System and method for negotiating improved terms for products and services being purchased through the internet

• US 7,720,770 B1
• Filed: 07/10/2000
• Issued: 05/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nihon Dot Com Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nihon Dot Com Company Limited
• Inventors: Morimoto, Nobuyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Elisca; Pierre E
• Application Number:
  US09/613,339
• Time in Patent Office: 3,599 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/27, 705/14, 705/80
• US Class Current: 705/80
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/188 Electronic negotiation

Abstract

A method and system for negotiating improved terms for a product being purchased over the Internet. Once a purchaser has made a decision to buy a specific product over the Internet, the purchaser may use the services of a personal negotiating broker-agent program to beat the best available purchase transaction within a specifiable time window. The personal broker-agent program may detect an issuance of a commitment to purchase over the Internet by a purchaser. The personal broker-agent program may then make an offer to the purchaser the option of waiting a predetermined amount of time while the broker agent searches for improved items. On acceptance of the option by the purchaser, the personal broker-agent program may conduct an auction and/or search the Internet for a better deal and may evaluate the auction and/or search responses to determine the best deal. The personal broker-agent program may then execute the best deal. If the purchaser elects not to accept the option from the personal broker-agent program, then the purchaser may execute the commitment to purchase transaction without delay.

Claims

1. A method for negotiating improved terms for a product or service being purchased over the Internet, the method comprising:

performing by a computer;

detecting an issuance of a commitment to purchase with associated terms for said product or service being purchased by a purchaser using an Internet web site;

in response to said detecting, making an offer to said purchaser to accept or reject a contract for negotiating said improved terms within a specified time;

receiving an indication that said purchaser accepts said offer, and in response to said receiving;

conducting a search for said improved terms within said specified time; and

receiving said improved terms within said specified time; and

initiating a purchase of said product or service on behalf of said purchaser according to said improved terms.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said detecting comprises detecting said purchaser entering a credit card number or a pre-paid account number or a gift certificate number.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said detecting comprises detecting said purchaser viewing a particular web page.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said detecting comprises detecting said purchaser accessing a particular URL.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said detecting comprises detecting said purchaser clicking an icon to confirm order.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said making an offer to said purchaser comprises displaying said contract on a screen of a computer system used by said purchaser to purchase said product over the Internet.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting an issuance of another commitment to purchase with associated terms for said product or service being purchased by another purchaser using an Internet web site;

in response to said detecting the issuance of another commitment, making another offer to said other purchaser to accept or reject another contract for negotiating said improved terms within another specified time;

receiving an indication that said other purchaser rejects said other offer;

in response to said receiving an indication that said other purchaser rejects said other offer;

executing said other commitment to purchase.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said commitment to purchase comprises a purchase order for which payment has been guaranteed by said purchaser.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said improved terms comprise a better price, or a better delivery, or a better warranty or a better return policy compared to the terms associated with said commitment to purchase.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein making an offer to said purchaser comprises:

reading information associated with the commitment to purchase;

determining whether the commitment to purchase represents an area of interest for an improved terms service provider;

in response to determining that the commitment to purchase represents an area of interest for said improved terms service provider;

making said offer to said purchaser.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein conducting said search for said improved terms comprises conducting an auction amongst a plurality of suppliers for said product.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising, in response to receiving the indication that said purchaser accepts said offer, executing said contract, wherein executing said contract comprises entering a legal contract with said purchaser to supply said product under said improved terms.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein conducting said search for said improved terms comprises searching a database of preferred suppliers for said product.

28. A storage medium storing program instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to implement the method of claim 1.

14. A system for negotiating improved terms for a product or service being purchased over a computer network, the system comprising:

a computer program;

a web site server computer system;

wherein said computer program is executable on a client computer system by a purchaser to connect with the web site server and detect an issuance of a commitment to purchase with associated terms for said product or service; and

wherein the web site server is operable to;

receive a notification about said issuance of said commitment to purchase;

in response to receiving said notification, make an offer to said purchaser to accept or reject a contract for negotiating improved terms within a specified time;

in response to said purchaser accepting said offer;

conduct a search for said improved terms within said specified time; and

receive said improved terms within said specified time; and

initiate a purchase of said product or service on behalf of said purchaser according to said improved terms.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein said computer program is configured to detect the issuance of the commitment to purchase by detecting said purchaser entering a credit card number or a pre-paid account number or a gift certificate number.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein said computer program is configured to detect the issuance of the commitment to purchase by detecting said purchaser viewing a particular web page.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein said computer program is configured to detect the issuance of the commitment to purchase by detecting said purchaser accessing a particular URL.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein said computer program is configured to detect the issuance of the commitment to purchase by detecting said purchaser clicking an icon to confirm order.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein said web site server is configured to make the offer to said purchaser by displaying said contract on a screen of a computer system used by said purchaser to purchase said product over the Internet.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein the web site server is further operable to, in response to said purchaser rejecting said offer;

execute said commitment to purchase.

21. The system of claim 14, wherein said commitment to purchase comprises a purchase order for which payment has been guaranteed by said purchaser.

22. The system of claim 14, wherein said improved terms comprise one or more of the following:

a better price, a better delivery, a better warranty, or a better return policy, as compared to the terms associated with said commitment to purchase.

23. The system of claim 14, wherein said web server is configured to make the offer to said purchaser by:

reading information associated with the commitment to purchase;

determining whether the commitment to purchase represents an area of business interest for an improved terms service provider; and

in response to determining that the commitment to purchase represents an area of interest for said improved terms service provider, making said offer to said purchaser.

24. The system of claim 14, wherein conducting said search for said improved terms comprises conducting an auction amongst a plurality of suppliers for said product or service.

25. The system of claim 14, wherein the web site server is operable to, in response to said purchaser accepting said offer, execute said contract, wherein executing said contract comprises entering a legal contract with said purchaser to supply said product under said improved terms.

26. The system of claim 14, wherein conducting said search for said improved terms comprises searching a database of preferred suppliers for said product.

27. The system of claim 14, wherein said client computer system is one or more of the following:

a personal computer, a laptop computer, a notebook computer, an Internet-enabled cellular phone, an Internet-enabled personal digital assistant, or an Internet-enabled television.

29. A method, comprising:

performing by a computer;

detecting an action by a purchaser that indicates that the purchaser is about to make an original purchase for a particular item or service over the Internet for a particular price;

in response to said detecting, offering the purchaser an opportunity to enter into an alternative contract in which the purchaser agrees to wait a predetermined amount of time in exchange for a possibility of securing a better price for said particular item or service;

searching for said better price for said particular item or service;

if said better price is found before said predetermined amount of time expires, purchasing the particular item or service for the purchaser at the better price and charging the purchaser a new price between said particular price and said better price; and

if said better price is not found before said predetermined amount of time expires, executing the original purchase for the particular item or service over the Internet for the particular price.

30. The method as recited in claim 29, further comprising:

in response to determining that said original purchase is not available after said searching is complete, purchasing said particular item for said purchaser at another price and charging the purchaser said particular price.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein said detecting comprises detecting said purchaser entering a credit card number or a pre-paid account number or a gift certificate number.

32. The method of claim 29, wherein said detecting comprises detecting said purchaser viewing a particular web page.

33. The method of claim 29, wherein said detecting comprises detecting said purchaser accessing a particular URL.

34. The method of claim 29, wherein said detecting comprises detecting said purchaser clicking an icon to confirm order.

35. The method of claim 29, wherein said offering said purchaser said opportunity to enter into said alternative contract comprises displaying said alternative contract on a screen of a computer system used by said purchaser to make said original purchase over the Internet.

36. The method of claim 29, wherein said original purchase comprises a purchase order for which payment has been guaranteed by said purchaser.

37. The method of claim 29, wherein offering said purchaser said opportunity to enter into said alternative contract comprises:

reading information associated with said original purchase;

determining whether said original purchase represents an area of interest for an alternative contract provider;

in response to determining that said original purchase represents an area of interest for said alternative contract provider;

offering said alternative contract to said purchaser.

38. The method of claim 29, wherein searching for said better price comprises conducting an auction amongst a plurality of suppliers for said particular item.

39. The method of claim 29, wherein searching for said better price comprises searching a database of preferred suppliers for said particular item.

40. A storage medium storing computer program instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to implement the method of claim 29.

41. A method, comprising:

performing by a computer;

detecting an action by a purchaser that indicates that the purchaser is about to make an original purchase for a particular item or service over the Internet for a particular price;

in response to said detecting, automatically delaying said purchase for a predetermined amount of time;

searching for a better price for said particular item or service;

if said better price is found before said predetermined amount of time expires, purchasing the particular item or service for the purchaser at the better price and charging the purchaser a new price between said particular price and said better price; and

if said better price is not found before said predetermined amount of time expires, executing the original purchase for the particular item or service over the Internet for the particular price.

42. A storage medium storing computer program instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to implement the method of claim 41.

43. The method of claim 41, wherein executing said contract comprises contacting said purchaser with a confirmation of said product purchase.

44. A method, comprising:

performing by a computer;

detecting an action by a purchaser that indicates that the purchaser is making an original purchase for a particular item or service over the Internet for a particular price;

in response to said detecting, accessing a broker-agent web site for seeking a better price for said particular item or service within a predetermined amount of time;

if said better price is found before said predetermined amount of time expires, purchasing the particular item or service for the purchaser at the better price and charging the purchaser a new price between said particular price and said better price; and

if said better price is not found before said predetermined amount of time expires, executing the original purchase for the particular item over the Internet for the particular price.