Interactive assistance on purchase decision-making

• US 8,086,500 B2
• Filed: 10/28/2005
• Issued: 12/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CFPH LLC (Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P.)
• Original Assignee: CFPH LLC (Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P.)
• Inventors: Lutnick, Howard W, Kirwin, Glenn D
• Primary Examiner(s): ZARE, SCOTT A
• Application Number:
  US11/261,844
• Publication Number:
  US 20060085286A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,251 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26.1, 705/26.4, 705/26.7
• US Class Current: 705/26.4
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0611 Request for offers or quotes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0625 Directed, with specific intent or strategy
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces

Abstract

Systems and methods for providing interactive assistance on purchase decision-making are provided. These systems and methods are preferably adapted to enable a purchase decision to be made by preferably interactively assisting the purchase decision-making process until a final purchase selection is made or indicated.

Claims

1. A method, comprising the steps of:

querying, using at least one computer processor, a user to provide (a) information indicating a plurality of categories of goods or services the user desires to purchase, at least two of the categories not overlapping with each other, and (b) information indicating the total amount of spending money available for purchases;

by an iterative process performed by a computer, assisting a user to purchase multiple goods and/or services of the indicated categories, by steps of;

obtaining from the user information about the user'"'"'s preferences for a characteristic of desired goods or services of the iteration'"'"'s category, wherein, for at least one of the categories, the querying comprises providing at least two user-selectable answers related to goods of the iteration'"'"'s category that are indicative of responses to the query;

providing, using at least one computer processor, the user with a recommendation of goods and/or services of the iteration'"'"'s category based on the user'"'"'s responses to the querying, wherein for at least some iterations, the recommendation related to the iteration'"'"'s category is related to the user response to answers related to earlier iterations'"'"' categories, the recommendation reflecting the user'"'"'s total spending money amount remaining after earlier iterations; and

providing the user with an opportunity to counteroffer a price of at least one of the goods and/or services, and providing the vendor of the counteroffered good or service an opportunity to accept the user'"'"'s counteroffer;

the iterative process programmed to ensure that the total price of the goods and/or services to be purchased does not exceed the total amount of spending money;

the price reached through counteroffer and acceptance being used in following iterations to select recommendations for goods and/or services of following iterations'"'"' categories.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first category includes interests related to travel.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the second category includes interests related to accommodation.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the second category includes interests related to shopping.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the first category includes interests related to accommodation.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the second category includes interests related to travel.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the second category includes interests related to shopping.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the first category includes interests related to shopping.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the second category includes interests related to travel.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the second category includes interests related to accommodation.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the querying is provided on a graphical user interface.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

detecting, in at least one computer processor, that total goods and/or services of the first and second categories selected by the user exceed the user'"'"'s total spending money amount available for the goods or services of the first and second categories, and in response to the detecting, returning the user to a stage of a recommendation and query process to select goods and/or services of the first and/or second categories.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

detecting, in at least one computer processor, that total goods and/or services of the first and second categories offered to or about to be offered to the user exceed the user'"'"'s total spending money amount available for the goods or services of the first and second categories, and in response to the detecting, preventing the user from selecting goods and/or services of the first and/or second categories that would exceed the user'"'"'s total spending money amount available for the goods or services of the first and second categories.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

accepting from the user a selection of at least two answers related to the first category from among the at least two user-selectable answers related to the first category presented in the query.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

detecting, in at least one computer processor, that total goods and/or services of the first and second categories selected by the user exceed the user'"'"'s total spending money available for the goods or services of the first and second categories, and in response to the detecting, by computer making an offer to a vendor of the goods and/or services selected by the user to purchase the goods and/or services at a reduced price.

16. A system for querying a user of the user'"'"'s interests to provide the user with recommendations, the system comprising at least one computer processor configured to:

query the user for (a) information indicating a plurality of categories of goods or services the user desires to purchase, at least two of the categories not overlapping with each other, and (b) information indicating the total amount of spending money available for purchases;

by an iterative process performed by a computer, assisting a user to purchase multiple goods and/or services of the indicated categories, by steps programmed to;

obtaining from the user information about the user'"'"'s preferences for a characteristic of desired goods or services of the iteration'"'"'s category, wherein, for at least one of the categories, the querying comprises providing at least two user-selectable answers related to goods of the iteration'"'"'s category that are indicative of responses to the query;

provide the user with a recommendation of goods and/or services of the iteration'"'"'s category based on the user'"'"'s responses to the querying, wherein for at least some iterations, the recommendation related to the iteration'"'"'s category is related to the user response answers related to earlier iterations'"'"' categories, the recommendation reflecting the user'"'"'s total spending money amount remaining after earlier iterations; and

provide the user with an opportunity to counteroffer a price of at least one of the goods and/or services, and provide the vendor of the counteroffered good or service an opportunity to accept the user'"'"'s counteroffer;

the iterative process programmed to ensure that the total price of the goods and/or services to be purchased does not exceed the total amount of spending money;

the price reached through counteroffer and acceptance being used in following iterations to select recommendations for goods and/or services of following iterations'"'"' categories.

17. The system of claim 16, the at least one computer processor being further configured to:

detect, in at least one computer processor, that total goods and/or services of the first and second categories selected by the user exceed the user'"'"'s total spending money amount available for the goods or services of the first and second categories, and in response to the detecting, returning the user to a stage of a recommendation and query process to select goods and/or services of the first and/or second categories.

18. The system of claim 16, the at least one computer processor being further configured to:

detect, in at least one computer processor, that total goods and/or services of the first and second categories offered to or about to be offered to the user exceed the user'"'"'s total spending money available for the goods or services of the first and second categories, and in response to the detecting, prevent the user from selection goods and/or services of the first and/or second categories that would exceed the user'"'"'s total spending money amount for the goods or services of the first and second categories.

19. The system of claim 16, the at least one computer processor being further configured to:

detect, in at least one computer processor, that total goods and/or services of the first and second categories selected by the user exceed the user'"'"'s total spending money amount available for the goods or services of the first and second categories, and in response to the detection, by computer making an offer to a vendor of the goods and/or services selected by the user to purchase the goods and/or services at a reduced price.