Patent US6085169A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US6085169A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Conditional purchase offer management system
Assignee: Priceline com LLC
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Filing: 1997-07-08
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Granted: 2000-07-04
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Expires: 2017-07-08
Abstract
Abstract A conditional purchase offer (CPO) management system is disclosed for receiving CPOs from one or more customers, such as airline passengers, and for evaluating the received CPOs against a number of CPO rules defined by a plurality of sellers, such as airlines, to determine whether any seller is willing to accept a given CPO. A CPO is a binding offer containing one or more conditions submitted by a customer for purchase of an item, such as airline travel, at a customer-definied price. A CPO rule is a set of restrictions defined by a given seller, such as an airline, to define a combination of restrictions for which the seller is willing to accept a predefined price. The CPO rules may be securely stored by one or more servers. The CPO management system permits a seller to correct for forecasting errors, if necessary, or other competitive forces which have produced excess capacity, by providing inventory for sale to CPO customers.
Inventors
- 👤 Jay S. Walker
- 👤 Bruce Schneier
- 👤 James A. Jorasch
- 👤 T. Scott Case
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 01:11
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06Q; G06Q50/00; G06Q50/10; G06Q50/14; G06Q10/00; G06Q10/02; G06Q10/025; G06Q10/06; G06Q10/063; G06Q20/00; G06Q20/02; G06Q20/04; G06Q20/08; G06Q20/085; G06Q20/12; G06Q20/20; G06Q20/201; G06Q20/22; G06Q20/24; G06Q20/38; G06Q20/40; G06Q20/403; G06Q30/00; G06Q30/02; G06Q30/0207; G06Q30/0241; G06Q30/0273; G06Q30/06; G06Q30/0601; G06Q30/0611; G06Q30/0633; G06Q30/0637; G06Q30/0641; G06Q30/08; G06Q40/00; G06Q40/04; G06Q40/08; G06Q50/18; G06Q50/188; G07; G07F; G07F9/00; G07F9/02; G07F9/026; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S707/00; Y10S707/912; Y10S707/944; Y10S707/99931; Y10S707/99933; Y10S707/99941; Y10S707/99942; Y10S707/99943; Y10S707/99944; Y10S707/99945
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 18
Claim 1
Independent Claim
167 words
A method for using a computer to process the sale of goods or services, comprising: receiving by said computer a first conditional purchase offer from a customer for the purchase of said goods or services, wherein said first conditional purchase offer is a binding offer including a customer-defined price; receiving a payment identifier specifying a credit card account for use in providing payment for said goods or services; after receiving said first conditional purchase offer and said payment identifier, querying a database of seller-defined rules provided by a plurality of sellers to determine if said goods or services are to be sold to said customer for said customer-defined price, said seller-defined rules including prices which are concealed from said customer; if no goods or services are to be sold to said customer after said querying, transmitting a rejection of said first conditional purchase offer to said customer; and taking an action to deter said customer from submitting a second conditional purchase offer for said goods or services.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
167 words
A method for using a computer to process the sale of goods or services, comprising: receiving by said computer a first conditional purchase offer from a customer for the purchase of said goods or services, wherein said first conditional purchase offer is a binding offer including a customer-defined price; receiving a payment identifier specifying a credit card account for use in providing payment for said goods or services; after receiving said first conditional purchase offer and said payment identifier, querying a database of seller-defined rules provided by a plurality of sellers to determine if said goods or services are to be sold to said customer for said customer-defined price, said seller-defined rules including prices which are concealed from said customer; if no goods or services are to be sold to said customer after said querying, transmitting a rejection of said first conditional purchase offer to said customer; and taking an action to deter said customer from submitting a second conditional purchase offer for said goods or services.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said action comprises rejecting said second conditional purchase offer.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 1 further comprising: receiving an express authorization to charge said credit card account to pay for said goods or services.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 3 wherein said express authorization is received from a credit card issuer.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said goods or services includes at least one of: an airline ticket, an automobile, insurance, computer equipment and a hotel accommodation.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said database is stored in a computer reservation system.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
180 words
A system for processing the sale of goods or services, comprising: a memory device storing a program; a processor in communication with said memory; said processor operative with said program to: receive a first conditional purchase offer from a customer for the purchase of said goods or services, wherein said first conditional purchase offer is a binding offer including a customer-defined price; receive a payment identifier specifying a credit card account for use in providing payment for said goods or services; after receiving said first conditional purchase offer and said payment identifier, query a database of seller-defined rules provided by a plurality of sellers to determine if said goods or services are to be sold to said customer for said customer-defined price, said seller-defined rules including prices which are concealed from said customer; if no goods or services are to be sold to said customer after said querying, transmit a rejection of said first conditional purchase offer to said customer; and take an action to deter said customer from submitting a second conditional purchase offer for said goods or services.
Claim 9
Independent Claim
180 words
A system for processing the sale of goods or services, comprising: a memory device storing a program; a processor in communication with said memory; said processor operative with said program to: receive a first conditional purchase offer from a customer for the purchase of said goods or services, wherein said first conditional purchase offer is a binding offer including a customer-defined price; receive a payment identifier specifying a credit card account for use in providing payment for said goods or services; after receiving said first conditional purchase offer and said payment identifier, query a database of seller-defined rules provided by a plurality of sellers to determine if said goods or services are to be sold to said customer for said customer-defined price, said seller-defined rules including prices which are concealed from said customer; if no goods or services are to be sold to said customer after said querying, transmit a rejection of said first conditional purchase offer to said customer; and take an action to deter said customer from submitting a second conditional purchase offer for said goods or services.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
16 words
The system of claim 7 wherein said action is to reject said second conditional purchase offer.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
28 words
The system of claim 7 wherein said processor is operative to: receive an express authorization to charge said credit card account to pay for said goods or services.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
16 words
The system of claim 9 wherein said express authorization is received from a credit card issuer.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
27 words
The system of claim 7 wherein said goods or services includes at least one of: an airline ticket, an automobile, insurance, computer equipment and a hotel accommodation.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
15 words
The system of claim 7 wherein said database is stored in a computer reservation system.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
171 words
A computer system for processing the sale of goods or services, comprising: means for receiving a first conditional purchase offer from a customer for the purchase of said goods or services, wherein said first conditional purchase offer is a binding offer including a customer-defined price; means for receiving a payment identifier specifying a credit card account for use in providing payment for said goods or services; means for, after receiving said first conditional purchase offer and said payment identifier, querying a database of seller-defined rules provided by a plurality of sellers to determine if said goods or services are to be sold to said customer for said customer-defined price, said seller-defined rules including prices which are concealed from said customer; means for, if no goods or services are to be sold to said customer after said querying, transmitting a rejection of said first conditional purchase offer to said customer; and means for taking an action to deter said customer from submitting said second conditional purchase offer for said goods or services.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
171 words
A computer system for processing the sale of goods or services, comprising: means for receiving a first conditional purchase offer from a customer for the purchase of said goods or services, wherein said first conditional purchase offer is a binding offer including a customer-defined price; means for receiving a payment identifier specifying a credit card account for use in providing payment for said goods or services; means for, after receiving said first conditional purchase offer and said payment identifier, querying a database of seller-defined rules provided by a plurality of sellers to determine if said goods or services are to be sold to said customer for said customer-defined price, said seller-defined rules including prices which are concealed from said customer; means for, if no goods or services are to be sold to said customer after said querying, transmitting a rejection of said first conditional purchase offer to said customer; and means for taking an action to deter said customer from submitting said second conditional purchase offer for said goods or services.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
160 words
An article of manufacture comprising: a computer readable medium comprising instructions for: receiving a first conditional purchase offer from a customer for the purchase of goods or services, wherein said first conditional purchase offer is a binding offer including a customer-defined price; receiving a payment identifier specifying a credit card account for use in providing payment for said goods or services; after receiving said first conditional purchase offer and said payment identifier, querying a database of seller-defined rules provided by a plurality of sellers to determine if said goods or services are to be sold to said customer for said customer-defined price, said seller-defined rules including prices which are concealed from said customer; if no goods or services are to be sold to said customer after said querying, transmitting a rejection of said first conditional purchase offer to said customer; and taking an action to deter said customer from submitting a second conditional purchase offer for said good or services.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
160 words
An article of manufacture comprising: a computer readable medium comprising instructions for: receiving a first conditional purchase offer from a customer for the purchase of goods or services, wherein said first conditional purchase offer is a binding offer including a customer-defined price; receiving a payment identifier specifying a credit card account for use in providing payment for said goods or services; after receiving said first conditional purchase offer and said payment identifier, querying a database of seller-defined rules provided by a plurality of sellers to determine if said goods or services are to be sold to said customer for said customer-defined price, said seller-defined rules including prices which are concealed from said customer; if no goods or services are to be sold to said customer after said querying, transmitting a rejection of said first conditional purchase offer to said customer; and taking an action to deter said customer from submitting a second conditional purchase offer for said good or services.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2003-07-04 | 2004-01-03 | 2004-07-04 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2007-07-04 | 2008-01-03 | 2008-07-04 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2011-07-04 | 2012-01-03 | 2012-07-04 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |