ELECTRONIC COMMERCE TRANSACTIONS WITHIN A MARKETING SYSTEM THAT MAY CONTAIN A MEMBERSHIP BUYING OPPORTUNITY

• US 20120278153A1
• Filed: 07/06/2012
• Published: 11/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amway Corporation (Alticor Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Amway Corporation (Alticor Incorporated)
• Inventors: Bamborough, David L., Blodgett, James G., Dangl, William R., Horder-Koop, Robin A., Hunking, James P., McDonald, Kenneth J., Parker, John P., Savage, Kelly K., Zevalkink, Claire E., Paasche, Thomas D.
• Granted Patent: US 8,666,838 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 30/0214 Referral reward systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0222 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0231 Awarding of a frequent usage incentive independent of the monetary value of a good or service purchased, or distance travelled
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0235 constrained by time limit or expiration date
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0236 Incentive or reward received by requiring registration or ID from user
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0239 Online discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0258 Registration
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0268 at point-of-sale [POS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0609 Buyer or seller confidence or verification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a system and method for providing complete electronic commerce (“E-Commerce”) transactions and solutions for a marketing company'"'"'s products via the World Wide Web, including facilities for signing up new customers and recruiting, training and supporting new Independent Business Owners through an interactive online process. In another aspect, the present invention relates to the combination of a marketing business with a membership buying opportunity using both electronic commerce and face-to-face transactions. The present invention is also directed to a system and method for combining a marketing business with a membership buying opportunity, so that Independent Business Owners participating in the marketing plan can introduce customers to a membership buying opportunity and earn bonuses or commissions based on the purchases by those members, while Members in the buying opportunity can consume products or, at their option, qualify to become Independent Business Owners.

Claims

1. A system for facilitating electronic commerce transactions in a marketing system comprising:

a memory device having embodied therein information relating to a plurality of marketing system products or services; and

a processor in communication with the memory device, the processor configured to;

establish an interactive online registration process so that a plurality of individuals may register with the marketing system in a First Participation Category wherein an individual registered in the First Participation Category is eligible to buy products or services at a First Participation Category price and is eligible to earn compensation based on sales to other individuals;

provide a plurality of web files operatively coupled to a web site associated with the marketing system;

allow access to a plurality of marketing system products or services to an individual not registered with the marketing system via at least one of the plurality of web files; and

receive an indication that the unregistered individual wishes to undertake a transaction with the marketing system and, in response thereto, select an individual registered in the First Participation Category of the plurality of individuals registered in the First Participation Category, the selection being based on a geographic proximity of the registered individual to the unregistered individual, and establish an assignment of the unregistered individual with the selected registered individual such that the selected registered individual earns compensation based on the transaction, the selected individual having no participation in the transaction between the marketing system and the unregistered individual.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the selection is based on postal or zip code.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the assignment of the unregistered individual with the selected registered individual is transparent to unregistered individual.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of individuals registered in the First Participation Category is an intermediary between the marketing system and individuals not registered with the marketing system and capable of selling marketing system products or services thereto.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the processor is further configured to:

establish the interactive online registration process so that the plurality of individuals may register in a Second Participation Category or a Third Participation Category, wherein an individual registered in the Second Participation Category is not eligible to earn compensation and is eligible to buy products or services at a Second Participation Category price, wherein an individual registered in the Third Participation Category is eligible to earn compensation based on sales to other individuals registered in the Second Participation Category and is eligible to buy products or services at a Third Participation Category price and wherein an individual registered in the Third Participation Category may be promoted to the First Participation Category based on satisfaction of a goal, the goal comprising satisfaction of a sales qualification.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the processor is further configured to calculate the amount of compensation earned by the selected registered individual based on the transaction.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the system further comprises a database coupled with the processor, the database operative to store data representative of the plurality of registered individuals including geographic data associated therewith.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the processor is further configured to allow access to the plurality of marketing system products or services via web browser program executing on a computer associated with the unregistered individual.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the processor is further configured to allow access to the plurality of marketing system products or services via the Internet.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the processor is further configured to allow access to the plurality of marketing system products or services via a telephone.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the processor is further configured to allow a registered individual to review their compensation.

12. A system for facilitating electronic commerce transactions in a marketing system comprising:

a memory device having embodied therein information relating to a plurality of marketing system products or services; and

a processor in communication with the memory device, the processor configured to;

establish an interactive online registration process so that a plurality of individuals may register with the marketing system in a first category wherein an individual registered in the first category is eligible to buy products or services at a first price and is eligible to earn compensation based on sales to other individuals;

provide pages associated with the marketing system over a network;

allow access to a plurality of marketing system products or services to an individual not registered with the marketing system via at least one of the provided pages;

receive an indication that the unregistered individual wishes to undertake a transaction with the marketing system and, in response thereto, select an individual registered in the first category based on a geographic proximity of the registered individual to the unregistered individual; and

establish an assignment of the unregistered individual with the selected registered individual such that the selected registered individual earns compensation based on the transaction.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the selected individual has no participation in the transaction between the marketing system and the unregistered individual.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein the selection is based on postal or zip code.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the selection comprises:

identifying potential individuals from the first category that are within the postal or zip code of the unregistered individual; and

selecting the individual registered from the identified potential individuals from the first category.

16. The system of claim 12 wherein the assignment of the unregistered individual with the selected registered individual is transparent to the unregistered individual.

17. The system of claim 12 wherein each of the plurality of individuals registered in the first category is an intermediary between the marketing system and individuals not registered with the marketing system and capable of selling marketing system products or services thereto.

18. The system of claim 12 wherein the unregistered individual belongs to a second category in the marketing system, wherein an individual registered in the second category is eligible to buy products or services and is not eligible to earn compensation based on sales to other individuals.

19. The system of claim 12 wherein the pages associated with the marketing system that are provided over a network comprises a web site.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the receiving of an indication that the unregistered individual wishes to undertake a transaction with the marketing system comprises a purchase request received on the web site.