Transaction system and method

• US 20060277111A1
• Filed: 06/07/2005
• Published: 12/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: AXON Technologies Corporation
• Original Assignee: AXON Technologies Corporation
• Inventors: Bevis, Paul Desmond
• Application Number:
  US11/147,007
• Publication Number:
  US 20060277111A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

A method, system, computer program and apparatus for facilitating a sales transaction in relation to goods and/or services wherein the consumer: is provided with a list of one or more online member merchants selling goods and/or services in which the consumer is interested based upon the payment type accepted by online merchants; orders goods and/or services of a selected online member merchant, receives payment information in relation to said ordered goods and/or services, and makes payment for said ordered goods and/or services at an offline member merchant. Upon receipt of payment, a confirmation message is sent to the online member merchant, who then delivers the goods and/or services to the consumer.

Claims

1. A method for facilitating a sales transaction in relation to goods and/or services, said method including the steps of:

providing a consumer with a list of one or more online member merchants offering goods and/or services by payment type accepted by online member merchants;

the consumer selecting goods and/or services to purchase and generating an online order for said selected goods and/or services and causing transmission of the order to an online member merchant;

providing payment information to the consumer in relation to said ordered goods and/or services;

the consumer providing payment for said ordered goods and/or services at an offline member merchant;

the offline member merchant causing transmission of a confirmation message to said selected online member merchant in relation to receipt of payment; and

said selected online member merchant providing said ordered goods and/or services to the consumer.

2. A method according to claim 1, said method further including the following step:

allowing the consumer to conduct an online search of member merchants and/or goods and/or services based on selected criteria.

3. A method according to claim 1, said method further including the following step:

providing physical location information to the consumer in relation to offline member merchants.

4. A method according to claim 1, said method further including the following step:

transmitting funds from the offline member merchant to said selected online member merchant.

5. A method according claim 1 wherein the payment information includes a machine readable code.

6. A method according to claim 5 wherein the machine readable code is a printed barcode.

7. A method according to claim 1 wherein a member merchant is both an online member merchant and an offline member merchant.

8. A method according to claim 1 wherein online member merchants subscribe to register as an available online merchant for consumers and remain available for the period of their subscription.

9. A method according to claim 1 wherein online member merchants and/or consumers may register to participate in a loyalty reward scheme such that purchases from an online member that participates in the reward scheme accrues reward points for the consumer.

10. A method according to claim 9 wherein the criteria for selecting an online member merchant includes whether the online member merchant is a participant in a loyalty reward scheme.

11. A system for facilitating a sales transaction in relation to goods and/or services, said system including:

a computer server connected to a data communications network operable to provide a consumer with a list of one or more online member merchants offering goods and/or services by payment type accepted by online member merchants;

a communication device connected to the data communications network and operable for the consumer to select goods and/or services to purchase from an online member merchant and generate an online order for the goods and/or services selected and transmitting the order through the data communications network to the online member merchant;

an online order receiving means operable to receive orders and generate a notification that provides payment information to the consumer in relation to said ordered goods and/or services;

payment receiving means located at an offline merchant having a physical location which the consumer can visit and provide payment for said ordered goods and/or services, said payment receiving means recording receipt of payment; and

offline member merchant communication means for transmitting a confirmation message to said selected online member merchant to notify receipt of payment to said selected online member merchant for the provision of said ordered goods and/or services to the consumer.

12. A system according to claim 11, said system further including:

notification means for providing physical location information to the consumer in relation to offline member merchants.

13. A system according to claim 11, said system further including:

transmission means for transmitting funds from the offline member merchant to said selected online member merchant.

14. A system according to claim 11 wherein the payment information includes a machine readable code.

15. A system according to claim 14 wherein the machine readable code is a printed barcode.

16. A system according to claim 11 wherein a member merchant is both an online member merchant and an offline member merchant.

17. A system according to claim 11, said system further including:

searching means for consumers to conduct an online search for goods/services of interest including one or more of the following search criteria;

the goods and/or services of interest;

the status of online merchants with respect to participation in a loyalty reward scheme;

or

the location of offline member merchants through which payments are processed.

18. A computer program embodied on a computer readable medium forfacilitating sales transactions in relation to goods and/or services, said computer program including:

computer instruction code for listing one or more online member merchants offering selected goods and/or services to consumers by payment type accepted by online member merchants;

computer instruction code for receiving online orders from consumers of selected goods and/or services at a selected online member merchant;

computer instruction code for transmitting orders to said selected online member merchants;

computer instruction code for providing payment information to consumers in relation to said ordered goods and/or services;

computer instruction code for receiving, from offline member merchants, confirmation of payments from consumers (or said ordered goods and/or services; and

computer instruction code for transmitting confirmation messages to said selected online member merchants in relation to receipt of payments.

19. A computer program according to claim 18, said computer program further including:

computer instruction code for consumers to conduct an online search of member merchants, and/or goods and/or services based on selected criteria.

20. A computer program according to claim 18, said computer program (further including:

computer instruction code for providing location information to the consumer in relation to offline member merchants.

21. A computer program according to claim 18, said computer program further including:

computer instruction code for initiating transmission of funds from the offline member merchant to said selected online member merchant

22. A computer program according to claim 18 wherein the payment information includes a machine readable code.

23. A computer program according to claim 22 wherein the machine readable code is a printed barcode.

24. A computer program according to claim 18 where, in the instance of a consumer purchase from an online member merchant and both the consumer and the online member merchant are participants in a loyalty reward scheme, the computer program includes computer instruction code for crediting a consumer'"'"'s account with loyalty rewards in proportion to the purchase from the online member merchant.

25. A server for facilitating a sales transaction in relation to goods and/or services, said server including:

listing means for providing a listing of one or more online member merchants offering selected goods and/or services to a consumer according to payment type accepted by online member merchants;

order receiving means for receiving an online order from the interested consumer of selected goods and/or services of a selected online member merchant;

order transmitting means for transmitting said order to said selected online member merchant;

communication means for providing payment information to the consumer in relation to said ordered goods and/or services;

payment confirmation receiving means for receiving from an offline member merchant, confirmation of payment from the consumer for said ordered goods and/or services; and

message transmitting means for transmitting a confirmation message to said selected online member merchant in relation to receipt of payment.

26. A server according to claim 25, said server further including:

searching means for consumers to conduct an online search for goods/services of interest including one or more of the following search criteria;

the goods and/or services of interest;

the status of online merchants with respect to participation in a loyalty. reward scheme;

or

the location of offline member merchants through which payments are processed.

27. A server according to claim 25, said server further including:

communication means for providing location information to the consumer in relation to offline member merchants.

28. A server according to claim 25, said server further including:

communication means for initiating transmission of funds from the offline member merchant to said selected online member merchant.

29. A server according to claim 25 wherein the payment information includes a machine readable code.

30. A server according to claim 29 wherein the machine readable code is a printed barcode.

31. (canceled)