Multiple criteria buying and selling model

• US 8,311,896 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2011
• Issued: 11/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Valentine Communications LLC
• Original Assignee: Ewinwin Incorporated
• Inventors: Mesaros, Gregory J.
• Primary Examiner(s): RUDY, ANDREW J
• Application Number:
  US13/161,212
• Publication Number:
  US 20110270700A1
• Time in Patent Office: 517 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26.1, 705/26.2, 705/26.4, 705/28, 705/26.8, 705/30, 235/376, 235/383
• US Class Current: 705/26.2
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0605 Supply or demand aggregation

Abstract

A system and method for aggregating demand is provided. At least one seller may sponsor a deal room to aggregate selling goods/services from a plurality of buyers. The demand aggregation system can include a dashboard for allowing the at least one seller to set up DealRooms, price curves, offers, products, customers, and/or customer groups, for example. The dashboard can include a plurality of wizards for configuring such information. The demand aggregation system can also include seller displays for notifying buyers of changes in prices relative to ship dates and times of order. The demand aggregation system can also include a predictive modeling and reporting function. An algorithm is employed to utilize product information to post a probability chart on a product price point.

Claims

1. A business transaction methodology, comprising:

executing computer-readable instructions stored in memory to allow for display of an interface to a merchant over a network;

receiving a set of information from the merchant through the interface, the set of information including;

(1) a volume schedule for a product or service specifying a predetermined quantity of orders for the product or service required to activate a discounted price for the product or service, and

(2) a predetermined time in which the predetermined quantity of orders must be received;

executing computer readable instructions stored in memory to allow for the display, over a network, of a quantity of orders necessary to activate the discounted price for a product or service to a buyer based in part on a profile of the buyer, wherein the profile and the set of information are distinct data sets; and

receiving orders for the product or service from two or more of the buyers over the network.

2. The business transaction methodology of claim 1, further comprising utilizing a first wizard from a plurality of wizards for determining that a second wizard from the plurality of wizards should be invoked.

3. The business transaction methodology of claim 1, further comprising an interface that provides tools for a merchant or third-party sponsor to track activity related to a sale of a product or service.

4. The business transaction methodology of claim 1, further comprising implementing the interface as an action manager dashboard that provides tools for a system administrator.

5. The business transaction methodology of claim 1, further comprising including in the set of information at least one of a listing of associated deal rooms, a listing of associated offers, a listing of associated products or services, a listing of associated customers, or a listing of associated customer groups.

6. The business transaction methodology of claim 1, wherein the interface is implemented through a web browser.

7. The business transaction methodology of claim 1, further comprising including in the set of information a product delivery or service date, and configuring the volume schedule for specifying the predetermined quantity of orders as a function of the product delivery or service date.

8. The business transaction methodology of claim 1, further comprising including in the set of information a product or service ordering date, and configuring the volume schedule for specifying the predetermined quantity of orders as a function of the product or service ordering date.

9. The business transaction methodology of claim 1, further comprising varying the set of information displayed to a first buyer and a second buyer based upon respective profiles of the first buyer and the second buyer.

10. The business transaction methodology of claim 9, further comprising varying the set of information based upon at least one of geography information, company size, or sales volume included in at least one of the respective profiles.

11. The business transaction methodology of claim 1, further comprising varying the set of information based upon at least one of a transaction history of the buyer, a number of canceled orders, or a number of on-time payments.

12. The business transaction methodology of claim 1, further comprising alerting the buyer when the set of information changes or updates.

13. An Internet business transaction method, comprising:

providing access to at least one of a buyer, a merchant, a third-party sponsor, or a system administrator to carry out a commercial transaction, access provided over a communications network;

providing an interface allowing for configuration of an offer for a product or service, wherein the offer includes;

(1) a volume schedule comprising a predetermined amount of the product or service that must be ordered to achieve a discounted price, and

(2) a predetermined end time by which orders associated with the offer must be received, the interface provided over the communications network as a result of executing computer-readable instructions by a processor;

presenting the offer to a buyer based on a profile associated with the buyer that is distinct from the offer, the offer presented to the buyer as a result of the execution of computer-readable instructions stored in memory, the offer presented over the communications network; and

receiving orders placed by multiple buyers for the product or service based on the offer, the orders received over the communications network.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising determining a relative market share of at least one of a merchant, a third-party sponsor, or a system administrator relative to competitors.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising awarding at least one of a buyer, a merchant, or a third-party sponsor with a predetermined number of points based upon behavior associated with the buyer, the merchant, or the third-party sponsor.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising providing an additional discount to the discounted price based upon at least one of an agreement to place an order for the product or service immediately, an agreement to place an order during a subsequent visit or within a specified period of time, or an agreement to increase a quantity of an order.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having embodied thereon instructions executable by a processor to:

provide access to at least one of a buyer, a merchant, a third-party sponsor, or a system administrator to carry out a commercial transaction;

provide an interface to offer a product or service, wherein the offer includes;

(1) a volume schedule comprising a predetermined amount of the product or service that must be ordered to achieve a discounted price, and

(2) an end time by which orders associated with the offer must be received;

present the offer to a buyer based on a profile associated with the buyer that is distinct from the offer; and

receive orders placed by multiple buyers for the product or service based on the offer.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the offer further includes a list of customer groups associated with the offer or an associated product or service.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the offer further includes a product delivery or service date, and the volume schedule further specifies the predetermined amount of the product or service as a function of the product delivery or service date.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the offer further includes a product or service order date, and the volume schedule further specifies the predetermined amount of the product or service as a function of the product or service order date.