Method for selecting a merchant for a trial mode of a service

• US 7,996,275 B2
• Filed: 02/01/2010
• Issued: 08/09/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CFPH LLC (Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P.)
• Original Assignee: CFPH LLC (Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P.)
• Inventors: Lutnick, Howard W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Garg; Yogesh C
• Assistant Examiner(s): ZIMMERMAN, MATTHEW E
• Application Number:
  US12/697,866
• Publication Number:
  US 20100131345A1
• Time in Patent Office: 554 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26.1, 705/26.41, 705/26.43, 705/26.81, 705/14.23
• US Class Current: 705/26.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/0855 involving a third party
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0214 Referral reward systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0215 Including financial accounts
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0222 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0236 Incentive or reward received by requiring registration or ID from user
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0282 Rating or review of business operators or products
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/12 Hotels or restaurants

Abstract

Disclosure includes selecting a merchant from a plurality of merchants, enabling a trial mode for the merchant, during the trial mode, receiving an indication of a first order for the merchant, forwarding the indication of the first order to the merchant, allocating a first payment for the first order to the merchant, requesting an acceptance of a membership status from the merchant, and receiving an indication of the payment for the first order.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

selecting, by a computer system, a merchant for a trial mode of a service, in which the selected merchant did not request to be selected for the trial mode of the service;

enabling, by the computer system, the trial mode of the service for the selected merchant;

receiving, by the computer system, an order for at least one of a good and a service offered by the selected merchant;

transmitting, by the computer system, an indication of at least a portion of the order to the selected merchant;

determining whether the trial mode for the selected merchant is enabled; and

allocating, by the computer system, a part of a payment for the order to the selected merchant based on the determination.

2. The method of claim 1, in which the order includes at least one of a product or service offered by a second merchant.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising transmitting an indication of at least a second portion of the order to the second merchant.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising transmitting an indication to make a delivery from the selected merchant and from the second merchant to fulfill the order.

5. The method of claim 1, in which the merchant includes at least one of a seller of products and a provider of services.

6. The method of claim 1, in which the service includes at least one of a referral service and a delivery service.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a user interface to a customer through which the order may be placed.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting an indication to make a delivery that fulfills the order.

9. The method of claim 8, in which the indication to make the delivery is transmitted to at least one of the selected merchant and a delivery agent.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising disabling the trial mode and enabling a membership mode.

11. The method of claim 10, in which the membership mode is enabled in response to receiving an indication that the selected merchant will provide a price to users of the service that is lower than a standard price provided by the selected merchant.

12. The method of claim 11, in which the standard price includes a price paid by walk-in customers of the merchant.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising charging users of the service the standard price and allocating a difference between the standard price and the lower than standard price as payment for the service.

14. The method of claim 11, in which a difference between the standard price and the lower than standard price is based on a number of orders received for the selected merchant in a period.

15. The method of claim 11, in which a difference between the standard price and the lower than standard price is based on at least one of a type of product offered by the selected merchant and a type of service offered by the selected merchant.

16. The method of claim 1, in which the selected merchant is selected based on a characteristic of the selected merchant.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising receiving information about the characteristic of the selected merchant from a publically available source.

18. The method of claim 16, in which the characteristic includes at least one of a type of the selected merchant, a location of the selected merchant, a capacity of the selected merchant, a market share of the selected merchant, a cost of the selected merchant, a name of the selected merchant, an age of the selected merchant, and a name of the selected merchant.

19. The method of claim 1, in which the indication of the order includes at least one of an indication of a delivery location, an indication of a customer, an indication of a delivery time, and an indication of a special instruction regarding the order.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting information recorded during the trial mode to the selected merchant.

21. The method of claim 20, in which the information includes total sales made through the service for the selected merchant.

22. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

enabling a second trial mode of the service for the selected merchant in response to the selected merchant providing information regarding a refusal to join the service as a member.

23. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing, by the computer system, a user interface to a customer, in which the interface includes at least one of a product and a service that is part of the order;

receiving, by the computer system, an indication of a selection of the at least one of the product and the service;

determining, by the computer system, that the at least one of the product and service is offered by a plurality of merchants that are customers of the service, in which the plurality of merchants includes the merchant;

determining, by the computer system, a preference of the service for the merchant of the plurality of merchants; and

in response to determining the preference, transmitting, by the computer system, an indication that the selection is offered by the first merchant to the customer.

24. The method of claim 23, in which the preference is determined based on the first merchant being in a trial mode of the service.

25. The method of claim 23, in which the preference is determined based on at least one of a location of the merchant, a location of the customer, and an availability of the merchant.

26. The method of claim 23, in which the user interface includes a listing regarding only offerings by a second merchant of the plurality of merchants.

27. The method of claim 23, in which the user interface includes a listing regarding offerings by each of the plurality of merchants.