METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR GENERATING A SALE OFFER OVER AN ELECTRONIC NETWORK SYSTEM

• US 20120022934A1
• Filed: 07/25/2011
• Published: 01/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyklos Entertainment Srl
• Original Assignee: Kyklos Entertainment Srl
• Inventors: FORLAI, Luigi
• Granted Patent: US 8,401,957 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.23
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06375 Prediction of business process outcome or impact based on a proposed change
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0211 Determining the effectiveness of discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0222 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• 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 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 method and apparatus are provided for generating a sale offer over an electronic network (such as the Internet). The method and apparatus may be used with a commercial sale system designed to increase the revenue income of Web site by offering, at a substantially discounted or virtually free basis, one more goods and/or services to visitors of the Web site. According to the features of the invention, the seller (who may be the owner or co-owner of the Web site) transmits a sale offer on the Web site for a high quality good or service, wherein the good or service can be purchased for free or a cost near to zero. The seller may make the offer visible and available to a number of perspective buyers, who are connected at that very moment to the Web site. According to an additional aspect of the invention, the sale offer may be available for only a very limited amount of time (e.g., one or more minutes) and may be offered at random or unpredictable times on the Web site in order to increase Web traffic to the site.

Claims

1-61. -61. (canceled)

62. A method for presenting a sale offer to users of mobile devices over a wireless network system, the method comprising:

storing, in a database, a sale offer including terms to purchase a good or service at a predetermined offer price, the predetermined offer price being a substantially discounted price less than a market value of the offered good or service in a commercial marketplace;

setting, using a controller, parameters for presenting the sale offer, the parameters specifying (i) a limited time period during which the sale offer may be accepted while displayed on at least one mobile device, and (ii) profile information for targeting a group of users for receiving the sale offer;

presenting, based on the parameters, the sale offer on at least one mobile device of a user whose profile matches the profile information for the targeted group of users, the terms of the sale offer being unpredictable to the user;

completing, after presenting the sale offer on the at least one mobile device, a sale of the offered good or service in response to an acceptance of the sale offer by the user from the targeted group of users, the acceptance by the user being communicated through the at least one mobile device within the limited time period; and

inhibiting the acceptance of the sale offer by the user through the at least one mobile device after the limited time period expires.

63. The method of claim 62, wherein the substantially discounted price is less than a cost involved in providing the product or service.

64. The method of claim 62, wherein the substantially discounted price is essentially free or equal to a delivery price.

65. The method of claim 62, further comprising:

displaying, on the at least one mobile device, an amount time remaining based on the limited time period.

66. The method of claim 65, wherein the limited time period is a selected number of seconds, minutes, or hours.

67. The method of claim 62, wherein the sale offer is presented at a time unpredictable to the user in the targeted group.

68. The method of claim 62, wherein the substantially discounted price is set to a value that increases the probability of acceptance of the sale offer.

69. The method of claim 62, wherein the substantially discounted price is set to a value that increases traffic to at least one web site accessible to a mobile device.

70. The method of claim 62, further comprising:

offsetting costs associated with providing the offered good or service at the substantially discounted price based on revenue generated from at least one web site.

71. The method of claim 70, wherein offsetting costs associated with providing the offered good or service at the substantially discounted price reduces risk on the seller of the goods or services.

72. The method of claim 62, further comprising, notifying the user of the limited time period for accepting the sale offer.

73. The method of claim 62, further comprising, collecting payment information and providing an identifier to verify payment for the completed sale.

74. A method for presenting a sale offer to users of mobile devices over a wireless network system, the method comprising:

storing, in a database, a sale offer including terms to purchase a good or service at a predetermined offer price, the predetermined offer price being a substantially discounted price less than a market value of the offered good or service in a commercial marketplace, the substantially discounted price being set to increase the probability of acceptance of the sale offer by a targeted group of users;

setting, using a controller, parameters for presenting the sale offer, the parameters specifying (i) a limited time period during which the sale offer may be accepted when displayed on at least one mobile device over the wireless network system; and

(ii) profile information associated with the targeted group of users;

presenting, based on the parameters, the sale offer on at least one mobile device of a user whose profile matches the profile information associated with the targeted group of users, the terms of the sale offer being unpredictable to the user;

completing, after presenting the sale offer on at least one mobile device of the user, a sale of the offered good or service in response to an acceptance of the sale offer by the user from the targeted group of users, the acceptance by the user being communicated through the at least one mobile device within the limited time period; and

withdrawing the sale offer from the at least one specified mobile site after the limited time period expires.

75. The method of claim 74, wherein the substantially discounted price is less than a cost involved in providing the product or service.

76. The method of claim 74, wherein the substantially discounted price is essentially free or equal to a delivery price.

77. The method of claim 74, further comprising:

displaying, on the at least one mobile device, an amount time remaining based on the limited time period.

78. The method of claim 77, wherein the limited time period is a selected number of seconds, minutes, or hours.

79. The method of claim 74, wherein the sale offer is presented at a time unpredictable to the user in the targeted group.

80. The method of claim 74, wherein the substantially discounted price is set to a value that increases traffic to at least one web site accessible to the mobile device.

81. The method of claim 74, further comprising:

offsetting costs associated with providing the offered good or service at the substantially discounted price based on revenue generated from at least one web site.

82. The method of claim 81, wherein, offsetting costs associated with providing the offered good or service at the substantially discounted price reduces risk on the seller of the goods or services.

83. The method of claim 74, further comprising, notifying the user of the limited time period for accepting the sale offer.

84. The method of claim 74, further comprising, collecting payment information and providing an identifier to verify payment for the completed sale.

85. A method for presenting a sale offer to users of mobile devices over a wireless network system, the method comprising:

storing, in a database, a sale offer including terms to purchase a good or service at a predetermined offer price, the predetermined offer price being a substantially discounted price less than a market value of the offered good or service in a commercial marketplace;

setting, using a controller, parameters for presenting the sale offer, the parameters specifying (i) a limited time period during which the sale offer may be accepted while displayed on at least one mobile device; and

(ii) profile information for targeting a group of users for receiving the sale offer;

presenting, based on the parameters, the sale offer on at least one mobile device of a user whose profile matches profile information of the targeted group of users, the terms of the sale offer being unpredictable to the user;

completing, after presenting the sale offer on the at least one mobile device, a sale of the offered good or service in response to an acceptance of the sale offer by the user selected from the targeted group of users, the acceptance being communicated from the user within the limited time period; and

offsetting costs associated with providing the offered good or service at the substantially discounted price based on revenue generated from at least one web site accessed by the at least one mobile device.

86. The method of claim 85, wherein the substantially discounted price is less than a cost involved in providing the product or service.

87. The method of claim 85, wherein the substantially discounted price is essentially free or equal to a delivery price.

88. The method of claim 85, further comprising:

displaying, on the at least one mobile device, an amount time remaining based on the limited time period.

89. The method of claim 88, wherein the limited time period is a selected number of seconds, minutes, or hours.

90. The method of claim 85, wherein the sale offer is presented at a time unpredictable to the user in the targeted group.

91. The method of claim 85, wherein the substantially discounted price is set to increase the probability of acceptance of the sale offer.

92. The method of claim 85, wherein the substantially discounted price is set to a value that increases traffic to a web site accessible to the at least one mobile device.

93. The method of claim 85, wherein, offsetting costs associated with providing the offered good or service at the substantially discounted price reduces risk on the seller of the goods or services.

94. The method of claim 85, further comprising, notifying the user of the limited time period for accepting the sale offer.

95. The method of claim 85, further comprising, collecting payment information and providing an identifier to verify payment for the completed sale.