Conditional purchase offer management system for telephone calls

• US 6,345,090 B1
• Filed: 09/04/1997
• Issued: 02/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Priceline Com Incorporated (Booking Holdings, Inc., fka Priceline Group Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Priceline Com Incorporated (Booking Holdings, Inc., fka Priceline Group Inc.)
• Inventors: Schneier, Bruce, Sparico, Thomas M., Walker, Jay S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): TIEU, BINH KIEN
• Application Number:
  US08/923,317
• Time in Patent Office: 1,615 Days
• Field of Search: 379/111, 379/112, 379/114.03, 379/114.05, 379/114.12, 379/114.19, 379/115, 379/121, 379/207, 379/144, 705/10, 705/400, 705/412, 705/23, 705/26, 705/37
• US Class Current: 379/114.12
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/00 Payment architectures, schemes or protocols apparatus for performing or posting payment transactions G07F7/08, G07F19/00; electronic cash registers G07G1/12
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/02 involving a neutral party, e.g. certification authority, notary or trusted third party [TTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/208 Input by product or record sensing, e.g. weighing or scanner processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/24 Credit schemes, i.e. "pay after"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/403 Solvency checks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/026 for alarm, monitoring and auditing in vending machines or means for indication, e.g. when empty

Abstract

A conditional purchase offer (CPO) management system is disclosed for receiving and processing CPOs for telephone calls from calling parties. The CPO management system processes the CPO to determine whether one or more long distance carriers is willing to accept a given CPO and complete a telephone call in accordance with restrictions defined by the calling party. If accepted, the CPO management system binds the calling party on behalf of the accepting interexchange carrier, to form a legally binding contract. A calling party can submit a CPO for an individual telephone call, a package of calls to one or more called parties, or for a contract to provide telephone service for a predefined period of time. The conditions defined by the calling party may include the telephone number to be called, the maximum price, one or more preferred carriers, if any, as well as any time limitations, such as a particular time-of-day or minimum call duration. Preferably, the calling party initially contacts the CPO management system, for example, by means of telephone or Internet connection, to provide the CPO management system with the terms of the CPO. The CPO management system preferably provides an optional agency feature that permits the CPO management system to accent or reject a given CPO on behalf of certain agency-based interexchange carriers who save delegated such authority to the CPO management system. The calling party is notified of the response of the interexchange carriers and, if accepted, the calling party is bound to complete and pay for a call having the appropriate restrictions which meet the conditions defined by the calling party.

Claims

1. A method for processing telephone calls, comprising:

obtaining a conditional purchase offer from a customer for one or more telephone calls, said conditional purchase offer containing (a) at least one customer-defined condition including a price and R a payment identifier for specifying a manner in which finds will be paid;

providing said conditional purchase offer to a plurality of potential telephone carriers;

receiving from one or more said telephone carriers an acceptance of said conditional purchase offer; and

binding said customer to purchase said telephone calls if an acceptance is received for said conditional purchase offer.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising initiating the use of said payment identifier to collect payment.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said funds may be paid from a general purpose account.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said funds are charged to a periodic telephone service bill issued by a telephone service provider.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said conditional purchase offer is received from a telephone set configured to transmit said conditional purchase offers.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said conditional purchase offer is for a telephone service contract for a predefined period of time.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said conditional purchase offer is for a telephone service contract for a predefined amount of money.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said customer-defined condition specifies a particular time of day for said one or more telephone calls.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said customer-defined condition specifies a minimum duration for said one or more telephone calls.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said customer-defined condition specifies a maximum duration for said one or more telephone calls.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said customer-defined condition includes a telephone number of a party to be called.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein said conditional purchase offer is placed by means of a telephone network.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein said conditional purchase offer is placed by means of an electronic network.

48. The method of claim 1, wherein said conditional purchase offer is placed by access via the internet.

6. The method of 1, wherein said conditional purchase offer is for a package of calls to one or more called parties.

15. A method of processing telephone calls, comprising:

obtaining a conditional purchase offer from a customer for one or more telephone calls, said conditional purchase offer containing at least one customer-defined condition including a price;

identifying one or more rules from a plurality of telephone carriers, each of said rules containing one or more carrier-defined restrictions; and

binding said customer to purchase said telephone calls if said customer-defined condition satisfies each of said carrier-defined restrictions of at least one of said rules.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said conditional purchase offer is received from a telephone set configured to transmit said conditional purchase offers.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein said conditional purchase offer is for a package of calls to one or more called parties.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein said conditional purchase offer is for a telephone service contract for a predefined period of time.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein said conditional purchase offer is for a telephone service contract for a predefined amount of money.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein said carrier-defined restrictions include a price and said price is not disclosed.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein said customer-defined condition specifies a particular time of day for said one or more telephone calls.

22. The method of claim 15, wherein said customer-defined condition specifies a minimum duration for said one or more telephone calls.

23. The method of claim 15, wherein said customer-defined condition specifies a maximum duration for said one or more telephone calls.

24. The method of claim 15, wherein said customer-defined condition includes a telephone number of a party to be called.

25. The method of claim 15, wherein said conditional purchase offer is placed by means of a telephone network.

26. The method of claim 15, wherein said conditional purchase offer is placed by means of an electronic network.

49. The method of claim 15, wherein said conditional purchase offer is placed by access via the internet.

27. A system for processing telephone calls, comprising:

a communications port for obtaining a conditional purchase offer from a customer for one or more telephone calls and for receiving one or more rules from a plurality of telephone carriers, said conditional purchase offer containing at least one customer-defined condition including a price and each of said rules containing one or more carrier-defined restrictions; and

a processor for comparing said conditional purchase offer to said rules to determine whether any of said telephone carriers is willing to accept said conditional purchase offer if said customer-defined condition satisfies each of said carrier-defined restrictions of at least one of said rules.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein said conditional purchase offer is received from a telephone set configured to transmit said conditional purchase offers.

29. The system of claim 27, wherein said conditional purchase offer is for a package of calls to one or more called parties.

30. The system of claim 27, wherein said conditional purchase offer is for a telephone service contract for a predefined period of time.

31. The system of claim 27, wherein said conditional purchase offer is for a telephone service contract for a predefined amount of money.

32. The system of claim 27, wherein said communications port is connected to a telephone network.

33. The system of claim 27, wherein said communications port is connected to an electronic network.

50. The method of claim 27, wherein said communications port is connected to the internet.

34. A method of processing telephone calls, comprising:

obtaining a conditional purchase offer from a customer for one or more telephone calls, said conditional purchase offer containing at least one customer-defined condition;

identifying one or more rules from a plurality of telephone carriers, each of said rules containing one or more carrier-defined restrictions including a minimum price;

comparing said conditional purchase offer to said rules to determine whether any of said telephone carriers is willing to accept said conditional purchase offer if said customer-defined conditions satisfy said carrier-defined restrictions; and

preventing said customer from identifying said minimum price.

35. The method of claim 34, further comprising limiting the number of said conditional purchase offers which may be obtained from a given customer in a predefined period.

36. The method of claim 34, further comprising assessing a penalty to said customer if a telephone call is not placed when a telephone carrier accepts said conditional purchase offer.

37. The method of claim 34, further comprising evaluating a rating of said customer containing information regarding the likelihood that said customer will place a telephone call corresponding to said conditional purchase offer.

38. The method of claim 34, further comprising binding said customer to purchase said telephone call if said customer-defined conditions satisfy said carrier-defined restrictions.

39. A method of purchasing telephone calls, comprising:

providing a conditional purchase offer for one or more telephone calls, said conditional purchase offer containing at least one customer-defined condition including a price; and

obtaining a connection from a telephone carrier to place said one or more telephone calls at said price if said customer-defined conditions satisfy carrier-defined restrictions including an appropriate rate.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein said conditional purchase offer is for a package of calls to one or more called parties.

41. The method of claim 39, wherein said conditional purchase offer is for a telephone service contract for a predefined period of time.

42. The method of claim 39, wherein said conditional purchase offer is for a telephone service contract for a predefined amount of money.

43. The method of claim 39, wherein said customer-defined condition specifies a particular time of day for said one or more telephone calls.

44. The method of claim 39, wherein said customer-defined condition specifies a minimum duration for said one ore more telephone calls.

45. The method of claim 39, wherein said customer-defined condition specifies a maximum duration for said one or more telephone calls.

46. The method of claim 39, wherein said customer-defined condition includes a telephone number of a party to be called.

47. A system for processing telephone calls comprising:

a communications port for obtaining a conditional purchase offer from a customer for one or more telephone calls and for providing said conditional purchase offer to a plurality of potential telephone carriers, said conditional purchase offer containing (a) at least one customer-defined condition and (b) a payment identifier for specifying a manner in which funds will be paid; and

a processor for determining if one or more of said telephone carriers accepts said conditional purchase offer and for binding said customer to purchase said telephone calls if an acceptance is received for said conditional purchase offer.