Secure sales method and system

• US 7,734,520 B1
• Filed: 05/05/2006
• Issued: 06/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Steve Lundquist
• Original Assignee: Steve Lundquist
• Inventors: Lundquist, Steve
• Primary Examiner(s): Oyebisi; Ojo O
• Application Number:
  US11/429,623
• Time in Patent Office: 1,495 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 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0185 Product, service or business identity fraud
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• 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 selling an item on a remote computer purchasing system, comprising the steps of:

offering an item for sale on the remote computer purchasing system for selection by a buyer, said remote computer purchasing system including a website showing the offered product;

receiving at the remote computer purchasing system an electronic messages including an acceptance to the offer to sell the item sent by a buyer;

receiving a message at the remote computer purchasing system that a payment for the item has been made to the payment and inspection service on behalf of the buyer and that a notification message has been sent to the seller that the payment was received;

receiving a message at the remote computer purchasing system that the purchased item was received at an inspection service site operated by the payment and inspection service after the offer to sell the item on the remote computer purchasing system has been accepted by the buyer and that a notification message was issued to the buyer who used the remote computer purchasing system that the item has been shipped to the inspection location and is ready for inspection by the buyer;

after providing the purchased item to the buyer for a monitored inspection of the shipped item at the inspection service site operated by the payment and inspection service, said payment and inspection service monitoring the buyer during the inspection, allowing the buyer to inspect the shipped item to assure its acceptability without giving the buyer an opportunity to alter or swap the shipped item, and issuing a message to the remote computer purchasing system that the buyer'"'"'s payment funds were transferred to the to the seller upon acceptance of the item by the buyer or returned back to the seller upon rejection of the item by the buyer.

2. The method for securely selling an item on a remote computer purchasing system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring of the buyer inspecting the item is performed by observation in person by an agent or associate of the payment and inspection service.

3. The method for securely selling an item on a remote computer purchasing system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring of the buyer inspecting the item is performed using a camera surveillance system so that a record of the inspection of the shipped item by the buyer may be recorded.

4. The method for securely selling an item on a remote computer purchasing system 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 for securely selling an item on a remote computer purchasing system of claim 1 wherein the buyer pays for the use of the payment and inspection service.

6. The method for securely selling an item on a remote computer purchasing system claim 1 wherein the buyer has a predetermined time period to inspect the purchased item during the monitored inspection.

7. The method for securely selling an item on a remote computer purchasing system of claim 1 wherein the item is repacked and returned to the seller if the buyer rejects the item after the monitored inspection.

8. The method for securely selling an item on a remote computer purchasing system of claim 6 wherein if the buyer rejects the purchased item after the monitored inspection, the payment funds, less any fees, are refunded to the buyer.

9. The method for securely selling an item on a remote computer purchasing system of claim 6 wherein if the buyer accepts the purchased item after the monitored inspection, the payment funds, less any fees, are transferred to the seller.

10. A method for securely selling an item using a remote computer purchasing system, comprising the steps of:

receiving an electronic notification at the remote computer purchasing system that an item had been received at an inspection location operated on behalf of a payment and inspection service from the seller of an item offered for sale on the remote computer system and agreed to be purchased by a buyer;

receiving an electronic notification at the remote computer purchasing system that a payment of funds had been received by the payment and inspection service from the buyer of the item;

after allowing the buyer to inspect the purchased item while being monitored at the inspection location, the remote purchasing system receives a notification that the payment funds were released by the payment and inspection service to the seller if the item is accepted by buyer or were refunded to the buyer upon rejection of the purchased item by the buyer.

11. The method for securely selling an item using a remote computer purchasing system of claim 10, wherein the payment and inspection service deducts any fees before releasing or refunding funds by the payment and inspection service.

12. The method for securely selling an item using a remote computer purchasing system of claim 10 wherein the seller selects the method of payment.

13. The method for securely selling an item using a remote computer purchasing system of claim 10 wherein the seller selects the shipping procedure for transferring the item to the inspection station.

14. The method for securely selling an item using a remote computer purchasing system of claim 10 wherein the buyer inspects the shipped item while being personally monitored by an agent of the payment and inspection service.

15. The method for securely selling an item using a remote computer purchasing system of claim 10 wherein the buyer inspects the shipped item while being monitored by a camera surveillance system.

16. The method for securely selling an item using a remote computer purchasing system of claim 10 wherein the buyer inspects the item during a monitored inspection within a specified time frame.