Customer-operated ordering system that sets prices based on customer profile

• US 20070005439A1
• Filed: 12/06/2005
• Published: 01/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: EMN8 Incorporated
• Original Assignee: EMN8 Incorporated
• Inventors: Sidlo, Paul, Dunn, Walter
• Application Number:
  US11/296,570
• Publication Number:
  US 20070005439A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1014 to tokens
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1078 Logging; Metering
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/109 by using specially-adapted hardware at the client
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/34 involving the use of external additional devices, e.g. dongles or smart cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/35 communicating wirelessly
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2101 Auditing as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2115 Third party
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2117 User registration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2119 Authenticating web pages, e.g. with suspicious links
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2121 Chip on media, e.g. a disk or tape with a chip embedded in its case
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2135 Metering
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2151 Time stamp
• 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 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/202 Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/204 comprising interface for record bearing medium or carrier for electronic funds transfer or payment credit
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0625 : Directed, with specific intent or strategy
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 : Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 : Graphical representation of items or shoppers
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/00 : Mechanisms actuated by objects other than coins to free or to actuate vending, hiring, coin or paper currency dispensing or refunding apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 27/00 : Combined visual and audible advertising or displaying, e.g. for public address

Abstract

A customer-operated ordering system and method that automatically sets the price of an item offered to a customer to purchase based on a stored profile of that customer. The system may include an input device, output device, customer profile storage media, sales price storage media, price rules storage media and a processing system.

Claims

1. A customer-operated ordering system comprising:

an input device;

an output device;

customer profile storage media configured to store customer profiles about a plurality of customers;

sales price storage media configured to store sales prices;

price rules storage media configured to store price rules that are based on customer profiles;

a processing system configured to;

communicate with the input device, the output device, the customer profile storage media, the sales price storage media and the price rules storage media;

obtain the identity of the customer from the input device;

query the customer profile storage media for a customer profile of the customer based on the obtained identity;

query the price rules storage media for price rules associated with the obtained customer profile;

query the sales price storage media for sales prices; and

deliver sales prices to the output device that are in accordance with the obtained price rules.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the customer-operated ordering system is configured for the customer to select and consummate a sale himself;

the input device is configured to be operated by the customer during the selection and consummation process; and

the output device is configured for the output to be delivered to the customer during the selection and consummation process.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the customer-operated ordering system offers to sell items from a merchant and certain customer profiles include information about prior purchases made by the customers from that merchant.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the information about prior purchases includes the identity of the products or services that were purchased from that merchant.

5. The system of claim 3 wherein the information about prior purchases includes the type of the products or services that were purchased from that merchant.

6. The system of claim 3 wherein the information about prior purchases includes the sales prices of the products or services that were purchased from that merchant.

7. The system of claim 3 wherein the information about prior purchases includes the number of the products or services that were purchased from that merchant.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the customer-operated ordering system offers to sell items from a merchant and certain customer profiles include information about the number of prior visits by the customers from that merchant.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the customer-operated ordering system offers to sell items from a merchant and wherein certain customer profiles include information about prior contacts that the customers had with that merchant.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the customer-operated ordering system offers to sell items from a merchant and wherein certain customer profiles include information about prior contacts that the customers had with a person other than that merchant.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the customer-operated ordering system offers to sell items from a merchant and wherein certain customer profiles include information about the status of the customer within a loyalty or rewards program of a party other than the merchant.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein certain customer profiles include demographic information about the customers.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein certain price rules affect the price of only some of the items that the customer-operated ordering system offers to sell.

14. The system of claim 1 wherein the customer-operated ordering system offers to sell items from a merchant and certain price rules are based on information about prior purchases made by the customers from that merchant.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the information about prior purchases includes the identity of the products or services that were purchased from that merchant.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein the information about prior purchases includes the type of the products or services that were purchased from that merchant.

17. The system of claim 14 wherein the information about prior purchases includes the sales prices of the products or services that were purchased from that merchant.

18. The system of claim 14 wherein the information about prior purchases includes the number of the products or services that were purchased from that merchant.

19. The system of claim 1 wherein the customer-operated ordering system offers to sell items from a merchant and certain price rules are based on information about the number of prior visits by the customers to that merchant.

20. The system of claim 1 wherein the customer-operated ordering system offers to sale items from a merchant and wherein certain price rules are based on information about prior contacts that the customers had with that merchant.

21. The system of claim 1 wherein the customer-operated ordering system offers to sale items from a merchant and wherein certain price rules are based on information about prior contacts that the customers had with a person other than that merchant.

22. The system of claim 1 wherein the customer-operated ordering system offers to sell items from a merchant and wherein certain price rules are based in information about the status of the customer within a loyalty or rewards program of a party other than the merchant.

23. The system of claim 1 wherein certain price rules are based on demographic information about the customers.

24. A customer-operated ordering process comprising:

obtaining the identity of a customer from an input device;

querying a customer profile storage media containing customer profiles about a plurality of customers for a customer profile of the customer based on the obtained identify;

querying a price rules storage media containing price rules that are based on customer profiles for price rules associated with the obtained customer profile;

querying a sales price storage media containing sales prices; and

delivering sales prices to an output device that are in accordance with the obtained price rules.

25. A customer-operated ordering system including a computer-based processing system configured to automatically sets the price of an item offered to a customer to purchase based on a stored profile of that customer.

26. A customer-operated ordering process including setting the price of an item offered to a customer using a computer-based processing system based on a stored profile of that customer.

27. An ordering system including a computer-based processing system that automatically sets the price of an item offered to a customer to purchase based on a stored profile of that customer.

28. An ordering process including setting the price of an item offered to a customer using a computer-based processing system based on a stored profile of that customer.