Method and system for reserving future purchases of goods and services

• US 9,026,471 B2
• Filed: 03/12/2013
• Issued: 05/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Holdit, LLC
• Original Assignee: Smart Options LLC
• Inventors: Pappas, Christian S., Brown, Charles P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Niquette, Robert R
• Application Number:
  US13/796,103
• Publication Number:
  US 20130191244A1
• Time in Patent Office: 784 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 705/37
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0222 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0225 Avoiding frauds
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/10 Services
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing

Abstract

A method and system for reserving future purchases of goods or services or events. Group organizers buy a set of electronic options and post to their social network a notice of availability of the purchased set of electronic options for access to the underlying good or service or event. The group organizers invite their friends to join them to purchase the good or service or attend the event. The invited friends are allowed to exercise one or more individual options from the purchased set of electronic options to purchase the actual good or service or attend the event. This frees the group organizers from the burden of having to pay money for the good or service or event, collect money from invited friends and distribute the goods or items associated with the services or events yet promotes coordinated group activities.

Claims

1. A method for providing electronic options for goods or services or events or places, comprising:

displaying a plurality of electronic options for goods or services or events on a plurality of client applications on a plurality client network devices each with one or more processors from a server application on a server network device with one or more processors via a communications network, wherein the plurality of electronic options are not supplied or governed via a central government agency and are not supplied or governed via security laws and wherein the plurality of electronic options include a one or more different electronic option terms for one or more different suppliers, wherein the electronic option terms for a desired supplier are unique to a desired supplier;

providing the plurality of electronic options from the server application on the server network device with a display feature to invent a group of friends to purchase a good or service or entry into a place or attend an event with a selected electronic option;

receiving a payment message on the server application on the server network device via the communications network from a first client application on a first client network device including electronic payment of a pre-determined electronic option fee to purchase a set of electronic options for a good or service or event, wherein the set of electronic options are used to invite a group of friends to purchase the good or service or attend the event;

receiving on the server application on the server network device a list of electronic identifiers for a group of client network devices for a group of friends associated with the purchased of the set of electronic options;

recording the purchase of the set of electronic options and the list of electronic identifiers with the server application on the server network device in a database associated with the server network device;

sending from the server application on the server network device a plurality of invitation messages to the list of electronic identifiers for the group of client network devices for the group of friends associated with the purchased of the set of electronic options making the group of friends aware of the set of electronic options and inviting the group of friends to exercise the electronic option to purchase the good or service or attend the event;

receiving one or more exercise messages on the server application from the server network device from one or more client applications on the client network devices associated with the list of electronic identifiers via the communications network to exercise one or more individual electronic options from the purchased set of electronic options to purchase the good or service or attend the event; and

sending one or more confirmation messages from the server application on the network device via the communications network to the one or more client applications on the client network devices associated with the list of electronic identifiers indicating the one or more individual purchased electronic options have been exercised to purchase the good or service or attend the event.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein there electronic option includes a personalized electronic coupon or a personalized electronic reservation.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the pre-determined electronic option fee is zero and a purchaser of the electronic option provides a supplier of the electronic option with other types of consideration including providing an e-mail address, phone, number, social networking identifier, picture, mandatory audio or video testimonial or completing a mandatory survey.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of invitation messages includes one or more graphical buttons for selecting, purchasing or exercising one or more of the plurality of electronic options purchased for the good or service or event.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the graphical button includes a counter that is displayed in real-time indicating how many of the purchased electronic options have been exercised to purchase the good or service or to attend the event or list of people who have been invited to exercise the electronic option and a first indication of which people have exercised the electronic option and a second indication of which people have not yet exercise the electronic option.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the one or more graphical buttons are displayed in a plurality of different colors, wherein each color indicates one of a plurality of different states for the purchased set of electronic options.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein the one or more graphical buttons are displayed in an e-mail, text message, instant message on a smart application, or in a social networking account.

8. The method of claim 4 wherein the one or more graphical buttons include an OPTION IT, BUT IT, EXERCISE IT, JOIN ME, SIT WITH ME, MEET ME, TRAVEL WITH ME or DINE WITH ME graphical buttons.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein a remaining number of electronic options in the purchased set of electronic options are automatically executed when a pre-determined number of electronic options in the purchased set of electronic options are purchased.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the group related seats include a group of related seats at a table at a restaurant, at a sporting event, at an entertainment event, a group at theme park, a tee time at a golf course, airline tickets, other travel related tickets, a priority group for entry into a facility or entry into a line for a facility or on or on a transportation vehicle, wherein the transportation vehicle includes an airplane, bus, boat, train, limousine or tour bus.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein electronic identifiers include hardware addresses of client network devices, network addresses of client network devices, telephone numbers, e-mail addresses, text message identifiers, instant message identifiers or social networking identifiers.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of client applications on the plurality of client network devices includes a plurality of smart software applications for smart phone or electronic tablet client network devices.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the server network device includes an electronic kiosk with a graphical user interface.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of client network devices and the server network device include a wireless networking interface comprising a Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax) wireless networking interface with 4th generation (4G) wireless speeds and wireless protocols for communicating with the communications network.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of client network devices and the server network device include a wireless networking interface comprising a near field communications (NFC) or machine-to-machine (M2M) communications wireless networking interface.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of electronic options are provided by the server network device via the communications network via telecommunications services, data services, television services, Internet television services, social networking services, general search engine services and vertical search engine services.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the server application on the server network device also displays plural electronic options for goods or services or events on one or more other server applications on one or more other server network devices for one or more third-party sites.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the one or more third-party sites include social networking sites, entertainment sites, sport team sites, ticket purchase sites, retail sites, professional service sites or other service sites.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of electronic options include a plurality of a same electronic option or a plurality of different electronic options from a same supplier or one or more different suppliers.

20. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored therein a plurality of instructions for causing one or more processors on one or more network devices to execute the steps of:

displaying a plurality of electronic options for goods or services or events on a plurality of client applications on a plurality client network devices each with one or more processors from a server application on a server network device with one or more processors via a communications network, wherein the plurality of electronic options are not supplied or governed via a central government agency and are not supplied or governed via security laws and wherein the plurality of electronic options include a one or more different electronic option terms for one or more different suppliers, wherein the electronic option terms for a desired supplier are unique to a desired supplier;

providing the plurality of electronic options from the server application on the server network device with a display feature to invent a group of friends to purchase a good or service or entry into a place or attend an event with a selected electronic option;

receiving a payment message on the server application on the server network device via the communications network from a first client application on a first client network device including electronic payment of a pre-determined electronic option fee to purchase a set of electronic options for a good or service or event, wherein the set of electronic options are used to invite a group of friends to purchase the good or service or attend the event;

receiving on the server application on the server network device a list of electronic identifiers for a group of client network devices for a group of friends associated with the purchased of the set of electronic options;

recording the purchase of the set of electronic options and the list of electronic identifiers with the server application on the server network device in a database associated with the server network device;

sending from the server application on the server network device a plurality of invitation messages to the list of electronic identifiers for the group of client network devices for the group of friends associated with the purchased of the set of electronic options making the group of friends aware of the set of electronic options and inviting the group of friends to exercise the electronic option to purchase the good or service or attend the event;

receiving one or more exercise messages on the server application from the server network device from one or more client applications on the client network devices associated with the list of electronic identifiers via the communications network to exercise one or more individual electronic options from the purchased set of electronic options to purchase the good or service or attend the event; and

sending one or more confirmation messages from the server application on the network device via the communications network to the one or more client applications on the client network devices associated with the list of electronic identifiers indicating the one or more individual purchased electronic options have been exercised to purchase the good or service or attend the event.

21. A system for providing electronic options for goods or services or events comprising in combination:

a plurality of client network devices each with one or more processors;

one or more server network devices, each with one or more processors;

a communications network;

a non-transitory computer readable medium on a server network device with one or more processors;

the non-transitory computer readable medium including a plurality of instructions causing the one or more processors on the server network device to be configured for;

for displaying a plurality of electronic options for goods or services or events on a plurality of client applications on a plurality client network devices each with one or more processors from a server application on a server network device with one or more processors via a communications network, wherein the plurality of electronic options are not supplied or governed via a central government agency and are not supplied or governed via security laws and wherein the plurality of electronic options include a one or more different electronic option terms for one or more different suppliers, wherein the electronic option terms for a desired supplier are unique to a desired supplier;

providing the plurality of electronic options from the server application on the server network device with a display feature to invent a group of friends to purchase a good or service or entry into a place or attend an event with a selected electronic option;

for displaying the plurality of electronic options for the goods or services or events on one or more other server applications on one or more other server network devices for one or more third-party sites;

for receiving a payment message on the server application on the server network device via the communications network from a first client application on a first client network device including electronic payment of a pre-determined electronic option fee to purchase a set of electronic options for a good or service or event, wherein the set of electronic options are used to invite a group of friends to purchase the good or service or attend the event;

for receiving on the server application on the server network device a list of electronic identifiers for a group of client network devices for a group of friends associated with the purchased of the set of electronic options;

for recording the purchase of the set of electronic options and the list of electronic identifiers with the server application on the server network device in a database associated with the server network device;

for sending from the server application on the server network device a plurality of invitation messages to the list of electronic identifiers for the group of client network devices for the group of friends associated with the purchased of the set of electronic options making the group of friends aware of the set of electronic options and inviting the group of friends to exercise the electronic option to purchase the good or service or attend the event, wherein the plurality of invitation messages include a graphical button for specifically exercising one or more of the plurality of electronic options purchased for the good or service or event;

for receiving one or more exercise messages on the server application from the server network device from one or more client applications on the client network devices associated with the list of electronic identifiers via the communications network to exercise one or more individual electronic options from the purchased set of electronic options to purchase the good or service or attend the event; and

for sending one or more confirmation messages from the server application on the network device via the communications network to the one or more client applications on the client network devices associated with the list of electronic identifiers indicating the one or more individual purchased electronic options have been exercised to purchase the good or service or attend the event.