Patent ID: 8160952
Filing Date: 2012-04-17
Classification: G06Q

Abstract:
1. A method for providing a price protection program using a price protection system coupled to a network and comprising one or more computing devices having a processor, the price protection system comprising an account manager computer and a purchase processing computer, and an employer computer, comprising: receiving enrollment information corresponding to an employee from an employer computer via the network, wherein the enrollment information comprising an identifier for the employee, one or more of the model and manufacturer of an automobile used by the employee and the distance the employee lives from the employer, and one or more of the type of the employee, the role of the employee, the tenure of the employee and the level of the employee is for enrolling the employee in a price protection program provided by the employer, the price protection program specifying a program price related to the purchase of a commodity within a locale and a payment method associated with the employer, the price protection program giving the employer the right to purchase the commodity, wherein for each purchase at a retail location of a plurality of retail locations within the locale, the commodity may be purchased at the program price if a retail price of the commodity is above the program price associated with the commodity and the locale or at the retail price of the commodity otherwise; issuing the payment method associated with the price protection program to the employee; establishing an account associated with the price protection program for the employee comprising the enrollment information at the account manager computer, wherein the account defines a quantity of the commodity that the employee is able to purchase at the program price; receiving, by the purchase processing computer via the network, purchase information corresponding to a purchase of the commodity using the payment method from a fleet card computer over a network; determining, by the purchase processing computer, if the purchase is a qualifying purchase corresponding to the price protection program; determining, at the purchase processing computer for each qualifying purchase, an employee charge and an employer charge based on the retail price of the commodity associated with the qualifying purchase and a set of terms corresponding to the price protection program or the employee, wherein the set of terms comprises the locale and the program price based on the locale; receiving, at the account manager computer via the network, update information, wherein the update information includes the identifier for the employee and an account update; and sending via the network the employee charge and the employer charge to the employer computer, wherein the account manager computer is further configured to perform: receiving information pertaining to the employee; analyzing the information to determine one or more of a remaining quantity of the commodity that the employee can purchase at the program price and purchase prices paid by the employee; and generating an employee report or an employer report.