Portal for commercial transactions

• US 20080071640A1
• Filed: 11/14/2007
• Published: 03/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Martin Nguyen
• Original Assignee: Martin Nguyen
• Inventors: Nguyen, Martin
• Application Number:
  US11/985,484
• Publication Number:
  US 20080071640A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/387 Payment using discounts or coupons relating to marketing G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0226 Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0609 Buyer or seller confidence or verification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0625 Directed, with specific intent or strategy
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0045 with a code reader for reading of an identifying code of the article to be registered, e.g. barcode reader or radio-frequency identity [RFID] reader

Abstract

An embodiment of the present invention is a portal for commercial transactions. A user interface interfaces to a user performing a commercial transaction. The user is one of a consumer, a vendor, a retailer, a service provider, and a third-party entity. The commercial transaction is related to sale processing of a product or service. A transaction management portal engine manages the commercial transaction performed by the user using user information. A management database provides the user information related to the commercial transaction.

Claims

1. A portal comprising:

a user interface to interface to a user performing a commercial transaction, the user being one of a consumer, a vendor, a retailer, a service provider, and a third-party entity, the commercial transaction being related to sale processing of a product or service;

a transaction management portal engine coupled to the user interface to manage the commercial transaction performed by the user using user information; and

a management database coupled to the portal engine to provide the user information related to the commercial transaction.

2. The portal of claim 1 wherein the user interface comprises at least one of a consumer interface, a vendor interface, a provider interface, and a third-party interface.

3. The portal of claim 1 wherein the management database comprises at least one of a consumer database, a vendor database, a retail database, a service provider database, and a third-party database.

4. The portal of claim 3 wherein the portal engine comprises:

a rule engine coupled to the management database to process a business rule related to the sale processing of the product or service.

5. The portal of claim 4 wherein the business rule is one of a database maintenance rule, a transaction rule, a participant rule, and a verification rule.

6. The portal of claim 5 wherein the database maintenance rule is one of a consumer maintenance rule, a vendor maintenance rule, a retailer maintenance rule, a service provider maintenance rule, and a third-party maintenance rule.

7. The portal of claim 5 wherein the transaction rule is one of an instant discount rule, an exclusive-of-provider discount rule, an electronic receipt (e-receipt) rule, a discount credit rule, a rebate rule, a multiple discount rule, an instant and mail-in rebate rule, a later purchase rule, a shopping list rule, and a gift card rule.

8. The portal of claim 6 wherein the participant rule is one of a direct vendor payment rule, a universal code rule, provider selection rule, a downloading rule, a consumer payment rule, a promotion participating rule, a group sharing rule, a forum rule, a search rule.

9. The portal of claim 6 wherein the verification rule is one of a consumer verification rule, a vendor verification rule, a retailer verification rule, a service provider verification rule, and a third-party entity verification rule.

10. The portal of claim 6 wherein the consumer maintenance rule is one of a reward rule, a frequency rule, a demographic rule, a conversion rule, a current discount display rule, an opt-out receiving rule, and a notification rule.

11. The portal of claim 3 wherein the portal engine further comprises:

a business intelligence (BI) engine coupled to the management database to generate BI data.

12. A method comprising:

interfacing to a user performing a commercial transaction using a user interface, the user being one of a consumer, a vendor, a retailer, a service provider, and a third-party entity, the commercial transaction being related to sale processing of a product or service;

managing the commercial transaction performed by the user using user information; and

providing the user information related to the commercial transaction using a management database.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein managing comprises:

processing a business rule related to the sale processing of the product or service.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein managing further comprises:

generating business intelligence (BI) data.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein processing the business rule comprises:

invoking the business rule when a user performs an action on the user interface.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein the user interface comprises at least one of a consumer interface, a vendor interface, a provider interface, and a third-party interface.

17. The method of claim 12 wherein the management database comprises at least one of a consumer database, a vendor database, a retail database, a service provider database, and a third-party database.

18. The method of claim 13 wherein the business rule is one of a database maintenance rule, a transaction rule, a participant rule, and a verification rule.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the database maintenance rule is one of a consumer maintenance rule, a vendor maintenance rule, a retailer maintenance rule, a service provider maintenance rule, and a third-party maintenance rule.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein the transaction rule is one of an instant discount rule, an exclusive-of-provider discount rule, an electronic receipt (e-receipt) rule, a discount credit rule, a rebate rule, a multiple discount rule, an instant and mail-in rebate rule, a later purchase rule, a shopping list rule, and a gift card rule.

21. The method of claim 18 wherein the participant rule is one of a direct vendor payment rule, a universal code rule, provider selection rule, a downloading rule, a consumer payment rule, a promotion participating rule, a group sharing rule, a forum rule, a search rule.

22. The method of claim 18 wherein the verification rule is one of a consumer verification rule, a vendor verification rule, a retailer verification rule, a service provider verification rule, and a third-party entity verification rule.

23. The method of claim 18 wherein the consumer maintenance rule is one of a reward rule, a frequency rule, a demographic rule, a conversion rule, a current discount display rule, an opt-out receiving rule, and a notification rule.

27. The article of manufacture of claim 13 wherein the information causing the machine to perform processing the business rule comprises information that, when accessed by a machine, cause the machine to perform operations comprising:

invoking the business rule when a user performs an action on the user interface.

24. An article of manufacture comprising:

a machine-accessible storage medium including information that, when accessed by a machine, cause the machine to perform operations comprising;

interfacing to a user performing a commercial transaction using a user interface, the user being one of a consumer, a vendor, a retailer, a service provider, and a third-party entity, the commercial transaction being related to sale processing of a product or service;

managing the commercial transaction performed by the user using user information; and

providing the user information related to the commercial transaction using a management database.

25. The article of manufacture of claim 24 wherein the information causing the machine to perform managing comprises information that, when accessed by a machine, cause the machine to perform operations comprising:

processing a business rule related to the sale processing of the product or service.

26. The article of manufacture of claim 25 wherein the information causing the machine to perform managing further comprises information that, when accessed by a machine, cause the machine to perform operations comprising:

generating business intelligence (BI) data.