US6196458B1
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method and apparatus for printing a billing statement to provide supplementary product sales
Assignee: PayPal Inc
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Filing: 1997-12-01
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Granted: 2001-03-06
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Expires: 2017-12-01
Abstract
Abstract A central controller such as one operating for a credit card account issuer receives one or more billing items which are to be printed on an account holder's billing statement. The central controller determines if the billing items, which typically specify purchases, satisfy any merchant-specified upsell offer conditions. Some upsell offer conditions include the purchase of a predetermined product, or a purchase which exceeds a predefined price. Such upsell offer conditions, when satisfied, direct the central controller to offer an upsell on the billing statement. If any of the upsell offer conditions are satisfied, the central controller determines one or more upsells that correspond to the upsell offer condition. The upsells may be, for example, products complementary to previously-purchased products. The upsells are offered to the account holder by printing onto the billing statement indicia that specifies the upsells. Upon receiving an indication that an upsell was accepted, the upsell is provided to the account holder. The account holder may accept the upsell by appropriately modifying the billing statement and returning the statement with payment. The upsell is then provided, typically in the form of a reduced price at a point-of-sale terminal or a discount on a subsequent billing statement.
Inventors
- 👤 Jay S. Walker
- 👤 Daniel E. Tedesco
- 👤 Andrew S. Van Luchene
- 👤 Dean Alderucci
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-04 05:08
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06Q; G06Q20/00; G06Q20/08; G06Q20/10; G06Q20/102; B; B42; B42D; B42D15/00; G06Q20/12; G06Q20/14; G06Q30/00; G06Q30/02; G06Q30/0207; G06Q30/0215; G06Q30/0235; G06Q30/0236; G06Q30/0241; G06Q30/0251; G06Q30/0255; G06Q30/0261; G06Q30/04; G06Q40/00
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 49
Claim 1
Independent Claim
55 words
A method for generating a billing statement, comprising: receiving data identifying at least a first billing item; determining if the at least first billing item satisfies an upsell offer condition; determining an upsell offer corresponding to the satisfied upsell offer condition; and generating the billing statement, the billing statement including information specifying the upsell offer.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
55 words
A method for generating a billing statement, comprising: receiving data identifying at least a first billing item; determining if the at least first billing item satisfies an upsell offer condition; determining an upsell offer corresponding to the satisfied upsell offer condition; and generating the billing statement, the billing statement including information specifying the upsell offer.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least first billing item includes data identifying at least one transaction applied against a customer account.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
35 words
The method of claim 2 , wherein the at least first billing item includes at least one of: (i) information identifying a product; (ii) information identifying a merchant; and (iii) information identifying a purchase price.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
46 words
The method of claim 1 , wherein determining if the at least one billing item satisfies an upsell offer condition further comprises: determining a product type associated with the at least one billing item; and determining if the upsell offer condition applies to the product type.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
45 words
The method of claim 1 , wherein determining if the at least one billing item satisfies an upsell offer condition further comprises: determining a purchase price associated with the at least one billing item; and determining if the purchase price satisfies the upsell offer condition.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
59 words
The method of claim 1 , wherein determining if the at least one billing item satisfies an upsell offer condition further comprises: determining a product type and a purchase price associated with the at least one billing item; determining if the upsell offer applies to the product type; and determining if the purchase price satisfies the upsell offer condition.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
59 words
The method of claim 1 , wherein the upsell offer condition is at least one of: (i) a purchase for more than a predetermined price; (ii) a purchase for a price within a predefined price range; (iii) a predefined number of purchases made; and (iv) a plurality of purchases, each made at a merchant other than a predetermined merchant.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
54 words
The method of claim 1 , in which the upsell offer condition is a purchase of a predefined product, and in which the step of determining if the at least one billing item satisfies an upsell offer condition comprises: determining if the at least one billing item indicates a purchase of the predefined product.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
58 words
The method of claim 1 , in which the upsell offer condition is a purchase for more than a predefined price, and in which the step of determining if the at least one billing item satisfies an upsell offer condition comprises: determining if the at least one billing item indicates a purchase for more than the predefined price.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
62 words
The method of claim 1 , in which the upsell offer condition is a purchase for a price within a predefined price range, and in which the step of determining if the at least one billing item satisfies an upsell offer condition comprises: determining if the at least one billing item indicates a purchase for a price within the predefined price range.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
59 words
The method of claim 1 , in which the upsell offer condition is a predefined number of purchases made, and in which the step of determining if the at least one billing item satisfies an upsell offer condition comprises: determining if the at least one billing item indicates that at least the predefined number of purchases have been made.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
75 words
The method of claim 1 , in which the upsell offer condition is a plurality of purchases, each made at a merchant other than a predetermined merchant, and in which the step of determining if the at least one billing item satisfies an upsell offer condition comprises: determining if each of the at least one billing item indicate that each of a plurality of purchases was made at a merchant other than a predetermined merchant.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 1 , wherein determining an upsell further comprises: determining a price of the upsell.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 1 , wherein determining an upsell further comprises: generating a redemption code associated with the upsell.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 1 , wherein determining an upsell further comprises: determining contact information to receive a redemption code associated with the upsell.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 1 , wherein generating the billing statement further comprises: printing indicia on the billing statement.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method of claim 16 , wherein the indicia include at least one of: (i) an upsell offer price; (ii) an upsell offer product; and (iii) an upsell offer redemption code.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
49 words
The method of claim 1 , wherein the billing statement is a customer account billing statement, the method further comprising: determining an amount of available credit of the customer account; and wherein generating the billing statement is only performed if the amount of available credit exceeds a predetermined amount.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
54 words
The method of claim 1 , wherein the billing statement is a customer account billing statement, the method further comprising: determining an amount of available credit of the customer account; determining an upsell price corresponding to the upsell offer; and if the amount of available credit exceeds the upsell price, generating the billing statement.
Claim 21
Independent Claim
84 words
An apparatus, comprising: a storage device; a processor connected to the storage device; and a printer connected to the processor; the storage device storing a program for controlling the processor; and the processor operative with the program to receive data identifying at least one billing item; determine if the at least first billing item satisfies an upsell offer condition; determine an upsell offer corresponding to the satisfied upsell offer condition; and generate the billing statement, the billing statement including information specifying the upsell offer.
Claim 22
Independent Claim
84 words
An apparatus, comprising: a storage device; a processor connected to the storage device; and a printer connected to the processor; the storage device storing a program for controlling the processor; and the processor operative with the program to receive data identifying at least one billing item; determine if the at least first billing item satisfies an upsell offer condition; determine an upsell offer corresponding to the satisfied upsell offer condition; and generate the billing statement, the billing statement including information specifying the upsell offer.
Claim 23
Independent Claim
63 words
An apparatus for providing an upsell offer, comprising: means for receiving data identifying at least a first billing item; means for determining if the at least first billing item satisfies an upsell offer condition; means for determining an upsell offer corresponding to the satisfied upsell offer condition; and means for generating the billing statement, the billing statement including information specifying the upsell offer.
Claim 24
Independent Claim
63 words
An apparatus for providing an upsell offer, comprising: means for receiving data identifying at least a first billing item; means for determining if the at least first billing item satisfies an upsell offer condition; means for determining an upsell offer corresponding to the satisfied upsell offer condition; and means for generating the billing statement, the billing statement including information specifying the upsell offer.
Claim 25
Independent Claim
62 words
A method for providing an upsell to an entity, comprising: generating a billing statement including information specifying a first billing item and an upsell offer associated with the first billing item; forwarding the billing statement to the entity; receiving an indication of whether the entity accepted the upsell offer; and if the upsell offer was accepted, providing the upsell to the entity.
Claim 26
Independent Claim
62 words
A method for providing an upsell to an entity, comprising: generating a billing statement including information specifying a first billing item and an upsell offer associated with the first billing item; forwarding the billing statement to the entity; receiving an indication of whether the entity accepted the upsell offer; and if the upsell offer was accepted, providing the upsell to the entity.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 22 , wherein providing the upsell is performed only if payment of at least a predetermined upsell price is received.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 22 , further comprising: initiating use of a financial identifier to collect an upsell price from the entity.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 22 , further comprising: initiating payment to a third party account if the upsell was accepted.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 22 , wherein receiving the indication of whether the upsell was accepted comprises: selecting the upsell from a plurality of upsells.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
36 words
The method of claim 22 , wherein receiving the indication of whether the upsell was accepted comprises: scanning the billing statement for indicia of acceptance; and generating a signal indicative of whether the upsell was accepted.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method of claim 27 , wherein scanning comprises: optically scanning predetermined locations of the billing statement.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
32 words
The method of claim 22 , wherein receiving the indication of whether the upsell was accepted comprises: receiving from a data entry terminal a signal indicative of whether the upsell was accepted.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 22 , wherein receiving the indication of whether the upsell was accepted comprises: receiving signals from a voice response unit.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method of claim 22 , wherein providing the upsell comprises: reducing a price charged.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 31 , wherein reducing a price charged comprises: reducing a price charged for a predetermined product.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 32 , in which the price is reduced by a predetermined amount.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 31 , wherein reducing comprises: determining a price; and subtracting a predetermined amount from the price to obtain a reduced price.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method of claim 31 , wherein reducing is performed at a POS terminal.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 31 , wherein reducing is performed upon generating a subsequent billing statement.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method of claim 22 , wherein providing the upsell comprises: printing a certificate.
Claim 42
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 37 , wherein printing a certificate comprises: printing a predetermined identifier onto a certificate.
Claim 43
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 38 , further comprising: generating a code which identifies a predetermined product; and generating the predetermined identifier based on the code.
Claim 44
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 38 , further comprising: generating a code which identifies a predetermined price; and generating the predetermined identifier based on the code.
Claim 45
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 38 , further comprising: generating a code which identifies a predetermined discount; and generating the predetermined identifier based on the code.
Claim 46
Independent Claim
63 words
An apparatus, comprising: means for generating a billing statement including information specifying a first billing item and an upsell offer associated with the first billing item; means for forwarding the billing statement to the entity; means for receiving an indication of whether the entity accepted the upsell offer; and if the upsell offer was accepted, means for providing the upsell to the entity.
Claim 47
Independent Claim
63 words
An apparatus, comprising: means for generating a billing statement including information specifying a first billing item and an upsell offer associated with the first billing item; means for forwarding the billing statement to the entity; means for receiving an indication of whether the entity accepted the upsell offer; and if the upsell offer was accepted, means for providing the upsell to the entity.
Claim 48
Independent Claim
90 words
An apparatus, comprising: a storage device; a processor connected to the storage device; and a printer connected to the processor; the storage device storing a program for controlling the processor; and the processor operative with the program to generate a billing statement including information specifying a first billing item and an upsell offer associated with the first billing item; forward the billing statement to the entity; receive an indication of whether the entity accepted the upsell offer; and if the upsell offer was accepted, provide the upsell to the entity.
Claim 49
Independent Claim
90 words
An apparatus, comprising: a storage device; a processor connected to the storage device; and a printer connected to the processor; the storage device storing a program for controlling the processor; and the processor operative with the program to generate a billing statement including information specifying a first billing item and an upsell offer associated with the first billing item; forward the billing statement to the entity; receive an indication of whether the entity accepted the upsell offer; and if the upsell offer was accepted, provide the upsell to the entity.
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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) | 2004-03-05 | 2004-09-04 | 2005-03-06 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2008-03-05 | 2008-09-04 | 2009-03-06 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2012-03-05 | 2012-09-04 | 2013-03-06 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |