Rental network security system and method
First Claim
1. A method of facilitating a rental transaction of a tangible item, the method comprising:
- electronically transmitting a plurality of return codes, generated by a central controller, to a lessor;
communicating a lessee pickup code from a lessee to the lessor upon exchanging the tangible item between the lessor and the lessee;
electronically transmitting the lessee pickup code from the lessor to the central controller;
initiating a rental period upon verifying, by the central controller, the lessee pickup code;
communicating a return code, the return code being selected by the lessor from the plurality of return codes, from the lessor to the lessee, upon return of the tangible item to the lessor; and
electronically transmitting the return code selected from the plurality of return codes, from the lessee, to the central controller.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method of facilitating a rental transaction of a tangible item is provided. Initially, a lessee pickup code is communicated from a borrowing party to an owning party upon exchanging the tangible item between the owning party and the borrowing party. The owning party subsequently transmits the lessee pickup code to a central controller. A rental period for the exchanged tangible item begins upon verifying, by the central controller, that the lessee pickup code sent by the owning party is the lessee pickup code originally provided to the borrowing party. When the tangible item is returned to the owning party, the owning party communicates a return code to the borrowing party. The return code is transmitted by the borrowing party to the central controller. The central controller verifies that the return code is the return code originally provided to the owning party.
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Citations
69 Claims
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1. A method of facilitating a rental transaction of a tangible item, the method comprising:
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electronically transmitting a plurality of return codes, generated by a central controller, to a lessor; communicating a lessee pickup code from a lessee to the lessor upon exchanging the tangible item between the lessor and the lessee; electronically transmitting the lessee pickup code from the lessor to the central controller; initiating a rental period upon verifying, by the central controller, the lessee pickup code; communicating a return code, the return code being selected by the lessor from the plurality of return codes, from the lessor to the lessee, upon return of the tangible item to the lessor; and electronically transmitting the return code selected from the plurality of return codes, from the lessee, to the central controller. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. A method of facilitating a rental transaction of a tangible item, the method comprising:
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electronically transmitting a lessee pickup code, generated by a central controller, to a lessee; communicating the lessee pickup code from the lessee to a lessor upon exchanging the tangible item between the lessor and the lessee; electronically transmitting the lessee pickup code from the lessor to the central controller; initiating a rental period upon verifying, by the central controller, the lessee pickup code; communicating a return code from the lessor to the lessee, upon return of the tangible item to the lessor; and electronically transmitting the return code from the lessee to the central controller, wherein verifying the lessee pickup code comprises comparing a user identifier associated with a mode of communication by which the lessee pickup code is submitted to the central controller with an association among a plurality of user identifiers for the lessor stored at the central controller and at least one of a plurality of user identifiers for the lessee and the lessee pickup code stored at the central controller, and determining that the lessee pickup code submitted by the lessor comprises the lessee pickup code generated by the central controller and electronically transmitted to the lessee. - View Dependent Claims (29)
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30. A method of facilitating the rental of at least one tangible item, the at least one tangible item being transferred between a lessee and a lessor, the method comprising:
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electronically transmitting a lessee pickup code to the lessee, the lessee pickup code being received at a lessee interface; electronically transmitting a plurality of return codes to lessor, the plurality of return codes being received at a lessor interface; verifying submission, using a central controller processor, of the lessee pickup code by the lessor upon receiving the lessee pickup code from the lessor, the lessee communicating the lessee pickup code to the lessor upon obtaining possession of the at least one tangible item; and verifying submission, using the central controller processor, of a return code by the lessee upon receiving the return code from the lessee, the lessor communicating the return code to the lessee upon return of the at least one tangible item, wherein the lessor selects the return code from the plurality of return codes. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43)
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44. A system for facilitating the exchange of at least one tangible item, the at least one tangible item being exchanged between a lessor and a lessee, the system comprising:
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a first interface configurable to electronically transmit a lessee pickup code to the lessee; a second interface configurable to electronically transmit a return code to the lessor; a first verifying processor configurable to verify submission of the lessee pickup code by the lessor upon receiving the lessee pickup code from the lessor, the lessee communicating the lessee pickup code to the lessor upon obtaining possession of the at least one tangible item; and a second verifying processor configurable to verify submission of the return code by the lessee upon receiving the return code from the lessee, the lessor communicating the return code to the lessee upon return of the at least one tangible item, wherein a reimbursement policy determines a reimbursement value to compensate the lessor for either damage to or loss of the at least one tangible item, wherein the reimbursement value is based on one of;
a repair cost and a replacement cost for the at least one tangible item, andwherein the replacement cost is determined based on information obtained from at least one of the Internet and an auction site. - View Dependent Claims (45, 46, 47, 48)
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49. A method of mitigating risk in a business transaction, the method comprising:
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electronically communicating an initiating code to a first party, the initiating code being received at a first interface; electronically communicating a terminating code to a second party, the terminating code being received at a second interface; verifying submission, using a central controller processor, of the initiating code by the second party upon receiving the initiating code from the first party, the first party communicating the initiating code to the second party upon an occurrence of a first event; and verifying submission, using the central controller processor, of the terminating code by the first party upon receiving the terminating code from the second party, the second party communicating the terminating code to the first party upon occurrence of a second event, wherein the business transaction is conducted in accordance with a transaction agreement, and wherein the terminating code is selected from a plurality of terminating codes electronically communicated to the second party. - View Dependent Claims (50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62)
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63. A method of mitigating risk in a business transaction, the method comprising:
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electronically communicating an initiating code to a first party, the initiating code being received at a first interface; electronically communicating a terminating code to a second party, the terminating code being received at a second interface; verifying submission, using a central controller processor, of the initiating code by the second party upon receiving the initiating code from the first party, the first party communicating the initiating code to the second party upon an occurrence of a first event; and verifying submission, using the central controller processor, of the terminating code by the first party upon receiving the terminating code from the second party, the second party communicating the terminating code to the first party upon occurrence of a second event, wherein a first party user identifier is added to the initiating code, and wherein a second party user identifier is added to the terminating code, wherein the initiating code and the terminating code are randomly generated by a central controller, and wherein the initiating code is verified by the central controller based on a comparison of the first party user identifier and a plurality of user identifiers for the first party, stored at the central controller, and wherein the terminating code is verified by the central controller based on a comparison of the second party user identifier and a plurality of user identifiers for the second party stored at the central controller. - View Dependent Claims (64, 65)
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66. A method of mitigating risk in a business transaction, the method comprising:
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electronically communicating an initiating code to a first party, the initiating code being received at a first interface; electronically communicating a terminating code to a second party, the terminating code being received at a second interface; verifying submission, using a central controller processor, of the initiating code by the second party upon receiving the initiating code from the first party, the first party communicating the initiating code to the second party upon an occurrence of a first event; and verifying submission, using the central controller processor, of the terminating code by the first party upon receiving the terminating code from the second party, the second party communicating the terminating code to the first party upon occurrence of a second event, wherein the initiating code and the terminating code are randomly generated by a central controller, wherein a first party user identifier is added to the terminating code and a second party user identifier is added to the initiating code, and wherein the terminating code is verified based on a comparison of the first party user identifier added to the terminating code and an association among a plurality of user identifiers for the first party and at least one of a plurality of user identifiers for the second party and the terminating code stored at the central controller, that the terminating code submitted by the first party comprises the return code generated by the central controller.
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67. A method of mitigating risk in a business transaction, the method comprising:
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electronically communicating an initiating code to a first party, the initiating code being received at a first interface; electronically communicating a terminating code to a second party, the terminating code being received at a second interface; verifying submission, using a central controller processor, of the initiating code by the second party upon receiving the initiating code from the first party, the first party communicating the initiating code to the second party upon an occurrence of a first event; and verifying submission, using the central controller processor, of the terminating code by the first party upon receiving the terminating code from the second party, the second party communicating the terminating code to the first party upon occurrence of a second event, wherein the initiating code and the terminating code are randomly generated by a central controller, wherein a first party user identifier is added to the terminating code and a second party user identifier is added to the initiating code, and wherein the initiating code is verified based on a comparison of the second party user identifier added to the initiating code and an association among a plurality of user identifiers for the second party and at least one of a plurality of user identifiers for the first party and the initiating code stored at the central controller, that the initiating code submitted by the second party comprises the initiating code generated by the central controller.
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68. A method of mitigating risk in a business transaction, the method comprising:
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electronically communicating an initiating code to a first party, the initiating code being received at a first interface; electronically communicating a terminating code to a second party, the terminating code being received at a second interface; verifying submission, using a central controller processor, of the initiating code by the second party upon receiving the initiating code from the first party, the first party communicating the initiating code to the second party upon an occurrence of a first event; and verifying submission, using the central controller processor, of the terminating code by the first party upon receiving the terminating code from the second party, the second party communicating the terminating code to the first party upon occurrence of a second event, wherein the initiating code and the terminating code are randomly generated by a central controller, and wherein verifying the initiating code comprises comparing a user identifier associated with a mode of communication by which the initiating code is submitted to the central controller with an association among a plurality of user identifiers for the second party stored at the central controller and at least one of a plurality of user identifiers for the first party and the initiating code stored at the central controller, and determining that the initiating code submitted by the second party comprises the initiating code generated by the central controller.
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69. A method of mitigating risk in a business transaction, the method comprising:
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electronically communicating an initiating code to a first party, the initiating code being received at a first interface; electronically communicating a terminating code to a second party, the terminating code being received at a second interface; verifying submission, using a central controller processor, of the initiating code by the second party upon receiving the initiating code from the first party, the first party communicating the initiating code to the second party upon an occurrence of a first event; and verifying submission, using the central controller processor, of the terminating code by the first party upon receiving the terminating code from the second party, the second party communicating the terminating code to the first party upon occurrence of a second event, wherein the initiating code and the terminating code are randomly generated by a central controller, and wherein verifying the terminating code comprises comparing a user identifier associated with a mode of communication by which the terminating code is submitted to the central controller and an association among a plurality of user identifiers for the first party and at least one of a plurality of user identifiers for the second party and the terminating code stored at the central controller, that the terminating code submitted by the first party comprises the terminating code generated by the central controller.
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Specification