System and method for swapping of tangible items

• US 20060080226A1
• Filed: 09/20/2005
• Published: 04/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: National Book SWAP LLC
• Original Assignee: National Book SWAP LLC
• Inventors: Pickering, Richard
• Granted Patent: US 7,877,315 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/37
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0838 Historical data
• 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

Abstract

A system and method for an on-line swapping service. The service registers members and allows members to list items that each member is willing to swap in exchange for credits with the service for an item from listed by another member. An example of the items that may be swapped using the swapping service is books, such as paperback books. To facilitate delivery through the mail of an item from one member to another member, a printable mailing wrapper is created by the system with the appropriate destination address. The system emails, downloads or otherwise sends the mailing wrapper to the member who is in position of the item to be shipped. That member simply prints the mailing wrapper on a standard printer, and wraps it around the item to be shipped via standard postal services.

Claims

1. A method for an on-line swapping service of items, comprising:

a. registering new members to the on-line swapping service;

b. storing data associated with items listed by each of at least two or more respective members of the swapping service;

c. presenting data to the members pertaining to the items listed by other members;

d. receiving a request from a first member for an item listed by a second member;

e. sending a notice to the second member advising the second member to deliver the item to the first member or to another party; and

f. allocating a credit to the second member upon shipment of the item thereby allowing the second member to use the credit to request an item from another member.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein (a) registering new members comprises receiving payment of a membership fee that is greater than the value of a single item.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein (e) sending a notice to the second member comprises advising the second member to deliver the item to a third member of the swapping service.

4. The method of claim 1, and further comprising receiving information from the first member that indicates to the second member to deliver the item to a party who is not a member of the swapping service.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein (e) sending comprises sending an email message to the second member, wherein the email message contains link embedded therein, that when selected connects the second member to the service'"'"'s web site and provides instructions to the second member about accepting or denying the request for the item from the first member.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein (e) sending comprises sending en email message containing said link together with alphanumeric characters that allow the second member to connect to the service'"'"'s web site without having to enter user name and password information.

7. The method of claim 1, and further comprising providing a mailing wrapper in the form of a document to the second member, wherein the document contains the mailing address of the party to receive the item and the documented is formatted so that it may be printed from a standard computer printer using standard printer paper.

8. The method of claim 7, and further comprising including the mailing address of the party to receive the item on the mailing wrapper without requiring that the second member know the first member or have exchanged information with the first member.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein providing the mailing wrapper comprises sending an email with a link to the wrapper document stored by the system.

10. The method of claim 7, and further comprising filling information into fields in the document for the mailing wrapper and positioning the text for the mailing address of the party to receive the item at a location on the document such that when the document is printed by a printer on a standard sheet of paper (8.5×

11 inches), it will appear at position commonly used for the destination mailing address when applied to the item.

11. The method of claim 10, and further comprising including data for printing a barcode on the document, wherein the barcode represents postal routing information that is electronically ready by the postal service.

12. The method of claim 11, and further comprising including data for the zip plus four code information in the document or alternative routing code provided by the postal service.

13. The method of claim 7, and further comprising receiving data from the first member containing a message that is to be displayed to a recipient of the item to be delivered by the second member, inserting text into the document corresponding to the message at a position on the document such that it is readily visible when printed on a sheet of paper and included with the item to be shipped.

14. The method of claim 7, and further comprising providing a second document containing a message created by the second member that is intended to be private, wherein the second document includes instructions to indicate that it is to be placed inside the mailing wrapper document when applied to the item, such that the message created by the second member is not visible until the mailing wrapper is removed by the recipient party.

15. The method of claim 7, and further comprising providing instructions to indicate to a user how to place the mailing wrapper document around the item for shipment.

16. The method of claim 1, and further comprising requesting information from the second member that describes the dimensions of the item;

computing an approximate shipping fee for shipping the item based on the information; and

providing information related to the approximate fee to the second member, wherein the approximate fee may be a postage fee or shipping fee of another shipping service.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein (e) sending the notice to the second member comprises the step of informing the second member to deliver the item to a drop box container at a location convenient to the first member and the second member.

18. The method of claim 1, and further comprising sending a notice to the second member asking whether the second member can deliver the item within a predetermined period of time.

19. The method of claim 18, and further comprising searching for a third member who has listed the same item if the second member indicates that he cannot deliver the item within the predetermined period of time.

20. The method of claim 19, and further comprising sending a notice to a third member who also listed the same item if the second member indicates that he can not deliver the item within the predetermined period of time, wherein the notice advises the third member to deliver the item.

21. The method of claim 1, and further comprising receiving from a member a unique identification number for an item to be listed as available for swapping by the member.

22. The method of claim 21, and further comprising accessing a database of information for an item based on a unique identification number of an item received from a member.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein storing data comprises storing data for a list of items available for swapping between members.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein the unique identification number is an ISBN.

25. The method of claim 1, and further comprising consummating an electronic transaction with a member to purchase additional credits with the service in exchange for payment of a fee.

26. The method of claim 1, and further comprising accumulating data for items of members that are willing to swap such items for items of other members thereby forming an electronic database of items available for swapping between members.

27. The method of claim 26, and further comprising storing a wish list including data that describes one or more items desired by a member but which items are not contained in said inventory.

28. The method of claim 27, and further comprising sending a notice to a member when an item is newly listed by a member that matches an item in said member'"'"'s wish list, said notice including an instruction to said member to request the item that matches an item on the member'"'"'s wish list if the member still desires it.

29. The method of claim 26, and further comprising storing search criteria pertaining to a search made by for a member for one or more specific items;

and automatically and periodically executing said search based on the stored search criteria for said specific items in the inventory.

30. The method of claim 29, and further comprising sending to the member a notice that contains data for items that match the search criteria.

31. The method of claim 26, and further comprising storing criteria pertaining to one or more categories of items of interest to a member in response to selection of said criteria by the member;

and automatically and periodically executing a search based on said criteria to obtain a list of items that match said criteria.

32. The method of claim 31, and further comprising sending to the member a notice that contains data for items that match the criteria.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein storing criteria comprises storing information pertaining to one or more genres of literature, music or motion pictures.

34. The method of claim 1, and further comprising storing data for one or more other members that a particular member desires to monitor items listed by the one or more other members with the swapping service;

and upon receiving a request by said particular member, presenting data to said particular member for the one or more items listed by the one or more other members.

35. The method of claim 34, and further comprising sending a notice to the one or more other members informing the one or more other members that said particular member desires to monitor items listed by the one or more other members;

and upon receiving a response from the one or more members granting the list viewing privileges, storing data related to the list viewing privileges granted to said particular member by the one or more other members.

36. The method of claim 34, wherein storing data related to the list viewing privileges further comprises storing data indicating that said particular member may view a wish list including data that describes one or more items desired by the one or more other members but which items are not contained in said inventory.

37. The method of claim 34, and further comprising storing data for a plurality of items contained in the items list by another member with the swapping service that are desired by said particular member;

and sending a notice to the other member informing said other member that said particular member desires said plurality of items listed by said other member and inquiring whether said other member wishes to engage in a trade with said particular member.

38. The method of claim 37, and further comprising presenting to said other member data pertaining to items listed by said particular member with the swapping service, and storing data pertaining to a plurality of items listed by said particular member that are desired by said other member.

39. The method of claim 38, and further comprising sending a notification to said particular member indicating that said other member is willing to trade said plurality of items desired by said other member that are listed by said particular member for the plurality of items desired by said particular member listed by said other member.

40. The method of claim 39, and further comprising storing data indicating the said particular member and said other member have completed negotiation for a trade of items between each other without the use of credits by said particular member or said other member if the trade is for an equal number of items.

41. The method of claim 40, and further comprising storing data indicating a desire priority that said particular member has in the plurality of items listed by said other member.

42. The method of claim 1, and further comprising accumulating data pertaining to the swapping of items between members;

and generating data for displaying on a map the geographical locations of members to which items were shipped by a particular member, and/or from which said particular member received items from other members.

43. The method of claim 1, wherein (d) receiving comprises receiving a request from the first member for a plurality of items listed by the second member such that the second member can ship the plurality of items to the first member in bulk so as to save shipping expenses per item shipped.

44. The method of claim 43, wherein (f) allocating comprises allocating a plurality of credits to the second member based on the plurality of items shipped by the second member to the first member.

45. The method of claim 1, and further comprising assigning a request identifier to the item requested by the first member for the second member;

obtaining a tracking identifier from a delivery service provider for shipment of the item by the delivery service provider; and

matching the tracking identifier to the request identifier.

46. The method of claim 45, and further comprising electronically receiving an indication from the delivery service provider'"'"'s delivery tracking system that the delivery service provider completed delivery of the item to the first member.

47. The method of claim 46, wherein (f) allocating is responsive to receiving said indication from delivery service provider'"'"'s delivery tracking system.

48. The method of claim 45, and further comprising electronically receiving delivery status information from the delivery service provider'"'"'s delivery tracking system pertaining to said item;

and supplying information to the first member or second member indicating delivery status of the item based on information received from the delivery service provider'"'"'s delivery tracking system.

49. The method of claim 1, wherein in response to (d) receiving, further comprising searching said data to determine which of a plurality members has listed the item;

and selecting one of multiple members who has listed said item by which member first in time listed said item.

50. The method of claim 49, wherein searching comprises searching said data to identify a member located in a particular geographical region proximate the first member;

and wherein selecting comprises selecting said one of the multiple members as the member located in said particular geographical region that first in time listed the item.

51. The method of claim 1, and further comprising accumulating data pertaining to the swapping of items between members;

and generating data for displaying on a map the geographical locations of members to which a particular item was shipped prior to its shipment to the member that has most recently requested said particular item.

52. The method of claim 1, and further comprising electronically communicating correspondence between two members to enable them to negotiate a swap of multiple items between each other without the use of credits, and to thereby allow for bulk shipment of said multiple items between each other to reduce the overall shipment costs.