Dynamic discount card tied to price curves and group discounts

• US 7,364,086 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2004
• Issued: 04/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Valentine Communications LLC
• Original Assignee: Ewinwin Incorporated
• Inventors: Mesaros, Gregory J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Michael G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TAYLOR, APRIL ALICIA
• Application Number:
  US10/867,625
• Publication Number:
  US 20040262381A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,414 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 235/380, 235/383, 235/492, 235/381, 705/14, 705/26
• US Class Current: 235/492
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0213 Consumer transaction fees
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0222 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0224 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0235 constrained by time limit or expiration date
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0239 Online discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0611 Request for offers or quotes

Abstract

The claimed subject matter relates to an architecture for interacting with a multiple criteria buying and/or selling system to conduct business electronically. In particular, the architecture can include a dynamic discount card that includes an information access component for receiving information. In addition, the dynamic discount card can include a presentation component for displaying information to a user via the dynamic discount card.

Claims

1. A dynamic discount card system that electronically conducts business comprising:

an information access component included in a dynamic discount card that receives product and pricing information, the product and pricing information is associated with demand aggregation, the information access component further receives a set of built-in discounts; and

a presentation component that displays the product and pricing information to a user.

2. The system of claim 1, the presentation component displays at least one of a product code, a picture, a current price, a future price, an availability, a shipping added and final price, a list of suppliers, a price history, a rating by supplier, a sorting by various options, and a filter associated with certain suppliers.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a configuration component that sets up the information access component to receive information.

4. The system of claim 3, the configuration component transmits updated product and pricing information to the information access component.

5. The system of claim 3, the configuration component preloads product and pricing information locally to the information access component.

6. The system of claim 3, the configuration component loads a profile of a cardholder to the information access component.

7. The system of claim 3, the configuration component providing a user specific shipping preference to the information access component.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a user input component that facilitates altering the information displayed via the presentation component and transmitting the altered information from the dynamic discount card.

9. The system of claim 8, the user input component is a touch screen.

10. The system of claim 8, the user input component is voice recognition software.

11. The system of claim 8, the user input component is a magnetic strip on a surface of the card.

12. The system of claim 8, the user input component is utilized to change an order volume.

13. The system of claim 8, the user input component facilitates providing a counteroffer to a supplier.

14. The system of claim 1, the dynamic discount card communicates with at least one of a demand card, a handled device, a product, a skid, a container, an ERP system, and a vehicle.

15. The system of claim 1, the displayed information and a format of the information displayed by the presentation component are controllable by a user.

16. The system of claim 1, the card being activated for a finite time period.

17. The system of claim 1, the information access component receives at least one of an offer from a new supplier or an updated offer from a current supplier.

18. The system of claim 1, the dynamic discount card interacts with a second dynamic discount card to create a network of buyers with synchronized demand.

19. The system of claim 1, the information access component automatically updates the product and pricing information.

20. The system of claim 1, further comprising a GPS component that determines the location of card users.

21. The system of claim 20, the GPS component further facilitates tracking user utilization of the card.

22. The system of claim 1, further comprising an artificial intelligence component that infers at least one of a user'"'"'s intended input and information to display upon the presentation component.

23. A method of transacting business electronically comprising:

distributing a dynamic discount card with a set of preloaded discounts;

aggregating demand for a product for obtaining price information;

storing the price information within the dynamic discount card; and

displaying the price information on the dynamic discount card.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising placing an order utilizing the dynamic discount card.

25. The method of claim 23, the information is received wirelessly.

26. The method of claim 23, further comprising configuring the dynamic discount card based upon user characteristics.

27. The method of claim 23, further comprising updating the information displayed with the dynamic discount card.

28. The method of claim 23, further comprising searching the information received by the dynamic discount card.

29. A dynamic discount card system that electronically conducts business comprising:

means for obtaining aggregation-based price information with a dynamic discount card that includes a set of pre-installed discounts;

means for presenting the price information on the dynamic discount card; and

means for accepting an offer utilizing the dynamic discount card.