METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ENABLING PURCHASERS OF PRODUCTS TO OBTAIN RETURN INFORMATION AND TO INITIATE PRODUCT RETURNS VIA AN ON-LINE NETWORK CONNECTION
First Claim
1. An electronic registration (ER) system, comprising:
- a product return database that stores product return information for a plurality of purchased products; and
a processing system including at least one processor, the processing system being configured to at least;
receive a product identifier for a product involved in a return and/or warranty transaction, the product having been previously purchased from a remotely located e-tailer,query the product return database to determine, using the received product identifier, whether the product involved in the return and/or warranty transaction qualifies for return and/or warranty service, andgenerate and transmit return and/or warranty authorization information in response to a determination that the product involved in the return and/or warranty transaction qualifies for return and/or warranty service, the return and/or warranty authorization information enabling the product to be processed by a party tasked with performing return and/or warranty service, without having the e-tailer physically process the product prior to the party physically receiving the product, the party and the e-trailer being different from one another.
6 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An electronic registration system facilitates authorized product returns. A retailer sales associate is prompted to enter individual product identification information such as an individual serial number. This individual product identification information is stored in a database, along with the date on which the product was sold and an appropriate UPC code, SKU number, or manufacturer code. A check digit algorithm may be used to verify the serial number prior to storage. A sales receipt may be imprinted with at least the date of the transaction and the serial number. When a product is returned, the retailer may cross-reference the serial number on the product with that on the receipt to verify the sales receipt. Otherwise, the database may be searched for sales information. A customer may also access a return authorization engine via the Internet to obtain return approval, an authorization number, return instructions, etc.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. An electronic registration (ER) system, comprising:
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a product return database that stores product return information for a plurality of purchased products; and a processing system including at least one processor, the processing system being configured to at least; receive a product identifier for a product involved in a return and/or warranty transaction, the product having been previously purchased from a remotely located e-tailer, query the product return database to determine, using the received product identifier, whether the product involved in the return and/or warranty transaction qualifies for return and/or warranty service, and generate and transmit return and/or warranty authorization information in response to a determination that the product involved in the return and/or warranty transaction qualifies for return and/or warranty service, the return and/or warranty authorization information enabling the product to be processed by a party tasked with performing return and/or warranty service, without having the e-tailer physically process the product prior to the party physically receiving the product, the party and the e-trailer being different from one another. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method of processing return and/or warranty service requests, the method comprising:
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receiving, over a network connection, a product identifier for a product purchased from a first party; querying, with the received product identifier, a computer database storing product return and/or warranty information for a plurality of previously purchased products, in order to determine whether the product qualifies for return and/or warranty service; and generating via at least one processor return and/or warranty related instructions in response to a determination that the product qualifies for return and/or warranty service, the return and/or warranty related instructions enabling the product to be processed by a second party tasked with performing return and/or warranty service, without requiring the first party to physically process the product prior to the second party physically receiving the product, the first and second parties being different from one another. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium tangibly storing a program comprising instructions that, when run, aid in managing an electronic registration (ER) system by at least:
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receiving a product identifier for a product purchased from a first party; querying, using the received product identifier, a computer database of the ER system to determine whether the product qualifies for return and/or warranty service; in response to a determination that the product qualifies for return and/or warranty service, generating return and/or warranty related instructions that facilitate the product being processed by a second party tasked with performing return and/or warranty service, without requiring the first party to physically process the product prior to the second party physically receiving the product, the first and second parties being different from one another; and in response to a determination that the product does not qualify for return and/or warranty service, retrieving general product information for the product based on the received product identifier. - View Dependent Claims (20)
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Specification