Secure inspection and purchase method

• US 7,571,127 B1
• Filed: 04/26/2005
• Issued: 08/04/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Steve Lunquist
• Original Assignee: Steve Lunquist
• Inventors: Lunquist, Steve
• Primary Examiner(s): Oyebisi; Ojo O
• Application Number:
  US11/115,881
• Time in Patent Office: 1,561 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/75, 705/76, 705/78, 705/35, 705/44, 705/40
• US Class Current: 705/35
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/0855 involving a third party
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes

Abstract

The invention is a method for using a payment and inspection service to purchase merchandise on an online sale website. A buyer or seller can select using a payment and inspection service. The buyer pays the payment and inspection service, which holds the payment. The seller ships the item to a store where the payment and inspection service is located. The buyer goes to the store and while being monitored by an agent or employee of the service, the buyer inspects the merchandise. If the buyer accepts the item, he leaves the store with the item and the service releases the payment to the seller. If the buyer does not want to accept the item, he rejects the item, which is then repacked and returned to the seller, and the service returns the payment, less cost of shipping the item back to the seller, to the buyer.

Claims

1. A method for securely purchasing merchandise using a remote computer purchasing system, securely providing purchased merchandise to a buyer for a monitored inspection using a camera surveillance system, and securely providing funds to the seller using an escrow account, comprising the steps of:

receiving a payment for a purchased item at an escrow account associated with a payment and inspection service and issuing a notification message to the seller who used the remote computer purchasing system that said payment was received by the escrow account;

receiving the purchased item at the payment and inspection service inspection location site after said item has been purchased using the remote computer purchasing system and shipped to the inspection location site;

issuing a notification message to the buyer who used the remote computer purchasing system that the item has been shipped and is ready for inspection at the inspection location site;

providing the purchased item to the buyer for a monitored inspection of the shipped item at the payment and inspection service inspection site, said inspection service monitors the buyer using a camera surveillance system to record the buyer'"'"'s inspection of the purchased item during the inspection wherein the monitored inspection allows the buyer to inspect the shipped item and assure its acceptability, but does not give the buyer an opportunity to alter or swap the shipped item with something else without being observed by the surveillance system; and

after the buyer accepts the purchased item after said monitored inspection, approving the payment funds transfer from the escrow account to the seller, or after the buyer rejects the purchased item after said monitored inspection, approving the refund of the payment funds from the escrow account back to the buyer.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

monitoring of the buyer inspecting the item in person by an agent or associate of the inspection service.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

monitoring of the buyer inspecting the item using a camera surveillance system so that a record of the inspection of the shipped product by the buyer may be maintained for review if a dispute arises as to whether the item rejected by the buyer was the same item shipped by the seller.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the seller pays for the use of the payment and inspection service through a deduction from the payment funds.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the buyer pays for the use of the payment and inspection service.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the buyer has a predetermined time period to inspect the purchased item during the monitored inspection.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein if the buyer rejects the shipped item after the monitored inspection, the item is repacked and returned to the seller.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein if the buyer rejects the shipped item after the monitored inspection, the payment funds, less any fees, are refunded to the buyer.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein if the buyer accepts the shipped item after the monitored inspection, the payment funds, less any fees, are transferred to the seller.

10. A method for securely providing payment to a seller of merchandise purchased on an online sale using an escrow account, and securely providing the purchased merchandise to the buyer for a monitored inspection using a surveillance system comprising the steps of:

receiving confirmation that the payment funds have been received by an escrow account;

receiving the purchased item at an inspection location operated by a payment and inspection service and transmitting a notification message to the buyer involved with the on-line sale transaction that the product is ready to be inspected at the inspection service location;

allowing the buyer to inspect the purchased item at the inspection location while his inspection is being monitored and observed by said surveillance system, said monitoring of the buyer by the inspection service allows the buyer to determine acceptability of the shipped item while being monitored at the inspection location, but the buyer is prevented from altering or swapping the shipped item; and

directing the transfer of payment funds by the escrow account to the seller if the shipped item is accepted by buyer after said monitored inspection, or directing the transfer of payment funds back from the escrow account to the buyer if the buyer rejects the shipped item after said monitored inspection.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the steps of:

receiving sale payment funds for an item purchased on the online sale website by the escrow account associated with the payment and inspection service;

providing for deduction of any fees after said monitored inspection step but before releasing or refunding funds by the payment and inspection service; and

repacking and returning the item to the seller if the buyer rejects the shipped item after the monitored inspection.

12. The method for paying for merchandise on an online auction of claim 10 wherein the seller selects using the payment and monitored inspection service when putting the item up for sale.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein the buyer selects using the payment and monitored inspection service when purchasing the item on the remote computer purchasing system.

14. The method claim 10 wherein the buyer inspects the shipped item while being monitored in the presence of an agent or employee of the payment and inspection service.

15. The method of claim 10 wherein the buyer inspects the shipped item while be monitored by a camera surveillance system.

16. The method of claim 10 wherein the buyer inspects the shipped item during its monitored inspection within a specified time frame.