System and method for providing customers seeking a product or service at a specified discount in a specified geographic area with information as to suppliers offering the same

• US 6,615,184 B1
• Filed: 01/04/2000
• Issued: 09/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitzi Gale Parrish
• Original Assignee: Mitzi Hicks
• Inventors: Hicks, Mitzi
• Primary Examiner(s): Rice, Kenneth R.
• Application Number:
  US09/477,441
• Time in Patent Office: 1,337 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26
• US Class Current: 705/26.41
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted

Abstract

A server receives supplier information from a supplier including a product/service that the supplier is offering along with a discount for the product/service. The supplier information further includes geographic locations where a customer can physically purchase the product/service, the sale dates, and supplier contact information. The supplier information is stored by the server in a database. The server also receives customer information from a customer including a product/service that the customer wishes to purchase along with a minimum discount that the customer desires for the product/service. The server searches the database for a matching supplier which has supplier information matching the customer information. The server then sends the customer the supplier contact information corresponding to the matching supplier.

Claims

1. A method of matching a customer and a supplier, said method comprising the acts of:

receiving supplier information from at least one supplier, said supplier information including a supplier product/service, a supplier discount for said supplier product/service, and supplier contact information;

receiving customer information from said customer, said customer information including a customer product/service;

finding a matching supplier from said at least one supplier, said matching supplier offering a matching supplier discount for said customer product/service, said matching supplier discount being at least a minimum discount; and

sending said supplier contact information corresponding to said matching supplier to said customer.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

said receiving said customer information occurs on a request date;

said receiving supplier information further includes receiving sale dates for when said supplier product/service is being offered at said supplier discount; and

said supplier information of said matching supplier further has sale dates which include said request date.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the acts of:

storing said customer information; and

repeating said finding a matching supplier act after a predetermined period of time.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

said act of receiving supplier information further includes receiving supplier geographic information indicating where said supplier product/service can be purchased;

said act of receiving customer information further includes receiving customer geographic information indicating where said customer is willing to purchase said customer product/service; and

said matching act further includes matching a supplier whose supplier geographic information at least partially matches said customer geographic information.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said customer information further includes said minimum discount.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said receiving customer information act occurs before said receiving supplier information act.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said receiving customer information act occurs both before and after said receiving supplier information act.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said receiving supplier information act occurs before said receiving customer information act.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the act of linking together said customer terminal and said matching supplier terminal through a network.

10. A system for matching a customer with a supplier, said system comprising:

a server coupled to a network;

a supplier terminal, said supplier terminal sending supplier information relating to at least one supplier across said network to said server, said supplier information including a supplier product/service, a supplier discount at which said supplier is offering said product/service, and supplier contact information;

a customer terminal, said customer terminal sending customer information across said network to said server, said customer information including a customer product/service;

wherein

said server receives said supplier information and said customer information and finds a matching supplier of said at least one supplier, said matching supplier offering a matching supplier discount for said customer product/service, said matching supplier discount being at least a minimum discount; and

said server sends said supplier contact information corresponding to said matching supplier to said customer terminal.

11. The system as claimed in claim 10, wherein:

said supplier information further includes supplier geographic information indicating where said supplier product/service can be purchased;

said customer information further includes customer geographic information indicating where said customer is willing to purchase said customer product/service; and

said matching supplier has supplier geographic information that at least partially matches said customer geographic information.

12. The system as claimed in claim 10, wherein said server further links together said customer terminal and a matching supplier terminal corresponding to said matching supplier, through a network.

13. A server in communication with at least one customer terminal and at least one supplier terminal across a communication network, said server matching a customer using said at least one customer terminal with at least one supplier, said server comprising:

a storage device storing server software and a database;

a network interface facilitating said communication;

a processor executing software code enabling said server to perform the functions of;

receiving supplier information from said at least one supplier, to said supplier information including a supplier product/service, a supplier discount for said product/service, and supplier contact information;

receiving customer information from said customer, said customer information including a customer product/service;

finding a matching supplier from said at least one supplier, said matching supplier offering a matching supplier discount for said customer product/service, said matching supplier discount being at least a minimum discount; and

sending said supplier contact information corresponding to said matching supplier to said customer terminal.

14. The system as claimed in claim 13, wherein:

said supplier information further includes receiving supplier geographic information indicating where said supplier product/service can be purchased;

said customer information further includes receiving customer geographic information indicating where said customer is willing to purchase said customer product/service; and

said matching further includes matching a supplier whose supplier geographic information at least partially matches said customer geographic information.

15. A method for determining a supplier of a product/service offering said product/service at a desired discount, said method comprising the acts of:

searching a database for said desired product/service;

searching said database for said desired discount for said desired product; and

after said acts of searching, determining said supplier which offers said desired product/service at a supplier discount, said supplier discount being at least said desired discount.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein said searching said database for said desired discount occurs before said searching a database for said desired product/service.

17. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein said searching a database for said desired product/service occurs before said searching said database for said desired discount for said desired product.

18. The method as claimed in claim 15, further comprising, before said act of determining, searching said database for a desired geographic location where said product/service is offered by said supplier.