DIFFERENTIAL PRICING BASED ON SOCIAL NETWORK STANDING

• US 20080243628A1
• Filed: 03/26/2007
• Published: 10/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Weber, Kurt, Wiseman, Garry R.
• Granted Patent: US 8,583,564 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0237 at kiosk
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces

Abstract

The claimed subject matter provides a system and/or method that effectuates and facilitates the generation and provision of differential pricing policies based at least in part on the relative social network standing that a user might have with a potential purchaser. The disclosed system can include a component that receives data associated with a user, a good, or a service that the user lists for sale or barter in an online market place. The component can determine, based at least in part on the particular good or service, a differential pricing policy that can be associated therewith. The differential pricing policy can then be utilized to selectively provide differentiated prices to a purchaser based on a relative social network standing that can be established between the purchaser and the user.

Claims

1. A machine implemented system that generates differential pricing based at least in part on a relative social network standing, comprising:

a component that receives data associated with a user, a good, or a service that the user places for sale or barter in an online market place, the component determines, based at least in part on the good or service, a differential pricing policy that is associated with the good or service and that selectively displays differentiated prices to a purchaser based at least in part on the relative social network standing of the purchaser with respect to the user.

2. The system of claim 1, the component determines the differential pricing policy based on a geographical location of the good or service.

3. The system of claim 1, the data associated with a user includes online activity, previous online transactions, activity across a disparate network, activity across a network, credit card verification, credit card membership, inclusion on a buddy list, existence on a contact list, goods purchased, goods sold, or user profiles associated with the disparate network or the network.

4. The system of claim 1, the data associated with the good includes type, asking price, description, condition, geographical location, or terms and conditions for sale of the good.

5. The system of claim 1, the data associated with the service includes, type, requested price, description, or geographical restrictions on performance of the service.

6. The system of claim 1, the component constructs a social network diagram and utilizes the social network diagram to resolve the relative social network standing between the purchaser and the user.

7. The system of claim 6, the relative social network standing between the purchaser and the user based at least in part on a commonality of interest, a commonality of domain name, a familial relationship, or a previous transaction.

8. The system of claim 6, the relative social network standing between the purchaser and the user based at least in part on a degree of separation between the user and the purchaser where the social network diagram includes nodes and ties such that each node traversed constitutes the degree of separation between the user and the purchaser.

9. The system of claim 8, the smaller the degree of separation between the user and the purchaser the greater a discount offered to the purchaser,

10. The system of claim 1, the component ascertains a distance from a geographical location of the user to the geographical location of the purchaser and employs the distance to assign a tariff to the differentiated prices.

11. The system of claim 10, the greater the distance from the location of the user the greater the tariff associated with a discount offered to the purchaser.

12. The system of claim 1, the component constructs at least one circle of trust and utilizes the circle of trust to resolve the relative social network standing between the purchaser and the user

13. The system of claim 12, the user located at a center of the circle of trust and the purchaser located radially remotely from the center.

14. A method implemented on a machine that effectuates differential pricing based at least in part on a relative social network standing, comprising:

obtaining data associated with a user, a good, or a service;

based at least in part on the good or service, ascertaining a differential pricing policy;

associating the differential pricing policy with the good or service; and

selectively displaying a differentiated price to a purchaser based at least in part on the relative social network standing of the purchaser with respect to the user.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising building a social network diagram and utilizing the diagram to resolve the relative social network standing between the purchaser and the user.

16. The method of claim 14, further including determining a distance from a geographical location of the user to the geographical location of the purchaser and utilizing the distance to include an additional tariff to the differentiated prices.

17. The method of claim 14, the data associated with a user includes online activity, previous online transactions, activity across a disparate network, activity across a network, credit card verification, credit card membership, inclusion on a buddy list, existence on a contact list, goods purchased, goods sold, or user profiles associated with the disparate network or the network.

18. The method of claim 14, the data associated with the good includes type, asking price, description, condition, geographical location, or terms and conditions for sale of the good.

19. The system of claim 14, the data associated with the service includes, type, requested price, description, or geographical restrictions on performance of the service.

20. A system that produces differential pricing based on relative social network standing, comprising:

means for receiving information associated with a user, a purchaser, a good, or a service;

means for generating and associating a differential price with the good or service; and

means for selectively displaying a differentiated price associated with the good or service based at least in part on the relative social network standing of the purchaser with respect to the user.