Sales Methods, Delivery Methods, Code Verification Methods, Repudiation Resolution Methods, and Articles of Manufacture

• US 20090001153A1
• Filed: 06/29/2007
• Published: 01/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ComGateway (S) Pte., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: ComGateway (S) Pte., Ltd.
• Inventors: Lim, Kay Hian
• Granted Patent: US 8,060,452 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/375
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0832 Special goods or special handling procedures, e.g. handling of hazardous or fragile goods
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0835 Relationships between shipper or supplier and carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

A sales method includes accepting an order for goods from a customer, providing a code associated with the goods to the customer, and receiving the code from the customer prior to delivering the goods. A code verification method includes providing a code associated with goods ordered by a customer to the customer and receiving a verification request from a delivery agent tendering delivery of the goods to the customer. The verification request includes an asserted code provided by the customer. The method also includes determining whether the asserted code is the code previously provided to the customer. A repudiation resolution method includes receiving a request to reverse a credit charge for a purchase of goods from a customer and determining whether the customer provided a code associated with the goods to a delivery agent in response to the delivery agent tendering delivery of the goods to the customer.

Claims

1. A sales method comprising:

accepting an order for goods from a customer;

providing a code to the customer, the code being associated with the goods; and

receiving the code from the customer prior to delivering the goods.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the accepting and the providing are both performed by a merchant of the goods.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the accepting is performed by a merchant of the goods and the providing is performed by a verification agency that is independent of the merchant.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the goods are packaged in a single parcel.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the goods are packaged in a plurality of parcels, each parcel of the plurality of parcels being associated with the code.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the goods are packaged in a parcel along with additional goods ordered by the customer, the additional goods being associated with a different code.

7. A delivery method comprising:

accepting an order for goods from a customer;

requesting that a verification agency provide a code to the customer, the code being associated with the goods; and

providing the goods to a shipping agency, the shipping agency being instructed to deliver the goods to the customer after receiving the code from the customer.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the shipping agency does not have access to the code prior to receiving the code from the customer.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the shipping agency is instructed to deliver the goods to the customer only after receiving the code from the customer.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein both the verification agency and the shipping agency are part of a single business entity.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein the verification agency is a different business entity than the shipping agency.

12. A code verification method comprising:

providing a code to a customer, the code being associated with goods ordered by the customer;

receiving a verification request from a delivery agent tendering delivery of the goods to the customer, the verification request including an asserted code provided by the customer;

determining whether the asserted code is the code previously provided to the customer;

if the asserted code is the code previously provided to the customer, informing the delivery agent that the asserted code has been verified; and

if the asserted code is not the code previously provided to the customer, informing the delivery agent that the asserted code has not been verified.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising receiving a request to provide the code to the customer and generating the code in response to receiving the request.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the request is received from a shipping agency associated with the delivery agent.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the request is received from a merchant of the goods.

16. The method of claim 12 further comprising storing a date and time of the verification.

17. The method of claim 12 further comprising preventing the delivery agent from acquiring the code except from the customer.

18. The method of claim 12 wherein the verification request includes a parcel identifier uniquely identifying a parcel containing the goods, the parcel identifier being known by the delivery agent prior to sending the verification request and being associated with the code.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the combination of the parcel identifier and the code is unique.

20. The method of claim 12 wherein the receiving the verification request comprises receiving the verification request via a telephone call from the delivery agent.

21. The method of claim 20 further determining that a telephone number of a caller identification associated with the telephone call is an authorized telephone number prior to receiving the verification request.

22. The method of claim 12 wherein the receiving the verification request comprises receiving an electronic message transmitted by the delivery agent.

23. The method of claim 12 wherein the providing the code comprises providing the code only to the customer.

24. The method of claim 12 further comprising creating a record indicating that the asserted code matches the code.

25. An article of manufacture comprising:

media comprising programming configured to cause processing circuitry to perform code verification processing comprising;

receiving a verification request from a delivery agent tendering delivery of goods to a customer, the verification request including an asserted code provided to the delivery agent by the customer;

determining whether the asserted code matches a code previously provided to the customer, the previously provided code being associated with the goods;

if the codes match, informing the delivery agent that the asserted code has been verified; and

if the codes do not match, informing the delivery agent that the asserted code has not been verified.

26. The article of manufacture of claim 25 wherein the verification request includes a parcel identifier uniquely identifying a parcel containing the goods, the parcel identifier being known by the delivery agent prior to sending the verification request and being associated with the code.

27. The article of manufacture of claim 26 wherein the combination of the parcel identifier and the code is unique.

28. A delivery method comprising:

receiving goods ordered by a customer, the goods being associated with a code provided to the customer;

receiving an asserted code from the customer; and

transferring the goods to the customer only if the asserted code is the code provided to the customer.

29. The method of claim 28 requesting that a verification agency send the code to the customer.

30. The method of claim 28 verifying via a verification agency that the asserted code is the code provided to the customer.

31. The method of claim 28 wherein the code is a one-time use code.

32. The method of claim 28 wherein the code comprises a random or pseudo-random arrangement of a plurality of characters.

33. The method of claim 28 wherein the code is unique.

34. The method of claim 28 wherein the code is sent via at least one item selected from among an email message, a text message, a short message service message, a page, an instant message, a voice message, an automated voice message, a phone call, and programming configured to execute within a web browser.

35. The method of claim 28 wherein the code comprises a bar code.

36. A repudiation resolution method comprising:

receiving a request to reverse a credit charge from a customer, the credit charge resulting from a purchase of goods made by the customer;

determining whether the customer provided a code associated with the goods to a delivery agent in response to the delivery agent tendering delivery of the goods to the customer;

if the customer provided the code to the delivery agent, refusing to reverse the credit charge; and

if the customer did not provide the code to the delivery agent, reversing the credit charge.

37. The method of claim 36 wherein the determining comprises inspecting a record of a verification agency, the customer having received the code from the verification agency.

38. The method of claim 36 wherein the delivery agent has no knowledge of the code prior to the customer providing the code to the delivery agent.

39. An article of manufacture comprising:

media comprising programming configured to cause processing circuitry to perform code verification processing comprising;

receiving an asserted code from a delivery agent, the delivery agent having obtained the asserted code from a customer;

transmitting the asserted code to a verification system, the verification system being configured to determine whether the asserted code matches a code previously provided to the customer, the previously provided code being associated with goods ordered by the customer; and

receiving a message from the verification system indicating whether the delivery agent is authorized to transfer the goods to the customer.

40. The article of manufacture of claim 39 wherein the processing further comprises informing the delivery agent whether the delivery agent is authorized to transfer the goods to the customer.

41. The article of manufacture of claim 39 wherein the delivery agent has no knowledge of the code prior to obtaining the asserted code from the customer.

42. The article of manufacture of claim 39 wherein the receiving the asserted code comprises reading a bar code provided by the customer.

43. The article of manufacture of claim 39 wherein the receiving comprises receiving the code via a keyboard.