Method and apparatus for providing supplementary product sales to a customer at a customer terminal

• US 8,438,077 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2003
• Issued: 05/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Tedesco, Daniel E., Walker, Jay S., VanLuchene, Andrew S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kalinowski, Alexander
• Assistant Examiner(s): Preston, John O
• Application Number:
  US10/699,462
• Publication Number:
  US 20040093271A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,476 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/26.7, 705/14.49, 382/100
• US Class Current: 705/26.7
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 15/00 Printed matter of special format or style not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• 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 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/387 Payment using discounts or coupons relating to marketing G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0215 Including financial accounts
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0224 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0235 constrained by time limit or expiration date
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0236 Incentive or reward received by requiring registration or ID from user
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 15/005 with dispensing of lottery tickets
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3248 involving non-monetary media of fixed value, e.g. casino chips of fixed value
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3255 Incentive, loyalty and/or promotion schemes, e.g. comps, gaming associated with a purchase, gaming funded by advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 5/24 with change-giving
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/02 Devices for alarm or indication, e.g. when empty; Advertising arrangements in coin-freed apparatus alarms or warning devices indicating the interruption of flow to be metered G07F15/10
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0036 : Checkout procedures
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/12 : electronically operated digital data processing aspects G06Q20/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 5/00 : Receipt-giving machines cash registers giving receipts G07G1/00

Abstract

A system for providing supplementary product sales is provided in which a central controller, which may be operated by a credit card issuer, receives a purchase from a card authorization terminal. The purchase includes at least one purchase parameter, such as a customer account identifier, product identifiers for specifying items purchased or product price. The central controller determines a supplementary product to offer that is based on the at least one purchase parameter. A product identifier for specifying the supplementary product is transmitted to the card authorization terminal, where the customer chooses whether to accept the offered supplementary product. The card authorization terminal generates and transmits to the central controller a selection signal indicative of whether the supplementary product is accepted. If the selection signal indicates that the supplementary product is accepted, the central controller adjusts a balance of a financial account in dependence on an adjustment value associated with the supplementary product. The financial account may be, for example, a credit card account of the customer, the merchant controlling the card authorization terminal, or a merchant offering the accepted supplementary product. Thus, payment for the supplementary product or rewards for accepting the supplementary product may be transferred among various parties automatically.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, from a first merchant via an Internet connection, an indication of a purchase having an associated purchase price and at least one purchase parameter;

determining, by a central controller, an upsell from a second merchant to offer to the customer based on the at least one purchase parameter, the upsell having associated therewith an upsell price;

performing, by the central controller, a comparison to establish whether a credit account of the customer may be charged the upsell price;

transmitting a product identifier for specifying the upsell;

receiving a selection signal indicating that the upsell is accepted; and

charging the upsell price to the credit account of the customer, the upsell price being in addition to the purchase price,

wherein the method is performed by a party that is not the first merchant and is not the second merchant.

2. The method of claim 1, in which transmitting the product identifier for specifying the upsell comprises:

transmitting, by the central controller, the product identifier for specifying the upsell.

3. The method of claim 1, in which the upsell comprises an offer to the customer for a service agreement.

4. The method of claim 1, in which the upsell comprises an offer to the customer for a subscription.

5. The method of claim 1, in which the upsell comprises an offer to the customer for a discount.

6. The method of claim 1, in which the upsell comprises a supplementary product.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a merchant financial account in dependence on the upsell; and

adjusting a balance of the merchant financial account in dependence on the upsell price.

8. The method of claim 1, in which the at least one purchase parameter comprises a customer account identifier for specifying a customer account.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining, from the customer account identifier, at least one previous purchase; and

in which the step of determining an upsell comprises;

determining an upsell to offer based on the at least one previous purchase.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining, from the customer account identifier, at least one previously-offered upsell; and

in which the step of determining an upsell comprises;

determining an upsell to offer based on the at least one previously-offered upsell.

11. The method of claim 1, in which the at least one purchase parameter comprises a credit account identifier for specifying the credit account.

14. The method of claim 1, in which the central controller is operated by a credit card issuer.

15. The method of claim 1,

in which the second merchant is different than the first merchant.

16. The method of claim 1, in which receiving the indication of the purchase comprises:

receiving, by the central controller from a point-of-sale terminal via the Internet connection, the indication of the purchase.

17. The method of claim 1, in which receiving the indication of the purchase comprises:

receiving, by the central controller from a personal computer via the Internet connection, the indication of the purchase.

18. The method of claim 1, in which performing the comparison comprises performing the comparison before transmitting the product identifier for specifying the upsell.

12. A non-transitory computer readable memory storing instructions configured to direct a computing device to perform a method, the method comprising:

receiving from a first merchant via a point-of-sale terminal an indication of a purchase having an associated purchase price and at least one purchase parameter;

determining, by a central controller, an upsell from a second merchant to offer to the customer based on the at least one purchase parameter, the upsell having associated therewith an upsell price,

in which the second merchant is different than the first merchant, and

in which the point-of-sale terminal is not owned or controlled by the second merchant;

determining, by the central controller, whether a credit account of the customer may be charged the upsell price without exceeding a balance limit of the credit account;

transmitting to the point-of-sale terminal a product identifier for specifying the upsell;

receiving by the central controller via the point-of-sale terminal a selection signal indicating that the upsell is accepted; and

charging the upsell price to the credit account of the customer, the upsell price being in addition to the purchase price,

wherein the central controller is not owned or controlled by the first merchant or by the second merchant.

13. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a storage device in communication with the processor, the storage device storing instructions configured to direct the processor to perform steps of;

receiving from a point-of-sale terminal of a first merchant an indication of a purchase having an associated purchase price and at least one purchase parameter;

determining an upsell from a second merchant to offer to the customer based on the at least one purchase parameter, the upsell having associated therewith an upsell price,

in which the second merchant is different than the first merchant, and

in which the point-of-sale terminal is not owned or controlled by the second merchant;

determining whether a credit account of the customer may be charged the upsell price without exceeding a balance limit of the credit account;

transmitting to the point-of-sale terminal a product identifier for specifying the upsell;

receiving a selection signal indicating that the upsell is accepted; and

charging the upsell price to the credit account of the customer, the upsell price being in addition to the purchase price,

wherein the apparatus is not the first merchant and is not the second merchant.