Method and apparatus for generating a sale offer to selected individuals over electronic network systems
First Claim
1. A method for using an electronic network system to advertise a Web site by facilitating a transaction between a seller and a buyer, said method comprising the steps of:
- inputting a sale offer parameter for randomly generating at least one sale offer to purchase a product or service at an offer price substantially equal to a delivery price associated with the transaction, the delivery price being less than a current value of the offered product or service in a competitive marketplace;
randomly displaying, through the electronic network system, the at least one sale offer at the offer price to a selected buyer visiting the Web site at an unexpected period of time; and
withdrawing the display of the randomly generated sale offer at the offer price in response to an absence of an indication of acceptance of the randomly generated sale offer at the offer price by the buyer visiting the Web site within a predetermined period of time after the step of displaying the randomly generated sale offer at the offer price.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus are provided for generating a sale offer over an electronic network (such as the Internet). The method and apparatus may be used with a commercial sale system designed to increase the revenue income of Web site by offering, at a substantially discounted or virtually free basis, one or more goods and/or services to visitors of the Web site. According to the features of the invention, the seller (who may be the owner or co-owner of the Web site) transmits a sale offer on the Web site for a high quality good or service, wherein the good or service can be purchased for free or a cost near to zero. The seller may make the offer visible and available to a number of perspective buyers, who are connected at that very moment to the Web site. According to an additional aspect of the invention, the sale offer may be available for only a very limited amount of time (e.g., one or more minutes) and may be offered at random or unpredictable times on the Web site in order to increase Web traffic to the site.
112 Citations
19 Claims
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1. A method for using an electronic network system to advertise a Web site by facilitating a transaction between a seller and a buyer, said method comprising the steps of:
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inputting a sale offer parameter for randomly generating at least one sale offer to purchase a product or service at an offer price substantially equal to a delivery price associated with the transaction, the delivery price being less than a current value of the offered product or service in a competitive marketplace; randomly displaying, through the electronic network system, the at least one sale offer at the offer price to a selected buyer visiting the Web site at an unexpected period of time; and withdrawing the display of the randomly generated sale offer at the offer price in response to an absence of an indication of acceptance of the randomly generated sale offer at the offer price by the buyer visiting the Web site within a predetermined period of time after the step of displaying the randomly generated sale offer at the offer price. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method of advertising an Internet Web site by making a sale offer from a seller to at least one buyer visiting the Web site, comprising the steps of:
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displaying, on the web site, a sale offer to purchase a product or service at an offer price substantially equal to zero to the at least one selected buyer visiting the Web site at a random point in time unknown to the buyer; and withdrawing the displayed sale offer at the offer price from the Web site when the at least one buyer visiting the Web site does not indicate acceptance of the sale offer at the offer price within a predetermined period of time. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A method for using an electronic network system to advertise a Web site by facilitating a transaction between a seller and a buyer, said method comprising the steps of:
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inputting a sale offer parameter for randomly generating at least one sale offer to purchase a product or service; randomly displaying, through the electronic network system, the at least one sale offer to a selected buyer visiting the Web site at an unexpected period of time; withdrawing the display of the randomly generated sale offer in response to an absence of an indication of acceptance of the randomly generated sale offer by the buyer visiting the Web site within a predetermined period of time after the step of displaying the randomly generated sale offer; receiving, through the electronic network system, a first indication of acceptance from the buyer visiting the Web site in response to the random display of the at least one sale offer; displaying at least one term associated with the at least one randomly generated sale offer in response to the first indication of acceptance; receiving a second indication of acceptance from the buyer visiting the Web site in response to the display of the at least one term associated with the at least one randomly generated sale offer; displaying an acceptance form to the buyer visiting the Web site in response to the second indication of acceptance from the buyer; receiving a third indication of acceptance from the buyer visiting the Web site in response to the display of the acceptance form for forming a purchase agreement concerning the offered product or service; displaying at least one payment method option in response to the third indication of acceptance; receiving at least one payment method selection from the buyer visiting he Web site in response to the display of the at least one payment method option; transferring a sum corresponding to the selected payment method from the buyer to the seller; requesting delivery of the offered product or service to the buyer visiting the Web site; and wherein the at least one term associated with the randomly generated sale offer comprises an offer price substantially equal to a delivery price associated with sending the offered product or service to the buyer visiting the Web site, the delivery price being substantially less than a current market value of the offered product or service in a competitive market.
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Specification