Method and apparatus for the home delivery of local retail e-commerce orders
First Claim
1. A method of offering an opportunity for a patron to deliver at least one product to one or more buyers, the method comprising:
- (a) providing one or more products for delivery;
(b) selecting the product or products by a buyer;
(c) determining that delivery is available to a location specified by the buyer;
(d) informing the buyer that delivery is available;
(e) providing the buyer with an option to provide acceptable patron criteria;
(f) calculating a delivery fee, if any, to the buyer;
(g) accessing data comprising acceptable deviation criteria and acceptable order criteria;
(h) matching at least one pending e-commerce order with the patron'"'"'s acceptable delivery criteria, said acceptable delivery criteria including acceptable deviation criteria and acceptable order criteria;
(i) providing the patron with the option to select for delivery one or more matched order of one or more buyers;
(j) delivering the at least one order of the one or more buyers by the patron; and
(k) determining and recording the compensation to the patron.
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Abstract
The method and apparatus disclosed herein empowers the general population to deliver e-commerce orders from retail stores to buyers. Embodiments of the invention reduce overall fuel usage, creating value for all members of the value chain: reduction in delivery fees for buyer, higher customer satisfaction and purchasing of goods for retailers, and the ability to earn extra income for patrons that deliver the orders. The method and apparatus comprise a database of patrons to perform home or local delivery of e-commerce orders, a database of e-commerce orders from stores, a database of buyers who place the orders, and computer instructions to match acceptable orders with patrons.
28 Citations
19 Claims
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1. A method of offering an opportunity for a patron to deliver at least one product to one or more buyers, the method comprising:
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(a) providing one or more products for delivery; (b) selecting the product or products by a buyer; (c) determining that delivery is available to a location specified by the buyer; (d) informing the buyer that delivery is available; (e) providing the buyer with an option to provide acceptable patron criteria; (f) calculating a delivery fee, if any, to the buyer; (g) accessing data comprising acceptable deviation criteria and acceptable order criteria; (h) matching at least one pending e-commerce order with the patron'"'"'s acceptable delivery criteria, said acceptable delivery criteria including acceptable deviation criteria and acceptable order criteria; (i) providing the patron with the option to select for delivery one or more matched order of one or more buyers; (j) delivering the at least one order of the one or more buyers by the patron; and (k) determining and recording the compensation to the patron. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method of selling one or more products and delivering the products to a buyer, the method comprising:
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(a) providing the one or more products; (b) electronically purchasing the product(s) by the buyer; (c) providing the option of delivery by a patron to the buyer; (d) determining at least one potential patron for delivery of the product(s) to the buyer; (e) determining, for each potential patron, the delivery deviation associated with the buyer; (f) comparing the delivery deviation from step (e) with acceptable deviation criteria of each potential patron; and (g) if at least one patron is associated with deviation criteria that is acceptable, selecting one patron, authorizing the delivery transaction, and compensating said patron for delivery of the products to the buyer. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. An e-commerce system for offering, over a network, an opportunity for a patron to deliver one or more e-commerce orders to at least one buyer, the system comprising:
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at least one server computer configured to exchange data with a plurality of client computers; said server computer having a processor, an area of main memory for executing program code under the direction of the processor, a storage device for storing data and program code and a bus connecting the processor, main memory and the storage device; the code being stored in said storage device and executing in said main memory under the direction of said processor, to perform the steps of; (a) providing one or more products for delivery; (b) selecting the product or products by a buyer; (c) determining that delivery is available to a location specified by the buyer; (d) informing the buyer that delivery is available; (e) providing the buyer with an option to provide acceptable patron criteria; (f) calculating a delivery fee, if any, to the buyer; (g) accessing data comprising acceptable deviation criteria and acceptable order criteria; (h) matching at least one pending e-commerce order with the patron'"'"'s acceptable delivery criteria, said acceptable delivery criteria including acceptable deviation criteria and acceptable order criteria; (i) providing the patron with the option to select for delivery one or more matched order of one or more buyers; (j) delivering the at least one order of the one or more buyers by the patron; and (k) determining and recording the compensation to the patron. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19)
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Specification