Online transaction hosting apparatus and system

• US 7,617,128 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2004
• Issued: 11/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Revolutionary E-Commerce Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Revolutionary E-Commerce Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Greak, Garret C.
• Primary Examiner(s): FADOK, MARK A
• Application Number:
  US10/867,974
• Publication Number:
  US 20050289039A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,974 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/27
• US Class Current: 705/26.35
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0609 Buyer or seller confidence or verification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

An invention is disclosed relating to an apparatus and method for hosting transactions over a network such as the Internet. Sellers post offers to sell under a listing belonging to an organized database of listings. Likewise, buyers post offers to buy. A matching module selects offers to sell and matches them to offers to buy based on a predefined criteria. Before posting offers to sell or buy, buyers and sellers may be presented with data concerning the market for the product that is the subject of the offer. A sale is consummated between the buyer and seller of the matched offer to buy and offer to sell. Consummation may include assessing the risk of fraud posed by the matched buyer and matched seller. Fees may be charged to the matched buyer, the matched seller, or both as insurance against fraud. Payment may be made by the buyer directly to the seller or to a host hosting the apparatus and method for conducting the transaction. Payment is forwarded to the seller by the host upon confirmation by the buyer that a product has been received in good order. An automated, or partially automated, dispute resolution process may resolve disputed transactions.

Claims

1. An apparatus for coordinating data exchanged in a product sale transaction, the apparatus comprising:

a network for carrying data;

a server, corresponding to a host and operably connected to the network to host data corresponding to online transactions,

a plurality of buyer computers connecting to the network and each corresponding to a buyer having a buyer identifier;

a plurality of seller computers connecting to the network and each corresponding to a seller having a seller identifier;

each buyer computer of the plurality of buyer computers further programmed to communicate to the server purchase requests, each comprising a product identifier, a price, funding information, shipping information, and a buyer identifier;

each seller computer of the plurality of seller computers further programmed to communicate to the server product records, each comprising a product identifier, a price, shipping information, and a seller identifier;

the server further programmed to receive, from a buyer computer of the plurality of buyer computers, data linking a first purchase request of the purchase requests to a second purchase request of the purchase requests;

and the server, further programmed to receive the first and second purchase request, both the first and second purchase requests corresponding to products identifiable as being of a type, but the product having distinct differences selected from manufacturer, brand name, and model;

the server, further programmed to access a plurality of product records, wherein at least two products records correspond to a product the type, but each respective one of the at least two product records corresponds to a product of a different designation, selected from brand, manufacturer, and model, the different designations reflecting distinctive products, not objectively equal, but subjectively comparable by the first buyer with respect to a cost-to-value relationship perceived buy the buyer;

the server, further programmed to remove for the first buyer the risk of making multiple matches for the first and second purchase requests by removing automatically one of the first and second purchase requests immediately upon matching the other thereof.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the server is programmed to record a net amount owed to a seller corresponding to the price of the product record less a transaction fee charged by the host.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the server is further programmed to record a net amount owed to a seller corresponding to the price of the product record less a transaction fee charged by the host and an insurance cost charged by the host.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the server is further programmed to calculate the insurance cost based on risk originating with a seller corresponding to the first product record.

12. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the server is further programmed to calculate the insurance cost based on risk reflecting at least one of the lack of information about the seller and negative information about the seller, corresponding to the first product record.

5. A computer network comprising:

a server associated with an entity;

a plurality of purchase requests, each comprising a product identifier, a price, and a buyer identifier, the plurality of purchase requests being stored on the server;

the server storing data linking a first purchase request of the plurality of purchase requests to a second purchase request of the plurality of purchase requests;

a plurality of product records, each comprising a product identifier, a price, and a seller identifier, the plurality of product records being stored on the server;

the plurality of purchase requests, wherein at least two of the purchase requests thereof correspond to a single buyer, seeking a single instance of a product of a single type, and are linked to reflect that only one instance of product of the type is to be purchased based on the at least two purchase requests;

the server, further programmed to receive the first and second purchase requests corresponding to products having distinct differences selected from a manufacturer, brand name, and model;

the plurality of product records, wherein at least two product records correspond to the type of product, but each respective one of the at least two product records corresponds to a product of a different designation, selected from brand, manufacturer, and model, the different designations reflecting products corresponding to the at least two product records as distinct products, not objectively equal, but subjectively selected to be comparable by the first buyer; and

the server programmed to match a first product record of the plurality of product records with one of the at least two purchase requests based on matching criteria; and

the server further programmed to, after matching the first purchase request with the first product record and as a direct, immediate, causal effect thereof, remove the second purchase request from future matching consideration, thereby ensuring the second purchase request will not be matched with any product record of the plurality of product records.

6. The computer network of claim 5, wherein:

the matching criteria require that the product identifier of the first purchase request match the product identifier of the first product record;

the matching criteria mandate a match when the price of the first purchase request is less than the price of the first product record and the price of the first purchase request is within a specified tolerance of the price of the first product record; and

the server is programmed to account to the entity the loss associated with the difference between the price of the first purchase request and the price of the first product record.

7. The computer network of claim 5, wherein:

each purchase request of the plurality of purchase requests comprises shipping information corresponding to a buyer;

each product record of the plurality of product records comprises shipping information corresponding to a seller; and

the matching criteria require that the product identifier of the first purchase request match the product identifier of the first product record and that the price of the first purchase request be equal to or greater than the price of the first product record added to a shipping cost calculated from the shipping information of the purchase request and the shipping information of the product record.

8. An apparatus coordinating a product sale transaction, the apparatus comprising:

a network carrying data;

a server, corresponding to a host and operably connected to the network to host data corresponding to online transactions,

a plurality of buyer computers connecting to the network, each buyer computer thereof corresponding to a buyer having a buyer identifier;

a plurality of seller computers connecting to the network, each seller computer thereof corresponding to a seller having a seller identifier;

each buyer computer further programmed to communicate to the server purchase requests, each comprising a product identifier, a price, shipping information, and corresponding buyer identifier;

each seller computer of the plurality of seller computers further programmed to communicate to the server product records, each comprising a product identifier, a price, shipping information, and corresponding seller identifier;

the server further programmed to receive, from a first buyer computer of the plurality of buyer computers, data linking a first purchase request of the purchase requests to a second purchase request of the purchase requests, both of the first and second purchase requests corresponding to the first buyer, for products subjectively comparative by the first buyer, and corresponding to a single purchase for which only one of the first and second purchase requests is to be satisfied;

the server, further programmed to receive and link the first and second purchase requests, both the first and second purchase requests corresponding to products of a same type, the products having distinct differences selected from a manufacturer, brand name, and model;

the server further programmed to identify a first product record of the product records, matching the first purchase request based on matching criteria; and

the server, further programmed to remove for the first buyer the risk of making multiple matches for the first and second purchase requests by barring completion of all but one of the first and second purchase requests by removing automatically one of the first and second purchase requests immediately upon matching the other thereof.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, where the server is further programmed to execute:

receiving instructions from the first buyer;

making a multiple purchase requests, based on the instructions, for one instance of a product of the type, by posting multiple purchase requests for the type of product, the multiple purchase requests corresponding to multiple products of the type, each of which products is a candidate to be the one instance purchased;

selecting a match by comparing the plurality of purchase requests with the plurality of product records; and

responding to the selecting by rendering all the remaining purchase requests of the multiple purchase requests barred against further consummation of a sale in response thereto.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the server is programmed to record a net amount owed to a seller corresponding to the price of the product record less a commission and transaction costs charged by the host for hosting the product records and the purchase request records.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the server is further programmed to:

reduce a commission due to the host in order to consummate a sale; and

record a net amount owed to a seller corresponding to the price of the product record less a reduced commission to the host charged by the host.