System and/or method for handling returns involving products tied to post-paid subscriptions/services
First Claim
1. A method of facilitating return of products sold in connection with services at point-of-sale (POS) locations, the method comprising:
- registering a sale of a service and a product associated with the service to a customer with an electronic registration (ER) system, the registering including storing an original sale date and an identifier associated with the product in an ER database of the ER system;
when the service is cancelled by the customer at the POS location;
processing a return transaction through the ER system in accordance with a return policy of the POS location and/or the service provider, andupdating the ER database to reflect the return of the product and the cancellation of the service; and
when the service is cancelled by the customer through the service provider;
taking a monetary interest from the customer, on behalf of the POS location, in the event that the customer does not subsequently return the product to the POS location in order to help protect the POS location from having to absorb a loss associated with the customer'"'"'s of the interest,wherein the interest corresponds to an amount of commission owed to the POS location from the service provider.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The exemplary embodiments described herein relate to the field of electronic registration (ER) of purchased products and, more particularly, to an improved electronic registration system that enables unique item-level tracking from an initial point-of-sale (POS) transaction involving a post-paid service/subscription and related device or product, to any cancellations in service and returns to the store or service provider. Certain exemplary embodiments thus advantageously “close the gap” between retailers and service providers, e.g., in connection with subscriptions/post-paid service agreements and related devices or products. In certain exemplary embodiments, an “interest” may be taken and charged in the event that the customer does not return the device when or after an associated service has been cancelled.
171 Citations
19 Claims
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1. A method of facilitating return of products sold in connection with services at point-of-sale (POS) locations, the method comprising:
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registering a sale of a service and a product associated with the service to a customer with an electronic registration (ER) system, the registering including storing an original sale date and an identifier associated with the product in an ER database of the ER system; when the service is cancelled by the customer at the POS location; processing a return transaction through the ER system in accordance with a return policy of the POS location and/or the service provider, and updating the ER database to reflect the return of the product and the cancellation of the service; and when the service is cancelled by the customer through the service provider; taking a monetary interest from the customer, on behalf of the POS location, in the event that the customer does not subsequently return the product to the POS location in order to help protect the POS location from having to absorb a loss associated with the customer'"'"'s of the interest, wherein the interest corresponds to an amount of commission owed to the POS location from the service provider. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A electronic registration (ER) system, comprising:
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an ER database configured to store information pertaining to sales of services and products associated with the services, the information including original sale dates and identifiers associated with the products, the sales having taken place at point-of-sale (POS) locations; a computer configured to execute instructions tangibly stored on a computer-readable storage medium, the instructions causing the computer to at least perform; when a service is cancelled by a customer at a POS location; processing a return transaction through the ER system in accordance with a return policy of the POS location and/or the service provider, and updating the ER database to reflect the return of the product and the cancellation of the service; and when the service is cancelled by the customer through the service provider; taking a monetary interest from the customer, on behalf of the POS location, in the event that the customer does not subsequently return the product to the POS location in order to help protect the POS location from having to absorb a loss associated with the customer'"'"'s of the interest, wherein the interest corresponds to an amount of commission owed to the POS location from the service provider. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification