Social platform ecommerce system and method of operation

• US 9,129,324 B2
• Filed: 10/05/2011
• Issued: 09/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Okanjo Company LLC
• Original Assignee: The Okanjo Company LLC
• Inventors: Shimogori, Kotaro
• Primary Examiner(s): Desai, Resha
• Application Number:
  US13/253,447
• Publication Number:
  US 20130090998A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,434 Days
• Field of Search: 705 261- 272
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 30/08 Auctions

Abstract

A social platform ecommerce system, method and computer-readable medium to engage in real-time communication through real time announcements or blogging are provided. The social platform ecommerce system, method and computer-readable medium may include a selling module for implementing social selling and determining a preferred selling method for an item, and a shipping module for determining the preferred method of shipping and the cost of shipping an item to a location designated by a buyer. Such methods and systems are socially conscious and may further include a giving application for providing a charitable contribution. A fraud checking module may also be included to check for, determine and prevent fraud by interrupting the sale and shipping process to ensure both the buyer and seller are protected during the ecommerce transaction.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for conducting an electronic commerce transaction comprising:

creating an item having associated item data elements;

storing the item data elements in a database;

providing real time announcements by a seller and by a buyer over a social platform and creating data elements related to each real time announcement of the seller and the buyer for storage in the database;

choosing a selling process for selling the item over the social platform from at least one of offering the item for sale at a fixed price, soliciting an offer for the item and setting an auction for the item;

generating, by a processor, sales data elements for each chosen selling process and storing the sales data elements in the database;

displaying the item for sale on the social platform using the item data elements and the sales data elements for the chosen selling process;

the seller receiving an offer, bid or purchase for the item over the social platform;

the seller accepting or rejecting the offer, bid or purchase;

upon the seller accepting the offer, bid or purchase processing payment for the buyer including monitoring one of the number of previous transactions by the buyer within a time interval, payments made by the buyer within a second time interval, and a third time interval between transactions by the buyer;

upon processing payment for the buyer, accepting payment for the seller including monitoring one of the number of previous transactions by the seller within a time interval, payments made by the seller within a second time interval, and a third time interval between transactions by the seller; and

a seller and buyer rating module which captures buyer and seller activity on the social platform and develops a rating for each buyer and a rating for each seller registered on the social platform based on details of the transaction and having a rating range that does not immediately affect the rating for the buyer or the for the seller as displayed on the social platform.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein processing payment for the buyer includes declining the transaction based on the results of one or more of monitoring the number of previous transactions by the buyer within a time interval, monitoring payments made by the buyer within a second time interval, monitoring a third time interval between transactions by the buyer, monitoring the number of previous transactions by the seller within a time interval, monitoring payments made by the seller within a second time interval, or monitoring a third time interval between transactions by the seller.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further including choosing an amount of the electronic commerce transaction over the social platform from the payment processed for the buyer or the payment accepted for the seller for donation to a chosen entity.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further including processing payment for the seller by implementing a seller payout which collects a processing fee through the social platform.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4 wherein processing payment for the seller by implementing a seller payout includes setting one of a merchant discount rate for providing a discount to the seller of a processing fee charged by the social platform, a transaction fee for each payment processed, a hold back for each seller, a payout cycle to each seller and a maximum payout per payout cycle.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5 including a maximum payout to the seller consisting of the payment accepted for the seller reduced by the merchant discount rate, the transaction fee, and the hold back for each seller.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the seller and buyer rating module develops a rating for each buyer and for each seller registered on the social platform based on one or more of the amount of the transaction for a buyer or a seller, the speed of shipment by a seller, the acceptance by a seller of a returned item, the speed with which a buyer pays, the number of items returned by a buyer, number of cancelled purchases by a buyer and the number of times the buyer requests a cancellation.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7 wherein the seller and buyer rating module develops a rating for each buyer and for each seller registered on the social platform based on the amount of the transaction for a buyer or a seller over a given period of time.

9. A system for conducting an electronic commerce transaction comprising:

a processor-implemented module for creating an item having associated item data elements;

a processor-implemented module for storing the item data elements in a database;

a processor-implemented module for providing real time announcements by a seller and by a buyer over a social platform and creating data elements related to each real time announcement of the seller and the buyer for storage in the database;

a processor-implemented module for choosing a selling process for selling the item over the social platform from at least one of offering the item for sale at a fixed price, soliciting an offer for the item and setting an auction for the item;

a processor-implemented module for generating sales data elements for each chosen selling process and storing the sales data elements in the database;

a processor-implemented module for displaying the item for sale on the social platform using the item data elements and the sales data elements for the chosen selling process;

a processor-implemented module receiving an offer, bid or purchase for the item over the social platform, then accepting the offer, bid or purchase by the seller;

a processor-implemented module for accepting the offer, bid or purchase by the seller, then processing payment for the buyer including monitoring one of the number of previous transactions by the buyer within a time interval, payments made by the buyer within a second time interval, and a third time interval between transactions by the buyer;

a processor-implemented module for processing payment for the buyer, then accepting payment for the seller including monitoring one of the number of previous transactions by the seller within a time interval, payments made by the seller within a second time interval, and a third time interval between transactions by the seller;

a processor-implemented module for rating the seller and the buyer including capturing buyer and seller activity on the social platform and developing a rating for each buyer and a rating for each seller registered on the social platform based on details of the transaction and having a rating range that does not immediately affect the rating for the buyer or the rating for the seller as displayed on the social platform; and

at least one processor for executing at least one of said modules.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the processor-implemented module for processing payment for the buyer includes a processor-implemented module for declining the transaction based on the results of one or more of monitoring the number of previous transactions by the buyer within a time interval, monitoring payments made by the buyer within a second time interval, monitoring a third time interval between transactions by the buyer, monitoring the number of previous transactions by the seller within a time interval, monitoring payments made by the seller within a second time interval, or monitoring a third time interval between transactions by the seller.

11. The system of claim 9 further comprising a processor-implemented module for choosing an amount of the electronic commerce transaction over the social platform from the payment processed for the buyer or the payment accepted for the seller for donation to a chosen entity.

12. The system of claim 9 further comprising a processor-implemented module for processing payment for the seller by implementing a seller payout which collects a processing fee through the social platform.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the processor-implemented module for processing payment for the seller by implementing a seller payout includes a processor-implemented module for setting one of a merchant discount rate for providing a discount to the seller of a processing fee charged by the social platform, a transaction fee for each payment processed, a hold back for each seller, a payout cycle to each seller and a maximum payout per payout cycle.

14. The system of claim 13 further comprising a processor-implemented module for calculating the maximum payout to the seller wherein the processor-implemented module for calculating the maximum payout to the seller includes calculating the payment accepted for the seller reduced by the merchant discount rate, the transaction fee, and the hold back for each seller.

15. The system of claim 9 wherein the processor-implemented module for rating the seller and the buyer develops a rating for each buyer and for each seller registered on the social platform based on one or more of the amount of the transaction for a buyer or a seller, the speed of shipment by a seller, the acceptance by a seller of a returned item, the speed with which a buyer pays, the number of items returned by a buyer, number of cancelled purchases by a buyer and the number of times the buyer requests a cancellation.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the processor-implemented module for rating the seller and the buyer develops a rating for each buyer and for each seller registered on the social platform based on the amount of the transaction for a buyer or a seller over a given period of time.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having programming instructions stored thereon for conducting an electronic commerce transaction comprising:

creating an item having associated item data elements;

storing the item data elements in a database;

providing real time announcements by a seller and by a buyer over a social platform and creating data elements related to each real time announcement of the seller and the buyer for storage in the database;

choosing a selling process for selling the item over the social platform from at least one of offering the item for sale at a fixed price, soliciting an offer for the item and setting an auction for the item;

generating sales data elements for each chosen selling process and storing the sales data elements in the database;

displaying the item for sale on the social platform using the item data elements and the sales data elements for the chosen selling process;

the seller receiving an offer, bid or purchase for the item over the social platform,

the seller accepting or rejecting the offer, bid or purchase;

upon the seller accepting the offer, bid or purchase, processing payment for the buyer including monitoring one of the number of previous transactions by the buyer within a time interval, payments made by the buyer within a second time interval, and a third time interval between transactions by the buyer;

upon processing payment for the buyer, accepting payment for the seller including monitoring one of the number of previous transactions by the seller within a time interval, payments made by the seller within a second time interval, and a third time interval between transactions by the seller; and

a seller and buyer rating module which captures buyer and seller activity on the social platform and develops a rating for each buyer and a rating for each seller registered on the social platform based on details of the transaction and having a rating range that does not immediately affect the rating for the buyer or the rating for the seller as displayed on the social platform.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17 wherein processing payment for the buyer includes declining the transaction based on the results of one or more of monitoring the number of previous transactions by the buyer within a time interval, monitoring payments made by the buyer within a second time interval, monitoring a third time interval between transactions by the buyer, monitoring the number of previous transactions by the seller within a time interval, monitoring payments made by the seller within a second time interval, or monitoring a third time interval between transactions by the seller.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17 further including choosing an amount of the electronic commerce transaction over the social platform from the payment processed for the buyer or the payment accepted for the seller for donation to a chosen entity.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17 further including processing payment for the seller by implementing a seller payout which collects a processing fee through the social platform.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 20 wherein processing payment for the seller by implementing a seller payout includes setting one of a merchant discount rate for providing a discount to the seller of a processing fee charged by the social platform, a transaction fee for each payment processed, a hold back for each seller, a payout cycle to each seller and a maximum payout per payout cycle.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 21 including a maximum payout to the seller consisting of the payment accepted for the seller reduced by the merchant discount rate, the transaction fee, and the hold back for each seller.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17 wherein the seller and buyer rating module develops a rating for each buyer and for each seller registered on the social platform based on one or more of the amount of the transaction for a buyer or a seller, the speed of shipment by a seller, the acceptance by a seller of a returned item, the speed with which a buyer pays, the number of items returned by a buyer, number of cancelled purchases by a buyer and the number of times the buyer requests a cancellation.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 23 wherein the seller and buyer rating module develops a rating for each buyer and for each seller registered on the social platform based on the amount of the transaction for a buyer or a seller over a given period of time.