Method, medium, and system for facilitating vehicle purchases

• US 9,037,498 B1
• Filed: 05/02/2014
• Issued: 05/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: 2knome LLC
• Original Assignee: 2knome LLC
• Inventors: Edelman, Jonathan
• Primary Examiner(s): ZIMMERMAN, MATTHEW E
• Application Number:
  US14/268,532
• Publication Number:
  US 20150120488A1
• Time in Patent Office: 382 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26.1, 705/27.1, 705/26.4
• US Class Current: 705/26.4
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0609 Buyer or seller confidence or verification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0611 Request for offers or quotes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0621 Item configuration or customization
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/188 Electronic negotiation

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide an effective, user-friendly approach to help a buyer of a car, truck, boat, or other vehicle to get a firm quote from a dealer on a vehicle that the buyer wants, and is financially qualified for, without the hassle and time expense involved in traditional vehicle sales. Embodiments of the present disclosure also help link dealers with buyers who are pre-qualified and motivated to purchase a vehicle, thus helping to eliminate the wasted time, money, and opportunity costs dealers often devote to customers who are not interested in purchasing, and/or who do not financially qualify to purchase, a vehicle.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

based on information received regarding a buyer that includes financial information for the buyer and one or more vehicle payment parameters, determining, by a computer system, a qualified vehicle payment amount;

presenting, to the buyer, a list of a plurality of vehicles available to the buyer within the qualified vehicle payment amount;

in response to receiving a quote request from the buyer on a selected vehicle from the plurality of vehicles, requesting, by the computer system, a quote on the selected vehicle from a plurality of dealers;

receiving, by the computer system, a plurality of quotes on the selected vehicle from a plurality of responding dealers based on the quote request;

analyzing, by the computer system, terms from the received quotes;

providing to the buyer, by the computer system, a list of the received quotes in an order based on the terms in the received quotes.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the information regarding the buyer further includes identification information for the buyer, and wherein the method further includes verifying an identify of the buyer based on the identification information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the financial information for the buyer includes one or more of:

income for the buyer;

debt for the buyer; and

a credit score of the buyer.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle payment parameters include terms related to one or more of:

leasing a vehicle and purchasing a vehicle.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the qualified vehicle payment amount includes one or more of:

a maximum monthly payment on a financed purchase of a vehicle;

a maximum monthly payment on a lease of a vehicle; and

a maximum total purchase price of a vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the list of the plurality of vehicles only includes vehicles satisfying the one or more vehicle parameters.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein presenting the list of the plurality of vehicles includes presenting vehicles that are beyond the qualified vehicle payment amount in response to input from the buyer.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein presenting the list of the plurality of vehicles includes presenting information for each of a subset of vehicles from plurality of vehicles in a single window on a display of a computing device viewed by the buyer.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein presenting the list of the plurality of vehicles to the buyer is performed without identifying a dealer associated with any of the plurality of vehicles to the buyer.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the quote request is performed without identifying the buyer to any of the plurality of dealers.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the information regarding the buyer includes information regarding a trade-in vehicle associated with the buyer, and wherein the quote request includes at least a portion of the information regarding the trade-in vehicle to the plurality of dealers.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the analysis of the terms from the plurality of quotes includes analyzing one or more of:

a percentage discount from a manufacturer'"'"'s suggested retail price for the selected vehicle offered by the plurality of dealers;

a level of similarity between the selected vehicle and vehicles from the plurality of dealers;

an availability of the selected vehicle from the plurality of dealers; and

a financial value associated with an offer from each of the dealers, the offer including one or more of;

a financed purchase of the selected vehicle, a lease of the selected vehicle, and a cash purchase of the selected vehicle.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer system receives an acceptance of the terms of one of the plurality of quotes from the buyer.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the computer system provides a deal sheet to the buyer and the corresponding dealer that specifies the terms in the accepted quote.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the deal sheet identifies the dealer associated with the selected vehicle.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the deal sheet identifies the buyer.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising charging the dealer associated with the accepted quote a fee in conjunction with providing the deal sheet to the buyer and the dealer.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the method further includes sending a notification to the dealers associated with the other quotes that their quotes were not accepted by the buyer, the notification including information on how the other dealers'"'"' quotes compared to other quotes presented to the buyer.

19. A non-transitory, computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a computer system, cause the computer system to:

based on information received regarding a buyer that includes financial information for the buyer and one or more vehicle payment parameters, determine, by a computer system, a qualified vehicle payment amount;

present, to the buyer, a list of a plurality of vehicles available to the buyer within the qualified vehicle payment amount;

in response to receiving a quote request from the buyer on a selected vehicle from the plurality of vehicles, request, by the computer system, a quote on the selected vehicle from a plurality of dealers;

receive, by the computer system, a plurality of quotes on the selected vehicle from a plurality of responding dealers based on the quote request;

analyze, by the computer system, terms from the received quotes;

provide to the buyer, by the computer system, a list of the received quotes in an order based on the terms in the received quotes.

20. A system comprising:

at least one processor; and

memory in communication with the at least one processor and storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the system to;

based on information received for a buyer that includes financial information for the buyer and one or more vehicle payment parameters, determine, by a computer system, a qualified vehicle payment amount;

present, to the buyer, a list of a plurality of vehicles available to the buyer within the qualified vehicle payment amount;

in response to receiving a quote request from the buyer on a selected vehicle from the plurality of vehicles, request, by the computer system, a quote on the selected vehicle from a plurality of dealers;

receive, by the computer system, a plurality of quotes on the selected vehicle from a plurality of responding dealers based on the quote request;

analyze, by the computer system, terms from the received quotes;

provide to the buyer, by the computer system, a list of the received quotes in an order based on the terms in the received quotes.