SYSTEMS AND METHODS TO PROCESS PRODUCT RETURN REQUESTS

• US 20180144301A1
• Filed: 11/18/2016
• Published: 05/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fedex Supply Chain Logistics & Electronics, Inc. (FedEx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: ATC Logistics & Electronics Incorporated (FedEx Corporation)
• Inventors: ENGEL, Randy W., GRIGALIS, Edgar A.
• Granted Patent: US 11,004,030 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0837 Return transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/00 Payment architectures, schemes or protocols apparatus for performing or posting payment transactions G07F7/08, G07F19/00; electronic cash registers G07G1/12
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/085 involving remote charge determination or related payment systems

Abstract

Disclosed herein are embodiments of systems, methods, and computer program products to process product return requests. In one embodiment, the method includes performing image analysis on the electronic device; retrieving business rules governing the warranty plan of a service provider associated with the electronic device; and determining whether the electronic device is accepted under the warranty plan based on the business rules and the image analysis associated with the electronic device.

Claims

1. A method to process a product return request, the method comprising:

receiving instructions to process a first product return request for an electronic device;

performing an image analysis on the electronic device;

obtaining business rules governing the first product return request; and

determining whether to accept the first product return request based on the business rules and the image analysis associated with the electronic device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the business rules governing the first product return request define a set of conditions associated with the electronic device, wherein at least one condition of the set of conditions varies over a period of time, and wherein whether to accept the first product return comprises determining a current value of each condition of the set of conditions.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the set of conditions include one or more device conditions of the electronic device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the set of conditions include one or more market conditions for the electronic device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the set of conditions include one or more vendor specified conditions from a vendor of the electronic device.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, based on the image analysis, one or more alternative product return requests available for the electronic device;

and obtaining business rules governing the one or more alternative product return requests available for the electronic device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first product return request and the one or more alternative product return requests comprise a request to return the electronic device for a full refund, a request to return the electronic device for a partial refund, a request to exchange the electronic device for another electronic device, a request to repair the electronic device, a request to trade-in the electronic device for in-store credit, and a request to dispose the electronic device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the business rules governing the first product return request includes a weighting algorithm that is operable to:

provide a different weight to damages to different components of the electronic device;

determine a score based on the different weights applied to the damages to the different components of the electronic device;

determine that the first product return request should be accepted in response to a determination that the score is within an acceptable range; and

determine that the first product return request should not be accepted in response to a determination that the score is not within the acceptable range.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting an electronic message to an owner of the electronic device indicating whether the first product return request has been accepted, and wherein the electronic message includes reasons why the first product return request is not accepted under the first product return request in response to a determination that the first product return request should not be accepted.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the electronic message includes an option for retrieving at least one of detailed images and video of the electronic device depicting a device condition of the electronic device upon opening of a package in which the electronic device is received in.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

capturing images of a condition of a package in which the electronic device is received in when the package is received; and

capturing images of the package being opened and a device condition of the electronic device upon opening of the package.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the images includes video and still images.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising capturing detailed images of the electronic device for performing the image analysis, and comparing the detailed images of the electronic device to stock images of the electronic device.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising automatically determining a make and model of the electronic device by identifying an International Mobile Station Equipment Identity (IMEI) for retrieving the stock images of the electronic device.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising storing the detailed images of the electronic device in a database management system and configuring the database management system to be searchable by the IMEI of the electronic device for retrieving the detailed images of the electronic device.

16. A system for processing product return requests, the system comprising:

at least one image capturing device operable to capture images of an electronic device;

at least one image storing device operable to store stock images of the electronic device;

a storage unit storing business rules governing a warranty plan of a service provider associated with the electronic device; and

at least one instruction processing device operable to perform image analysis on the electronic device, obtain a set of the business rules governing the warranty plan of the service provider associated with the electronic device based on the images of the electronic device, and determine whether the electronic device is accepted under the warranty plan based on the business rules and the image analysis associated with the electronic device.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the business rules governing the warranty plan define a set of conditions associated with the electronic device, wherein at least one condition of the set of conditions varies over a period of time, and wherein whether to accept the electronic device under the warranty plan comprises determining a current value of each condition of the set of conditions.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the set of conditions include a real-time inventory corresponding to a make and model of the electronic device possessed by the service provider.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the at least one image capturing device is further operable to capture images of a condition of a package in which the electronic device is received in when the package is received.

20. A computer program product, comprising a non-transitory computer usable medium having a computer readable program code embodied therein, said computer readable program code adapted to be executed to:

perform image analysis on an electronic device;

retrieve business rules governing a warranty plan of a service provider associated with the electronic device;

update the business rules governing the warranty plan of the service provider based on a set of conditions; and

determine whether the electronic device is accepted under the warranty plan based on the business rules and the image analysis associated with the electronic device.