gregory John Gentling
• Original Assignee: Gregory John Gentling
• Inventors: Gentling, Gregory John
• Application Number:
  US11/192,573
• Publication Number:
  US 20060026031A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/27
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0637 Strategic management or analysis, e.g. setting a goal or target of an organisation; Planning actions based on goals; Analysis or evaluation of effectiveness of goals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0645 Rental transactions; Leasing transactions

Abstract

A process for a distributor to rent items comprises the steps of providing an inventory of items available for rental and establishing a membership list of customers. Each membership in the membership list may include a plurality of customers with one of the plurality of customers being designated to pay for rentals and return rented items to the distributor after a selected time. Each customer may establish a prioritized choice list of preferred items for rental. An account validation is performed for each customer having a choice list, and the inventory is checked to determine availability of items on the customer choice lists of validated accounts. A priority engine arbitrates between conflicting choices of different customers. The most preferred item that is available to each customer based upon the inventory and the customer priority is then shipped to each customer that has requested a rental.

Claims

1. A process for a distributor to rent items including video games, video tapes and digital video discs, comprising:

providing an inventory of items available for rental;

establishing a membership list of customers;

allowing each customer to establish a choice list of preferred items for rental;

performing an account validation for each customer that has established a choice list;

checking the inventory to determine availability of items that are on the customer choice lists of validated accounts;

providing a priority engine that uses selected criteria to arbitrate between conflicting choices of different customers; and

shipping to each customer whose account has been validated the most preferred item on the customer'"'"'s choice list that is available to the customer based upon the inventory and the customer'"'"'s priority as determined by the priority engine.

2. The process of claim 1 wherein each membership in the membership list may include a plurality of customers with one of the plurality of customers being designated to pay for rentals and return rented items to the distributor after a selected time.