Methods and systems for online warranty management

• US 8,229,861 B1
• Filed: 03/24/2009
• Issued: 07/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: David J. Brahm, David S. Trandal
• Original Assignee: David J. Brahm, David S. Trandal
• Inventors: Trandal, David S., Brahm, David J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Jagdish
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hamilton, Sara C
• Application Number:
  US12/410,444
• Time in Patent Office: 1,218 Days
• Field of Search: 705/4, 705/26.1, 705/302
• US Class Current: 705/302
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/012 Providing warranty services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance

Abstract

The present invention relates to product warranty management solutions, and in particular, to methods and systems for maintaining purchase records and product repair, replacement, and refund warranty claims processing. The user experience in performing warranty management is simplified and enhanced over existing methods.

Claims

1. A method of facilitating warranty management comprising:

receiving at a warranty management system computing device, at least a portion of information associated with a purchase by a user of an item;

storing by the warranty management system computing device in computer readable memory, the information associated with the purchase;

determining by the warranty management system computing device, warranties associated with the purchased item,

wherein the warranties include, at least in part, a one or more non-purchased extended warranties and

wherein determining by the warranty management system computing device, warranties associated with the purchased item comprises;

querying one or more internal or external databases based on the information associated with the purchase; and

determining whether the one or more non-purchased extended warranties exist based on the query;

determining by the warranty management system computing device, durations for each of the warranties associated with the purchased item;

determining by the warranty management system computing device, warranty beginning and ending dates for each of the warranties associated with the purchased item based at least in part on the durations;

determining by the warranty management system computing device, warranty active or inactive status for each of the warranties associated with the purchased item based at least in part on the beginning and ending dates and on a current date, wherein said current date is date that the determination is made;

identifying by the warranty management system computing device to the user over a data network, one or more of the warranties for the purchased item wherein the status of each identified warranty is active;

receiving at the warranty management system computing device, a request by the user to display warranty claims instructions for one or more of the identified active warranties; and

facilitating claims processing by the warranty management system computing device displaying warranty claims instructions for the requested active warranties to the user.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the warranties associated with the purchased item include (a) a merchant return warranty, (b) a manufacturer'"'"'s warranty, (c) an extended warranty, or any combination of (a), (b), and (c).

3. The method as defined in claim 1, the method further comprising:

including a first phone address of the warranty management system computing device in the warranty claims instructions;

receiving at the warranty management system computing device over a telephone network or the data network, a first call directed to the first phone address;

generating a second call from the warranty management system computing device over the telephone network or the data network to a second phone address determined at least in part using signaling information associated with the first call; and

bridging the first and second calls.

4. The method as defined in claim 1, the method further comprising:

receiving at the warranty management system computing device from the user, product reliability feedback, warranty feedback, or product reliability feedback and warranty feedback;

storing by the warranty management system computing device, the user feedback on a forum; and

,

displaying via a user interface to the user by the warranty management system computing device, feedback from any user of the warranty management system.

5. The method as defined in claim 1, the method further comprising promoting by the warranty management system computing device, an extended warranty for the purchased item to the user.

6. The method as defined in claim 1, the method further comprising notifying the user by the warranty management system computing device when one or more of the warranties for the purchased item are about to expire.

7. The method as defined in claim 6, wherein the notification is (a) an SMS/MMS message, (b) a widget state change, (c) an email message, (d) an instant message note, (e) an audio message delivered in a telephone call or any combination of (a), (b), (c), (d), and (e).

8. The method as defined in claim 1, the method further comprising providing via a user interface by the warranty management system computing device, a control to merge a display that includes one or more other user'"'"'s stored purchased items with the user'"'"'s stored purchased items.

9. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the purchase of an item is the purchase of one or more items.

10. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein a provider of warranties includes a merchant, a manufacturer, a third party, or a credit card provider.

11. The method as defined in claim 10, the method further comprising:

including a click-to-call control in each of the displayed warranty claims instructions wherein the click-to-call control includes an association with a phone address of the warranty provider;

receiving at the warranty management system computing device, a selection by the user of one of the click-to-call controls;

generating a first call from the warranty management system computing device to the warranty provider phone address;

generating from the warranty management system computing device, a second call to the user; and

,

bridging the first and second calls together.

12. The method as defined in claim 10, the method further comprising:

receiving by the warranty management system computing device, a request from the user to file a warranty claim for the purchased item;

receiving by the warranty management system computing device, defect information from the user;

completing by the warranty management system computing device, the warranty claim based at least in part on the stored information associated with the purchase and the defect information; and

,

submitting by the warranty management system computing device, the warranty claim to one or more of the warranty providers.

13. The method as defined in claim 10, the method further comprising registering the purchased item over a data network with the manufacturer.

14. The method as defined in claim 10, the method further comprising:

receiving at the warranty management system computing device, a request by the user to file a warranty claim for the purchased item;

completing by the warranty management system computing device, the warranty claim based at least in part on the stored information associated with the purchase; and

,

submitting by the warranty management system computing device, the warranty claim to one or more of the warranty providers.

15. The method as defined in claim 14, the method further comprising shipping to the user packaging material for return of the purchased item, wherein the packaging material includes a pre-addressed shipping label.

16. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the non-purchased extended warranty includes a warranty extension beyond that of a manufacturer'"'"'s standard warranty associated with the purchased item if the purchased item is purchased using a credit card which provides said non-purchased extended warranty service.

17. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the determining if there is a non-purchased extended warranty associated with the purchased item is based at least in part on accessing by the warranty management computing device, a data store of a credit card provider.

18. A method of facilitating warranty management comprising:

receiving at a warranty management system computing device, at least a portion of information associated with a purchase by a user of a gift item;

storing by the warranty management system computing device in computer readable memory, the information associated with the gift purchase;

determining by the warranty management system computing device, warranties associated with the purchased gift item,

wherein the warranties include, at least in part, a one or more non-purchased extended warranties and

wherein determining by the warranty management system computing device, warranties associated with the purchased gift item comprises;

querying one or more internal or external databases based on the information associated with the purchase; and

determining whether the one or more non-purchased extended warranties exist based on the query;

determining by the warranty management system computing device, durations for each of the determined warranties including the non-purchased extended warranty associated with the purchased gift item;

determining by the warranty management system computing device, warranty beginning and ending dates for each of the warranties associated with the purchased gift item based at least in part on the durations;

determining by the warranty management system computing device, warranty active or inactive status for each of the warranties associated with the purchased gift item based at least in part on the beginning and ending dates and on a current date, wherein said current date is date that the determination is made;

identifying by the warranty management system computing device to a giftee over a data network, one or more of the warranties for the purchased gift item wherein the status of each identified warranty is active;

receiving at the warranty management system computing device, a request by the giftee to transmit warranty claims instructions for one or more of the identified active warranties;

and,

facilitating claims processing by the warranty management system computing device transmitting warranty claims instructions for the requested active warranties to the giftee.

19. The method as defined in claim 18, further comprising:

receiving at the warranty management system computing device a first call directed to a first phone address included in the transmitted warranty claims instruction;

generating a second call by the warranty management system computing device to a second phone address determined at least in part from the signaling information associated with the first call; and

,

bridging the first call and the second call.

20. The method as defined in claim 18, further comprising:

receiving at the warranty management system computing device, a request from the giftee to receive a call wherein the request originated in response to the warranty claims instructions transmitted to the giftee;

generating a first call by the warranty management system computing device to phone address determined at least in part from the giftee'"'"'s request;

generating by the warranty management system computing device, a second call to the giftee; and

,

bridging the first call and the second call calls together.

21. A system comprising:

at least one computing device;

program instructions stored in non-transitory memory, that when executed by the at least one computing device, are configured to cause the system to perform operations comprising;

receiving at least a portion of information associated with a purchase by a user of an item;

storing the information associated with the purchase;

determining warranties associated with the purchased item,

wherein the warranties include, at least in part, a one or more non-purchased extended warranties and

wherein determining warranties associated with the purchased item comprises;

querying one or more internal or external databases based on the information associated with the purchase; and

determining whether the one or more non-purchased extended warranties exist based on the query;

determining durations for each of the warranties associated with the purchased item;

determining warranty beginning and ending dates for each of the warranties associated with the purchased item based at least in part on the durations;

determining warranty active or inactive status for each of the warranties associated with the purchased item based at least in part on the beginning and ending dates and on a current date, wherein said current date is date that the determination is made;

identifying to the user over a data network, one or more of the warranties for the purchased item wherein the status of each identified warranty is active;

receiving a request by the user to display warranty claims instructions for one or more of the identified active warranties; and

facilitating claims processing by displaying to the user warranty claims instructions for the requested active warranties.