HOSTED DEMAND AGGREGATION

• US 20110213653A1
• 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 8,732,018 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.35
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0224 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0234 Rebates after completed purchase
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0235 constrained by time limit or expiration date
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0258 Registration
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0276 Advertisement creation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0605 Supply or demand aggregation

Abstract

The demand aggregation system includes deal room sponsored by a third party host. The third party host facilitates commercial transactions between a plurality of buyers and at least one seller. In exchange for sponsorship of such a deal room, the third party host can receive an incentive such as a percentage of sales, seller discount or the like. Furthermore, mechanisms are provided to aid discovery of sellers and/or offers that can be included in a group buying event for a buying group. The buying group receives a greater discount as the total purchase amount in the group buying event increases.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having embodied thereon computer executable instructions, the instructions being executable by a processor to perform a method for:

verifying resource availability data associated with a merchant, wherein the resource availability data indicates real time spare capacity of a product or service provided by the merchant;

determining a suitable recipient of an advertisement for the product or service with spare capacity based upon examination of a set of buyer profiles; and

providing an advertisement in real time to the suitable recipient, wherein the advertisement includes an offer for the product or service with spare capacity.

2. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the resource availability data is based upon current conditions associated with the merchant.

3. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the resource availability data is a forecast of future conditions based upon current conditions associated with the merchant.

4. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the advertisement further includes a different price for the product or service with spare capacity than otherwise offered by the merchant.

5. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 4, wherein the different price for the product or service with spare capacity is a discounted price with respect to a market price for the product or service offered by the merchant.

6. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 5, wherein the discounted price is contingent upon acceptance of the offer for the product or service with spare capacity by a predetermined number of suitable recipients.

7. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 5, wherein the discounted price is contingent upon acceptance by the suitable recipient of the offer for the product or service with spare capacity within a predetermined time specified in the advertisement.

8. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 5, wherein the discounted price is contingent upon acceptance by the suitable recipient of the offer for the product or service with spare capacity within a duration in which a spare capacity condition exists for the merchant.

9. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the suitable recipient is inclusive of at least a first and second suitable recipient, and wherein the advertisement sent to the first suitable recipient includes a price that is different from a price included in the advertisement sent to the second suitable recipient.

10. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the determination of the suitable recipient includes consideration of a transaction history in the buyer profile.

11. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the determination of the suitable recipient includes consideration of demographics data in the buyer profile.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the determination of the suitable recipient includes consideration of location information included in the buyer profile.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the determination of the suitable recipient is further based upon activity or behavior associated with the suitable recipient.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the suitable recipient is registered user.

15. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the suitable recipient must log-in to a registered account in order to receive the advertisement.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the suitable recipient may accept the offer and provides payment information through the registered account.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the advertisement is transmitted to a third-party account associated with the suitable recipient.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the execution of the computer executable instructions by a processor further constructs an advertisement prior to providing the advertisement to the suitable recipient.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the determination of the suitable recipient is further based upon a set of contacts of the suitable recipient.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the determination of the suitable recipient is further based upon activity associated with a contact in a set of contacts of the suitable recipient.

21. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the suitable recipient may provide payment information for the accepted offer through the registered account.

22. A computer-implement method, the method comprising:

executing computer readable instructions stored in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium to verify resource availability data associated with a merchant, the resource availability data indicating real time spare capacity of a product or service provided by the merchant;

executing computer readable instructions stored in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium to examine a set of buyer profiles for identifying a suitable recipient of an advertisement for the product or service with spare capacity;

executing computer readable instructions stored in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium to provide the advertisement in real time to the suitable recipient, the advertisement including an offer for the product or service with spare capacity.

23. The computer-implemented method of claim 22, wherein the advertisement includes a price for the product or service that differs from a market price for the product or service offered by the merchant.

24. The computer-implemented method of claim 22, wherein a price included in the advertisement for the product or service varies depending on a status of the suitable recipient from amongst a group of suitable recipients.

25. The computer-implemented method of claim 22, wherein a price included in the advertisement for the product or service varies depending on a behavior of the suitable recipient from amongst a group of suitable recipients.

26. The computer-implemented method of claim 22, wherein a price included in the advertisement a price for the product or service is contingent upon a predetermined number of suitable recipient accepting the offer for the product or service.

27. The computer-implemented method of claim 22, wherein a price included in the advertisement for the product or service is contingent upon the suitable recipient accepting the offer for the product or service within a predetermined time specified in the advertisement.

28. The computer-implemented method of claim 22, wherein a price included in the advertisement for the product or service is contingent upon the suitable recipient accepting the offer for the product or service during a time in which a spare capacity condition exists for the merchant.

29. The computer-implemented method of claim 22, further comprising determining the suitable recipient based upon a transaction stored in the buyer profile.

30. The computer-implemented method of claim 22, further comprising determining the suitable recipient based upon demographic data stored in the buyer profile.

31. The computer-implemented method of claim 22, further comprising determining the suitable recipient based upon a location of the suitable recipient stored in the buyer profile.

32. The computer-implemented method of claim 22, further comprising determining the suitable recipient based upon activity associated with the suitable recipient.

33. The computer-implemented method of claim 22, further comprising determining the suitable recipient based upon a set of contacts associated with the suitable recipient.

34. The computer-implemented method of claim 22, further comprising determining the suitable recipient based upon activity associated with a contact included in a set of contacts of the suitable recipient.

35. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having embodied thereon computer executable instructions, the instructions being executable by a processor to perform a method for:

verifying availability data associated with a merchant, wherein the resource availability data indicates current excess capacity of a product or service offered by the merchant;

examining a set of buyer profiles;

determining an eligible recipient of an offer for the product or service with current excess capacity based upon the examined set of buyer profiles; and

delivering an offer based upon the resource availability data, the offer provided in real time to the eligible recipient, and wherein the offer includes a price for the product or service with current excess capacity that differs from a market price otherwise offered by the merchant for the product or service.