Method and system for reserving future purchases of goods and services

• US 9,026,472 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2013
• 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:
  US13/802,068
• Publication Number:
  US 20130198036A1
• Time in Patent Office: 783 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 705/37
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• 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 30/0609 Buyer or seller confidence or verification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• 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. Electronic options are provided for desired goods or services or events. Electronic options, electronic option terms and electronic option fees are dynamically generated and dynamically adjusted based on prior and current actions completed on a client network device. A business-to-business (b2b) marketplace is established using electronic options.

Claims

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

dynamically generating a plurality of electronic options for goods or services or events from a server application on a server network device with one or more processors, 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;

dynamically generating from the server application on the server network device a plurality of different electronic option terms and a plurality of electronic option fees for the plurality of electronic options for a plurality of different suppliers, wherein the electronic option terms for a desired supplier are unique to the desired supplier and wherein the electronic option terms and the plurality of electronic option fees are dynamically generated based on a first set of plurality of prior actions completed by a plurality of client applications on a plurality of client network devices each with one or more processors;

dynamically displaying from the server application on the server network device via the communications network the plurality of electronic options for the goods or services or events on the plurality of client applications on the plurality client network devices;

dynamically collecting the server application on the server network device via the communications network a plurality of new actions completed by the plurality of client applications on the plurality of client network devices as a result of the display of the plurality of electronic options; and

dynamically adjusting in real-time from the server application on the server network device via the communications network display of one or more of the plurality of electronic option terms or one or more of the plurality of electronic option fees for the goods or services or event on the plurality of client applications on the plurality of client network devices based on the collected new actions.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first set of plurality of prior actions completed by the plurality of client applications on the plurality of client network devices includes prior:

electronic option purchases, electronic option exercises, product purchases, browsing history, e-commerce product views, items abandoned in an electronic shopping cart, advertisements clicked on, product ratings, social network like selections by a user or a user'"'"'s friends, social networking browsing, purchase and browsing history of social network friends, electronic option purchases of electronic options posted by a user or friends of a user on social networking sites, sport sites, event sites or retail sites.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of new actions completed by the plurality of client applications on the plurality of client network devices as a result of the display of the plurality of electronic options includes:

purchasing electronic options, exercising purchased electronic options, purchasing goods or services or events associated with an electronic option, expiration of purchased electronic options without exercising;

purchasing of goods or services or events similar to the goods or services or events associated with the electronic options, a number of purchased electronic options posted to a social networking site.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of electronic options includes a plurality of electronic coupons or personalized electronic coupons.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of electronic options include a plurality of electronic reservations.

6. 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.

7. 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 4^th generation (4G) wireless speeds and wireless protocols for communicating with the communications network.

8. 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.

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

10. The method of claim 1 wherein step of dynamically displaying includes dynamically displaying the plurality of electronic options for the goods or services or events on one or more retail sites, social networking sites or social couponing sites.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

dynamically creating in real-time from the server application on the server network device via the communications network one or more custom electronic options for a good or service or event based on specific prior actions for a selected client network device;

displaying the one or more custom electronic options from the server application on the server network device via the communications network only on a selected client application on the selected client network device; and

dynamically adjusting in real-time from the server application on the server network device via the communications network display of the one or more custom electronic options on the selected client application on the selected client network device based on collected new actions of the client network device.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining on the server application on the server network device that a specific client network device has changed physical locations;

dynamically creating in real-time from the server application on the server network device via the communications network one or more new custom electronic options based on the determined change in location of the selected client network device; and

dynamically displaying in real-time the created one or more new custom electronic options from the server application on the server network device via the communications network to on a selected client application on the client network device.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

dynamically creating in real-time from the server application on the server network device via the communications network one or more new custom electronic options based on a date for a potential upcoming purchase.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more suppliers use the electronic options for inventory control and to estimate future demand for goods or services or events.

15. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

dynamically creating from the server application on the server network device a plurality of electronic options for business-to-business (b2b) goods or services;

dynamically displaying from the server application on the server network device via the communications network the created plurality of electronic options on a plurality of other server applications on a plurality of other server network devices, thereby creating an options market for b2b transactions, wherein the created plurality of electronic options include selected ones of the electronic options for individual b2b goods or services or events or for large groups of b2b goods or services or events; and

managing inventory, financial planning, managing present and future costs and securing product availability for suppliers and purchasers of b2b goods or services or events by purchasing and exercising one or more of the created plurality of electronic options from one or more of the other server network devices for individual or large groups of b2b goods or services or events.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the displaying step includes displaying the created plurality of electronic options on one or more client network devices via the communications network.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the created plurality of electronic options are used for supply chain management for suppliers and for product procurement management for purchaser.

18. 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:

dynamically generating a plurality of electronic options for goods or services or events from a server application on a server network device with one or more processors, 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;

dynamically generating from the server application on the server network device a plurality of different electronic option terms and a plurality of electronic option fees for the plurality of electronic options for a plurality of different suppliers, wherein the electronic option terms for a desired supplier are unique to the desired supplier and wherein the electronic option terms and the plurality of electronic option fees are dynamically generated based on a first set of plurality of prior actions completed by a plurality of client applications on a plurality of client network devices each with one or more processors;

dynamically displaying from the server application on the server network device via the communications network the plurality of electronic options for the goods or services or events on the plurality of client applications on the plurality client network devices;

dynamically collecting the server application on the server network device via the communications network a plurality of new actions completed by the plurality of client applications on the plurality of client network devices as a result of the display of the plurality of electronic options; and

dynamically adjusting in real-time from the server application on the server network device via the communications network display of one or more of the plurality of electronic option terms or one or more of the plurality of electronic option fees for the goods or services or event on the plurality of client applications on the plurality of client network devices based on the collected new actions.

19. A system for using electronic options for goods or services or events comprising in combination:

a communications network;

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

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

for dynamically generating a plurality of electronic options for goods or services or events from a server application on a server network device with one or more processors, 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;

for dynamically generating from the server application on the server network devices a plurality of different electronic option terms and a plurality of electronic option fees for the plurality of electronic options for a plurality of different suppliers, wherein the electronic option terms for a desired supplier are unique to the desired supplier and wherein the electronic option terms and the plurality of electronic option fees are dynamically generated based on a first set of plurality of prior actions completed by a plurality of client applications on the plurality of client network devices each with one or more processors;

for dynamically displaying from the server application on the server network device via the communications network the plurality of electronic options for the goods or services or events on the plurality of client applications on the plurality client network devices;

for dynamically collecting the server application on the server network device via the communications network a plurality of new actions completed by the plurality of client applications on the plurality of client network devices as a result of the display of the plurality of electronic options;

for dynamically adjusting in real-time from the server application on the server network device via the communications network display of one or more of the plurality of electronic option terms or one or more of the plurality of electronic option fees for the goods or services or event on the plurality of client applications on the plurality of client network devices based on the collected new actions;

for dynamically creating in real-time from the server application on the server network device via the communications network one or more custom electronic options for a good or service or event based on specific prior actions for a selected client network device;

for displaying the one or more custom electronic options from the server application on the server network device via the communications network only on a selected client application on the selected client network device;

for dynamically adjusting in real-time from the server application on the server network device via the communications network display of the one or more custom electronic options on the selected client application on the selected client network device based on collected new actions of the client network device;

for determining on the server application on the server network device that a specific client network device has changed physical locations;

for dynamically creating in real-time from the server application on the server network device via the communications network one or more new custom electronic options based on the determined change in location of the selected client network device; and

for dynamically displaying in real-time the created one or more new custom electronic options from the server application on the server network device via the communications network to on a selected client application on the client network device;

for dynamically creating from the server application on the server network device a plurality of electronic options for business-to-business (b2b) goods or services;

for dynamically displaying from the server application on the server network device via the communications network the created plurality of electronic options on a plurality of other server applications on a plurality of other server network devices, thereby creating an options market for b2b transactions, wherein the created plurality of electronic options include selected ones of the electronic options for individual b2b goods or services or events or for large groups of b2b goods or services or events; and

for managing inventory, financial planning, managing present and future costs and securing product availability for suppliers and purchasers of b2b goods or services or events by purchasing and exercising one or more of the created plurality of electronic options from one or more of the other server network devices for individual or large groups of b2b goods or services or events.