SYSTEM AND/OR METHOD FOR HANDLING RECALLED PRODUCT PURCHASES AND/OR RETURN/WARRANTY REQUESTS

• US 20140316996A1
• Filed: 06/30/2014
• Published: 10/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: e2Interactive Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Nintendo of America, Inc. (Nintendo Company Limited)
• Inventors: MARAZ, Maridee Joy, JUNGER, Peter J.
• Granted Patent: US 10,417,641 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/302
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• 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 30/012 Providing warranty services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/014 Providing recall services for goods or products
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/06 by returnable containers , i.e. reverse vending systems in which a user is rewarded for returning a container that serves as a token of value, e.g. bottles
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/002 Vending machines being part of a centrally controlled network of vending machines
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0036 Checkout procedures

Abstract

Certain exemplary embodiments described herein relate to the field of electronic registration (ER) of purchased products and, more particularly, to improved electronic registration techniques purchase-side and/or return-side handling of recalled items. Certain exemplary embodiments on the purchase-side may help to filter-out products that have recalled been before they are purchased. Certain exemplary embodiments on the return-side may help enable recall return overrides, thus facilitating the acceptance of recalled products even though they might not qualify under an original return/warranty policy. Advantageously, more and more recalled products may be filtered out of circulation through the use of purchase-side and/or return-side recall watch list checking techniques of certain exemplary embodiments. Such purchase-side and/or return-side recall watch list checking may be performed together with or separate from electronic registration techniques in different exemplary embodiments.

Claims

1. A method of processing an item presented for purchase at a location in connection with a recall watch system including a recall watch database storing information regarding a plurality of items subject to recall, the method comprising:

receiving at least first identifying information for the item from the location;

determining, using at least one processor of the recall watch system, whether the item is likely subject to a recall;

when it is determined that the item is not subject to recall, allowing the purchase; and

when it is determined that the item is subject to recall;

sending an instruction to the location, the instruction indicating that return and/or warranty terms and/or conditions of the item are to be altered upon the purchase of the item compared to a situation in which the item were not subject to recall,

determining whether there is a desire to purchase the item subject to the altered return and/or warranty terms and/or conditions, and

when it is determined that the desire to purchase the item subject to the altered return and/or warranty terms and/or conditions exists, allowing the purchase.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the instruction indicates that the purchase of the item is to be at least temporarily halted.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing an electronic registration (ER) database storing information concerning return and/or warranty information for a plurality of products; and

updating the ER database with the altered return and/or warranty terms and/or conditions for the item.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving a return/warranty transaction request, the request being associated with an product having return and/or warranty terms and/or conditions altered in response to a determination that that product was subject to a recall;

making a return/warranty qualification determination for the product associated with the request using the altered return and/or warranty terms and/or conditions, using the ER database; and

returning the return/warranty qualification determination.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein at least some of the altered return and/or warranty terms and/or conditions differ from original return and/or warranty terms and/or conditions associated with the product associated with the return/warranty transaction request.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the instruction is based on information stored in recall watch database concerning the severity of the problem prompting the recall.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the unique identifier is either a combination of a UPC and a serial number of the item, or an EPC of the item.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first identifying information is a non-unique identifier of the item.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the item is subject to recall.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the desire to purchase the item subject to the altered return and/or warranty terms and/or conditions exists.

11. A recall watch system for processing an item presented for purchase at a location, comprising:

an interface configured to receive at least first identifying information for the item from the location;

a recall watch database storing information regarding a plurality of items subject to recall; and

at least one processor configured to;

determine whether the item is likely subject to a recall based on the information stored in the recall watch database,

allow the purchase when it is determined that the item is not subject to recall, and

when it is determined that the item is subject to recall;

cause an instruction to be sent to the location, the instruction indicating that return and/or warranty terms and/or conditions of the item are to be altered upon the purchase of the item compared to a situation in which the item were not subject to recall,

determine whether there is a desire to purchase the item subject to the altered return and/or warranty terms and/or conditions, and

when it is determined that the desire to purchase the item subject to the altered return and/or warranty terms and/or conditions exists, allow the purchase.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the instruction indicates that the purchase of the item is to be at least temporarily halted.

13. The system of claim 11, further comprising a link to an electronic registration (ER) database storing information concerning return and/or warranty information for a plurality of products, the ER database being updatable with the altered return and/or warranty terms and/or conditions for the item.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to:

facilitate receipt of a return/warranty transaction request, the request being associated with an product having return and/or warranty terms and/or conditions altered in response to a determination that that product was subject to a recall;

make a return/warranty qualification determination for the product associated with the request using the altered return and/or warranty terms and/or conditions, using the ER database; and

return the return/warranty qualification determination.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein at least some of the altered return and/or warranty terms and/or conditions differ from original return and/or warranty terms and/or conditions associated with the product associated with the return/warranty transaction request.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the instruction is based on information stored in recall watch database concerning the severity of the problem prompting the recall.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the unique identifier is either a combination of a UPC and a serial number of the item, or an EPC of the item.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the first identifying information is a non-unique identifier of the item.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein:

the interface is further configured to receive second identifying information for the item from the location; and

the at least one processor is further configured to confirm whether the item is subject to recall using the second identifying information.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein the item is subject to recall and the desire to purchase the item subject to the altered return and/or warranty terms and/or conditions exists.