Abstract:
In accordance with some embodiments, a unit of product is sold by a seller to a buyer at a first price and subject to a recall upon acceptance of a buyout provision. It is then determined that a buyout condition for outputting to the buyer a buyout notification has been satisfied, the buyout notification based on the buyout provision and the buyout notification is output to the buyer, informing the buyer that the seller is interested in recalling the unit of the product and requesting the buyer to define an amount of value for which the buyer is willing to surrender the unit of product (a recall payment amount). If the seller accepts the recall payment amount, the seller recalls the unit of product in exchange for providing the buyer with the recall payment amount.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/769,265, filed Feb. 15, 2013 entitled “SYSTEM AND METHODS FOR RESELLING A PREVIOUSLY SOLD PRODUCT”, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/456,444, filed Jul. 10, 2006 and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 8,046,247 on Oct. 25, 2011, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/463,708, filed Jun. 17, 2003 and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,246,072 on Jul. 17, 2007, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/260,439, filed Mar. 2, 1999 and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,658,390 on Dec. 2, 2003. Each of the above-referenced applications is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to the sale of products. In particular, the present invention relates to a system and method for reselling a previously sold product. 
     In general, markets efficiently “clear” a seller&#39;s supply of a given product at a price reflective of buyer demand at a particular point in time. When demand is high, the seller can charge a high price for the product. When demand is low, on the other hand, the seller must accept a lower price for the product. 
     Demand for the product, however, may increase after the seller&#39;s supply has been cleared at a low price, resulting in a missed opportunity for profit. Consider, by way of example, the case of an airline selling airline tickets. All of the tickets for a particular flight may have been sold months in advance for $100 each. At the last minute, however, a surge in demand may result in potential customers offering $200 for a ticket on that flight. At this point, the seller can do nothing to profit from the increased demand. 
     This consequence is caused by the seller&#39;s inability to take back a previously sold product and then resell it at the higher price. That is, after the product has been sold, the seller is not typically able to rescind the transaction simply because demand for the product increases. 
     Because sales are generally not rescindable, the seller is forced to make pricing and inventory decisions that are, at best, speculative. In the airline industry, two practices have been employed to make optimal decisions for the seller. The first practice, called “revenue management,” involves the dynamic adjustment of price according to real-time readings of supply, demand, competitive factors and historical purchase trends. The second practice, called “demand forecasting,” involves analysis of historical and projected factors that effect sales, including prior sales, weather patterns and the like. Even when both of these concepts are used so that price is a demand forecast factor and demand forecast data effects price, the predictions still have an inherent margin of error, resulting in lost revenue opportunities. 
     Another problem with known methods of selling products is that purchasers cannot take advantage of an increase in demand. The ticket holder discussed above is not likely to be aware that potential customers are willing to pay $200 for the ticket he or she has already purchased for $100. A potential customer who is willing to pay more for a product that is no longer available from the seller currently has no simple way to communicate with, for example, ticket holders. Known methods of contacting ticket holders, such as through a newspaper advertisement, are not very effective and incur additional costs, such as the price of the advertisement. 
     Thus, a need exists for a system and method that enables sellers, such as airlines, to capitalize on demand identified after a sale when the value of that demand surpasses the value of the demand realized at the time of the sale. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,253,165 to Leiseca et al. is directed to a computerized reservation and scheduling system that lets consumers negotiate for, and select from, pre-scheduled transportation services. The Leiseca patent does not address how a transportation provider could resell a previously-sold transportation product. 
     Similarly, PCT International Publication Number WO 96/34356 (the “WO &#39;356 reference”) discloses that consumers can use posting terminals to communicate with a market maker computer to create a computerized market for previously sold goods. The WO &#39;356 reference does not disclose that a product, previously sold, can be resold. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     To alleviate the problems inherent in the prior art, the present invention introduces systems and methods for reselling a previously sold product. 
     Many ticket holders would be happy to re-arrange travel plans in return for, by way of example, an economic inducement. In the airline example from above, a ticket holder may be happy to accept a ticket for a different date and a $50 coupon in return for giving up a seat. In this case, the airline could still earn an extra $50 profit ($200 received from the subsequent purchaser−$100 cost of the replacement ticket−$50 paid to the original purchaser). 
     In one embodiment of the present invention, a seller, having previously sold a product to an original purchaser subject to a buyout-provision, determines if the buyout-condition is satisfied. If the buyout condition is satisfied, the seller recalls the product from the original purchaser and resells the product to a subsequent purchaser. 
     With these and other advantages and features of the invention that will become apparent, the nature of the invention may be more clearly understood by reference to the following detailed description of the invention, the appended claims, and to the several drawings attached herein. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram overview of a system for reselling a previously sold product according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a block schematic diagram of the seller device shown in  FIG. 1  according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a tabular representation of a portion of the inventory database shown in  FIG. 2  according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a tabular representation of a portion of the original purchaser database shown in  FIG. 2  according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a tabular representation of a portion of the triggering conditions rules database shown in  FIG. 2  according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  is a flow chart illustrating a method of reselling a previously sold product at the seller&#39;s discretion according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIGS. 7A and 7B  are a flow chart illustrating a method of reselling a previously sold product at the original purchaser&#39;s discretion according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The present invention is directed to systems and methods for reselling a previously sold product. Turning now in detail to the drawings,  FIG. 1  is a block diagram overview of a system for reselling a previously sold product according to an embodiment of the present invention. The system includes a number of seller devices  100  coupled to a number of buyer devices  200  through a communication network  300 . The buyer devices  200  may be, for example, Personal Computers (PCs), Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), wired or wireless telephones, or any other communication device. The communication network  300  may be, for example, a Local Area Network (LAN), a wireless network, a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), or an Internet Protocol (IP) network such as the Internet, an intranet or an extranet. By way of example only, the seller device  100  may be a Web-based server communicating with a number of PCs through the Internet. 
     According to an embodiment of the present invention, a seller using a seller device  100  resells a “product” previously sold to an original purchaser. As used herein, the product may be any good or service provided by the seller. The product may also be the right to use a service provided by the seller, as in the case of an airline ticket. Other types of products include hotel rooms, car rental services, concert and other event tickets, and consumer electronic devices. 
     When the seller initially sells the product to an original purchaser, the sale is made subject to a “buyout provision.” That is, the original purchaser agrees, at the time of the original sale, that the seller has the right to recall the product at a later point in time. According to another embodiment of the present invention, the original purchaser is informed that the seller may offer to recall the product at a later point in time, subject to the original purchaser&#39;s acceptance of a buyout offer. 
     The buyout-condition may be, for example, associated with a subsequent offer for the product from a subsequent purchaser, perhaps at a level of compensation above a threshold compensation level. For example, if an airline ticket was sold to the original purchaser for $500, the buyout-condition may be associated with the airline receiving a subsequent offer of $550 for a ticket on that flight. According to another embodiment of the present invention, the buyout-condition may instead be triggered when product inventory falls below a threshold inventory level. Of course, many different factors, and combinations of factors, may be used to create a buyout provision. 
     To encourage customers to accept buyout-provisions, the seller may offer, for example, a discounted original purchase price, a promise that any recalling will only be performed if the original purchaser accepts a buyout offer, a promise of a discount on a future purchase, or a predetermined minimum compensation to be provided if the recalling is performed. The predetermined minimum compensation may be, for example, a minimum refund, a minimum substitute product, or a promised minimum discount on a future purchase. According to one embodiment of the present invention, a customer may choose between a number of different buyout-provisions, each having a different set of inducements. For example, more encouragement may be given to customers willing to be the first ones to relinquish (to be “bumped”). Likewise, each customer may be allowed to set his or her own “threshold,” as in: “I am willing to be ‘bumped’ if I receive $100 back in addition to the price I paid for the ticket.” 
     According to an embodiment of the present invention, after the original sale, the seller device  100  determines if the buyout-condition is satisfied. The determination may include the evaluation of, for example, an actual or estimated product inventory, an actual or estimated demand for the product, or an actual or estimated profit if the product is resold. The determination whether the buyout-condition is satisfied may be performed either periodically or upon a change in a variable associated with the buyout-provision. According to another embodiment of the present invention, the determination may be “automatically” performed by the seller device  100 . As used herein, the terms “automatic” and “automatically” refer to actions that are not performed in an entirely manual way. According to another embodiment of the present invention, the determination may be made manually, on an ad hoc basis, by an operator of the system. According to still another embodiment of the present invention, the determination may be “dynamically” performed by the seller device  100 . As used herein, the terms “dynamic” and “dynamically” refer to actions that are performed substantially in real-time. 
     A determination whether the buyout-condition is satisfied may also include an evaluation of the profit that will be made by the seller if the product is resold. For example, consider a product that was previously sold at an original purchase price and may be resold at a subsequent purchase price. In this case, the seller may decide to recall the product only if the subsequent purchase price is greater than the original purchase price. In another example, a buyout-provision condition may only be satisfied if subsequent purchase price&gt;price of substitute product. The determination may also include evaluating information in, for example, an inventory database, an original purchaser database, or a buyout-provision condition database. In the case of an airline, a subsequent purchaser may be asked to redeem frequent flier miles in order to “bump” the original purchaser. If the buyout-condition is satisfied, the seller recalls the product from the original purchaser. 
     According to one embodiment of the present invention, depending on the terms of the original sale, the seller may have the right to recall the product with the consent of the original purchaser. Recalling the product includes either (i) taking the product from the original customer, or (ii) voiding the original customer&#39;s product. 
     According to another embodiment of the present invention, the seller may instead provide a “buyout offer” to the original purchaser when the buyout-condition is satisfied. In this case, the product is not recalled unless the original purchaser accepts the buyout offer. The buyout offer may include, for example, an offer of a refund, a substitute product, or a promise of a discount on a future purchase. For example, an airline may provide a ticket holder with a buyout offer including a substitute ticket on an alternate flight, along with a number of bonus frequent flier miles, in return for giving up a ticket. 
     The buyout offer may be sent from the seller device  100  to the buyer device  200  through the communication network  300 . The buyout offer may also be sent to a number of different buyers. For example, the seller device  100  may send an e-mail to a number of ticket holders. In this case, the first ticket holder to accept the offer may terminate the offer with respect to the other ticket holders. According to another embodiment of the present invention, a particular buyout offer may be sent to a subset of all possible ticket holders, perhaps based on a ticket holder&#39;s frequent flier status or the price the ticket holder paid for the ticket. Likewise, different buyout offers with different terms, such as different offers of compensation, may be sent to different subsets of ticket holders. 
     When the seller recalls the product from the original purchaser, the seller may compensate the original purchaser, such as by providing a refund or substitute product, or the compensation may be provided at a later time. After the seller recalls the product from the original purchaser, the product can then be resold to a subsequent purchaser. According to another embodiment of the present invention, this may be done by transferring the product directly from the original purchaser to the subsequent purchaser. 
     According to still another embodiment of the present invention, information about a product recalling and reselling may be stored in a database, such as a product resale database, to help set, for example, buyout-conditions and buyout offers in the future. The information may include, for example, a compensation received by the original purchaser (including any promise or minimum compensation provided to the original purchaser in exchange for having the original sale subject to the buyout-condition). The information may also include a buyout offer that was accepted by the original purchaser (including any refund, substitute product, promise of a discount on a future purchase, or other compensation included in the buyout offer), a compensation provided to the original purchaser in exchange for recalling the product, a compensation received from the subsequent purchaser, or how the buyout-condition was satisfied. 
       FIG. 2  is a block schematic diagram of the seller device  100  shown in  FIG. 1  according to an embodiment of the present invention. The seller device  100  includes a processing module  110  with a Central Processing Unit (CPU)  120  coupled to: a clock  160 ; a network communication port  150 , which in turn is coupled to a network (not shown in  FIG. 2 ); and “memories” comprising a Random Access Memory (RAM)  130  and a Read Only Memory (ROM)  140  and a storage device  400 . An input device  170  and an output device  180  are also coupled to the CPU  120 . 
     The memories  130 ,  140  and  400  may store instructions adapted to be executed by the CPU  120  to perform at least one embodiment of the present invention. For example, when a seller has previously sold a product to an original purchaser subject to a buyout-provision, the memories  130 ,  140  and  400  may store instructions adapted to be executed by the CPU  120  to determine if the buyout-condition is satisfied. If the buyout-condition is satisfied, the CPU  120  may the recalling of the product from the original purchaser and the reselling of the product to a subsequent purchaser. 
     For the purposes of this application, the memories  130 ,  140  and  400  could include any medium capable of storing information and instructions adapted to be executed by a processor. Some examples of such media include, but are not limited to, floppy disks, CD-ROM, magnetic tape, hard drives, and any other device that can store digital information. In one embodiment, instructions are stored on the medium in a compressed and/or encrypted format. As used herein, the phrase “adapted to be executed by a processor” is meant to encompass instructions stored in a compressed and/or encrypted format, as well as instructions that have to be compiled or installed by an installer before being executed by the processor. 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , the storage device  400  contains an inventory database  500 , described in detail with respect to  FIG. 3 . The storage device  400  also contains an original purchaser database  600 , described in detail with respect to  FIG. 4 , and a triggering conditions rules database  700 , described in detail with respect to  FIG. 5 . According to an embodiment of the present invention directed to reselling airline tickets, the storage device  400  may also contain, for example, a database (not shown in  FIG. 2 ) that stores prior sales data for specific seats. This data may be used to make future pricing decisions, such as revenue management decisions, and to set optimal triggering conditions for buyout-provisions. 
       FIG. 3  is a tabular representation of a portion of the inventory database  500  shown in  FIG. 2  according to an embodiment of the present invention directed to reselling airline tickets. As shown in  FIG. 3 , the inventory database  500  has multiple data categories. For example, the inventory database  500  may include a flight identifier  510 , flight characteristics  520 , a seat type  530 , a seat number  540 , an availability  550 , a retail price  560 , a demand forecast  570 , and a current demand  580 . 
       FIG. 4  is a tabular representation of a portion of the original purchaser database  600  shown in  FIG. 2  according to an embodiment of the present invention directed to reselling airline tickets. The original purchaser database  600  may be used to store all original purchasers who have previously agreed to either automatically relinquish or be provided with refund offers. As shown in  FIG. 4 , the original purchaser database  600  may include a customer identifier (such as a credit card number)  610 , a product purchased (such as a flight number and seat number)  620 , an original purchase price  630 , a buyout provision  640 , a refund  650 , a status  660 , and contact information  670 . The contact information  670  may be, for example, an e-mail address or a telephone number that can be used to send a buyout offer to an original purchaser. 
     Note that the buyout-provision  640  stored in the original purchaser database  600  may indicate that the buyout-provision is “owner-discretion.” In this case, the original purchaser may be notified and asked if he would like to relinquish his ticket. This decision may be based on the amount of pecuniary refund that is offered to the original purchaser. For example, a subsequent purchaser may submit an irrevocable Conditional Purchase Offer (CPO), as defined, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,794,207 to Walker et al., the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. Such a CPO could specify an offer to purchase a ticket at a price 25% higher than the original purchaser paid. This makes it possible for the original purchaser to profit from the recalling. The original purchaser&#39;s decision may also be based on his or her ability to get a similar alternate flight. For example, the original purchaser who purchased a coach ticket to a particular city may be willing to relinquish that coach ticket for a first class ticket to a nearby city. 
     The buyout-provision  640  may also indicate that the buyout-provision is “seller-discretion.” In this case, the airline may void, recall and/or transfer a ticket sold to an original purchaser without owner consent. The original purchaser may have, for example, received a substantial discount in order to accept the possibility that he or she would later relinquish his or her place on the flight. The original purchaser database  600  may also store conventional ticket sales (i.e., sales that are not subject to a buyout-provision), in which case the buyout-provision  640  may simply indicate “n/a.” Likewise, a conventional ticket sales database (not shown in  FIG. 4 ) can be modified to handle information used in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention. 
     The status information  660  stored in the original purchaser database  600  may indicate that the buyout offer has been accepted, or “exercised,” and that the ticket issued to the original purchaser is now “void.” Such information might prevent an airline from over-redeeming buyout offers. 
       FIG. 5  is a tabular representation of a portion of the triggering conditions rules database  700  shown in  FIG. 2  according to an embodiment of the present invention directed to reselling airline tickets. As shown in  FIG. 5 , the triggering conditions rules database  700  may include a product purchased  710  and a set of triggering conditions  720 . The “X” used in the product purchased  710  indicates a seat number in a series. That is, “1X” represents seats  10  through  19 , which may be, for example, first class seats. The set of triggering conditions  720  may include, for example, a requirement that a “subsequent purchaser [is] identified.” This may be satisfied directly or indirectly through the receipt of a simple price inquiry or a ticket request from a subsequent purchaser via telephone, an e-mail, a Web page or a system operator. A subsequent purchaser may instead submit an offer, such as an irrevocable CPO, to the system indicating his willingness to purchase a product similar to the original purchaser&#39;s product for a buyer-defined price. 
       FIG. 6  is a flow chart illustrating a method of reselling a previously sold product at the seller&#39;s discretion according to an embodiment of the present invention. The flow chart in  FIG. 6 , as well as the other flow charts discussed herein, are not meant to imply a fixed order to the steps; an embodiment of the present invention can be practiced in any order that is practicable. The process may be executed periodically, continuously, or upon a change in a triggering condition, such as a change in demand, as described with respect to  FIG. 5 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 6 , at step  802  it is determined, for a given product, if requisite triggering conditions are satisfied. For example, it may be determined if (1) a subsequent purchaser has been identified, (2) there is no comparable seat available for the subsequent purchaser, (3) there is a suitable alternative available for the original purchaser or (4) actual demand is higher than the forecast demand. If the triggering condition is not satisfied at step  802 , the process ends at step  804 . 
     If the triggering condition is satisfied at step  802 , the corresponding status  660  in the original purchaser database  600  is updated to “exercised/void” at step  806 . At step  808 , the availability  550  of the product is updated in the inventory database  500 . For example, where the triggering condition is simply an increase in demand, the availability  550  may be increased from “0” to “1” to open up more supply to meet the increased demand. If the triggering condition is an identified subsequent purchaser, the availability  550  may not be updated, and the newly available ticket may be transferred directly to the identified subsequent purchaser. 
     If no refund is due to the original purchaser at step  812 , the process ends at step  804 . If a refund is due to the original purchaser at step  812 , the refund, such as a substitute ticket, is provided to the original purchaser at step  812  before the process ends at step  804 . 
       FIGS. 7A and 7B  are a flow chart illustrating a method of reselling a previously sold product at the original purchaser&#39;s discretion according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in  FIG. 7A , at step  902  it is determined, for a given product, if requisite triggering conditions are satisfied. If the triggering conditions are not satisfied, the process ends at step  904 . 
     If the triggering conditions are satisfied, the original purchaser of the product is identified at step  906  using the original purchaser database  600 . At step  908 , the original purchaser&#39;s contact information  670  is retrieved and a buyout offer is transmitted to the original purchaser at step  910 . If the original purchaser declines the buyout offer at step  912 , the process ends at step  914 . 
     If the original purchaser accepts the buyout offer at step  912 , the process continues as shown in  FIG. 7B . At step  916 , the corresponding status  660  in the original purchaser database  600  is updated to “exercised/void”. At step  918 , the availability  550  of the product is updated in the inventory database  500 . If no refund is due to the original purchase at step  920 , the process ends at step  922 . If a refund is due to the original purchaser at step  920 , the refund, such substitute ticket, is provided to the original purchaser at step  924  before the process ends at step  926 . 
     Thus, the present invention enables a product, previously sold to an original purchaser subject to a buyout-provision to be resold to a subsequent purchaser. Such an arrangement can benefit both a seller and the original purchaser, who may now profit from the resale. The present invention can also benefit the subsequent purchaser, who may purchase a product that would not otherwise be available. 
     The present invention has been described in terms of several embodiments solely for the purpose of illustration. Persons skilled in the art will recognize from this description that the invention is not limited to the embodiments described, but may be practiced with modifications and alterations limited only by the spirit and scope of the appended claims.