A MULTIPLE ENTITY PURCHASE AND SALE TRANSACTION SYSTEM
First Claim
1. An information processing center comprised of:
- a shopping group creation component for anyone to create a shopping group with an open enrollment period;
a shopping group shopper control component for shoppers to join or check out shopping groups during said open enrollment period;
a shopping group seller control component for sellers to provide bids to shopping groups during said open enrollment period;
a shopping group presentation component for anyone to browse, search, or display a shopping group;
a shopping group administration component for controlling shopping groups so that shopping groups can be moved from open state to locked-in state, accepted state, processed state, and eventually closed state and for processing shopping group changes;
whereby shopping groups can be created;
whereby shoppers can join and check out shopping groups;
whereby sellers can provide bids to shopping groups;
whereby shoppers get better prices as a group and sellers get higher profits and lower costs.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A multiple entity purchase and sale transaction system enables shoppers and sellers to conduct business on internet using shopping groups. Group shopping allows sellers to sell goods and services to groups of shoppers at low prices. The multiple entity purchase and sale transaction system can be implemented as a group shopping web site. The group shopping web site allows unrelated shoppers to create, join, and check out a shopping group during open enrollment period. Sellers are allowed to provide bids to a shopping group during the open enrollment period of the shopping group. At the end of open enrollment period, a group shopping administrator selects an accepted seller. Finally the group shopping web site links shoppers in the shopping group and the accepted seller together so that shoppers can pay the accepted seller for goods and services and the accepted seller can provide goods and services to shoppers.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. An information processing center comprised of:
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a shopping group creation component for anyone to create a shopping group with an open enrollment period; a shopping group shopper control component for shoppers to join or check out shopping groups during said open enrollment period; a shopping group seller control component for sellers to provide bids to shopping groups during said open enrollment period; a shopping group presentation component for anyone to browse, search, or display a shopping group; a shopping group administration component for controlling shopping groups so that shopping groups can be moved from open state to locked-in state, accepted state, processed state, and eventually closed state and for processing shopping group changes; whereby shopping groups can be created; whereby shoppers can join and check out shopping groups; whereby sellers can provide bids to shopping groups; whereby shoppers get better prices as a group and sellers get higher profits and lower costs. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method for creating and processing shopping groups by shoppers, sellers, and shopping group administrators, the method comprising the steps of
creating a shopping group by shoppers, sellers, or a shopping group administrator and starting an open enrollment period; -
displaying said shopping group information to shoppers, sellers, and said shopping group administrator; joining said shopping group by shoppers during said open enrollment period; providing bids to said shopping group by sellers during said open enrollment period; accepting a seller'"'"'s bid by said shopping group administrator during said open enrollment period; checking out said shopping group by shoppers during said open enrollment period and providing billing information and shipping information to said shopping group administrator; locking said shopping group and ending the open enrollment period by said shopping group administrator at the end of said open enrollment period; accepting or rejecting said shopping group by the final accepted seller after said shopping group is locked; collecting payment from shoppers by said shopping group administrator or said final accepted seller; delivering goods and services described in said shopping group to checked-out shoppers by said final accepted seller if said final accepted seller accepts said shopping group; whereby a shopping group is created and processed. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
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Specification