Automatic dispute resolution

• US 7,870,066 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2004
• Issued: 01/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Levchin, Max, Han, Gina, Klein, Erik, Wo, Steven, Aptekar, Denise, Chen, May, Haffey, Kyle, Nielsen, Jason, Lin, Huey, Wilson, Kristen, LeVan, Theodore Douglas, Gonzales, Julie, Levy, Dan, Cervelli, Greg, Freeland, Carl, McGraw, Chris
• Primary Examiner(s): Kazimi; Hani
• Application Number:
  US10/837,224
• Publication Number:
  US 20050125340A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,447 Days
• Field of Search: 705 39- 42
• US Class Current: 705/39
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/182 Alternative dispute resolution

Abstract

A method and system for resolving disputes between parties involved in a network-based transaction is described. One aspect of the present invention seeks to automatically facilitate the restitution of value to parties of the transaction, for example, facilitated by a network-based commerce platform or involving a network-based payment service, where a dispute has arisen with respect to the transaction.

Claims

1. A network based facility system that automatically resolves a subset of transaction disputes, said network based facility system comprising:

a computing system including a memory; and

a set of the computer instructions stored in said memory that, when executed by the computing system, cause the computing system to

receive a complaint over a network from a first party to a network-based transaction, the complaint being associated to the transaction, the first party being obligated to pay a transaction fee upon a completed transaction;

determine if said complaint is due to said transaction being cancelled upon mutual agreement between said first party and a second party;

send a request, if said first party indicated that said transaction was cancelled upon mutual agreement, over the network to said second party to the transaction requesting a notification if said transaction was not cancelled; and

provide restitution of said transaction fee automatically to the first party if no notification specifying that said transaction was cancelled is received from said second party.

2. The network based facility system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the restitution to the first party is a refund of funds to the first party.

3. The network based facility system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the restitution to the first party is a partial refund of funds to the first party.

4. The network based facility system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the restitution is automatically provided directly from a financial account related to the network based facility system to a financial account related to the first party.

5. The network based facility system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the process is further causes the computing system not to provide the restitution to the first party if said second party sends said notification specifying said transaction was not cancelled.

6. The network based facility system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the notification from said second party comprises an email message.

7. The network based facility system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the transaction is deemed cancelled upon mutual agreement between said first party and said second party if said second party returns a purchased item back to said first part and said first party issues a refund to said second party.

8. The network based facility system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the transaction is deemed cancelled upon mutual agreement between said first party and said second party if said second party did not have the high bid in an auction transaction.

9. The network based facility system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the second party is not penalized for not paying said first party.

10. A network based facility system, said network based facility comprising:

means for receiving a complaint over a network from a first party to a transaction, the complaint being associated to the transaction, the first party being obligated to pay a transaction fee upon a completed transaction;

means for determining if said complaint is due to said transaction being cancelled upon mutual agreement between said first party and a second party;

means for sending a request, when said first party indicates that said transaction was cancelled upon mutual agreement, over the network to said second party to the transaction requesting a notification if said transaction was not cancelled; and

means for providing restitution of said transaction fee to the first party if no notification specifying that said transaction was cancelled is received from said second party.

11. The network based facility system as set forth in claim 10, wherein the restitution to the first party is a refund of funds to the first party.

12. The network based facility system as set forth in claim 10, wherein the restitution to the first party is a partial refund of funds to the first party.

13. The network based facility system as set forth in claim 10, wherein the means for automatically providing restitution includes a means for automatically providing funds from a financial account related to the network based facility system direct to a financial account related to the first party.

14. The network based facility system as set forth in claim 10, wherein the notification from said second party comprises an email message.

15. The network based facility system as set forth in claim 10, wherein the transaction is deemed cancelled upon mutual agreement between said first party and said second party if said second party returns a purchased item back to said first part and said first party issues a refund to said second party.

16. The network based facility system as set forth in claim 10, wherein the transaction is deemed cancelled upon mutual agreement between said first party and said second party if said second party did not have the high bid in an auction transaction.

17. A method for resolving disputes in a network-based facility, the method comprising:

receiving a complaint over a network from a first party to a transaction, the complaint being associated to the transaction, the first party being obligated to pay a transaction fee upon a completed transaction;

responsive to receipt of the complaint, determining by a computer if said complaint is due to said transaction being cancelled upon mutual agreement between said first party and a second party to said transaction;

sending a request, when said first party indicates that said transaction was cancelled upon mutual agreement, over the network to said second party to the transaction requesting a notification if said transaction was not cancelled; and

providing restitution of said transaction fee to the first party if no notification specifying that said transaction was cancelled is received from said second party.

18. The method as set forth in claim 17, wherein the restitution to the first party is a refund of funds to the first party.

19. The method as set forth in claim 17, wherein the restitution to the first party is a partial refund of funds to the first party.

20. The method as set forth in claim 17, wherein the restitution is automatically provided directly from a financial account related to the network based facility system to a financial account related to the first party.

21. The method as set forth in claim 17, including not providing the restitution to the first party if said second party sends said notification specifying said transaction was not cancelled.

22. The method as set forth in claim 17, wherein the notification from said second party comprises an email message.

23. The method as set forth in claim 17, wherein the transaction is deemed cancelled upon mutual agreement between said first party and said second party if said second party returns a purchased item back to said first part and said first party issues a refund to said second party.

24. The method as set forth in claim 17, wherein the transaction is deemed cancelled upon mutual agreement between said first party and said second party if said second party did not have the high bid in an auction transaction.

25. The method as set forth in claim 17, wherein said method further comprises:

accepting the complaint from the first party only upon determining the complaint is sent from the first party a predetermined time period after the associated transaction.

26. The method as set forth in claim 17, wherein the second party is not penalized for not paying said first party.

29. The machine-readable medium as set forth in claim 17, wherein the restitution to the first party is a partial refund of funds to the first party.

27. A machine-readable medium having instructions when executed by a machine for resolving disputes in a network-based facility, causes the machine to perform the steps comprising:

receiving a complaint over a network from a first party to a transaction, the complaint being associated to the transaction, the first party being obligated to pay a transaction fee upon a completed transaction;

responsive to receipt of the complaint, determining if said complaint is due to said transaction being cancelled upon mutual agreement between said first party and a second party to said transaction;

sending a request, when said first party indicates that said transaction was cancelled upon mutual agreement, over the network to said second party to the transaction requesting a notification if said transaction was not cancelled; and

providing restitution of said transaction fee to the first party if no notification specifying that said transaction was cancelled is received from said second party.

28. The machine-readable medium as set forth in claim 27, wherein the restitution to the first party is a refund of funds to the first party.

30. The machine-readable medium as set forth in claim 27, wherein the restitution is automatically provided directly from a financial account related to the network based facility system to a financial account related to the first party.

31. The machine-readable medium as set forth in claim 27, including not providing the restitution to the first party if said second party sends said notification specifying said transaction was not cancelled.

32. The machine-readable medium as set forth in claim 27, wherein the notification from said second party comprises an email message.

33. The machine-readable medium as set forth in claim 27, wherein the transaction is deemed cancelled upon mutual agreement between said first party and said second party if said second party returns a purchased item back to said first part and said first party issues a refund to said second party.

34. The machine-readable medium as set forth in claim 27, wherein the transaction is deemed cancelled upon mutual agreement between said first party and said second party if said second party did not have the high bid in an auction transaction.

35. The machine-readable medium as set forth in claim 27, wherein said method further comprises:

accepting the complaint from the first party only upon determining the complaint is sent from the first party a predetermined time period after the associated transaction.

36. The machine-readable medium as set forth in claim 27, wherein the second party is not penalized for not paying said first party.