Business Method For Last Minute Sales
First Claim
1. A method of selling commodities to customers, the method comprising the computer-implemented steps of:
- a.) defining in a database a commodity for sale and designating at least an expiration time, a price, a seller, and a quantity;
b) providing to a potential customer a searching and displaying means of the database for the available commodities that have not expired;
c) allowing the customer to select and purchase at least one of the commodities;
d) decrementing the at least one sold commodity from the database; and
e) transmitting information about the customer'"'"'s purchase to the seller.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Disclosed is a method of selling expiring commodities to customers via a wide-area computer network such as the Internet, wireless phone networks, or the like. A computer system implements the steps of the method of the present invention, and provides for establishing in a database a commodity record representing a commodity for sale. Such a commodity record includes at least an expiration time, a price, information about the seller, and a quantity of such commodities that are available for sale. Once the database is loaded with commodities that are available for sale, customers may link to the system through the communications network to search for suitable commodities. Upon adequate search query information being submitted to the system, the database is searched for commodities that match. The system may then check all commodities in the database, or check just those commodities that match the customer'"'"'s search query, to be sure such commodities have not expired. Commodities that match the customer'"'"'s search query and that have not expired are then displayed to the customer, and the customer then has the option of selecting one or more of such commodities for purchase. Commodities that have expired are removed from the database. Preferred commodities sold with the method of the present invention include hotel rooms, event tickets, travel tickets, and other commodities with a fixed expiration date and time.
14 Citations
16 Claims
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1. A method of selling commodities to customers, the method comprising the computer-implemented steps of:
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a.) defining in a database a commodity for sale and designating at least an expiration time, a price, a seller, and a quantity; b) providing to a potential customer a searching and displaying means of the database for the available commodities that have not expired; c) allowing the customer to select and purchase at least one of the commodities; d) decrementing the at least one sold commodity from the database; and e) transmitting information about the customer'"'"'s purchase to the seller. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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Specification