Order and accounting method and system for services provided via an interactive communication network

• US 7,302,403 B1
• Filed: 06/16/2000
• Issued: 11/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: GrubHub Inc.
• Original Assignee: Osmio, LLC
• Inventors: Landau, Scott E., Fante, Peter D.
• Primary Examiner(s): RUDY, ANDREW J
• Application Number:
  US09/595,528
• Time in Patent Office: 2,720 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/27, 705/28, 705/30, 705/34, 707/10, 709/218
• US Class Current: 705/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/12 Hotels or restaurants
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/944 Business related
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/948 Product or catalog
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/949 Inventory

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method and system for providing e-commerce and accounting services to organizations and service providers for offerings ordered by the organization via an on-line interactive communication network. In particular, the present invention relates to a method and system whereby a third party intermediary can absorb certain payment, collection and billing functions on behalf of an organization and service providers which provide services to the organization. The term service provider as used herein refers to any entity or individual that provides a service, including the service of providing goods.

Claims

1. A method for providing electronic commerce and accounting services to organizations and service providers for offerings ordered by members of the organizations and delivered by the service providers, comprising the steps of:

providing said members with online access to a searchable database of said service providers with associated offerings via an interactive communication network, said searchable database being maintained by an intermediary;

enabling the members to electronically select a service provider from the database;

enabling the members to electronically select offerings from the selected service provider via the database;

enabling the members to electronically communicate the selected offerings and billing information for payment of the selected offerings to the intermediary;

electronically storing the billing information at the intermediary;

electronically communicating the offerings selected by the members from the intermediary to the selected service provider; and

providing a consolidated invoice from the intermediary to an organization for a plurality of offerings ordered by a plurality of members of that organization during a predetermined time period from a plurality of service providers.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1, comprising the further steps of:

collecting payment by the intermediary from the organization on the consolidated invoice;

paying of the service provider by the intermediary for all offerings ordered therefrom by the members during the predetermined time period.

3. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the members are provided with an additional option of paying for the offering via one of a credit card or cash, in which instance the offering is not billed to the organization on the consolidated invoice.

4. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein:

the organization is a business;

the members are employees of the business; and

the billing information includes at least one of the employees'"'"' personal identification numbers, a specific identification number for said business, the business'"'"' address, the business'"'"' telephone number, and client billing codes.

5. A method in accordance with claim 4, wherein the searchable database is provided in the form of a searchable web site.

6. A method in accordance with claim 5, wherein the service providers are restaurants, further comprising the step of:

providing at least one web page associated with each restaurant in the database, which web page displays at least one of the restaurant menu, the restaurant food type, and the restaurant specialties of the day.

7. A method in accordance with claim 6, further comprising the steps of:

generating a report by the intermediary of all meals ordered by the employees during a specified time period containing at least one of order date, order time, employee name, employee'"'"'s personal identification number, meal ordered, meal cost, client name, client code, and restaurant name; and

forwarding the report from the intermediary to the business.

8. A method in accordance with claim 7, wherein the report can be sorted by at least one of order date, order time, employee name, employee'"'"'s personal identification number, meal ordered, meal cost, client name, client code, and restaurant name.

9. A method in accordance with claim 7, wherein the report can be generated upon demand by the organization.

10. A method in accordance with claim 7, wherein the report is forwarded from the intermediary to the organization via one of facsimile, email, a global communication network, or said interactive communication network.

11. A method in accordance with claim 6, further comprising the step of:

generating a receipt by the intermediary containing at least one of an order confirmation number, employee name, the employee'"'"'s personal identification number, meal ordered, order date, order time, meal cost, client name, client code, restaurant name.

12. A method in accordance with claim 11, wherein the receipt is forwarded from the intermediary to at least one of the employee, the restaurant, and the organization.

13. A method in accordance with claim 11, wherein the receipt is forwarded from the intermediary via one of facsimile, email, a global communication network, or said interactive communication network.

14. A method in accordance with claim 6, further comprising the steps of:

forwarding from the intermediary to the employee an estimated time of meal delivery from the restaurant to the organization.

15. A method in accordance with claim 6, wherein the database is searchable by at least one of restaurant name, food type, food preference, and restaurant location.

16. A method in accordance with claim 6, wherein:

the business maintains house accounts with the restaurants; and

the consolidated invoice provides consolidation of amounts due on the house accounts.

17. A method in accordance with claim 2, further comprising the step of:

retaining a commission by the intermediary from the payment received from the organization, wherein only the balance of the payment from the organization minus the commission is forwarded by the intermediary to the service provider.

18. A method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising the step of:

providing a history of previous orders by the intermediary for each member.

19. A method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising the step of:

providing real-time assistance by the intermediary to resolve problems associated with an order.

20. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the step of providing a consolidated invoice from the intermediary to the organization is accomplished via one of facsimile, email, a global communication network, or said interactive communication network.

22. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the consolidated invoice contains amounts due to each service provider which has been ordered from during the predetermined time period.

23. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the service providers are providers of one of flowers, gifts, transportation, accommodations, travel arrangement, entertainment, office supplies, office copies, documents, food, or beverages.

24. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the members are only allowed access to the searchable database for a pre-selected group of service providers.

25. A method in accordance with claim 24, wherein the pre-selected group of service providers is determined based on geographic location of the organization.

26. A method in accordance with claim 25, wherein the geographic location is determined by proximity to the organization.

27. A method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising the step of providing for delivery of the offerings from the service provider to the members.

21. A method for providing electronic commerce and accounting services to organizations and service providers for offerings ordered by members of the organizations and delivered by the service providers, comprising the steps of:

providing said members with online access to a searchable database of said service providers with associated offerings via an interactive communication network, said searchable database being maintained by an intermediary;

enabling the members to electronically select a service provider from the database;

enabling the members to electronically select offerings from the selected service provider via the database;

enabling the members to electronically communicate the selected offerings and billing information for payment of the selected offerings to the intermediary;

electronically storing the billing information at the intermediary;

electronically communicating the offerings selected by the members from the intermediary to the selected service provider; and

providing a plurality of consolidated invoices from the intermediary to the organization, each of the consolidated invoices contains amounts due for a plurality of offerings ordered by a plurality of members from a particular service provider.