Methods and system for preferred vendor pre-transaction bidding

• US 7,734,486 B2
• Filed: 10/16/2006
• Issued: 06/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Deem, Incorporated (Jack Taylor Family Voting Trust U A D 4 14 99)
• Original Assignee: Rearden Commerce Inc
• Inventors: Mortimore, William Charles Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hayes; John W
• Assistant Examiner(s): FLYNN, KEVIN H
• Application Number:
  US11/549,965
• Publication Number:
  US 20080091479A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,331 Days
• Field of Search: 705/5, 705/37
• US Class Current: 705/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method that can be performed on a system, is provided for preferred vender pre-transaction bidding. In one embodiment, the method comprises providing to a user one or more offers for sale of an item or service, the offers matching criteria pre-determined by one of a separate user or entity; receiving a selection of at least one offer from the user; comparing the selected offer to a set of pre-determined preferences of the user and generating and transmitting a request to one or more vendors for a counter-offer based on the set of pre-determined preferences of the user; in response to receiving one or more counter-offers, comparing the one or more counter offers to the criteria pre-determined by the separate user or entity; and providing to the user one or more of the counter-offers matching the criteria pre-determined by the separate user or entity.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

in response to a request from a user for an airline-flight from a first location to a second location, providing to the user, via a network connection, one or more offers for sale of the airline-flight from the first location to the second location, the one or more offers matching a price-criteria pre-determined by an employer of the user, and the one or more offers excluding offers from a preferred vendor of the user;

receiving, via the network connection, a selection of at least one offer from the user;

identifying, via a computing device, at least one preferred vendor of the user;

automatically generating and transmitting, via a computing device, a message to the at least one preferred vendor of the user, the message identifying a price of the user-selected offer, and the message requesting from the at least one preferred vendor a counter-offer for sale of an airline-flight from the first location to the second location, based on the price of the user-selected offer;

in response to receiving at least one counter-offer for sale of the airline-flight from the first location to the second location, comparing the at least one counter-offer to the price-criteria pre-determined by the employer of the user; and

providing, via the network connection, to the user the at least one counter-offer for sale of the airline-flight from the first location to the second location matching the price-criteria pre-determined by the employer of the user, wherein the at least one counter-offer is within a predetermined range of the price of the user-selected offer.

2. A machine-readable medium having stored thereon a set of instructions, which when executed perform a method comprising:

in response to a request from a user for an airline-flight from a first location to a second location, providing to the user, via a network connection, one or more offers for sale of the airline-flight from the first location to the second location, the one or more offers matching a price-criteria pre-determined by an employer of the user, and the one or more offers excluding offers from a preferred vendor of the user;

receiving, via the network connection, a selection of at least one offer from the user;

identifying, via a computing device, at least one preferred vendor of the user;

automatically generating and transmitting, via a computing device, a message to the at least one preferred vendor of the user, the message identifying a price of the user-selected offer, and the message requesting from the at least one preferred vendor a counter-offer for sale of an airline-flight from the first location to the second location, based on the price of the user-selected offer;

in response to receiving at least one counter-offer for sale of the airline-flight from the first location to the second location, comparing the at least one counter-offer to the price-criteria pre-determined by the employer of the user; and

providing, via the network connection, to the user the at least one counter-offer for sale of the airline-flight from the first location to the second location matching the price-criteria pre-determined by the employer of the user, wherein the at least one counter-offer is within a predetermined range of the price of the user-selected offer.

3. The machine-readable medium of claim 2, wherein the travel-related item or service comprises a travel reservation.

4. The machine-readable medium of claim 2, wherein the travel-related item or service comprises one of an airline flight, a hotel reservation, and a restaurant reservation.

5. The machine-readable medium of claim 4, wherein the criteria pre-determined by the employer of the user includes at least one of a class of travel, cost, destination, and carrier of travel.

6. The machine-readable medium of claim 2, wherein the counter-offer is matching one or more of the offers for sale of a travel-related item or service.