US6553346B1
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Conditional purchase offer (CPO) management system for packages
Assignee: Priceline com LLC
•
Filing: 1997-09-04
•
Granted: 2003-04-22
•
Expires: 2017-09-04
Abstract
Abstract A conditional purchase offer (CPO) management system for receiving and processing CPOs for packages of component goods or services. The package CPO management system preferably deconstructs an overall package CPO into component CPOs which are individually offered to sellers. If each component CPO of a given package CPO is accepted, the package CPO management system binds the buyer, on behalf of each of the accepting sellers, to purchase the entire package. An offer price for each component CPO is preferably calculated by initially determining the total market price of the package based on the market price of each individual component good or service within the package. The package CPO management system then calculates an offer price for each component CPO based on the total price offered by the buyer for the entire package (as adjusted by a reserved margin, if appropriate) multiplied by the ratio of the market price of the respective component CPO to the total market price of the package. As each individual component CPO is accepted by a seller, the package CPO management system preferably enters a “pre-bind” agreement with the seller, whereby the component good or service is reserved for a predefined time period to pen-nit the package CPO management system to complete the processing of the remaining active component CPOs. The package CPO management system preferably provides an optional agency feature that permits the package CPO management system to accept or reject a given component CPO on behalf of certain sellers who have delegated such authority to the package CPO management system.
Inventors
- 👤 Jay S. Walker
- 👤 Daniel E. Tedesco
- 👤 Andrew S. VanLuchene
- 👤 James A. Jorasch
- 👤 T. Scott Case
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 21:05
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06Q; G06Q20/00; G06Q10/00; G06Q10/02; G06Q10/022; G06Q10/028; G06Q10/0283; G06Q20/02; G06Q20/04; G06Q20/08; G06Q20/10; G06Q20/12; G06Q20/20; G06Q20/209; G06Q20/22; G06Q20/24; G06Q20/38; G06Q20/40; G06Q20/403; G06Q30/00; G06Q30/02; G06Q30/06; G06Q30/0601; G06Q30/0609; G06Q30/08; G06Q40/00; G06Q40/03; G07; G07F; G07F9/00; G07F9/02; G07F9/026
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 58
Claim 1
Independent Claim
132 words
A method of using a computer to process the sale of a package of component items, comprising the steps of: obtaining, using said computer, a purchase offer for said package from a customer, said purchase offer containing a description of each component item and a payment identifier for specifying a general-purpose account from which funds may be paid; deconstructing by said computer said package purchase offer into a plurality of component purchase offers each having a component price; providing said component purchase offers to a plurality of potential sellers; receiving from one or more of said sellers an acceptance of said component purchase offers; binding said customer to purchase said package if an acceptance is received for each of said component purchase offers; and preventing said customer from identifying said component price.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
132 words
A method of using a computer to process the sale of a package of component items, comprising the steps of: obtaining, using said computer, a purchase offer for said package from a customer, said purchase offer containing a description of each component item and a payment identifier for specifying a general-purpose account from which funds may be paid; deconstructing by said computer said package purchase offer into a plurality of component purchase offers each having a component price; providing said component purchase offers to a plurality of potential sellers; receiving from one or more of said sellers an acceptance of said component purchase offers; binding said customer to purchase said package if an acceptance is received for each of said component purchase offers; and preventing said customer from identifying said component price.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method according to claim 1 , further comprising the step of initiating the use of said payment identifier to collect said funds.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method according to claim 1 , wherein said component purchase offers are offered at a component price.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method according to claim 1 , wherein said purchase offer includes a total price and a portion of said total price is reserved as a margin.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
34 words
The method according to claim 1 , further comprising filtering said component purchase offers provided to said sellers based on the industry associated with each component purchase offer and the industry of said sellers.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
152 words
A method of using a computer to process the sale of a package of component items, comprising the steps of: obtaining, using a computer, a purchase offer for said package from a customer, said purchase offer containing a description of each component item and a payment identifier for specifying a general-purpose account from which funds may be paid; deconstructing by said computer said package purchase offer into a plurality of component purchase offers each having a component price, and wherein said component price of each component is based on the percentage of the market value of the component item to the market value of the package; providing said component purchase offers to a plurality of potential sellers; receiving from one or more of said sellers an acceptance of said component purchase offers; and binding said customer to purchase said package if an acceptance is received for each of said component purchase offers.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
152 words
A method of using a computer to process the sale of a package of component items, comprising the steps of: obtaining, using a computer, a purchase offer for said package from a customer, said purchase offer containing a description of each component item and a payment identifier for specifying a general-purpose account from which funds may be paid; deconstructing by said computer said package purchase offer into a plurality of component purchase offers each having a component price, and wherein said component price of each component is based on the percentage of the market value of the component item to the market value of the package; providing said component purchase offers to a plurality of potential sellers; receiving from one or more of said sellers an acceptance of said component purchase offers; and binding said customer to purchase said package if an acceptance is received for each of said component purchase offers.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
42 words
The method according to claim 1 , further comprising the step of entering a preliminary agreement with each seller accepting a component purchase offer, whereby the component item associated with said accepted component purchase offer is reserved for a predefined time period.
Claim 10
Independent Claim
147 words
A method of using a computer to process the sale of a package of component items, comprising the steps of: obtaining, using said computer, a purchase offer for said package from a customer, said purchase offer containing a description of each component item and a payment identifier for specifying a general-purpose account from which funds may be paid; deconstructing by said computer said package purchase offer into a plurality of component purchase offers each having a component price; providing said component purchase offers to a plurality of potential sellers; increasing the component price of one or more of said component purchase offers that remain unaccepted by said sellers after a predefined time period; receiving from one or more of said sellers an acceptance of said component purchase offers; binding said customer to purchase said package if an acceptance is received for each of said component purchase offers.
Claim 11
Independent Claim
147 words
A method of using a computer to process the sale of a package of component items, comprising the steps of: obtaining, using said computer, a purchase offer for said package from a customer, said purchase offer containing a description of each component item and a payment identifier for specifying a general-purpose account from which funds may be paid; deconstructing by said computer said package purchase offer into a plurality of component purchase offers each having a component price; providing said component purchase offers to a plurality of potential sellers; increasing the component price of one or more of said component purchase offers that remain unaccepted by said sellers after a predefined time period; receiving from one or more of said sellers an acceptance of said component purchase offers; binding said customer to purchase said package if an acceptance is received for each of said component purchase offers.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
140 words
A method of using a computer to process the sale of a package of component items, comprising the steps of: obtaining, using said computer, a purchase offer for said package from a customer, said purchase offer containing a description of each component item and a payment identifier for specifying a general-purpose account from which funds may be paid; deconstructing by said computer said package purchase offer into a plurality of component purchase offers; providing said component purchase offers to a plurality of potential sellers, in a serial order based on the likelihood that each component item of the package will be accepted by a seller; receiving from one or more of said sellers an acceptance of said component purchase offers; and binding said customer to purchase said package if an acceptance is received for each of said component purchase offers.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
140 words
A method of using a computer to process the sale of a package of component items, comprising the steps of: obtaining, using said computer, a purchase offer for said package from a customer, said purchase offer containing a description of each component item and a payment identifier for specifying a general-purpose account from which funds may be paid; deconstructing by said computer said package purchase offer into a plurality of component purchase offers; providing said component purchase offers to a plurality of potential sellers, in a serial order based on the likelihood that each component item of the package will be accepted by a seller; receiving from one or more of said sellers an acceptance of said component purchase offers; and binding said customer to purchase said package if an acceptance is received for each of said component purchase offers.
Claim 14
Independent Claim
165 words
A method of using a computer to process the sale of a package of component items, comprising the steps of: obtaining, using said computer, a purchase offer for said package from a customer, said purchase offer containing at least one customer-defined condition for each of said component items and a total price; deconstructing by said computer said package purchase offer into a plurality of component purchase offers each having a component price; identifying one or more rules from a plurality of sellers of said component items, each of said rules containing one or more seller-defined restrictions; comparing one or more of said component purchase offers to said rules to determine whether any of said sellers is willing to accept said component purchase offer if said customer-defined condition satisfies said seller-defined restrictions of at least one of said rules; providing said package of component items to said customer if each of said component purchase offers is acceptable; and preventing said customer from identifying said component price.
Claim 15
Independent Claim
165 words
A method of using a computer to process the sale of a package of component items, comprising the steps of: obtaining, using said computer, a purchase offer for said package from a customer, said purchase offer containing at least one customer-defined condition for each of said component items and a total price; deconstructing by said computer said package purchase offer into a plurality of component purchase offers each having a component price; identifying one or more rules from a plurality of sellers of said component items, each of said rules containing one or more seller-defined restrictions; comparing one or more of said component purchase offers to said rules to determine whether any of said sellers is willing to accept said component purchase offer if said customer-defined condition satisfies said seller-defined restrictions of at least one of said rules; providing said package of component items to said customer if each of said component purchase offers is acceptable; and preventing said customer from identifying said component price.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method according to claim 10 , wherein said component purchase offers are offered at a component price.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
42 words
The method according to claim 10 , further comprising the step of entering a preliminary agreement with each seller accepting a component purchase offer, whereby the component item associated with said accepted component purchase offer is reserved for a predefined time period.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method according to claim 10 , wherein said purchase offer includes a total price and a portion of said total price is reserved as a margin.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
34 words
The method according to claim 10 , further comprising filtering said component purchase offers provided to said sellers based on the industry associated with each component purchase offer and the industry of said sellers.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
38 words
The method according to claim 10 , wherein said component purchase offers are provided to said sellers in a serial order based on the likelihood that each component item of the package will be accepted by a seller.
Claim 21
Independent Claim
178 words
A method of using a computer to process the sale of a package of component items, comprising the steps of: obtaining, using said computer, a purchase offer for said package from a customer, said purchase offer containing at least one customer-defined condition for each of said component items; deconstructing by said computer said package purchase offer into a plurality of component purchase offers each having a component price, wherein said component price of each component is based on the percentage of the market value of the component item to the market value of the package; identifying one or more rules from a plurality of sellers of said component items, said rules containing one or more seller-defined restrictions; comparing one or more of said component purchase offers to said rules to determine whether any of said sellers is willing to accept said component purchase offer if said customer-defined condition satisfies said seller-defined restrictions of at least one of said rules; and providing said package of component items to said customer if each of said component purchase offers is acceptable.
Claim 22
Independent Claim
178 words
A method of using a computer to process the sale of a package of component items, comprising the steps of: obtaining, using said computer, a purchase offer for said package from a customer, said purchase offer containing at least one customer-defined condition for each of said component items; deconstructing by said computer said package purchase offer into a plurality of component purchase offers each having a component price, wherein said component price of each component is based on the percentage of the market value of the component item to the market value of the package; identifying one or more rules from a plurality of sellers of said component items, said rules containing one or more seller-defined restrictions; comparing one or more of said component purchase offers to said rules to determine whether any of said sellers is willing to accept said component purchase offer if said customer-defined condition satisfies said seller-defined restrictions of at least one of said rules; and providing said package of component items to said customer if each of said component purchase offers is acceptable.
Claim 23
Independent Claim
170 words
A method of using a computer to process the sale of a package of component items, comprising the steps of: obtaining, using said computer, a purchase offer for said package from a customer, said purchase offer containing at least one customer-defined condition for each of said component items; deconstructing by said computer said package purchase offer into a plurality of component purchase offers; identifying one or more rules from a plurality of sellers of said component items, said rules containing one or more seller-defined restrictions; comparing one or more of said component purchase offers to said rules to determine whether any of said sellers is willing to accept said component purchase offer if said customer-defined condition satisfies said seller-defined restrictions of at least one of said rules; increasing the component price of one or more of said component purchase offers that remain unaccepted by said sellers after a predefined time period; and providing said package of component items to said customer if each of said component purchase offers is acceptable.
Claim 24
Independent Claim
170 words
A method of using a computer to process the sale of a package of component items, comprising the steps of: obtaining, using said computer, a purchase offer for said package from a customer, said purchase offer containing at least one customer-defined condition for each of said component items; deconstructing by said computer said package purchase offer into a plurality of component purchase offers; identifying one or more rules from a plurality of sellers of said component items, said rules containing one or more seller-defined restrictions; comparing one or more of said component purchase offers to said rules to determine whether any of said sellers is willing to accept said component purchase offer if said customer-defined condition satisfies said seller-defined restrictions of at least one of said rules; increasing the component price of one or more of said component purchase offers that remain unaccepted by said sellers after a predefined time period; and providing said package of component items to said customer if each of said component purchase offers is acceptable.
Claim 25
Independent Claim
98 words
A method of using a computer to process the sale of a package of component items, comprising the steps of: obtaining, using said computer, a purchase offer for said package from a customer, said purchase offer containing a description of each component item; deconstructing said package purchase offer into a plurality of component purchase offers; providing each of said component purchase offers to a plurality of potential sellers; receiving from one or more of said sellers an acceptance of each of said component purchase offers at a component price; and preventing said customer from identifying said component price.
Claim 26
Independent Claim
98 words
A method of using a computer to process the sale of a package of component items, comprising the steps of: obtaining, using said computer, a purchase offer for said package from a customer, said purchase offer containing a description of each component item; deconstructing said package purchase offer into a plurality of component purchase offers; providing each of said component purchase offers to a plurality of potential sellers; receiving from one or more of said sellers an acceptance of each of said component purchase offers at a component price; and preventing said customer from identifying said component price.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method according to claim 18 , wherein said component purchase offers are offered at a component offer price.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
36 words
The method according to claim 19 , wherein said component offer price of each component is based on the percentage of the market value of the component item to the market value of the total package.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
37 words
The method according to claim 19 , further comprising the step of increasing the component offer price of one or more of said component purchase offers that remain unaccepted by said sellers after a predefined time period.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
42 words
The method according to claim 18 , further comprising the step of entering a preliminary agreement with each seller accepting a component purchase offer, whereby the component item associated with said accepted component purchase offer is reserved for a predefined time period.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method according to claim 18 , wherein said purchase offer includes a total price and a portion of said total price is reserved as a margin.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
37 words
The method according to claim 18 , further comprising the step of filtering said component purchase offers provided to said sellers based on the industry associated with each component purchase offer and the industry of said sellers.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
38 words
The method according to claim 18 , wherein said component purchase offers are provided to said sellers in a serial order based on the likelihood that each component item of the package will be accepted by a seller.
Claim 34
Independent Claim
145 words
A method of using a computer to process the sale of a package of component items, comprising the steps of: obtaining, using said computer, a purchase offer for said package from a customer, said purchase offer containing at least one customer-defined condition for each of said component items and a total price; deconstructing by said computer said package purchase offer into a plurality of component purchase offers each having a component price; providing each of said component purchase offers to a plurality of potential sellers; receiving from one or more of said sellers an acceptance of each of said component purchase offers at a component price and an identification of a component product satisfying said customer-defined condition; binding said customer to purchase said package if an acceptance is received for each of said component purchase offers; and preventing said customer from identifying said component price.
Claim 35
Independent Claim
145 words
A method of using a computer to process the sale of a package of component items, comprising the steps of: obtaining, using said computer, a purchase offer for said package from a customer, said purchase offer containing at least one customer-defined condition for each of said component items and a total price; deconstructing by said computer said package purchase offer into a plurality of component purchase offers each having a component price; providing each of said component purchase offers to a plurality of potential sellers; receiving from one or more of said sellers an acceptance of each of said component purchase offers at a component price and an identification of a component product satisfying said customer-defined condition; binding said customer to purchase said package if an acceptance is received for each of said component purchase offers; and preventing said customer from identifying said component price.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method according to claim 26 , wherein said component purchase offers are offered at a component price.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
42 words
The method according to claim 26 , further comprising the step of entering a preliminary agreement with each seller accepting a component purchase offer, whereby the component item associated with said accepted component purchase offer is reserved for a predefined time period.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method according to claim 26 , wherein a portion of said total price is reserved as a margin.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
37 words
The method according to claim 26 , further comprising the step of filtering said component purchase offers provided to said sellers based on the industry associated with each component purchase offer and the industry of said sellers.
Claim 40
Independent Claim
165 words
A method of using a computer to process the sale of a package of component items, comprising the steps of: obtaining, using said computer, a purchase offer for said package from a customer, said purchase offer containing at least one customer-defined condition for each of said component items and a total price; deconstructing by said computer said package purchase offer into a plurality of component purchase offers each having a component price, and wherein said component price of each component is based on the percentage of the market value of the component item to the market value of the package; providing each of said component purchase offers to a plurality of potential sellers; receiving from one or more of said sellers an acceptance of each of said component purchase offers at a component price and an identification of a component product satisfying said customer-defined condition; and binding said customer to purchase said package if an acceptance is received for each of said component purchase offers.
Claim 41
Independent Claim
165 words
A method of using a computer to process the sale of a package of component items, comprising the steps of: obtaining, using said computer, a purchase offer for said package from a customer, said purchase offer containing at least one customer-defined condition for each of said component items and a total price; deconstructing by said computer said package purchase offer into a plurality of component purchase offers each having a component price, and wherein said component price of each component is based on the percentage of the market value of the component item to the market value of the package; providing each of said component purchase offers to a plurality of potential sellers; receiving from one or more of said sellers an acceptance of each of said component purchase offers at a component price and an identification of a component product satisfying said customer-defined condition; and binding said customer to purchase said package if an acceptance is received for each of said component purchase offers.
Claim 42
Independent Claim
161 words
A method of using a computer to process the sale of a package of component items, comprising the steps of: obtaining, using said computer, a purchase offer for said package from a customer, said purchase offer containing at least one customer-defined condition for each of said component items and a total price; deconstructing by said computer said package purchase offer into a plurality of component purchase offers each having a component price; providing each of said component purchase offers to a plurality of potential sellers; increasing the component price of one or more of said component purchase offers that remain unaccepted by said sellers after a predefined time period; receiving from one or more of said sellers an acceptance of each of said component purchase offers at a component price and an identification of a component product satisfying said customer-defined condition; and binding said customer to purchase said package if an acceptance is received for each of said component purchase offers.
Claim 43
Independent Claim
161 words
A method of using a computer to process the sale of a package of component items, comprising the steps of: obtaining, using said computer, a purchase offer for said package from a customer, said purchase offer containing at least one customer-defined condition for each of said component items and a total price; deconstructing by said computer said package purchase offer into a plurality of component purchase offers each having a component price; providing each of said component purchase offers to a plurality of potential sellers; increasing the component price of one or more of said component purchase offers that remain unaccepted by said sellers after a predefined time period; receiving from one or more of said sellers an acceptance of each of said component purchase offers at a component price and an identification of a component product satisfying said customer-defined condition; and binding said customer to purchase said package if an acceptance is received for each of said component purchase offers.
Claim 44
Independent Claim
153 words
A method of using a computer to process the sale of a package of component items, comprising the steps of: obtaining, using said computer, a purchase offer for said package from a customer, said purchase offer containing at least one customer-defined condition for each of said component items and a total price; deconstructing by said computer said package purchase offer into a plurality of component purchase offers; providing each of said component purchase offers to a plurality of potential sellers in a serial order based on the likelihood that each component item of the package will be accepted by a seller; receiving from one or more of said sellers an acceptance of each of said component purchase offers at a component price and an identification of a component product satisfying said customer-defined condition; and binding said customer to purchase said package if an acceptance is received for each of said component purchase offers.
Claim 45
Independent Claim
153 words
A method of using a computer to process the sale of a package of component items, comprising the steps of: obtaining, using said computer, a purchase offer for said package from a customer, said purchase offer containing at least one customer-defined condition for each of said component items and a total price; deconstructing by said computer said package purchase offer into a plurality of component purchase offers; providing each of said component purchase offers to a plurality of potential sellers in a serial order based on the likelihood that each component item of the package will be accepted by a seller; receiving from one or more of said sellers an acceptance of each of said component purchase offers at a component price and an identification of a component product satisfying said customer-defined condition; and binding said customer to purchase said package if an acceptance is received for each of said component purchase offers.
Claim 46
Independent Claim
119 words
A system for processing the sale of a package of component items comprising: a communications port to receive a purchase offer for said package from a customer, said purchase offer containing a description of each component item and a payment identifier for specifying a general-purpose account from which funds may be paid; and a processor to (1) deconstruct said package purchase offer into a plurality of component purchase offers including component prices, (2) determine if each of said component purchase offers are accepted by one or more potential sellers and thereby bind customer to purchase said package if an acceptance is received for each of said component purchase offers, and (3) prevent said customer from identifying said component prices.
Claim 47
Independent Claim
119 words
A system for processing the sale of a package of component items comprising: a communications port to receive a purchase offer for said package from a customer, said purchase offer containing a description of each component item and a payment identifier for specifying a general-purpose account from which funds may be paid; and a processor to (1) deconstruct said package purchase offer into a plurality of component purchase offers including component prices, (2) determine if each of said component purchase offers are accepted by one or more potential sellers and thereby bind customer to purchase said package if an acceptance is received for each of said component purchase offers, and (3) prevent said customer from identifying said component prices.
Claim 48
Independent Claim
159 words
A system for processing the sale of a package of component items comprising: a communications port for obtaining a purchase offer for said package from a customer and for obtaining one or more rules from a plurality of sellers of said component items, said purchase offer containing at least one customer-defined condition for each of said component items and each of said rules containing one or more seller-defined restrictions; and a processor to: deconstruct said package purchase offer into a plurality of component purchase offers each having a component price; compare one or more of said component purchase offers to said rules to determine whether any of said sellers is willing to accept said component purchase offer if said customer-defined condition satisfies said seller-defined restrictions of at least one of said rules; provide said package of component items to said customer if each of said component purchase offers is acceptable; and prevent said customer from identifying said component price.
Claim 49
Independent Claim
159 words
A system for processing the sale of a package of component items comprising: a communications port for obtaining a purchase offer for said package from a customer and for obtaining one or more rules from a plurality of sellers of said component items, said purchase offer containing at least one customer-defined condition for each of said component items and each of said rules containing one or more seller-defined restrictions; and a processor to: deconstruct said package purchase offer into a plurality of component purchase offers each having a component price; compare one or more of said component purchase offers to said rules to determine whether any of said sellers is willing to accept said component purchase offer if said customer-defined condition satisfies said seller-defined restrictions of at least one of said rules; provide said package of component items to said customer if each of said component purchase offers is acceptable; and prevent said customer from identifying said component price.
Claim 50
Independent Claim
155 words
A method of using a computer to process the sale of a package of component items, comprising: obtaining, using a computer, a package purchase offer from a customer, said package purchase offer containing a description of each component items, at least one customer-defined condition for each component item, a total price and a payment identifier for specifying a general-purpose account from which funds may be paid; identifying one or more rules from a plurality of sellers of said component items, each of said rules containing one or more seller-defined restrictions; comparing said package purchase offer to said rules to determine whether said sellers are willing to accept components of said package purchase offer if said customer-defined condition satisfies said seller-defined restrictions of at least one of said rules; binding said customer to purchase said package if each component of said package purchase offer is acceptable is acceptable; and preventing said customer from identifying component prices.
Claim 51
Independent Claim
155 words
A method of using a computer to process the sale of a package of component items, comprising: obtaining, using a computer, a package purchase offer from a customer, said package purchase offer containing a description of each component items, at least one customer-defined condition for each component item, a total price and a payment identifier for specifying a general-purpose account from which funds may be paid; identifying one or more rules from a plurality of sellers of said component items, each of said rules containing one or more seller-defined restrictions; comparing said package purchase offer to said rules to determine whether said sellers are willing to accept components of said package purchase offer if said customer-defined condition satisfies said seller-defined restrictions of at least one of said rules; binding said customer to purchase said package if each component of said package purchase offer is acceptable is acceptable; and preventing said customer from identifying component prices.
Claim 52
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 36 further comprising deconstructing said package purchase offer into a plurality of component purchase offers.
Claim 53
Independent Claim
167 words
A system for processing the sale of a package of component items, comprising: a memory device; and a processor disposed in communication with said memory device, said processor configured to: obtain a package purchase offer from a customer, said package purchase offer containing a description of each component item, at least one customer-defined condition for each component item, a total price and a payment identifier for specifying a general-purpose account from which funds may be paid; identify one or more rules from a plurality of sellers of said component items, each of said rules containing one or more seller-defined restrictions; compare said package purchase offer to said rules to determine whether said sellers are willing to accept components of said package purchase offer if said customer-defined condition satisfies said seller-defined restrictions of at least one of said rules; bind said customer to purchase said package if each component of said package purchase offer is acceptable; and prevent said customer from identifying component prices of said component items.
Claim 54
Independent Claim
167 words
A system for processing the sale of a package of component items, comprising: a memory device; and a processor disposed in communication with said memory device, said processor configured to: obtain a package purchase offer from a customer, said package purchase offer containing a description of each component item, at least one customer-defined condition for each component item, a total price and a payment identifier for specifying a general-purpose account from which funds may be paid; identify one or more rules from a plurality of sellers of said component items, each of said rules containing one or more seller-defined restrictions; compare said package purchase offer to said rules to determine whether said sellers are willing to accept components of said package purchase offer if said customer-defined condition satisfies said seller-defined restrictions of at least one of said rules; bind said customer to purchase said package if each component of said package purchase offer is acceptable; and prevent said customer from identifying component prices of said component items.
Claim 55
Dependent Claim
24 words
The system of claim 38 wherein said processor is further configured to deconstruct said package purchase offer into a plurality of component purchase offers.
Claim 56
Independent Claim
158 words
A system for processing the sale of a package of component items, comprising: means for obtaining a package purchase offer from a customer, said package purchase offer containing a description of each component item, at least one customer-defined condition for each component item, a total price and a payment identifier for specifying a general-purpose account from which funds may be paid; means for identifying one or more rules from a plurality of sellers of said component items, each of said rules containing one or more seller-defined restrictions; means for comparing said package purchase offer to said rules to determine whether said sellers are willing to accept components of said purchase offer if said customer-defined condition satisfies said seller-defined restrictions of at least one of said rules; means for binding said customer to purchase said package if each component of said package purchase offer is acceptable; and means for preventing said customer from identifying component prices of said components.
Claim 57
Independent Claim
158 words
A system for processing the sale of a package of component items, comprising: means for obtaining a package purchase offer from a customer, said package purchase offer containing a description of each component item, at least one customer-defined condition for each component item, a total price and a payment identifier for specifying a general-purpose account from which funds may be paid; means for identifying one or more rules from a plurality of sellers of said component items, each of said rules containing one or more seller-defined restrictions; means for comparing said package purchase offer to said rules to determine whether said sellers are willing to accept components of said purchase offer if said customer-defined condition satisfies said seller-defined restrictions of at least one of said rules; means for binding said customer to purchase said package if each component of said package purchase offer is acceptable; and means for preventing said customer from identifying component prices of said components.
Claim 58
Dependent Claim
21 words
The system of claim 40 further comprising means for deconstructing said package purchase offer into a plurality of component purchase offers.
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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) | 2006-04-21 | 2006-10-21 | 2007-04-22 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2010-04-21 | 2010-10-21 | 2011-04-22 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2014-04-21 | 2014-10-21 | 2015-04-22 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |