Method and system automatically to remind parties to a network-based transaction to comply with obligations established under a transaction agreement

• US 7,480,638 B1
• Filed: 04/03/2001
• Issued: 01/20/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Sze, Vicky
• Primary Examiner(s): Augustin; Evens J
• Application Number:
  US09/827,132
• Time in Patent Office: 2,849 Days
• Field of Search: 705/37, 705/1, 705/26, 705/80, 235/379, 235/808
• US Class Current: 705/80
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• 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 50/188 Electronic negotiation

Abstract

A method to facilitate a network-based commerce transaction commences with the recording of a transaction agreement (e.g., a item purchase transaction) between a buyer and a seller. The transaction agreement is established utilizing a network-based transaction system (e.g., an online auction facility). A reminder option is automatically presented to the seller a predetermined time period after the establishment of the transaction agreement. The seller may exercise the reminder option to cause an electronic reminder (e.g., an e-mail message), to be communicated to one or more buyers. The communication encourages the buyer to comply with obligations established by the commerce transaction agreement by making payment to the seller. By automatically prompting sellers to issue reminders to buyers a predetermined time period after the establishment of a commerce transaction, for example, the number of occurrences of non-paying buyers may be reduced.

Claims

1. A method to facilitate a network-based commerce transaction, the method including:

recording establishment of a commerce transaction agreement between the first and second parties for purchase of an offering, wherein the commerce transaction agreement is established utilizing a network-based transaction system and wherein the commerce transaction agreement imposes first and second obligations on the first and second parties, respectively; and

automatically presenting a reminder option to the first party that is exercisable by the first party to remind the second party to comply with the obligations of the second party imposed under the commerce transaction agreement.

2. The method of claim 1 including only automatically presenting the reminder option a predetermined time interval after the establishment of the commerce transaction agreement between the first and second parties.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the predetermined time interval is at least three days.

4. The method of claim 1 including automatically disabling the reminder option after the issuance of a predetermined number of reminders to the second party by exercising of the reminder option by the first party.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the reminding of the second party comprises issuing an electronic communication to the second party.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the electronic communication includes any one of a group of communications including an electronic mail message, a page message, a wireless access protocol (WAP) message, a simple message service (SMS) message and a display on a markup language document.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the first party comprises a seller of the offering and the second party comprises a buyer of the offering, and wherein the reminder option comprises an option to communicate a payment reminder to the buyer of the offering to provide a payment to the seller of the offering.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the first party comprises a buyer of the offering and the second party comprises a seller of the offering, and wherein the reminder option comprises an option to communicate a delivery reminder to the seller of the offering to deliver the offering to the buyer.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the commerce transaction agreement is concluded between the first and second parties utilizing a network-based auction facility, and wherein the recording of the establishment of the commerce transaction agreement is performed at the network-based auction facility.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the commerce transaction agreement is concluded between first and second parties utilizing a peer-to-peer trading system, and wherein the recording of the establishment of the commerce transaction agreement is performed at a computer systems of the first party.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the automatic presentation of the reminder option comprises presenting a reminder display element utilizing a graphical user interface, the reminder display element being user-selectable to initiate a reminder process.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the reminder display element comprises any one of a group of elements including a graphic element and a text element.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the graphical user interface comprises a markup language document.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the reminder display element is displayed in association with description information regarding the commerce transaction.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein the reminder display element is displayed in a first state prior to the expiration of a predetermined time interval after the establishment of the commerce transaction agreement to indicate that the reminder option is unavailable until after expiration of the predetermined time interval.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the reminder display element is displayed in a second state subsequent to exercising of the reminder option a predetermined number of times by the first party.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the reminder display element is displayed in a third state to indicate that the reminder option is available to the first party after the expiration of the predetermined time interval and prior to the exercising of the reminder option a predetermined number of times by the first party.

18. A system to facilitate a network-based commerce transaction, the system including:

a database to record establishment of a commerce transaction agreement between the first and second parties for purchase of an offering, wherein the commerce transaction agreement is established utilizing a network-based transaction system and wherein the commerce transaction agreement imposes first and second obligations on the first and second parties, respectively; and

a communication engine automatically to present a reminder option to the first party that is exercisable by the first party to remind the second party to comply with the obligations of the second party imposed under the commerce transaction agreement.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the communication engine is only automatically to present the reminder option a predetermined time interval after the establishment of the commerce transaction agreement between the first and second parties.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the predetermined time interval is at least three days.

21. The system of claim 18 wherein the communication engine is automatically to disable the reminder option after the issuance of a predetermined number of reminders to the second party by exercising of the reminder option by the first party.

22. The system of claim 18 wherein the communication engine is automatically to issue an electronic communication to the second party to remind the second party to comply with the obligations of the second party.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein the electronic communication includes any one of a group of communications including an electronic mail message, a page message, a wireless access protocol (WAP) message, a simple message service (SMS) message and a display on a markup language document.

24. The system of claim 18 wherein the first party comprises a seller of the offering and the second party comprises a buyer of the offering, and wherein the reminder option comprises an option to communicate a payment reminder to the buyer of the offering to provide a payment to the seller of the offering.

25. The system of claim 18 wherein the first party comprises a buyer of the offering and the second party comprises a seller of the offering, and wherein the reminder option comprises an option to communicate a delivery reminder to the seller of the offering to deliver the offering to the buyer.

26. The system of claim 18 wherein the commerce transaction agreement is concluded between the first and second parties utilizing a network-based auction facility, and wherein the database to record the establishment of the commerce transaction agreement is located at the network-based auction facility.

27. The system of claim 18 wherein the commerce transaction agreement is concluded between first and second parties utilizing a peer-to-peer trading system, and wherein the database to record the establishment of the commerce transaction agreement is located at a computer systems of the first party.

28. The system of claim 18 wherein the communication engine is to present a reminder display element utilizing a graphical user interface, the reminder display element being user-selectable to initiate a reminder process.

29. The system of claim 28 wherein the reminder display element comprises any one of a group of elements including a graphic element and a text element.

30. The system of claim 28 wherein the communication engine includes a page server, and wherein graphical user interface comprises a markup language document.

31. The system of claim 28 wherein the communication engine is to display the reminder display element in association with description information regarding the commerce transaction.

32. The system of claim 28 wherein the communication engine is to display the reminder display element in a first state prior to the expiration of a predetermined time interval after the establishment of the commerce transaction agreement to indicate that the reminder option is unavailable until after expiration of the predetermined time interval.

33. The system of claim 32 wherein the truncation engine is to display the reminder display element in a second state subsequent to exercising of the reminder option a predetermined number of times by the first party.

34. The system of claim 33 wherein the communication engine is to display the reminder display element in a third state to indicate that the reminder option is available to the first party after the expiration of the predetermined time interval and prior to the exercising of the reminder option a predetermined number of times by the first party.

35. A computer-readable medium storing a sequence of instructions that, when executed by a machine, cause of the machine to:

record establishment of a commerce transaction agreement between the first and second parties for purchase of an offering, wherein the commerce transaction agreement is established utilizing a network-based transaction system and wherein the commerce transaction agreement imposes first and second obligations on the first and second parties, respectively; and

automatically present a reminder option to the first party that is exercisable by the first party to remind the second party to comply with the obligations of the second party imposed under the commerce transaction agreement.