Method and apparatus for payment retrieval and review collection

• US 20080288395A1
• Filed: 02/26/2003
• Published: 11/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: U-Haul International Incorporated (U-Haul Holding Co.)
• Original Assignee: U-Haul International Incorporated (U-Haul Holding Co.)
• Inventors: Shoen, Edward J., Shoen, Samuel J., Srinivasan, Venkataraman, Kestner, John Anthony
• Granted Patent: US 7,873,551 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/39
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting

Abstract

A method for conducting a review including the step of detecting a payment request from a vendor; generating a review based on the payment request; and, transmitting a reference to the review to a customer, wherein the reference provides a link to retrieve the review. A system for performing the method is also described.

Claims

1. A method for conducting a review comprising the steps of:

detecting a payment request from a vendor;

generating a review based on the payment request; and

,

transmitting a reference to the review to a customer;

wherein the reference provides a link to retrieve the review.

2. The method of claim 1, where the step of detecting the payment request from the vendor comprises the step of receiving a payment code from the vendor, the payment code being related to a particular job number.

3. The method of claim 1, where the step of transmitting the reference to the review to the customer comprises the steps of:

creating an electronic mail message addressed to the customer, the reference to the review contained in the electronic mail message; and

,

transmitting the electronic mail message.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

detecting a request to retrieve the review by the customer; and

,

transmitting the review.

5. The method of claim 4, where the step of transmitting the review comprises the steps of:

determining the status of a job related to the review before transmitting the review; and

,

transmitting the review if the status meets a first condition.

6. The method of claim 5, where the first condition is related to the job being completed.

7. The method of claim 5, where the first condition is related to the job being unreviewed.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of.

detecting a response to the review;

and,

updating a vendor feedback record based on the response.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of.

detecting a response to the review;

and,

crediting the customer with a predetermined amount based on detecting the response to the review.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the predetermined amount is an amount that was previously paid by the customer.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

detecting a response to the review; and

,

generating a notification based on the response.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

receiving a job request from the customer; and

,

notifying the vendor of the job request with a reference to respond to the job request.

13. The method of claim 12, where the reference to respond to the job request includes a link to accept the job request.

14. The method of claim 12, where the reference to respond to the job request includes a link to reject the job request.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising the steps of:

receiving a response to the job request from the vendor; and

,

generating a notification based on the response.

16. The method of claim 15, where if the response is a rejection of the job request, then the notification contains a reference for the customer to submit a new job request with a second vendor.

17. The method of claim 15, where if the response is an acceptance of the job request, then updating a schedule with the job.

18. A computer readable medium having a computer readable program code contained therein for conducting a review, the computer readable program code comprising:

computer readable program code for detecting a payment request from a vendor;

computer readable program code for generating a review based on the payment request; and

,

computer readable program code for transmitting a reference to the review to a customer;

wherein the reference provides a link to retrieve the review.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 18, where the computer readable program code contained therein for detecting the payment request from the vendor comprises computer readable program code for receiving a payment code from the vendor, the payment code being related to a particular job number.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 18, where the computer readable program code contained therein for transmitting the reference to the review to the customer comprises:

computer readable program code for creating an electronic mail message addressed to the customer, the reference to the review contained in the electronic mail message; and

,

computer readable program code for transmitting the electronic mail message.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 18, where the computer readable program code contained therein further comprising:

computer readable program code for detecting a request to retrieve the review by the customer; and

,

computer readable program code for transmitting the review.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 21, where the computer readable program code contained therein for transmitting the review comprises:

computer readable program code for determining the status of a job related to the review before transmitting the review; and

,

computer readable program code for transmitting the review if the status meets a first condition.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 22, where the first condition is related to the job being completed.

24. The computer readable medium of claim 22, where the first condition is related to the job being unreviewed.

25. The computer readable medium of claim 18, where the computer readable program code contained therein for conducting the review further comprising:

computer readable program code for detecting a response to the review; and

,

computer readable program code for updating a vendor feedback record based on the response.

26. The computer readable medium of claim 18, where the computer readable program code contained therein for conducting the review further comprising:

computer readable program code for detecting a response to the review; and

,

computer readable program code for crediting the customer with a predetermined amount based on detecting the response to the review.

27. The computer readable medium of claim 26, wherein the predetermined amount is an amount that was previously paid by the customer.

28. The computer readable medium of claim 18, where the computer readable program code contained therein for conducting the review further comprising:

computer readable program code for detecting a response to the review; and

,

computer readable program code for generating a notification based on the response.

29. The computer readable medium of claim 18, where the computer readable program code contained therein for conducting the review further comprising:

computer readable program code for receiving a job request from the customer; and

,

computer readable program code for notifying the vendor of the job request with a reference to respond to the job request.

30. The computer readable medium of claim 29, where the reference to respond to the job request includes a link to accept the job request.

31. The computer readable medium of claim 29, where the reference to respond to the job request includes a link to reject the job request.

32. The computer readable medium of claim 29, further comprising:

computer readable program code for receiving a response to the job request from the vendor; and

,

computer readable program code for generating a notification based on the response.

33. The computer readable medium of claim 32, where if the response is a rejection of the job request, then the notification contains a reference for the customer to submit a new job request with a second vendor.

34. The computer readable medium of claim 32, where if the response is an acceptance of the job request, then the computer readable medium further comprising computer readable program code for updating a schedule with the job.

36. The review system of claim 29, the memory further comprising an underlying layer configured to connect the vendor application and the customer application to a database.

37. The review system of claim 29, wherein the vendor application is further configured to receive a payment code from the vendor, the payment code being related to a particular job number.

38. The review system of claim 29, wherein the processor is coupled to a network, and the customer application is further configured to send an electronic mail message to the customer enclosing the reference to the review using the network.

39. The review system of claim 29, wherein the customer application is further configured to transmit the review to the customer when a request for the review is detected from the customer.

40. The review system of claim 39, wherein the customer application is further configured to not transmit the review to the customer if a first condition is not met.

41. The review system of claim 40, where the first condition is not met when a job related to the payment request is not completed.

42. The review system of claim 33, where the first condition is related to the job being unreviewed.

43. The review system of claim 29, wherein the customer application is further configured to detect a response to the review, and update a vendor rating based on the response.

44. The review system of claim 29, wherein the customer application is further configured to detect a response to the review, and credit the customer with a predetermined amount based on detecting the response to the review.

45. The review system of claim 29, wherein the predetermined amount is an amount that was previously paid by the customer.

35. A review system comprising:

a processor; and

,

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory comprising;

a vendor application; and

,

a customer application;

wherein the vendor application is configured to receive a payment request from a vendor, and the customer application is configured to generate a review based on the payment request and transmit a reference to the review to a customer.

46. The review system of claim 35, further comprising the steps of:

the customer application configured to receive a job request from the customer; and

,

the vendor application configured to notify the vendor of the job request with a reference to respond to the job request.

47. The review system of claim 46, where the reference to respond to the job request includes a link to accept the job request.

48. The review system of claim 46, where the reference to respond to the job request includes a link to reject the job request.

49. The review system of claim 46, where the vendor application is further configured to:

receive a response to the job request from the vendor; and

,

generate a notification based on the response.

50. The review system of claim 49, where if the response is a rejection of the job request, then the notification contains a reference for the customer to submit a new job request with a second vendor.

51. The review system of claim 49, where if the response is an acceptance of the job request, then the vendor application is further configured to update a schedule with the job.