Systems and methods for providing item sales and delivery service

• US 7,487,113 B2
• Filed: 09/06/2001
• Issued: 02/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: United States Postal Service (Government of the United States of America)
• Original Assignee: United States Postal Service (Government of the United States of America)
• Inventors: Ray, Christine R. L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Garg; Yogesh C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shah; Amee A
• Application Number:
  US10/344,993
• Publication Number:
  US 20030208413A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,707 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/27, 705/39, 705/60, 705/1, 705/25, 705/35, 705/75
• US Class Current: 705/26.41
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/401 Transaction verification
• 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 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes

Abstract

A method and system for providing item sales and delivery service (see FIG. 1) consistent with the invention includes arranging over a communications system (170) a sales transaction of an item (110) between a seller (105) and a buyer (155), sending the item through a delivery system directed toward the buyer, and making a payment for at least one of the following: a purchase price of the item, a delivery fee, and a fee for any other buyer-selected delivery-related services.

Claims

1. A method for providing item sales and delivery service, comprising:

generating a tracking indicia which identifies a sales transaction;

attaching the tracking indicia to an item;

directing the item through a delivery system toward a buyer based on the tracking indicia;

determining, by a computer, based on the tracking indicia, if a payment by the buyer to an escrow account included a purchase price of the item;

releasing funds for the purchase price from the escrow account when the determination is positive; and

releasing funds from the escrow account to a delivery system operator for at least one of a delivery fee or a fee for any other buyer-selected delivery service based on the tracking indicia.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving authorization from the buyer to transfer the payment from a buyer account for the purchase of the item;

debiting the buyer account in an amount of the payment; and

crediting the escrow account in the amount of the payment.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising debiting the buyer account by at least one of the following:

billing the buyer, debiting buyer'"'"'s checking account, debiting buyer'"'"'s credit card account, debiting buyer'"'"'s debit card account, and receiving cash from the buyer.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending to the buyer a receipt identifying the sales transaction and an amount of the payment; and

crediting an escrow account in the amount of the payment when the buyer pays the amount of the payment at a retail unit.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein

releasing funds for the purchase price comprises releasing funds for the purchase price of the item from the escrow account to a seller if the determination is positive and the buyer does not want to return the item;

releasing the delivery fee of the item from the escrow account to the delivery system operator if the payment included the delivery fee; and

releasing a fee for any other buyer-selected delivery-related services of the item from the escrow account to the delivery system operator if the payment included the fee for any other buyer-selected delivery-related services.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein

releasing funds for the purchase price comprises releasing funds for the purchase price of the item from the escrow account to the buyer if the determination is positive and the buyer decides to return the item to the seller;

releasing the delivery fee of the item from the escrow account to the delivery system operator if the payment included the delivery fee; and

releasing a fee for any other buyer-selected delivery-related services of the item from the escrow account to the delivery system operator if the payment included the fee for any other buyer-selected delivery-related services.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising arranging the sales transaction over a communications system utilizing at least one of the following media:

regular mail, e-mail, facsimile, internet, and an interactive voice response method.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising processing the item, wherein the item comprises a mailpiece, a priority mail package, or an express mail package.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the tracking indicia comprises at least one of a bar code or an identifier code.

10. A system for providing item sales and delivery service, comprising:

a component for generating a tracking indicia which identifies a sales transaction;

a component for attaching the tracking indicia to an item;

a component for directing the item through a delivery system toward a buyer based on the tracking indicia;

a component for determining, based on the tracking indicia, if a payment by the buyer to an escrow account included a purchase price of the item;

a component for releasing funds for the purchase price from the escrow account when the determination is positive; and

a component for releasing funds from the escrow account to a delivery system operator for at least one of a delivery fee or a fee for any other buyer-selected delivery service based on the tracking indicia.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

a component for receiving authorization from the buyer to transfer the payment from a buyer account for the purchase of the item;

a component for debiting the buyer account in an amount of the payment; and

a component for crediting an escrow account in an amount of the payment.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the component for debiting the buyer account comprises at least one of a component for billing the buyer, a component for debiting buyer'"'"'s checking account, a component for debiting buyer'"'"'s credit card account, a component for debiting buyer'"'"'s debit card account, or a component for receiving cash from the buyer.

13. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

a component for sending to the buyer a receipt identifying the sales transaction and an amount of the payment; and

a component for crediting an escrow account in the amount of the payment when the buyer pays the amount of the payment at a retail unit.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the component for releasing the funds for the purchase price releases the funds to a seller if the determination is positive and the buyer wants to keep the item.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the component for releasing the funds for the purchase price releases the funds to a buyer if the determination is positive and the buyer decides to return the item to the seller.

16. The system of claim 10, further comprising a component for arranging the sales transaction over a communications system utilizing at least one of regular mail, e-mail, facsimile, internet, or an interactive voice response system.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the item comprises a mailpiece, a priority mail package, or an express mail package.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the tracking indicia comprises at least one of a bar code or an identifier code.

19. A method for providing item sales and delivery service, comprising:

generating a tracking indicia which identifies a sales transaction;

attaching the tracking indicia to an item;

providing a delivery address for the item from a buyer;

providing authorization from a seller to create delivery shipping labels, wherein the seller provides authorization upon verification of a payment by the buyer;

transferring the item from the seller to a delivery system operator for association of the delivery shipping label with the item;

determining, by a computer, based on the tracking indicia if a payment by the buyer to an escrow account included a purchase price of the item;

releasing funds for the purchase price from the escrow account when the determination is positive; and

releasing funds from the escrow account to a delivery system operator for at least one of a delivery fee or a fee for any other buyer-selected delivery service based on the tracking indicia.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

receiving authorization from the buyer to transfer the payment from a buyer account for the purchase of the item;

debiting the buyer account in an amount of the payment; and

crediting the escrow account in the amount of the payment.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising debiting the buyer account by at least one of billing the buyer, debiting buyer'"'"'s checking account, debiting buyer'"'"'s credit card account, debiting buyer'"'"'s debit card account, or receiving cash from the buyer.

22. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

sending to the buyer a receipt identifying the sales transaction and the payment amount; and

crediting the escrow account in the amount of the payment when the buyer pays the amount of the payment at a retail unit.

23. The method of claim 19, further comprising arranging the sales transaction over a communications system utilizing at least one of regular mail, e-mail, facsimile, internet, or an interactive voice response method.

24. The method of claim 19, further comprising placing the item in a mailpiece, a priority mail package, or an express mail package.

25. The method of claim 19, further comprising processing the payment comprising at least one of a purchase price of the item, a delivery fee, or a fee for a buyer-selected delivery-related service.

26. The method of claim 19, further comprising delivering the item by the delivery system operator to the buyer.

27. A system for providing item sales and delivery service, comprising:

a component for generating a tracking indicia which identifies a sales transaction and attaching the tracking indicia to an item;

a component for providing a delivery address for the item from a buyer;

a component for providing authorization from a seller to create delivery shipping labels, wherein the seller provides authorization upon verification of a payment by the buyer;

a component for transferring the item from the seller to a delivery system operator for association of the delivery shipping label with the item;

a component for determining, based on the tracking indicia, if a payment by the buyer to an escrow account included a purchase price of the item;

a component for releasing funds for the purchase price from the escrow account when the determination is positive; and

a component releasing funds from the escrow account to a delivery system operator based on the tracking indicia.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein further comprising:

a component for receiving authorization from the buyer to transfer the payment from a buyer account for the purchase of the item;

a component for debiting the buyer account in an amount of the payment; and

a component for crediting the escrow account in the amount of the payment.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein debiting the buyer account comprises at least one of billing the buyer, a buyer'"'"'s checking account, a buyer'"'"'s credit card account, a buyer'"'"'s debit card account, or receiving cash from the buyer.

30. The system of claim 27, further comprising:

a component for sending to the buyer a receipt identifying the sales transaction and the payment amount; and

a component for crediting the escrow account in the amount of the payment when the buyer pays the amount of the payment at a retail unit.

31. The system of claim 27, further comprising a component for arranging the sales transaction over a communications system utilizing at least one of regular mail, e-mail, facsimile, internet, or an interactive voice response method.

32. The system of claim 27, wherein the item is placed in a mailpiece, a priority mail package, or an express mail package.

33. The system of claim 27, wherein the payment comprises at least one of a purchase price of the item, a delivery fee, or a fee for a buyer-selected delivery-related service.

34. The system of claim 27, further comprising a component for delivering the item by the delivery system operator to the buyer.

35. A method for providing item sales and delivery service, comprising:

making a payment to an escrow account related to a sales transaction;

generating a tracking indicia which identifies the sales transaction;

attaching the tracking indicia to an item;

directing the item through a delivery system to a buyer based on the tracking indicia;

determining, by a computer, based on the tracking indicia, if a payment by the buyer to an escrow account included a purchase price of the item; and

releasing funds for the purchase price from the escrow account when the determination is positive.

36. The method of claim 35, further comprising receiving authorization from a seller to create a delivery shipping label for the item.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the delivery shipping label comprises a return address.

38. A system for providing item sales and delivery service, comprising:

a component for making a payment to an escrow account related to a sales transaction;

a component for generating a tracking indicia which identifies the sales transaction;

a component for attaching the tracking indicia to an item;

a component for directing the item through a delivery system to a buyer based on the tracking indicia;

a component for determining, based on the tracking indicia, if a payment by the buyer to an escrow account included a purchase price of the item; and

a component for releasing funds for the purchase price from the escrow account when the determination is positive.

39. The system of claim of claim 38, wherein the delivery shipping label comprises a return address.

40. The system of claim 38, further comprising a component for receiving authorization from a seller to create a delivery shipping label for the item.