Dealer to dealer sales lead system and method

• US 7,979,341 B2
• Filed: 05/13/2008
• Issued: 07/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Haris Hanifi
• Original Assignee: Haris Hanifi
• Inventors: Hanifi, Haris
• Primary Examiner(s): Colbert; Ella
• Assistant Examiner(s): Malhotra; Sanjeev
• Application Number:
  US12/120,054
• Publication Number:
  US 20090287595A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,155 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/14, 705/37, 705/38, 705/400, 463/40, 707/3, 707/104.1, 709/245
• US Class Current: 705/37
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/03 Credit; Loans; Processing thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

A system and method of creating a market for sales leads and financing amongst merchants of like wares that includes a central registry for receiving information about prospective buyers and their finances for compiling and communicating an anonymous sales lead including the prospective buyer'"'"'s finances to merchants in the same line of business. The leads are auctioned or sold anonymously to interested merchants that receive the contact information for the prospective buyer but not the identity of the initial merchant.

Claims

1. An anonymous dealer to dealer sales lead system for the car sales industry that allows car dealers that cannot or will not provide financing to a prospective customer based upon the prospective customers credit rating or financial qualifications to anonymously offer that prospective customer to other car dealers who after receiving the financial qualifications or credit rating of the prospective customer can anonymously buy, bid, or bargain for the identity or contact information for the prospective customer comprising;

a central registry for receiving credit information or financial qualifications of customers from lead sellers and for soliciting bids or offers from lead buyers who may be willing to attempt to sell or finance a car to at least one of said customers;

wherein said central registry requires a subscription for participation by car dealers as lead sellers or lead buyers;

said central registry configured for receiving customer leads from lead sellers and broadcasting the customer leads to lead buyers for participation in an auction or sale of customer leads while maintaining the anonymity of customers to prevent lead buyers from transacting business directly with the customers and maintaining the anonymity of the lead sellers and lead buyers to prevent lead buyers from transacting business directly with the lead sellers to the detriment of the other lead buyers attempting to bid on or buy leads;

a deal giver user interface for use by a car dealership lead seller for communicating buyer data about a prospective customer of said car dealership to a central registry, said buyer data including a credit report rating and a geographical location of said prospective customer, whereby a seller dealing with the prospective customer that he cannot or does not intend to transact business with may still profit by identifying an alternate dealer for the prospective customer willing to do business with that prospective customer and receiving a fee or commission on any consummated sale between the prospective customer and the alternate dealer;

said central registry comprising a server configured to store at least a portion of said buyer data and a database of anonymous leads including the credit report rating and the geographical location of said prospective customer, wherein said central registry keeps the contact information for the customer confidential pending the conclusion of the lead bidding or selling process and keeps the identity of the lead sellers and lead buyers confidential to prevent dealerships from dealing directly with one another; and

a deal seeker user interface for use by a car dealership lead buyer for viewing at least one of said anonymous leads from said central registry and communicating an offer to purchase buyer data sufficient to identify said prospective customer;

whereby a lead buyer may purchase a lead knowing that the customer is both in the market for the lead buyer'"'"'s product and also a customer having the financial qualifications sufficient to attempt to transact business with.