BUILDERS ON-LINE ASSISTANT
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus are provided for servicing a customer of a builder by a third-party website provider. The method includes the steps of providing a first website by the third-party website provider for use by the customer in viewing and selecting product options for product offerings provided by the builder, receiving from the customer through the first website views and selections of an option of the options provided by the builder and collecting a fee or commission based upon the received selection made by the customer.
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Citations
243 Claims
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1-41. -41. (canceled)
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42. A method of servicing a customer of a building contractor through a third-party website provider, such method comprising the steps of:
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the customer and building contractor entering into a contract to build or rehabilitate real estate for the customer at a building site of the real estate, said entered contract forming a pre-existing contract;
providing a first website by the third-party website provider, said first website being password protected by a password of the customer, said website providing for selection by the customer of product, service or installation service options of product, service or installation service offerings available from or through the building contractor for installation at the building site under the pre-existing contract to build or rehabilitate the real estate for the customer;
providing a second website associated with the first website by the third-party website provider for entry of information related to the customer by the building contractor, said second website being password protected by a password of the building contractor;
receiving from the customer through the first website a selection of an option of the options provided by the building contractor associated with the pre-existing contract; and
collecting a fee or commission from the building contractor based upon the received selection made by the customer.
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43. A method of servicing a customer of a building contractor through a third-party website provider, such method comprising the steps of:
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the customer and building contractor entering into a contract to build or rehabilitate real estate for the customer at a building site of the real estate, said entered contract forming a pre-existing contract;
providing a first website by the third-party website provider, said first website being password protected by a password of the customer, said website providing for selection by the customer of product, service or installation service options of product, service or installation service offerings available from or through the building contractor for installation at the building site under the pre-existing contract to build or rehabilitate the real estate for the customer;
providing a second website associated with the first website by the third-party website provider for entry of information related to the customer by the building contractor, said second website being password protected by a password of the building contractor;
the second website providing a webpage associated with a feature offered by the building contractor; and
receiving from the customer through the first website a selection of an option of the options provided by the building contractor associated with the pre-existing contract.
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44. A method of servicing a customer of a building contractor through a third-party website provider, such method comprising the steps of:
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the customer and building contractor entering into a contract to build or rehabilitate real estate for the customer at a building site of the real estate, said entered contract forming a pre-existing contract;
providing a first website by the third-party website provider, said first website being password protected by a password of the customer, said website providing product, service or installation service options of product, service or installation service offerings available from or through the building contractor for installation at the building site under the pre-existing contract to build or rehabilitate the real estate for the customer;
providing a second website associated with the first website by the third-party website provider for entry of information related to the customer by the building contractor, said second website being password protected by a password of the building contractor;
the second website providing a webpage associated with a feature offered by the building contractor;
the second webpage providing a plurality of options on the webpage relating to the feature for selection of the option by the customer; and
receiving from the customer through the first website a selection of an option of the options provided by the building contractor associated with the pre-existing contract.
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45. A method of servicing a customer of a building contractor through a third-party website provider, such method comprising the steps of:
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the customer and building contractor entering into a contract to build or rehabilitate real estate for the customer at a building site of the real estate, said entered contract forming a pre-existing contract;
providing a first website by the third-party website provider, said first website being password protected by a password of the customer, said website providing product, service or installation service options of product, service or installation service offerings available from or through the building contractor for installation at the building site under the pre-existing contract to build or rehabilitate the real estate for the customer;
providing a second website associated with the first website by the third-party website provider for entry of information related to the customer by the building contractor, said second website being password protected by a password of the building contractor;
the second website providing a plurality of webpages each related to a feature provided by the building contractor to the customer;
at least one of the plurality of webpages providing a plurality of options on the webpage relating to the feature for selection of the option by the customer; and
receiving from the customer through the first website a selection of an option of the options provided by the building contractor associated with the pre-existing contract.
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46. A method of servicing a customer of a building contractor through a third-party website provider, such method comprising the steps of:
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the customer and building contractor entering into a contract to build or rehabilitate real estate for the customer at a building site of the real estate, said entered contract forming a pre-existing contract;
providing a first website by the third-party website provider, said first website being password protected by a password of the customer, said website providing product, service or installation service options of product, service or installation service offerings available from or through the building contractor for installation at the building site under the pre-existing contract to build or rehabilitate the real estate for the customer;
providing a second website associated with the first website by the third-party website provider for entry of information related to the customer by the building contractor, said second website being password protected by a password of the building contractor;
the second website providing a webpage associated with a feature associated with a feature offered by the building contractor;
providing a hyperlink to a manufacturer on the webpage for selection by the customer; and
receiving from the customer through the first website a selection of an option of the options provided by the building contractor associated with the pre-existing contract.
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47. A method of servicing a customer of a building contractor through a third-party website provider, such method comprising the steps of:
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the customer and building contractor entering into a contract to build or rehabilitate real estate for the customer at a building site of the real estate, said entered contract forming a pre-existing contract;
providing a first website by the third-party website provider, said first website being password protected by a password of the customer, said website providing product, service or installation service options of product, service or installation service offerings available from or through the building contractor for installation at the building site under the pre-existing contract to build or rehabilitate the real estate for the customer;
providing a second website associated with the first website by the third-party website provider for entry of information related to the customer by the building contractor, said second website being password protected by a password of the building contractor;
the second website providing a webpage associated with a feature associated with a feature offered by the building contractor; and
providing a hyperlink to a manufacturer identifier located on the webpage for selection by the customer;
receiving from the customer through the first website a selection of an option of the options provided by the building contractor associated with the pre-existing contract; and
collecting a fee or commission from the manufacturer for any sale based upon activation of the hyperlink.
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48. A method of servicing a customer of a building contractor through a third-party website provider, such method comprising the steps of:
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the customer and building contractor entering into a contract to build or rehabilitate real estate for the customer at a building site of the real estate, said entered contract forming a pre-existing contract;
providing a first website by the third-party website provider, said first website being password protected by a password of the customer, said first website providing product, service or installation service options of product, service or installation service offerings available from or through the building contractor to the customer for installation at the building site under the pre-existing contract to build or rehabilitate the real estate for the customer;
providing a second website associated with the first website by the third-party website provider for entry of information related to the customer by the building contractor and for entry of features of the offerings provided by the building contractor, said second website being password protected by a password of the building contractor; and
receiving from the customer through the first website a selection of an option of the options provided by the building contractor associated with the pre-existing contract.
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49. A method of servicing a customer of a building contractor through a third-party website provider, such method comprising the steps of:
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the customer and building contractor entering into a contract to build or rehabilitate real estate for the customer at a building site of the real estate, said entered contract forming a pre-existing contract;
providing a first website by the third-party website provider, said first website being password protected by a password of the customer, said website providing product, service or installation service options of product, service or installation service offerings available from or through the building contractor for installation at the building site under the pre-existing contract to build or rehabilitate the real estate for the customer;
allowing access to the first website by a party designated by the customer;
providing a second website associated with the first website by the third-party website provider for entry of information related to the customer by the building contractor, said second website being password protected by a password of the building contractor; and
receiving from the customer through the first website a selection of an option of the options provided by the building contractor associated with the pre-existing contract.
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50. A method of servicing a customer of a building contractor through a third-party website provider, such method comprising the steps of:
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the customer and building contractor entering into a contract to build or rehabilitate real estate for the customer at a building site of the real estate, said entered contract forming a pre-existing contract;
providing a first website by the third-party website provider, said first website being password protected by a password of the customer, said website providing product, service or installation service options of product, service or installation service offerings available from or through the building contractor for installation at the building site under the pre-existing contract to build or rehabilitate the real estate for the customer;
providing a second website associated with the first website by the third-party website provider for entry of information related to the customer by the building contractor where the entered information includes at least an identifier of the customer, said second website being password protected by a password of the building contractor; and
receiving from the customer through the first website a selection of an option of the options provided by the building contractor for building or rehabilitating the real estate of the building site.
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51. A method of servicing a customer of a building contractor through a third-party website provider, such method comprising the steps of:
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the customer and building contractor entering into a contract to build or rehabilitate real estate for the customer at a building site of the real estate, said entered contract forming a pre-existing contract;
providing a first website by the third-party website provider, said first website being password protected by a password of the customer, said first website providing product, service or installation service options of product, service or installation service offerings available from or through the building contractor for installation at the building site under the pre-existing contract to build or rehabilitate the real estate for the customer;
providing a second website associated with the first website by the third-party website provider for entry of information related to the customer by the building contractor, said second website being password protected by a password of the building contractor;
the second website displaying an advertisement of vendor; and
receiving from the customer through the first website a selection of an option of the options provided by the building contractor associated with the pre-existing contract.
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52. A method of servicing a customer of a building contractor through a third-party website provider, such method comprising the steps of:
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the customer and building contractor entering into a contract to build or rehabilitate real estate for the customer at a building site of the real estate, said entered contract forming a pre-existing contract;
providing a first website by the third-party website provider, said first website being password protected by a password of the customer, said first website providing product, service or installation service options of product, service or installation service offerings available from or through the building contractor for installation at the building site under the pre-existing contract to build or rehabilitate the real estate for the customer;
providing a second website associated with the first website by the third-party website provider for entry of information related to the customer by the building contractor, said second website being password protected by a password of the building contractor;
the second website displaying an advertisement of vendor;
receiving from the customer through the first website a selection of an option of the options provided by the building contractor associated with the pre-existing contract; and
collecting a fee or commission from the vendor for displaying the advertisement.
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53. A method of servicing a customer of a building contractor through a third-party website provider, such method comprising the steps of:
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the customer and building contractor entering into a contract to build or rehabilitate real estate for the customer at a building site of the real estate, said entered contract forming a pre-existing contract;
providing a first website by the third-party website provider, said first website being password protected by a password of the customer, said website providing product, service or installation service options of product, service or installation service offerings available from or through the building contractor for installation at the building site under the pre-existing contract to build or rehabilitate the real estate for the customer;
providing a second website associated with the first website by the third-party website provider for entry of information related to the customer by the building contractor, said second website being password protected by a password of the building contractor;
the building contractor customizing the second web site for display of the offerings of the building contractor; and
receiving from the customer through the first website a selection of an option of the options provided by the building contractor associated with the pre-existing contract.
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54. A method of servicing a customer of a building contractor through a third-party website provider, such method comprising the steps of:
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the customer and building contractor entering into a contract to build or rehabilitate real estate for the customer at a building site of the real estate, said entered contract forming a pre-existing contract;
providing a first website by the third-party website provider, said first website being password protected by a password of the customer, said website providing product, service or installation service options of product, service or installation service offerings available from or through the building contractor for installation at the building site under the pre-existing contract to build or rehabilitate the real estate for the customer;
providing a second website associated with the first website by the third-party website provider for entry of information related to the customer by the building contractor, said second website being password protected by a password of the building contractor;
receiving from the customer through the first website a selection of an option of the options provided by the building contractor associated with the pre-existing contract; and
providing upselling options to the customer based upon the option selected by the customer.
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55. A method of servicing a customer of a building contractor through a third-party website provider, such method comprising the steps of:
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the customer and building contractor entering into a contract to build or rehabilitate real estate for the customer at a building site of the real estate, said entered contract forming a pre-existing contract;
providing a first website by the third-party website provider, said first website being password protected by a password of the customer, said website providing product, service or installation service options of product, service or installation service offerings available from or through the building contractor for installation at the building site under the pre-existing contract to build or rehabilitate the real estate for the customer;
providing a second website associated with the first website by the third-party website provider for entry of information related to the customer by the building contractor, said second website being password protected by a password of the building contractor;
receiving from the customer through the first website a selection of an option of the options provided by the building contractor associated with the pre-existing contract; and
providing a third website for access by a general public for general information on features, where such features further comprise products or fixtures to be installed on-site, building contractor services, labor and/or installation provided by the building contractor through the third party website.
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56. A method of servicing a customer of a building contractor through a third-party website provider, such method comprising the steps of:
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the customer and building contractor entering into a contract to build or rehabilitate real estate for the customer at a building site of the real estate, said entered contract forming a pre-existing contract;
providing a first website by the third-party website provider, said first website being password protected by a password of the customer, said website providing product, service or installation service options of product, service or installation service offerings available from or through the building contractor for installation at the building site under the pre-existing contract to build or rehabilitate the real estate for the customer;
providing a second website associated with the first website by the third-party website provider for entry of information related to the customer by the building contractor, said second website being password protected by a password of the building contractor;
receiving from the customer through the first website a selection of an option of the options provided by the building contractor associated with the pre-existing contract; and
exchanging between the builder and third party contracting designer product, service, labor, installation and design files to create the provided product offerings that are offered to the customer through the first website.
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57. A method of servicing a customer of a building contractor through a third-party website provider, such method comprising the steps of:
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the customer and building contractor entering into a contract to build or rehabilitate real estate for the customer at a building site of the real estate, said entered contract forming a pre-existing contract;
providing a first website by the third-party website provider, said first website being password protected by a password of the customer, said website providing product, service or installation service options of product, service or installation service offerings available from or through the building contractor for installation at the building site under the pre-existing contract to build or rehabilitate the real estate for the customer;
providing a second website associated with the first website by the third-party website provider for entry of information related to the customer by the building contractor, said second website being password protected by a password of the building contractor;
receiving from the customer through the first website a selection of an option of the options provided by the building contractor associated with the pre-existing contract; and
exchanging between the builder and third party contracting designer product, service, labor, installation and design files to create the provided product offerings that are offered to the customer through the first website. the builder using a common file format for exchanging product files among the builder, suppliers and manufacturers.
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58. A method of servicing a customer of a building contractor through a third-party website provider, such method comprising the steps of:
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the customer and building contractor entering into a contract to build or rehabilitate real estate for the customer at a building site of the real estate, said entered contract forming a pre-existing contract;
providing a first website by the third-party website provider, said website providing for selection by the customer of product, service or installation service options of product, service or installation service offerings available from or through the building contractor for installation at the building site under the pre-existing contract to build or rehabilitate the real estate for the customer;
providing a second website associated with the first website by the third-party website provider for entry of information related to the customer by the building contractor; and
receiving from the customer through the first website a selection of an option of the options provided by the building contractor associated with the pre-existing contract.
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59. A method of servicing a customer of a building contractor through a third-party website provider, such method comprising the steps of:
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providing a first website by the third-party website provider, said first website being password protected by a password of the customer, said website providing for selection by the customer of product, service or installation service options of product, service or installation service offerings available from or through the building contractor for installation at the building site under a pre-existing contract between the building contractor and customer to build or rehabilitate the real estate for the customer;
providing a second website associated with the first website by the third-party website provider for entry of information related to the customer by the building contractor, said second website being password protected by a password of the building contractor; and
receiving from the customer through the first website a selection of an option of the options provided by the building contractor for installation at the building site under the pre-existing contract.
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60. A method of servicing a customer of a building contractor through a third-party website provider, such method comprising the steps of:
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the customer and building contractor entering into a contract to build or rehabilitate real estate for the customer at a building site of the real estate, said entered contract forming a pre-existing contract;
providing a first website by the third-party website provider, said first website being password protected by a password of the customer, said website providing product, service or installation service options of product, service or installation service offerings available from or through the building contractor for installation at the building site under the pre-existing contract to build or rehabilitate the real estate for the customer;
providing a second website associated with the first website by the third-party website provider for entry of information related to the customer by the building contractor, said second website being password protected by a password of the building contractor;
the second website providing a plurality of webpages related to the offerings provided by the building contractor to the customer;
at least one of the plurality of webpages providing a plurality of options related to an offering of the offerings of the building contractor on the webpage for selection of the option by the customer; and
receiving from the customer through the first website a selection of an option of the options on the webpage for installation at the building site under the pre-existing contract.
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61. A method of servicing a customer of a building contractor through a third-party website provider, the customer and building contractor having a contract to build or rehabilitate real estate for the customer at a building site of the real estate, such method comprising the steps of:
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providing a vendors website by the third-party website provider, said vendors website being password protected, said website providing for selection by the customer of product, service or installation service options of product, service or installation service offerings available from or through the building contractor for installation at the building site under the contract to build or rehabilitate the real estate for the customer;
providing a customer website associated with the vendors website by the third-party website provider for entry of information related to the customer, said customer website being password protected;
receiving from the customer through the vendors website a selection of an option of the options provided by or through the building contractor associated with the contract; and
saving a descriptor of the selected option.
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62. A method of servicing a customer of a building contractor through a third-party provider, the customer and building contractor having a contract to build or rehabilitate real estate for the customer at a building site of the real estate, such method comprising the steps of:
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providing a vendors website by the third-party provider, said vendors website being password protected, said website providing for selection by the customer of product, service or installation service options of product, service or installation service offerings available from or through the building contractor for installation at the building site under the contract to build or rehabilitate the real estate for the customer;
providing a customer website associated with the vendors website by the third-party provider for entry of information related to the customer by the building contractor, said customer website being password protected;
receiving from the customer through the vendors website a selection of an option of the options provided by or through the building contractor associated with the contract; and
collecting a fee or commission from the building contractor based upon the received selection made by the customer.
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63. A method of servicing a customer of a building contractor through a third-party provider the customer and building contractor having a contract to build or rehabilitate real estate for the customer at a building site of the real estate, such method comprising the steps of:
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providing a vendors website by the third-party provider, said vendors website being password protected, said website providing for selection by the customer of product, service or installation service options of product, service or installation service offerings available from or through the building contractor for installation at the building site under the contract to build or rehabilitate the real estate for the customer;
providing a customer website associated with the vendors website by the third-party provider for entry of information related to the customer by the building contractor, said customer website being password protected;
the customer website providing a webpage associated with a feature offered by the building contractor; and
receiving from the customer through the vendors website a selection of an option of the options provided by or through the building contractor associated with the contract.
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64. A method of servicing a customer of a building contractor through a third-party provider the customer and building contractor having a contract to build or rehabilitate real estate for the customer at a building site of the real estate, such method comprising the steps of:
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providing a vendors website by the third-party provider, said vendors website being password protected, said website providing product, service or installation service options of product, service or installation service offerings available from or through the building contractor for installation at the building site under the contract to build or rehabilitate the real estate for the customer;
providing a customer website associated with the vendors website by the third-party provider for entry of information related to the customer by the building contractor, said customer website being password protected;
the customer website providing a webpage associated with a feature offered by the building contractor;
the customer webpage providing a plurality of options on the webpage relating to the feature for selection of the option by the customer; and
receiving from the customer through the vendors website a selection of an option of the options provided by or through the building contractor associated with the contract.
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65. A method of servicing a customer of a building contractor through a third-party provider, the customer and building contractor having a contract to build or rehabilitate real estate for the customer at a building site of the real estate, such method comprising the steps of:
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providing a vendors website by the third-party provider, said vendors website being password protected, said website providing product, service or installation service options of product, service or installation service offerings available from or through the building contractor for installation at the building site under the contract to build or rehabilitate the real estate for the customer;
providing a customer website associated with the vendors website by the third-party provider for entry of information related to the customer by the building contractor, said customer website being password protected;
the customer website providing a plurality of webpages each related to a feature provided by the building contractor to the customer;
at least one of the plurality of webpages providing a plurality of options on the webpage relating to the feature for selection of the option by the customer; and
receiving from the customer through the vendors website a selection of an option of the options provided by or through the building contractor associated with the contract.
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66. A method of servicing a customer of a building contractor through a third-party provider, the customer and building contractor having a contract to build or rehabilitate real estate for the customer at a building site of the real estate, such method comprising the steps of:
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providing a vendors website by the third-party provider, said vendors website being password protected, said website providing product, service or installation service options of product, service or installation service offerings available from or through the building contractor for installation at the building site under the contract to build or rehabilitate the real estate for the customer;
providing a customer website associated with the vendors website by the third-party provider for entry of information related to the customer by the building contractor, said customer website being password protected;
the customer website providing a webpage associated with a feature associated with a feature offered by the building contractor;
providing a hyperlink to a manufacturer on the webpage for selection by the customer; and
receiving from the customer through the vendors website a selection of an option of the options provided by or through the building contractor associated with the contract.
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67. A method of servicing a customer of a building contractor through a third-party provider, the customer and building contractor having a contract to build or rehabilitate real estate for the customer at a building site of the real estate, such method comprising the steps of:
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providing a vendors website by the third-party provider, said vendors website being password protected, said website providing product, service or installation service options of product, service or installation service offerings available from or through the building contractor for installation at the building site under the contract to build or rehabilitate the real estate for the customer;
providing a customer website associated with the vendors website by the third-party provider for entry of information related to the customer by the building contractor, said customer website being password protected;
the customer website providing a webpage associated with a feature associated with a feature offered by the building contractor; and
providing a hyperlink to a manufacturer identifier located on the webpage for selection by the customer;
receiving from the customer through the vendors website a selection of an option of the options provided by or through the building contractor associated with the contract; and
collecting a commission from the manufacturer for any sale based upon activation of the hyperlink.
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68. A method of servicing a customer of a building contractor through a third-party provider, the customer and building contractor having a contract to build or rehabilitate real estate for the customer at a building site of the real estate, such method comprising the steps of:
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providing a vendors website by the third-party provider, said vendors website being password protected, said vendors website providing product, service or installation service options of product, service or installation service offerings available from or through the building contractor to the customer for installation at the building site under the contract to build or rehabilitate the real estate for the customer;
providing a customer website associated with the vendors website by the third-party provider for entry of information related to the customer by the building contractor and for entry of features of the offerings provided by the building contractor, said customer website being password protected; and
receiving from the customer through the vendors website a selection of an option of the options provided by or through the building contractor associated with the contract.
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69. A method of servicing a customer of a building contractor through a third-party provider, the customer and building contractor having a contract to build or rehabilitate real estate for the customer at a building site of the real estate, such method comprising the steps of:
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providing a vendors website by the third-party provider, said vendors website being password protected, said website providing product, service or installation service options of product, service or installation service offerings available from or through the building contractor for installation at the building site under the contract to build or rehabilitate the real estate for the customer;
allowing access to the vendors website by a party designated by the customer;
providing a customer website associated with the vendors website by the third-party provider for entry of information related to the customer by the building contractor, said customer website being password protected; and
receiving from the customer through the vendors website a selection of an option of the options provided by or through the building contractor associated with the contract.
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70. A method of servicing a customer of a building contractor through a third-party provider, the customer and building contractor having a contract to build or rehabilitate real estate for the customer at a building site of the real estate, such method comprising the steps of:
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providing a vendor website by the third-party provider, said vendor website being password protected, said vendors website providing product, service or installation service options of product, service or installation service offerings available from or through the building contractor for installation at the building site under the contract to build or rehabilitate the real estate for the customer;
providing a customer website associated with the vendor website by the third-party provider for entry of information related to the customer by the building contractor where the entered information includes at least an identifier of the customer, said customer website being password protected; and
receiving from the customer through the vendor website a selection of an option of the options provided by or through the building contractor for building or rehabilitating the real estate of the building site.
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71. A method of servicing a customer of a building contractor through a third-party provider, the customer and building contractor having a contract to build or rehabilitate real estate for the customer at a building site of the real estate, such method comprising the steps of:
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providing a vendor website by the third-party provider, said vendor website being password protected, said vendor website providing product, service or installation service options of product, service or installation service offerings available from or through the building contractor for installation at the building site under the contract to build or rehabilitate the real estate for the customer;
providing a customer website associated with the vendor website by the third-party provider for entry of information related to the customer by the building contractor, said customer website being password protected;
the customer website displaying an advertisement of vendor; and
receiving from the customer through the vendor website a selection of an option of the options provided by or through the building contractor associated with the contract.
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72. A method of servicing a customer of a building contractor through a third-party provider, the customer and building contractor having a contract to build or rehabilitate real estate for the customer at a building site of the real estate, such method comprising the steps of:
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providing a vendor website by the third-party provider, said vendor website being password protected, said vendor website providing product, service or installation service options of product, service or installation service offerings available from or through the building contractor for installation at the building site under the contract to build or rehabilitate the real estate for the customer;
providing a customer website associated with the vendor website by the third-party provider for entry of information related to the customer by the building contractor, said customer website being password protected;
the customer website displaying an advertisement of vendor;
receiving from the customer through the vendor website a selection of an option of the options provided by or through the building contractor associated with the contract; and
collecting a commission from the vendor for displaying the advertisement.
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73. A method of servicing a customer of a building contractor through a third-party provider, the customer and building contractor having a contract to build or rehabilitate real estate for the customer at a building site of the real estate, such method comprising the steps of:
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providing a vendor website by the third-party provider, said vendor website being password protected, said website providing product, service or installation service options of product, service or installation service offerings available from or through the building contractor for installation at the building site under the contract to build or rehabilitate the real estate for the customer;
providing a customer website associated with the vendor website by the third-party provider for entry of information related to the customer by the building contractor, said customer website being password protected;
the building contractor customizing the customer web site for display of the offerings of the building contractor; and
receiving from the customer through the vendor website a selection of an option of the options provided by or through the building contractor associated with the contract.
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74. A method of servicing a customer of a building contractor through a third-party provider, the customer and building contractor having a contract to build or rehabilitate real estate for the customer at a building site of the real estate, such method comprising the steps of:
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providing a vendor website by the third-party provider, said vendor website being password protected, said website providing product, service or installation service options of product, service or installation service offerings available from or through the building contractor for installation at the building site under the contract to build or rehabilitate the real estate for the customer;
providing a customer website associated with the vendor website by the third-party provider for entry of information related to the customer by the building contractor, said customer website being password protected;
receiving from the customer through the vendor website a selection of an option of the options provided by or through the building contractor associated with the contract; and
providing upselling options to the customer based upon the option selected by the customer.
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75. A method of servicing a customer of a building contractor through a third-party provider, the customer and building contractor having a contract to build or rehabilitate real estate for the customer at a building site of the real estate, such method comprising the steps of:
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providing a vendor website by the third-party provider, said vendor website being password protected, said website providing product, service or installation service options of product, service or installation service offerings available from or through the building contractor for installation at the building site under the contract to build or rehabilitate the real estate for the customer;
providing a customer website associated with the vendor website by the third-party provider for entry of information related to the customer by the building contractor, said customer website being password protected;
receiving from the customer through the vendor website a selection of an option of the options provided by or through the building contractor associated with the contract; and
providing a third website for access by a general public for general information on features, where such features further comprise products or fixtures to be installed on-site, building contractor services, labor and/or installation provided by the building contractor through the third party website.
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76. A method of servicing a customer of a building contractor through a third-party provider, the customer and building contractor having a contract to build or rehabilitate real estate for the customer at a building site of the real estate, such method comprising the steps of:
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providing a vendor website by the third-party provider, said vendor website being password protected, said website providing product, service or installation service options of product, service or installation service offerings available from or through the building contractor for installation at the building site under the contract to build or rehabilitate the real estate for the customer;
providing a customer website associated with the vendor website by the third-party provider for entry of information related to the customer by the building contractor, said customer website being password protected;
receiving from the customer through the vendor website a selection of an option of the options provided by or through the building contractor associated with the contract; and
exchanging between the builder and third party contracting designer product, service, labor, installation and design files to create the provided product offerings that are offered to the customer through the vendor website.
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77. A method of servicing a customer of a building contractor through a third-party provider, the customer and building contractor having a contract to build or rehabilitate real estate for the customer at a building site of the real estate, such method comprising the steps of:
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providing a vendor website populated by the third-party provider, said vendor website being password protected, said website providing product, service or installation service options of product, service or installation service offerings available from or through the building contractor for installation at the building site under the contract to build or rehabilitate the real estate for the customer;
providing a customer website associated with the vendor website by the third-party provider for entry of information related to the customer by the building contractor, said customer website being password protected;
receiving from the customer through the vendor website a selection of an option of the options provided by or through the building contractor associated with the contract; and
exchanging between the builder and third party contracting designer product, service, labor, installation and design files to create the provided product offerings that are offered to the customer through the vendor website;
the builder using a common file format for exchanging product files among the builder, suppliers, vendors or manufactures.
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78. A method of servicing a customer of a building contractor through a third-party provider, the customer and building contractor having a contract to build or rehabilitate real estate for the customer at a building site of the real estate, such method comprising the steps of:
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providing a vendor website by the third-party provider, said website providing for selection by the customer of product, service or installation service options of product, service or installation service offerings available from or through the building contractor for installation at the building site under the contract to build or rehabilitate the real estate for the customer;
providing a customer website associated with the vendor website by the third-party provider for entry of information related to the customer by the building contractor; and
receiving from the customer through the vendor website a selection of an option of the options provided by or through the building contractor associated with the contract.
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79. A method of servicing a customer of a building contractor through a third-party provider, providing a vendor website by the third-party provider, said vendor website being password protected, said website providing for selection by the customer of product, service or installation service options of product, service or installation service offerings available from or through the building contractor for installation at the building site under a contract between the building contractor and customer to build or rehabilitate the real estate for the customer;
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providing a customer website associated with the vendor website by the third-party provider for entry of information related to the customer by the building contractor, said customer website being password protected; and
receiving from the customer through the vendor website a selection of an option of the options provided by or through the building contractor for installation at the building site under the contract.
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80. A method of servicing a customer of a building contractor through a third-party provider, such method comprising the steps of:
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the customer and building contractor entering into a contract to build or rehabilitate real estate for the customer at a building site of the real estate;
providing a vendor website by the third-party provider, said vendor website being password protected, said website providing product, service or installation service options of product, service or installation service offerings available from or through the building contractor for installation at the building site under the contract to build or rehabilitate the real estate for the customer;
providing a customer website associated with the vendor website by the third-party provider for entry of information related to the customer by the building contractor, said customer website being password protected;
the customer website providing a plurality of webpages related to the offerings provided by the building contractor to the customer;
at least one of the plurality of webpages providing a plurality of options related to an offering of the offerings of the building contractor on the webpage for selection of the option by the customer; and
receiving from the customer through the vendor website a selection of an option of the options on the webpage for installation at the building site under the contract.
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81. An apparatus for servicing a customer of a building contractor through a third-party website provider, such apparatus comprising:
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means for establishing the terms of a contract between the customer and the building contractor to build or rehabilitate real estate for the customer at a building site of the real estate, said contract forming a pre-existing agreement;
means for providing a first website by the third-party website provider, said first website being password protected by a password of the customer, said website providing product, service or installation service options of product, service or installation service offerings available from the building contractor for installation into a product space at the building site under the pre-existing contract to build or rehabilitate the real estate between the building contractor and the customer;
means for providing a second website associated with the first website by the third-party website provider for entry of information related to the customer by the contractor, said second website being password protected by a password of the contractor;
means for receiving from the customer through the first website a selection of an option of the options provided by the building contractor associated with the preexisting contract; and
means for altering the terms of the pre-existing contract based on said product, service, or installation options selected by the customer. - View Dependent Claims (82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90)
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91. An apparatus for servicing a customer of a building contractor through a third-party website provider, such apparatus comprising:
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a contract term establishment processor establishing terms of a contract between the customer and the building contractor to build or rehabilitate real estate for the customer at a building site of the real estate, said contract forming a pre-existing contract;
a first website provided by the third-party website provider, said website providing product, service or installation service options of product, service or installation service offerings available from the building contractor for installation at the building site into the building or rehabilitation of the real estate by the building contractor for the customer under the pre-existing contract;
a second website associated with the first website provided by the third-party website provider for entry of information related to the customer by the building contractor;
a selection processor receiving from the customer through the first website a selection of an option of the options provided by the building contractor associated with the pre-existing contract; and
a contract term change processor for altering the term of the preexisting contract based on said product, service or installation options selected by the customer - View Dependent Claims (92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100)
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101. A method of servicing a customer of a building contractor by a third-party website provider, such method comprising the steps of:
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the customer and building contractor entering into a contract to build or rehabilitate real estate for the customer at a building site of the real estate;
providing a first website by the third-party website provider, said first website being password protected by a password, said website providing product, service or installation service options of product, service or installation service offerings available from or through the building contractor for installation at the building site;
providing a second website associated with the first website by the third-party website provider for entry of information related to the customer by the contractor, said second website being password protected by a password, wherein the product, service and installation offerings are provided from the second website and the second website is accessed by the customer through the first website;
receiving from the customer through the first website a selection of an option of the options provided by or through the building contractor associated with the contract. - View Dependent Claims (102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114)
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115. An apparatus for servicing a customer of a building contractor by a third-party website provider, such apparatus comprising:
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means for establishing the terms of a contract between the customer and the building contractor to build or rehabilitate real estate for the customer at a building site of the real estate;
means for providing a first website by the third-party website provider, said first website being password protected by a password, said website providing product, service or installation service options of product, service or installation service offerings available from the building contractor for installation into a product space at the building site;
means for providing a second website associated with the first website by the third-party website provider for entry of information related to the customer by the contractor, said second website being password protected by a password;
means for receiving from the customer through the first website a selection of an option of the options provided by or through the building contractor associated with the contract;
means for calculating a fee or commission based upon the selection made; and
means for altering the terms of the contract based on said product, service, or installation options selected. - View Dependent Claims (116, 117, 118, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 127)
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125. An apparatus for servicing a customer of a building contractor by a third-party website provider, such apparatus comprising:
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a contract term establishment processor establishing terms of a contract between the customer and the building contractor to build or rehabilitate real estate for the customer at a building site of the real estate;
a first website provided by the third-party website provider, said first website being password protected by a password, said website providing product, service or installation service options of product, service or installation service offerings available from the building contractor for installation at the building site into the building or rehabilitation of the real estate by the building contractor for the customer under the contract;
a second website associated with the first website provided by the third-party website provider for entry of information related to the customer by the contractor, said second website being password protected by a password;
a selection processor receiving from the customer through the first website a selection of an option of the options provided by the building contractor associated with the contract;
a fee or commission processor adapted to calculate or process a commission based upon the received selection made by the customer; and
a contract term change processor for altering the term of the contract based on said product, service or installation options selected by the customer - View Dependent Claims (126, 128, 129, 130, 131)
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132. A method of servicing a customer of a building contractor through a CPU or database of a third-party provider:
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the customer and building contractor entering into a contract to build or rehabilitate real estate at a building site of the real estate for the customer, said entered contract forming a contract;
the third party provider providing a first information resource within the CPU remotely accessed by the customer through a public communication network, said first information resource being password protected by a password of the customer, said first information resource providing product, service or installation service options of product, service or installation service offerings available from or through the building contractor for installation at the building site under the contract to build or rehabilitate the real estate for the customer;
providing a second information resource within the CPU and associated with the first information resource for entry of information related to the customer, said second information resource being password protected by a password; and
receiving from the customer through the first information resource a selection of an option of the options provided by or through the building contractor. - View Dependent Claims (133, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 139, 140, 141, 142, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150, 151, 152, 153, 154, 155, 156, 157, 158, 159, 160, 161, 162, 163, 164, 165, 166, 167, 168, 169, 170)
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171. A method of servicing a customer of a contractor through a third-party website provider, the customer and contractor negotiating to build or rehabilitate real estate for the customer at a building site of the real estate, such method comprising:
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providing a vendors website by the third-party website provider, said vendors website being password protected, said website providing for selection by the customer of product, service or installation service options of product, service or installation service offerings available from or through the contractor or a plurality of other contractors for installation at the building site under the contract to build or rehabilitate the real estate for the customer;
providing a customer website associated with the vendors website by the third-party website provider for entry of information related to the customer, said customer website being password protected;
receiving from the customer through the vendors website a selection of an option of the options provided by or through the contractor associated with the negotiations; and
saving a descriptor of the selected option by the third party. - View Dependent Claims (172, 173, 174, 175, 176)
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177. A method of servicing a customer of a contractor through a third-party website provider, such method comprising:
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the customer and contractor entering into a contract to build or rehabilitate real estate for the customer at a building site of the real estate;
the third party website provider providing first and second websites, said first website providing product, service or installation service options of product, service or installation service offerings available from or through the contractor for installation at the building site under the contract to build or rehabilitate the real estate for the customer;
the customer entering the first website through the second website and retrieving the product, service or installation service options of product, service or installation service offerings contained within the first website; and
the customer storing the retrieved product, service or installation service options of product, service or installation service offerings within a database associated with the second website.
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178. A method of servicing a customer of a building contractor through a third-party website provider, such method comprising:
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the third party website provider providing first and second websites;
the first website providing a plurality of webpages where a webpage of the plurality of webpages contains at least some product, service or installation service options of product, service or installation service offerings available from or through the building contractor for installation at a building site for the customer;
the customer entering the first website through the second website and retrieving a webpage of the plurality of webpages of the first website wherein the retrieved webpage contains at least some of the product, service or installation service options of product, service or installation service offerings of the building contractor; and
the customer storing the retrieved product, service or installation service options of product, service or installation service offerings within a database associated with the second website.
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179. A method of servicing a buyer of a building contractor through a third-party website provider, such method comprising:
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the third party website provider providing a plurality of webpages for use by the building contractor;
the building contractor customizing the plurality of webpages to display at least some product, service or installation service options of product, service or installation service offerings available from or through the building contractor for installation at a building site of the customer on each webpage of the plurality of webpages;
the third party website provider providing a personal webpage for use by the customer;
the customer accessing a webpage of the plurality of webpages of the building contractor using the provided personal webpage; and
the customer storing the retrieved product, service or installation service options of product, service or installation service offerings using the personal webpage.
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180. A method of servicing a buyer and seller negotiating a contract to build or rehabilitate real estate for the buyer at a building site of the real estate through a third-party website provider, said method comprising;
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providing a first website by the third-party website provider, said first website being password protected, said website providing product, service or installation service options of product, service or installation service offerings available from or through the seller for installation at the building site for the buyer;
providing a second website associated with the first website by the third-party website provider for entry of information related to the buyer by the seller, said second website being password protected, wherein the product, service and installation offerings are provided from the second website and the second website is accessed by the buyer through the first website;
receiving from the buyer through the first website a selection of an option of the options provided by the seller. - View Dependent Claims (181, 182, 183, 184, 185, 186, 187, 188, 189, 190, 191, 192, 193, 194, 195, 196, 197, 198, 199, 200, 201, 202)
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203. A method of servicing a customer of a building contractor through a third-party website provider, such method comprising the steps of:
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the customer and building contractor entering into a contract to build or rehabilitate real estate for the customer at a building site of the real estate, said entered contract forming a pre-existing contract;
providing a first website by the third-party website provider, said first website being password protected by a password of the customer, said website providing for selection by the customer of product, service or installation service options of product, service or installation service offerings available from or through the building contractor for installation at the building site under the pre-existing contract to build or rehabilitate the real estate for the customer;
providing a second website associated with the first website by the third-party website provider for entry of information related to the customer by the building contractor, said second website being password protected by a password of the building contractor; and
receiving from the customer through the first website a selection of an option of the options provided by the building contractor associated with the pre-existing contract.
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204. An apparatus for servicing a customer of a building contractor through a third-party website provider, such apparatus comprising:
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means for establishing the terms of a contract between the customer and the building contractor to build or rehabilitate real estate for the customer at a building site of the real estate, said contract forming a pre-existing agreement;
means for providing a first website by the third-party website provider, said first website being password protected by a password of the customer, said website providing product, service or installation service options of product, service or installation service offerings available from the building contractor for installation into a product space at the building site under the pre-existing contract to build or rehabilitate the real estate between the building contractor and the customer;
means for providing a second website associated with the first website by the third-party website provider for entry of information related to the customer by the contractor, said second website being password protected by a password of the contractor;
means for receiving from the customer through the first website a selection of an option of the options provided by the building contractor associated with the pre-existing contract;
means for altering the terms of the pre-existing contract based on said product, service, or installation options selected by the customer;
means for providing a hyperlink to a manufacturer on the webpage for selection by the customer; and
means for collecting a fee or commission from the manufacturer for any sale based upon activation of the hyperlink.
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205. An apparatus for servicing a customer of a building contractor through a third-party website provider, such apparatus comprising:
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a contract term establishment processor establishing terms of a contract between the customer and the building contractor to build or rehabilitate real estate for the customer at a building site of the real estate, said contract forming a pre-existing contract;
a first website provided by the third-party website provider, said website providing product, service or installation service options of product, service or installation service offerings available from the building contractor for installation at the building site into the building or rehabilitation of the real estate by the building contractor for the customer under the pre-existing contract;
a second website associated with the first website provided by the third-party website provider for entry of information related to the customer by the building contractor;
a selection processor receiving from the customer through the first website a selection of an option of the options provided by the building contractor associated with the pre-existing contract;
a contract term change processor for altering the term of the preexisting contract based on said product, service or installation options selected by the customer; and
providing a virtual showroom that displays product offerings to the customer by the third-party website provider.
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206. A method of servicing a customer of a building contractor by a third-party website provider, such method comprising the steps of:
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the customer and building contractor entering into a contract to build or rehabilitate real estate for the customer at a building site of the real estate;
providing a first website by the third-party website provider, said first website being password protected by a password, said website providing product, service or installation service options of product, service or installation service offerings available from or through the building contractor for installation at the building site;
providing a second website associated with the first website by the third-party website provider for entry of information related to the customer by the contractor, said second website being password protected by a password, wherein the product, service and installation offerings are provided from the second website and the second website is accessed by the customer through the first website;
receiving from the customer through the first website a selection of an option of the options provided by or through the building contractor associated with the contract;
depicting at least some of the offerings in context within a product space where the offering will be used; and
depicting the product space as a photo, blue print or artist rendering.
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207. A method of servicing a customer of a building contractor through a CPU or database of a third-party provider:
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the customer and building contractor entering into a contract to build or rehabilitate real estate at a building site of the real estate for the customer, said entered contract forming a contract;
the third party provider providing a first information resource within the CPU remotely accessed by the customer through a public communication network, said first information resource being password protected by a password of the customer, said first information resource providing a plurality of webpages customized by the builder to display of respective features by a photo, blue print or artist rendering of product, service or installation service options of product, service or installation service offerings available from or through the building contractor for installation at the building site under the contract to build or rehabilitate the real estate for the customer;
providing a second information resource within the CPU and associated with the first information resource for entry of information related to the customer, said second information resource being password protected by a password; and
receiving from the customer through the first information resource a selection of an option of the options provided by or through the building contractor.
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208. A method comprising:
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providing a webpage customized to a house selected by a customer; and
enabling the customer to view and select standard options and extras for the house using the webpage. - View Dependent Claims (209, 210, 211, 212, 213, 214, 215, 216)
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217. A method comprising:
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providing a webpage customized to a building selected by a customer; and
enabling the customer to view and select standard options and extras for the building using the webpage. - View Dependent Claims (218, 219, 220, 221, 222, 223, 224, 225)
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226. A method comprising:
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providing a virtual showroom customized for a builder which includes standard options and extras offered by the builder for installation at a real estate building site selected by a customer;
enabling the customer to remotely view the virtual showroom via a computer network; and
enabling the customer to select a plurality of the standard options and extras via the virtual showroom. - View Dependent Claims (227, 228, 229, 230, 231)
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232. A method comprising:
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providing a customized virtual showroom which includes a plurality of product offerings from a plurality of contractors for installation at a product space selected by a customer;
enabling the customer to remotely view the virtual showroom via a computer network; and
enabling the customer to select a plurality of the product offerings via the virtual showroom. - View Dependent Claims (233, 234, 235, 236, 237, 238)
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239. A method comprising:
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providing a virtual model of a house selected by a user;
enabling the user to remotely view the virtual model via a computer network; and
enabling the user to select a plurality of product offerings associated with the house via the virtual model. - View Dependent Claims (240, 241, 242, 243)
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Specification