Retail system for selling products based on a flexible product description
First Claim
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1. A method, comprising:
- determining, by an electronic controller, transaction information associated with(i) a buyer who has arranged to purchase a product from the electronic controller at a first price established between the buyer and the electronic controller, and(ii) a merchant that offers the product for sale at a second price, different from the first price, without offering the product for sale to buyers at the first price;
transmitting, by the electronic controller, information that facilitates the acquisition of the product, by the buyer, from the merchant, in exchange for payment provided by the buyer, to the electronic controller, of an amount based on the first price; and
providing, by the electronic controller, an amount based on the second price to the merchant, wherein the central controller comprises at least one computer.
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Abstract
According to one described embodiment, a method is provided in which transaction information is determined. The transaction information is associated with (i) a buyer who has arranged to purchase a product from a central controller at a first price established between the buyer and the central controller and (ii) a merchant that offers the product for sale at a second price, different from the first price, without offering the product for sale to buyers at the first price. Information is transmitted that facilitates the acquisition of the product by the buyer, in exchange for payment provided by the buyer to the central controller. An amount based on the second price is provided to the merchant.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method, comprising:
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determining, by an electronic controller, transaction information associated with (i) a buyer who has arranged to purchase a product from the electronic controller at a first price established between the buyer and the electronic controller, and (ii) a merchant that offers the product for sale at a second price, different from the first price, without offering the product for sale to buyers at the first price; transmitting, by the electronic controller, information that facilitates the acquisition of the product, by the buyer, from the merchant, in exchange for payment provided by the buyer, to the electronic controller, of an amount based on the first price; and providing, by the electronic controller, an amount based on the second price to the merchant, wherein the central controller comprises at least one computer. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that when executed by a processor result in:
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determining transaction information associated with (i) a buyer who has arranged to purchase a product from a central controller at a first price established between the buyer and the central controller, and (ii) a merchant that offers the product for sale at a second price, different from the first price, without offering the product for sale to buyers at the first price; transmitting information that facilitates the acquisition of the product, by the buyer, from the merchant, in exchange for payment provided by the buyer, to the central controller, of an amount based on the first price; and providing an amount based on the second price to the merchant.
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6. An apparatus comprising:
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a processor; and a computer readable medium in communication with the processor, the computer readable medium storing instructions that when executed by the processor result in; determining transaction information associated with (i) a buyer who has arranged to purchase a product from a central controller at a first price established between the buyer and the central controller, and (ii) a merchant that offers the product for sale at a second price, different from the first price, without offering the product for sale to buyers at the first price; transmitting information that facilitates the acquisition of the product, by the buyer, from the merchant, in exchange for payment provided by the buyer, to the central controller, of an amount based on the first price; and providing an amount based on the second price to the merchant.
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7. A method, comprising:
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receiving, from a buyer, an indication of a selection of a product from a Web site; determining a first price for the selected product, wherein a merchant offers the selected product for sale at a second price different from the first price; receiving, via a point-of-sale terminal, a credit card number associated with the buyer; determining whether the credit card number is associated with the product; arranging for the buyer to provide (i) the first price for the product if the credit card number is associated with the product, and (ii) the second price for the product if the credit card number is not associated with the product; and transmitting information that facilitates the acquisition of the product, by the buyer, from the merchant.
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8. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that when executed by a processor result in:
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receiving, from a buyer, an indication of a selection of a product from a Web site; determining a first price for the selected product, wherein a merchant offers the selected product for sale at a second price different from the first price; receiving, via a point-of-sale terminal, a credit card number associated with the buyer; determining whether the credit card number is associated with the product; arranging for the buyer to provide (i) the first price for the product if the credit card number is associated with the product, and (ii) the second price for the product if the credit card number is not associated with the product; and transmitting information that facilitates the acquisition of the product, by the buyer, from the merchant.
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9. An apparatus comprising:
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a processor; and a computer readable medium in communication with the processor, the computer readable medium storing instructions that when executed by the processor result in; receiving, from a buyer, an indication of a selection of a product from a Web site; determining a first price for the selected product, wherein a merchant offers the selected product for sale at a second price different from the first price; receiving, via a point-of-sale terminal, a credit card number associated with the buyer; determining whether the credit card number is associated with the product; arranging for the buyer to provide i) the first price for the product if the credit card number is associated with the product, and iii) the second price for the product if the credit card number is not associated with the product; and transmitting information that facilitates the acquisition of the product, by the buyer, from the merchant.
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10. A method, comprising:
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establishing, between a buyer and a purchasing system comprising an electronic system controller, a first price for a product; arranging, by the purchasing system, for the buyer to take possession of the product at a retailer, the retailer being a different entity from the purchasing system, wherein the retailer offers, to buyers that do not establish the first price with the purchasing system, the product for sale at a second price that is different than the first price; and transmitting, by the purchasing system to the retailer, verification information that facilitates authorization, by the retailer, of the buyer to take possession of the product, wherein the buyer provides a payment, based on the first price, to the purchasing system in exchange for the right to take possession of the product at the retailer. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 20)
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18. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that when executed by a processor result in:
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establishing, between a buyer and a purchasing system comprising an electronic system controller, a first price for a product; arranging, by the purchasing system, for the buyer to take possession of the product at a retailer, the retailer being a different entity from the purchasing system, wherein the retailer offers, to buyers that do not establish the first price with the purchasing system, the product for sale at a second price that is different than the first price; and transmitting, by the purchasing system to the retailer, verification information that facilitates authorization, by the retailer, of the buyer to take possession of the product, wherein the buyer provides a payment, based on the first price, to the purchasing system in exchange for the right to take possession of the product at the retailer.
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19. An apparatus comprising:
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a processor; and a computer readable medium in communication with the processor, the computer readable medium storing instructions that when executed by the processor result in; establishing, between a buyer and a purchasing system, a first price for a product; arranging for the buyer to take possession of the product at a retailer, the retailer being a different entity from the purchasing system, wherein the retailer offers, to buyers that do not establish the first price with the purchasing system, the product for sale at a second price that is different than the first price; and transmitting, to the retailer, verification information that facilitates authorization, by the retailer, of the buyer to take possession of the product, wherein the buyer provides a payment, based on the first price, to the purchasing system in exchange for the right to take possession of the product at the retailer.
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Specification