System and method for personalized e-commerce

• US 7,886,964 B2
• Filed: 04/17/2007
• Issued: 02/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Jeffrey T. Steinecker
• Original Assignee: Jeffrey T. Steinecker
• Inventors: Steinecker, Jeffrey T.
• Primary Examiner(s): WALSH, DANIEL I
• Application Number:
  US11/787,487
• Publication Number:
  US 20080257957A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,400 Days
• Field of Search: 705/16, 705/26, 705/65, 705/330, 235/379, 235/380, 235/381, 235/487, 235/492, 235/493, 340/572.1, 340/286.01, 340/5.4, 340/5.41
• US Class Current: 235/379
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/367 involving electronic purses or money safes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A system allows consumers the ability to remotely transmit order and/or payment preference data to a vendor to facilitate sales transactions. A personal transmitter or key fob functions to transmit a signal to the vendor when the customer approaches the vendor, which signal comprises preferred order information for vendor processing. The vendor may acknowledge order receipt, generate the order, and automatically submit the transaction for payment through a secure connection. A web site acknowledges receipt of the payment request, retrieves specific transaction information for the target vendor, and processes the payments electronically. Customer information, vendor preferences and encrypted Customer payment specific pointers are downloaded to the personal transmitter on an ongoing basis and stored as encrypted data. If multiple vendors are within the proximity of the consumer, the transmitter will signal an error and list the vendors to the consumer, from which list the target vendor may be selected.

Claims

1. A method for transacting a sale by way of a personal transmitter, the method comprising the steps of:

accessing a consumer-maintained web-site via data input means;

displaying an order and payment preference template at the consumer-maintained web-site;

inputting order preference data and payment preference data into the order and payment preference template at the consumer-maintained web-site;

associating encrypted customer payment-specific pointers with the order preference data and payment preference data;

downloading the order preference data, payment preference data, and encrypted customer payment-specific pointers to a transmitter from the consumer-maintained web-site;

storing the order preference data, payment preference data, and encrypted customer payment-specific pointers as encrypted data upon the transmitter;

carrying the transmitter with said encrypted data to a vendor establishment area;

transmitting the transmitter-carried encrypted data to the vendor establishment area from the transmitter;

receiving the transmitter-carried encrypted data at at least one vendor located within the vendor establishment area;

validating the transmitted order and payment preference data via the customer payment-specific pointers by way of;

transmitting sales data and encrypted charge data to web-based processor,

reading encrypted charge data and encrypted customer data by the web-based processor; and

matching encrypted charge data and encrypted customer data against a pre-stored database accessed by the web-based processor;

processing the validated order and payment preference data by way of;

applying charges against a consumer account;

transferring charges to vendor account; and

delivering a preferred order to a purchaser via at least one vendor at the vendor establishment area.

2. The method of claim 1 comprising the step of acknowledging receipt of the transmitted order and payment preference data, said step providing the purchaser with a sales-based character string, the sales-based character string being uniquely associated with the sales-charges. the sales-charges being payable at the consumer-maintained web-site via the sales-based character string.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of validating the transmitted order and payment preference data comprises the step of transmitting a confirmation request, the confirmation request for confirming a target vendor from at least one vendor within the vendor establishment area.

4. The method of claim 1 comprising the step of transmitting transaction event data to the consumer-maintained web-site from at least one vendor at the vendor establishment area after processing the order and payment preference data.

5. The method of claim 1 comprising the step of transmitting transaction event data to the consumer-maintained web-site from at least one vendor at the vendor establishment area while processing the order and payment preference data.

6. The method of claim 1 comprising the step of notifying the purchaser of electronic funds transfer.

7. The method of claim 1 comprising the step of logging transaction events after finally processing the order and payment preference data.

8. The method of claim 1 comprising the step of alerting the purchaser to a methodological problem.

9. The method of claim 1 comprising the step of amending the order and payment preference data during the step of inputting the order and payment preference data.

10. A method for effecting a purchase by way of a personal transmitter, the method comprising the steps of:

accessing a web-site via data input means;

displaying an order and payment preference template at the web-site;

inputting preference data into the order and payment preference template at the web-site;

associating encrypted customer payment-specific pointers with the order preference data and payment preference data;

downloading the preference data and encrypted customer payment-specific pointers to a transmitter;

storing the order preference data, payment preference data, and encrypted customer payment-specific pointers as encrypted data upon the transmitter;

carrying the transmitter with said encrypted data to a vendor establishment area;

transmitting the transmitter-carried encrypted data to the vendor establishment area from the transmitter;

receiving the transmitter-carried encrypted data at at least one vendor located within the vendor establishment area;

processing the encrypted data by way of

applying sales-charges against a consumer account;

transferring sales-charges to vendor account; and

delivering a preferred order to a purchaser via at least one vendor at the vendor establishment area.

11. The method of claim 10 comprising the step of acknowledging receipt of the transmitted preference data, said step providing the purchaser with a sales-based character string, the sales-based character string being uniquely associated with the sales-charges, the sales-charges being payable at the consumer-maintained web-site via the sales-based character string.

12. The method of claim 10 comprising the step of validating the transmitted preference data before processing the encrypted data via the customer payment-specific pointers by way of:

transmitting sales data and encrypted charge data to web-based processor;

reading encrypted charge data and encrypted customer data by the web-based processor; and

matching encrypted charge data and encrypted customer data against a pre-stored database accessed by the web-based processor.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the step of validating the transmitted preference data comprises the step of transmitting a confirmation request, the confirmation request for confirming a target vendor from at least one vendor within the vendor establishment area.

14. The method of claim 10 comprising the step of transmitting transaction event data to the web-site from at least one vendor at the vendor establishment area after processing the encrypted data.

15. The method of claim 10 comprising the step of transmitting transaction event data to the web-site from the vendor establishment area while processing the encrypted data.

16. The method of claim 10 comprising the step of notifying the purchaser of electronic funds transfer.

17. The method of claim 10 comprising the step of logging transaction events after finally processing the encrypted data.

18. The method of claim 10 comprising the step of alerting the purchaser to a methodological problem.

19. The method of claim 10 comprising the step of amending the preference data during the step of inputting the preference data.

20. A purchasing system, the purchasing system for transacting a sale by way of a personal transmitter, the purchasing system comprising:

a consumer-maintained web-site, the consumer-maintained web-site comprising an order and payment preference template for receiving and storing a purchaser'"'"'s order and payment preference data;

means for inputting the purchaser'"'"'s preference data at the consumer-maintained web-site;

means for associating encrypted customer payment-specific pointers with the order preference data and payment preference data;

a transmitter, the transmitter comprising means for receiving and storing downloadable data and means for wirelessly transmitting data, the purchaser'"'"'s order and payment preference data and encrypted customer payment-specific pointers being downloadable into the transmitter from the consumer-maintained web-site, the transmitter for receiving, storing, and wirelessly transmitting the purchaser'"'"'s order and payment preference data, and encrypted customer payment-specific pointers; and

at least one vendor establishment, each vendor establishment comprising means for wirelessly receiving transmitted data, means for processing received data; and

means for delivering an order as requested from the received data, the transmitter thus enabling a purchaser to transmit transmitter-stored order and payment preference data and customer payment-specific pointers to the vendor establishment, the vendor establishment for receiving the transmitted order and payment preference data and customer payment-specific pointers;

processing the order and payment preference data, and delivering a processed order to the purchaser.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein each vendor establishment comprises means for validating received order and payment preference data and encrypted customer payment-specific pointers as encrypted data, said encrypted data thus being validatable before the order and payment preference data is processable.

22. The system of claim 20 comprising means for acknowledging receipt of the transmitted order and payment preference data, and encrypted customer payment-specific pointers, said means providing the purchaser with a sales-based character string, the sales-based character string being uniquely associated with the sales-charges, the sales-charges being payable at the consumer-maintained web-site via the sales-based character string.

23. The system of claim 20 comprising means for transmitting transaction event data to the consumer-maintained web-site.

24. The system of claim 20 comprising means for transferring electronic funds to a vendor account.

25. The system of claim 20 comprising means for logging transaction events.

26. The system of claim 20 comprising means for alerting the purchaser to a methodological problem.