Method and apparatus for marketing products over the internet

• US 20070299745A1
• Filed: 09/04/2007
• Published: 12/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/1999
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: TI Consumer Marketing, Inc. (IAC, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: TI Consumer Marketing, Inc. (IAC, Inc.)
• Inventors: Mulderry, Amy, Vantrease, Holley, Stutzman, William
• Application Number:
  US11/896,559
• Publication Number:
  US 20070299745A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0603 Catalogue ordering
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders

Abstract

A method and apparatus is disclosed for permitting an online user to buy merchandise over the Internet from multiple vendor sites, after a single entry of their credit card information. In a preferred embodiment, the present invention includes an online impulse marketing system including a plurality of customer and merchant servers/computers. A customer computer is programmed to provide a user with access to a computer network for the purpose of contacting a plurality of online merchant sites for the purpose of purchasing merchandise. The merchant computer is programmed to: store product information and order processing software in the form of hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) pages for use by requesting customer computers; process requests for merchandise; request an impulse sale offer from a second merchant; display the offer; process the customer'"'"'s response; and then automatically transmit the customer'"'"'s credit card information to the second merchant, if necessary.

Claims

1-31. -31. (canceled)

32. A method of establishing a subscription to a periodical on a computer network involving at least one customer computer and a plurality of merchant computers, said method comprising the following steps:

transmitting an offer comprising at least one free issue of a periodical from a first merchant computer to a second merchant computer;

transmitting said offer from said second merchant computer to a customer computer;

receiving an acceptance of said offer by said first merchant computer, said acceptance comprising a payment method and customer identification data; and

causing said periodical to be delivered to a customer associated with said customer identification data.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein said step of receiving an acceptance is further comprised of the following steps:

transmitting an acceptance of said offer from said customer computer to said second merchant computer; and

transmitting said acceptance from said second merchant computer to said first merchant computer.

34. The method of claim 32 further comprising the step of automatically debiting a customer account in accordance with said payment method.

35. The method of claim 32 further comprising the steps of:

automatically debiting a customer account in accordance with said payment method, upon expiration of said predetermined period of time; and

maintaining uninterrupted delivery of said periodical, provided said subscription has not been canceled.

36. A computer system for completing a plurality of transactions on a computer network involving at least one customer computer and a plurality of merchant computers, comprising:

a memory having program instructions; and

a processor configured to use the program instructions to access customer-inputted information to complete a first electronic commerce transaction between a customer computer and a first merchant computer, wherein said customer-inputted information contains a payment method and customer identification data required by said first merchant computer to process said first electronic commerce transaction;

to transmit an offer from a second merchant computer to said customer computer; and

to transmit said customer-inputted information from said first merchant computer to said second merchant computer, provided said customer computer accepts said offer.

37. The computer system according to claim 36, wherein the transmitting instruction is further comprised of the following instructions:

send an offer from said second merchant computer to said first merchant computer; and

present said offer by said first merchant computer to said customer computer.

38. The computer system of claim 36, wherein the processor is further configured to:

process said customer-inputted information by said second merchant computer; and

cause merchandise to be delivered to a customer associated with said customer-inputted information.

39. The computer system of claim 38, wherein the merchandise is a predetermined number of issues of a periodical.

40. The computer system of claim 39, wherein the processor is further configured to automatically debit a customer account in accordance with said method of payment after said predetermined number of issues have been delivered, provided said customer does not cancel future delivery of said periodical.

41. A computer system for establishing a subscription to a periodical on a computer network involving at least one customer computer and a plurality of merchant computers, comprising:

a memory having program instructions; and

a processor configured to use the program instructions to transmit an offer comprising at least one free issue of a periodical;

to transmit said offer from said second merchant computer to a customer computer;

to receive an acceptance of said offer by said first merchant computer, said acceptance comprising a payment method and customer identification data; and

to cause a subscription to said periodical to be delivered to a customer associated with said customer identification data for a predetermined period of time.

42. The computer system according to claim 41, wherein the receiving instruction is further comprised of the following instructions:

transmit an acceptance of said offer from said customer computer to said second merchant computer; and

transmit said acceptance from said second merchant computer to said first merchant computer.

43. The computer system according to claim 42, further comprised of the instruction to automatically debit a customer account in accordance with said payment method.

44. The computer system according to claim 41, wherein the processor is further configured to:

automatically debit a customer account in accordance with said payment method, upon expiration of said predetermined period of time; and

maintain uninterrupted delivery of said periodical, provided said subscription has not been canceled.

45. A system for completing a plurality of transactions on a computer network involving at least one customer computer and a plurality of merchant computers, comprising:

means for utilizing customer-inputted information to complete a first electronic commerce transaction between a customer computer and a first merchant computer, wherein said customer-inputted information contains a payment method and customer identification data required by said first merchant computer to process said first electronic commerce transaction;

means for transmitting an offer from a second merchant computer to said customer computer; and

means for transmitting said customer-inputted information from said first merchant computer to said second merchant computer, provided said customer computer accepts said offer.

46. The system according to claim 45 wherein the means for transmitting an offer is further comprised of the following steps:

sending an offer from said second merchant computer to said first merchant computer; and

presenting said offer by said first merchant computer to said customer computer.

47. The system according to claim 45 wherein the means for transmitting an offer is further comprised of the following steps:

sending an offer from said second merchant computer to said first merchant computer;

storing said offer on said first merchant computer; and

presenting said offer by said first merchant computer to said customer computer.

48. The system according to claim 45, further comprising means for:

processing said customer-inputted information by said second merchant computer; and

causing merchandise to be delivered to a customer associated with said customer-inputted information.

49. The system of claim 48 further comprising means for automatically debiting a customer account in accordance with said payment method after said predetermined number of issues have been delivered, provided said customer does not cancel future delivery of said periodical.

50. A system for establishing a subscription to a periodical on a computer network involving at least one customer computer and a plurality of merchant computers, comprising:

means for transmitting an offer comprising at least one free issue of a periodical from a first merchant computer to a second merchant computer;

means for transmitting said offer from said second merchant computer to a customer computer;

means for receiving an acceptance of said offer by said first merchant computer, said acceptance comprising a payment method and customer identification data; and

means for causing a predetermined number of said periodicals to be delivered to a customer associated with said customer identification data.

51. The system according to claim 50, wherein the means for receiving an acceptance is further comprised of:

means for transmitting an acceptance of said offer from said customer computer to said second merchant computer; and

means for transmitting said acceptance from said second merchant computer to said first merchant computer.

52. The system according to claim 51, further comprising the means for automatically debiting a customer account in accordance with said payment method.

53. The system according to claim 50, further comprising:

means for automatically debiting a customer account in accordance with said payment method, upon expiration of said predetermined period of time; and

means for maintaining uninterrupted delivery of said periodical, provided said subscription has not been canceled.