Multi-tier pricing of individual products based on volume discounts

• US 20100106587A1
• Filed: 11/20/2009
• Published: 04/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Inventor Holdings LLC (Walker Innovation Inc. (f/k/a Patent Properties, Inc.))
• Original Assignee: Walker Digital LLC (Walker Innovation Inc. (f/k/a Patent Properties, Inc.))
• Inventors: Mik, Madgalena, Van Luchene, Andrew S., Tedesco, Daniel E., Walker, Jay S.
• Granted Patent: US 8,260,670 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.230
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/202 Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR
• 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 30/0222 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/145 PLU-management

Abstract

A point of sale system or other computer system stores a product pricing database in which a full price and discount prices corresponding to one or more discount pricing tiers are stored for each product available for sale. Each of the discount prices for a given product has an associated threshold purchase total that has to be satisfied before the discount price is applied to a transaction. When a transaction occurs, the purchase total for the transaction is first calculated on the basis of full retail prices for the products and the purchase total for the transaction is compared with one or more threshold purchase totals which correspond to the discount pricing tiers. If a discount pricing tier is applicable (e.g. the calculated purchase total for the transaction is at least equal to a threshold purchase total), the appropriate discount prices for each product in the transaction are retrieved and used to calculate a reduced purchase total for the transaction. Qualification for discount pricing can also be based on, for example, a customer'"'"'s purchasing history, or the number of a certain type of product included in the transaction instead of the purchase total of a transaction.

Claims

1. A method of operating a shopping Web site, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving at a Web server computer an access attempt from a customer device used by a customer;

responding to the access attempt by sending to the customer device display data, the display data representing information to be displayed on a monitor component of the customer device, the information to be displayed on the monitor component including;

(a) a plurality of product entries, each of the product entries including (i) product information indicative of a product available for sale via the Web site and (ii) pricing information indicative of a plurality of prices applicable to the product indicated by the product information of the respective product entry, each of the prices corresponding to a respective pricing tier; and

(b) a monetary amount that indicates to the customer an additional amount to be spent to qualify for one of the respective pricing tiers.