MULTIPLE PRICE CURVES AND ATTRIBUTES

• US 20110213649A1
• Filed: 05/11/2011
• Published: 09/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Valentine Communications LLC
• Original Assignee: Ewinwin Incorporated
• Inventors: Mesaros, Gregory J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,706,564 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.23
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0214 Referral reward systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0222 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0224 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0225 Avoiding frauds
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0605 Supply or demand aggregation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/188 Electronic negotiation

Abstract

The subject invention relates to electronic buying and selling systems and methods. In particular, the invention concerns relations among distinct price curves, price curve attributes (i.e., factors of the offer that can affect the price curves) and buyers or potential buyers. For instance, a price offered to a system user can vary based on total volume of all people aggregating in private environments, cumulative total order by user, ship date, optimal time, as well as terms and conditions associated with the offer (e.g., no cancellation of order, cancellation possible, payment method . . . ).

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having embodied thereon instructions executable by a processor to perform a method for offering a discounted price for a product or service, the method including:

displaying a plurality of deal rooms, each deal room including a product or service that is offered for sale, and further including terms and conditions set by a merchant for the product or service that is offered for sale, the terms and conditions differing for a different product or service offered by a different merchant in a different plurality of deal rooms;

determining an aggregate quantity of a particular product or service ordered from the plurality of deal rooms;

implementing a discounted price for the particular product or service based on the aggregate quantity of orders for the particular product or service, the discounted price corresponding to a price discount attribute; and

offering the discounted price to a buyer that agrees to or satisfies the terms and conditions set by the merchant for the particular product or service.

2. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the price discount attribute is order volume, orders to date, aggregate volume ordered, time of delivery or availability, or a time in which the buyer placed an order.

3. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the price discount attribute is orders to date.

4. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the price discount attribute is aggregate volume ordered.

5. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the price discount attribute is time of delivery

6. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the price discount attribute is availability.

7. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the price discount attribute is time in which the buyer placed an order.

8. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the deal room is a private deal room, access to which is based on at least an invitation.

9. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the deal room is a private deal room, access to which is based on at least right of entry.

10. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the deal room is a private deal room, access to which is based on at least express acceptance of terms and conditions.

11. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the deal room is a private deal room, access to which is based on at least prior transactions with the merchant.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the deal room is a private deal room, access to which is based on at least prior transactions with an intermediate of the merchant.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein at least one deal room from the plurality of deal rooms is public and a second deal from the plurality of deal rooms is public, wherein buyers in the second deal room receive a different discounted price than buyers in the first deal room.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein offering the discounted price to the buyer occurs for a limited time.

15. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the discounted price is offered to a subsequent buyer if the buyer fails to accept to the discounted price or does not accept the discounted price within a predetermined period of time.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the discounted price may be adjusted subject to other transactions between the buyer and the merchant.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the discounted price may be adjusted subject to other transactions between the buyer and an intermediary of the merchant.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the price discount attribute is based on a plurality of orders from the buyer in connection with a single offered item from the merchant.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the discounted price may be reflected as a graph-based representation.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the discounted price is optimized as a function of time to place an order, time to deliver the item, or delivery or service time.

21. A computer-implemented method, the method comprising:

executing computer readable instructions stored in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium for aggregating a plurality of orders for an offer for sale of a product or service offered by a merchant or intermediary across multiple deal rooms;

executing computer readable instructions stored in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium for determining a qualified buyer who satisfies criteria related to the product or service to allow for purchase of the item from the deal room;

executing computer readable instructions stored in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium for implementing a discounted price for the item based upon an aggregate volume ordered and a price discount attribute set by at least one of the merchant or intermediary;

executing computer readable instructions stored in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium for presenting the discounted price for the product or service in each of the multiple deal rooms.

22. The computer-implemented method of claim 21, wherein determining the qualified buyer is based on at least an invitation to the deal room.

23. The computer-implemented method of claim 21, wherein determining the qualified buyer is based on at least right of entry to the deal room.

24. The computer-implemented method of claim 21, wherein determining the qualified buyer is based on at least acceptance of terms and conditions related to the product or service.

25. The computer-implemented method of claim 21, wherein determining the qualified buyer is based on at least prior transactions with the merchant.

26. The computer-implemented method of claim 21, wherein determining the qualified buyer is based on at least prior transactions with an intermediary of the merchant.

27. The computer-implemented method of claim 21, wherein the price discount attribute is selected from the group consisting of volume of order, orders to date, aggregate volume ordered by the buyer, time of shipment of the goods or services, or time of order placement.

28. The computer-implemented method of claim 21, further comprising presenting the discounted price as a chart.

29. The computer-implemented method of claim 21, further comprising presenting the discounted price as a graph.

30. The computer-implemented method of claim 21, further comprising presenting the discounted price as a list.

31. The computer-implemented method of claim 21, wherein the discounted price is optimized as a function of an optimal time to place an order, an optimal delivery or service date for a placed order, delivery or service dates with different prices.

32. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having embodied thereon instructions executable by a processor to perform a method for offering a discounted price for a product or service, the method including:

providing a plurality of deal rooms, at least one of which includes a product or service that is offered for sale, and further includes terms and conditions set by a merchant for the product or service that is offered for sale, the terms and conditions differing between a first deal room of the plurality of deal rooms and a second deal room of the plurality of deal rooms;

determining an aggregate quantity of a particular product or service ordered from any of the plurality of deal rooms;

implementing a discounted price for the particular product or service based on the aggregate quantity of orders for the particular product or service, the discounted price corresponding to a price discount attribute; and

offering the discounted price to a buyer that agrees or satisfies the terms and conditions set by the merchant for particular product or service.