Online Protection Plan Supplemental Services

• US 20080040176A1
• Filed: 07/31/2006
• Published: 02/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Montage, Inc. (One80 Intermediaries, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Montage, Inc. (One80 Intermediaries, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ehling, Kenneth D.
• Application Number:
  US11/461,117
• Publication Number:
  US 20080040176A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/8
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/012 Providing warranty services

Abstract

A system or method for providing online services to supplement furniture protection plans. Services provided by the system may include e-mail reminders, technician referrals, promotional giveaways, and home-care related tips and products. Customers access these services on a website using a using a unique code that may be available on their furniture protection plan. This allows the website to be dynamically tailored to the furniture retailer where the protection plan was purchased. Use of these online supplemental services also facilitates pre-service contact between a protection plan provider and customer.

Claims

1. A method of providing online protection plan supplemental services to a retail customer comprising:

selling a plurality of protection plans each with a corresponding unique code to a furniture retailer;

associating the plurality of protection plans with the furniture retailer in a database using the unique codes, before transfer of the protection plan to the furniture retailer;

transferring the protection plan to the furniture retailer;

reselling the protection plan to the retail customer;

associating the retail customer with the protection plan and the furniture retailer in the database using the unique code of the retail customer protection plan; and

providing a combination of online protection plan supplemental services to the retail customer over the Internet customized based on the furniture retailer where the protection plan was purchased.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said codes allow the retail customer to file a service request on the protection plan.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the combination of online protection plan supplemental services includes a home care task scheduler service, technician referral service, and a promotional giveaway service.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the combination of online protection plan supplemental services includes a home care task scheduler service and a promotional giveaway service.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the combination of online protection plan supplemental services includes a home care task scheduler service and a technician referral service.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the combination of online protection plan supplemental services includes a technician referral service and a promotional giveaway service.

7. An online protection plan supplemental service system comprising:

a plurality of protection plans, wherein each protection plan includes a unique code;

a protection plan provider database;

a furniture retailer, wherein said furniture retailer purchases said plurality of protection plans for resale, wherein each unique code of said plurality of protection plans is associated with said furniture retailer in said database;

a customer, wherein said customer purchases said protection plan from said furniture retailer; and

a combination of online protection plan supplemental services, wherein said customer accesses said combination of online protection plan supplemental services using said unique code of said protection plan.

8. The online protection plan supplemental service system of claim 7 wherein said codes allow the customer to file a service request on the customer'"'"'s protection plan.

9. The online protection plan supplemental service system of claim 7 wherein the combination of online protection plan supplemental services includes a home care task scheduler service, technician referral service, and a promotional giveaway service.

10. The online protection plan supplemental service system of claim 7 wherein the combination of online protection plan supplemental services includes a home care task scheduler service and a promotional giveaway service.

11. The online protection plan supplemental service system of claim 7 wherein the combination of online protection plan supplemental services includes a home care task scheduler service and a technician referral service.

12. The online protection plan supplemental service system of claim 7 wherein the combination of online protection plan supplemental services includes a technician referral service and a promotional giveaway service.

13. A method of supplying furniture protection plan supplemental services to a customer of a furniture retailer comprising the steps of:

generating a plurality of protection plans each with a unique code;

associating a subset of protection plans with the furniture retailer;

recording each association in a database, wherein said association includes each code of the subset of protection plans and the furniture retailer;

providing a dynamic protection plan supplemental service website, wherein the content of the website for a customer depends on the associated furniture retailer as recorded in the association database and wherein access to the website is limited by the unique codes;

transferring the subset of protection plans to the furniture retailer;

selling one of the subset of protection plans to the customer; and

accessing the protection plan supplemental service website using the plan code of the protection plan, wherein the content of the website reflects the associated furniture retailer as recorded in the association database.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein said codes allow the customer to file a service request on the customer'"'"'s protection plan.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the combination of online protection plan supplemental services includes a home care task scheduler service, technician referral service, and a promotional giveaway service.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein the combination of online protection plan supplemental services includes a home care task scheduler service and a promotional giveaway service.

17. The method of claim 13 wherein the combination of online protection plan supplemental services includes a home care task scheduler service and a technician referral service.

18. The method of claim 13 wherein the combination of online protection plan supplemental services includes a technician referral service and a promotional giveaway service.

19. An online protection plan supplemental service system for supplementing a protection plan claims system comprising:

a website with dynamic content based on a furniture retailer where the protection plan was purchased;

tailored home-care related content based on information provided by a customer;

an automatic registration module that interfaces with said protection plan system and registers said customer;

a home-care related task scheduler module that sends custom e-mail reminders to said customer;

a home-care related professional technician referral service module that recommends a technician to said customer;

an online store module offering home-care related products;

periodic home-care related promotional giveaways; and

an information relay module which communicates information about the customer to the furniture retailer where the protection plan was purchased.

20. The online protection plan supplemental service system of claim 19 wherein the tailored home-care related content includes advice, tips, and tasks associated with stain removal, home furnishings, home safety, home organization, pets in the home, or any combination thereof, wherein the tasks provide links to pre-programmed e-mail reminders available through said home-care related task scheduler module.