Sales system with buyer price selection

• US 20060129476A1
• Filed: 02/10/2006
• Published: 06/15/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Simpson, Rick, Johns, Valerie, Traynor, David, Chin, Jeff
• Granted Patent: US 8,108,277 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/37
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

A networked sales method is disclosed that includes presenting price choices to a user for an item on a sales screen via a network. Available supply and sales activity level information about actions by other users for the item for which the price choices are presented can be converted into a feedback indication, and this indication can be conveyed to the user on the sales screen. A variable price schedule for the item can also be communicated to the user, and a reminder command associated with an entry in the schedule can be received from the user, with the reminder command including a price selection for the item. The user can then be notified when the entry in the schedule is reached.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

presenting item information associated with an item on a sales screen to a user;

communicating a falling price schedule for the item to the user, the falling price schedule including a plurality of price selections for the item;

receiving a reminder command associated with a selection of an entry in the falling price schedule from the user, the reminder command including a price selection from the plurality of the price selections for the item; and

notifying the user after the entry in the falling price schedule is reached.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the entry is a price entry, wherein notifying notifies the user after the price in the price entry is reached.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the entry is a date entry and wherein notifying notifies the user after the data in the date entry is reached.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein notifying of the user includes notifying the user through a wireless network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein notifying includes presenting a purchase acceptance control to the user.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein notifying notifies the user through a telephone network and wherein presenting of the purchase acceptance control requests that the user signal acceptance using dial keys for a telephone connected to the telephone network.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving of the reminder command is responsive to only a single click on a reminder control.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein presenting of the item information comprises presenting the plurality of price selections for the item including a present price and at least one future price, and further comprising displaying a present purchase control button next to the present price and a future purchase control button next to the future price.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein communicating of the falling price schedule to the user comprises displaying at least one of the user price selection controls as a control that is responsive to a single actuation to place a bid on the item.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein presenting of the item information includes:

displaying an item identifier for an item on a sales screen, and

displaying a price box for the item on the sales screen.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein displaying of the item identifier includes displaying an image of the item on the sales screen and wherein the displaying of the price box displays the price box proximate the image of the item.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein displaying of the item identifier includes displaying an image on the sales screen and wherein the displaying of the price box displays the price box to overlap the image of the item.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein displaying of the plurality of price choices displays the plurality of choices as a series of user price selection controls.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein presenting of the item information area further comprises displaying price boxes for different items and further displaying price choices for those items on the same screen.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein presenting of the item information area further comprises further including displaying an image for each of the items on the sales screen.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein presenting of the item information area further comprises further comprises displaying further price information for the item in response to user interaction with the price box.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein displaying further price information comprises displaying the information in a window that overlays an area of the screen in which the price box and the item identifier are displayed.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the communicating of the falling price schedule includes displaying a present price and a present purchase control button next to present price.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein communicating of the falling price schedule comprises displaying a future price and a future purchase control button next to the future price.

20. A machine-readable medium including instructions which when executed by a machine causes the machine to perform operations comprising:

communicating a falling price schedule for a sales item to a potential buyer, the falling price schedule including a plurality of price selections for the sales item;

receiving a reminder command associated with a selection of an entry in the falling price schedule from the potential buyer, the reminder command including a price selection from the plurality of the price selections for the sales item; and

notifying the user after the entry in the falling price schedule is reached.

21. The machine-readable medium of claim 20, wherein the entry is a price entry, wherein notifying notifies the user after the price in the price entry is reached.

22. The machine-readable medium of claim 20, wherein the entry is a date entry and wherein notifying notifies the user after the data in the date entry is reached.

23. A system comprising:

an item information area in a first terminal and responsive to a sales server via a network, wherein the information area is to present a series of time-separated future prices choices from a falling price schedule; and

a plurality of reminder request controls in the first terminal for the same item identified in the item identification area and having outputs provided to the sales server via the network.

24. The system of claim 23 further comprising an alert signal generator in a second terminal, wherein the alert signal generator is also responsive to the sales server.

25. The system of claim 23 further comprising a reminder purchase offer control responsive to the sales server.

26. The system of claim 23, wherein the reminder request controls are responsive to only a single click on a reminder control.

27. The system of claim 23, wherein the future time-separated price choices are each associated with a one of the plurality of reminder request controls.

28. The system of claim 23, wherein the item information area include:

an item identification area responsive to the sales server via the network;

a plurality of price choice selection controls for the item and having outputs provided to the sales server via the network, and

a price box substantially surrounding the plurality of price choice selection controls.