PRODUCT OR SERVICE REQUESTS SYSTEM FOR MOBILE CUSTOMERS

• US 20170316480A1
• Filed: 03/01/2017
• Published: 11/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: yellCast, Inc.
• Original Assignee: yellCast, Inc.
• Inventors: Ganesan, Venkatakrishnan
• Granted Patent: US 11,301,911 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0611 Request for offers or quotes

Abstract

An on-line venue in which buyers can anonymously communicate precisely what product or service they want to purchase by posting an interactive request that a number of sellers/service providers can then directly respond to according to one embodiment of the invention. Such embodiments may promote the buyers interests in directly matching their needs with qualified vendors. In contrast to what others provide, where the buyer has to search within each seller/service providers and then send their request. Embodiments of the present invention broadcast a buyer'"'"'s needs to relevant/selected sellers/service providers. Such embodiments may take the burden from a buyer in finding the right products and services by self-qualifying the lead to proactive prospective sellers/service providers.

Claims

1. An electronic transaction processing system that receives buyer content from a buyer computer system and provides that buyer content to vendor computer systems, thereby facilitating vendor-buyer negotiations for providing the buyer with a needed product or service, the electronic transaction processing system:

memory storage for tracking buyer contact information and buyer requests sent to vendors, wherein the buyer requests are requests sent in response to buyer input of the buyer content and a buyer selection of one or more vendors from available vendors monitored by the electronic transaction processing system; and

memory storage for multimedia content associated with the buyer requests.

2. The electronic transaction processing system of claim 1, wherein the multimedia content associated with the buyer requests comprises one or more of a textual description of the buyer'"'"'s need, a short text message, an image illustrative of the buyer'"'"'s need, a photograph, an audio recording, and/or a video recording related to the buyer'"'"'s need.

3. The electronic transaction processing system of claim 1, wherein the buyer computer system is a network-connected mobile device, a laptop computer, a smartphone, or a handheld device.

4. The electronic transaction processing system of claim 1, further comprising:

computer elements that can automatically determine the relative geographic location of the buyer computer system at the time a buyer request is being made;

logic to provide that relative geographic location to the electronic transaction processing system; and

logic for filtering vendors that are provided the buyer request based on a relative location of vendor points of sales/service relative to the relative geographic location of the buyer computer system at the time a buyer request is being made.

5. The electronic transaction processing system of claim 4, wherein the computer elements that can automatically determine the relative geographic location of the buyer computer system comprises one or more of an IP address mapper, a GPS processor, or a cellular tower triangulation system.

6. The electronic transaction processing system of claim 1, further comprising memory storage for multimedia content associated with the vendor responses to buyer requests.

7. The electronic transaction processing system of claim 1, further comprising logic for receiving rate quotes from one or more vendor and logic for confirming acceptance to purchase a product or render a service.

8. The electronic transaction processing system of claim 1, further comprising logic for handling payment for a product delivered or service rendered.

9. The electronic transaction processing system of claim 1, wherein multiple quote responses including optional details for a requested product/service can be viewed.

10. The electronic transaction processing system of claim 1, wherein multimedia content associated with a vendor response comprises one or more of a textual description of the vendor'"'"'s response, a short text message, an image illustrative of the vendor'"'"'s response, a photograph, an audio recording, and/or a video recording related to the vendor'"'"'s product or service details, offering in response to a buyer'"'"'s request.

11. The electronic transaction processing system of claim 1, wherein buyer requests are sent to vendors without complete contact information of the buyers.

12. The electronic transaction processing system of claim 11, further comprising providing vendors with additional contact information of buyers when a buyer contact disclosure criteria is met.

13. The electronic transaction processing system of claim 1, wherein vendor responses are sent to buyers without fully specifying the vendor.

14. The electronic transaction processing system of claim 13, further comprising providing buyers with additional contact information of vendors when a vendor contact disclosure criteria is met.