Abstract:
A method and implementing system are provided in which merchants are enabled to designate re-seller return locations to customers for returned items. In an exemplary embodiment, a merchant is notified that a customer wishes to return an item purchased. The merchant then sends the customer a return label for the returned item containing the address of the re-seller for the merchant. The re-seller then notifies the merchant when the item has been received and the merchant then credits the account of the customer for the returned item. In a second exemplary embodiment, upon receipt of notice from the customer of the return, the merchant then makes the item available for an auction purchase to a number of bidders. When a winning bid is known to the merchant, the return address of the winning bidder is then sent to the customer for use in returning the purchased item.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention relates generally to information processing systems and more particularly to a methodology and implementation for efficiently processing the disposition of merchandise which a buyer wishes to return to a network merchant.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    The use of computers and computing devices, including personal desktop and laptop computers as well as mobile and other wireless devices, to access websites on the World Wide Web (WWW) through the Internet continues to increase. More and more merchants are creating commercial websites which may be easily accessed through the Internet to place orders for items which are offered for sale at the merchant&#39;s website. The purchaser is able to pay for the purchased items by designating a credit or debit card or account number, and the merchant or “e-merchant”, charges the designated account for the purchase. Shipments of the selected items are then made directly to the address specified by the purchaser.  
           [0003]    After receipt of the items ordered, customers are able to return items purchased for any of a variety of reasons. For example, the customer or purchaser may not like the color of a particular item or an ordered technology product may not be compatible with the customer&#39;s system. In many cases, items are returned for reasons other than the reason that the item is faulty or defective. In those cases, an otherwise workable and acceptable item is returned to the selling merchant. The merchant has no option but to accept the return of such items and to try to resell the item at a greatly discounted rate. In many cases, especially where the ordered item is large and bulky such as a computer system, the shipping and insuring costs can become quite high. This is especially true where the item is return-shipped from the original purchaser to the selling merchant and then shipped again from the selling merchant to a re-selling merchant who may specialize in the re-sale of such returned items.  
           [0004]    Thus, there is a need for an improved method and implementing system which are designed to significantly improve the efficiency and reduce the costs associated with the shipment and return of purchased items.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0005]    A method and implementing system are provided in which merchants are enabled to designate re-seller return locations to customers for returned items. In an exemplary embodiment, a merchant is notified that a customer wishes to return an item purchased. The merchant then sends the customer a return label for the returned item containing the address of the re-seller for the merchant. The re-seller then notifies the merchant when the item has been received and the merchant then credits the account of the customer for the returned item. In a second exemplary embodiment, upon receipt of notice from the customer of the return, the merchant then makes the item available for an auction purchase to a number of re-seller merchants or individuals. When a winning bid is known to the merchant, the return address of the winning bidder is then sent to the customer for use in returning the purchased item. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0006]    A better understanding of the present invention can be obtained when the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment is considered in conjunction with the following drawings, in which:  
         [0007]    [0007]FIG. 1 is an illustration of an exemplary network layout which may be used in one implementation of the present invention;  
         [0008]    [0008]FIG. 2 is a simplified flow diagram illustrating an exemplary set of implementing transactions;  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 3 is a simplified flow diagram illustrating another exemplary set of implementing transactions;  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating one exemplary implementation of an operational sequence in accordance with the present invention;  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating another exemplary implementation of an operational sequence in accordance with the present invention; and  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a computer system which is in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0013]    The various methods discussed herein may be implemented within a typical computer-related system which may include a workstation, server or personal computer. In general, an implementing computer system at a merchant&#39;s website may include a plurality of processors in a multi-bus system in a network of similar systems. However, since the workstation or computer system  101  implementing the present invention in an exemplary embodiment, is generally known in the art and composed of electronic components and circuits which are also generally known to those skilled in the art, circuit details beyond those shown are not specified to any greater extent than that considered necessary as illustrated, for the understanding and appreciation of the underlying concepts of the present invention and in order not to obfuscate or distract from the teachings of the present invention.  
         [0014]    In FIG. 1, a merchant website  101  is shown connected to a buyer or customer&#39;s browser program for example, through an interconnection network  103  such as the Internet. In the example, a customer is running a browser program on the customer&#39;s computer system which may be a personal computer or even a wireless device. In the present disclosure, it is understood that all of the various sites illustrated include communications programming to provide the ability to send emails or instant messages to each other. In the illustrated example, the merchant website  101  and the buyer or customer  107  are also connected to an auction site  105  and to one or more (“n”) reseller merchant websites  109 . In one example, the merchant  101  has a pre-existing arrangement with particular websites such as reseller  109 , such that all of a designated item may be returned from the merchant  101  to the reseller merchant  109  for resale, and the auction site  105  is not used. In another example, when a customer indicates that the customer  107  wishes to return an item, the merchant  101  will auction the item to be returned at the auction website  105  prior to notifying the customer  107  where to send the item that is to be returned.  
         [0015]    In FIG. 2, a transaction flow in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. As shown, a return transaction is accomplished without an auction, i.e. the reseller is known to the merchant and by a prior arrangement, the reseller has agreed to take designated items, either by consignment or sale. In such a case, the merchant  101  maintains a database  201  at the merchant&#39;s website, and the database keeps track of which resellers are to receive which returned articles as well as tracking when the return to the reseller has been completed. In the FIG. 2 example, a customer will place an order  200  for an item to be purchased. This may be accomplished, for example, by the customer filling out a merchant&#39;s order form while being connected online to the merchant&#39;s website.  
         [0016]    Next, after the appropriate order information has been received by the merchant  101 , the merchant ships  202  the ordered item to the customer and charges the customer account. Next, in the present example, the customer wishes to return the item for some reason, and sends a request to return the item  204  to the merchant  101 , for example by email or instant message. The merchant server then obtains the reseller identity for the designated item from the merchant database  201  and sends a return label  206  to the customer  107  with the name and return address of the reseller merchant  205 . In this example, Merchant B  205  is designated as the reseller for the identified item. The customer then uses the return label to send the return item  208  directly to the designated reseller  205 . The designated reseller  205  then sends notice to the original merchant  101  that the return has been received  210 . At that time, the database  201  is updated and the merchant  101  credits the customer&#39;s account and sends notice of the credit  212  to the customer  107 .  
         [0017]    In FIG. 3, another example of the third party return system is illustrated. As shown, the FIG. 3 example includes an auction site  301 , and a plurality of reseller merchants including a first reseller  203  and a second reseller  205 , and individual bidders. After an order is placed  300 , an item is shipped  302  and a return request  304  is sent to the selling merchant  101 . At that time, the selling merchant  101  puts the item identified for return up for auction at auction site  301  where several merchant and individual bidders are able to bid for the item. For purposes of explanation, it is assumed that in the illustrated example, Merchant B  205  wins the auction for the identified item. The auction site  301  or the reseller  205  will then notify the original merchant  101  and merchant  101  sends the return label  312  to the customer  107 . The customer then returns the item to the designated reseller  205  and reseller  205  will then notify  316  the original merchant  101  of receipt of the returned item. The customers account is then credited and notice of the credit is then sent  318  from the merchant  101  to the customer.  
         [0018]    In the above examples, all of the required notices and other communications may be sent electronically by email or instant messaging for maximum efficiency and speed. Further, it is apparent that by direct shipping of return items from customers to resellers, at least two intermediate shipments, and the costs associated with such shipments, are obviated without unnecessarily delaying the return process.  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 4 illustrates the non-auction implementation in flowchart form. From the illustrated flowcharts, code may be written in any of many languages and installed on the merchant website server  101 , and executed from server memory to accomplish the illustrated operational sequence of events. As shown in FIG. 4, after the process begins  401 , checks are continually made at the merchant server website  101  to determine if any of three different events  403 ,  409  or  415 , have occurred. As shown, if a buyer order has been received  403 , the order is processed  405  and the ordered item is shipped to the buyer or customer  407 . The processing of the order may include, for example the recording of the customer&#39;s name and address and the address to which the ordered item is to be shipped. Further, the initial processing  405  may also include recording the charge information and processing a charge for the item ordered and also printing the address label of the customer&#39;s shipping address.  
         [0020]    When it is determined that a buyer or customer return request has been received  409 , the merchant server will get the reseller merchant information from the reseller database  201  and send the return information, including a return label, to the buyer or customer  413 .  
         [0021]    The next step in the merchant server process occurs when the it is detected that the reseller merchant  205  has sent notice that the returned item has been received  415 . At that time, the merchant&#39;s database is updated  417 , the customer&#39;s account is credited and notice of the credit is sent to the customer  419 .  
         [0022]    The auction version of the third party return methodology is illustrated in flowchart form in FIG. 5. As shown, after the process has begun  501 , when a buyer order is received  503 , the order is processed  505  and the item is shipped to the buyer  507 . When a return request is received  509 , the merchant will do an auction  510  at an auction site and the winner of the auction will be provided to the merchant  511 . The return information, including the shipping label for the winning bidder, is then sent to the customer or buyer  512 . Next, the winning bidder receives the returned item directly from the buyer, and the winning bidder sends notice of such receipt to the merchant  101 . When receipt of the reseller notice is detected  515 , the merchant server will update the database, credit the buyer&#39;s account  517  and send notice of the credit to the buyer  519 .  
         [0023]    In FIG. 6, there is shown several of the major electronic subsystems which are included in an exemplary embodiment of the merchant&#39;s server. As shown, a processor  601  is coupled to a system bus  603  which may be any host system bus. It is noted that the processing methodology disclosed herein will apply to many different bus and/or network configurations although only one example is illustrated. A memory subsystem  605 , a storage device  607  and selected medium devices  609  such as a diskette drive or a CD drive, are also shown connected to the system bus  603 . The information processing circuitry illustrated in FIG. 6 is arranged to establish a communication link and initiate communication with other processing systems and websites. The system, for example, may be connected through a network interface connection  613  to any appropriate network including the Internet, or to a gateway computer for connection to the Internet and selected websites which contain useful information for access. The exemplary system also includes an input interface  611  to enable administrator input to the server system, and also a video system for display of various aspects of the designated transactions at the server site.  
         [0024]    The method and apparatus of the present invention has been described in connection with a preferred embodiment as disclosed herein. The disclosed methodology may be implemented in a wide range of sequences, menus and screen designs to accomplish the desired results as herein illustrated. Although an embodiment of the present invention has been shown and described in detail herein, along with certain variants thereof, many other varied embodiments that incorporate the teachings of the invention may be easily constructed by those skilled in the art, and even included or integrated into a processor or CPU or other larger system integrated circuit or chip. The disclosed methodology may also be implemented solely or partly in program code and executed to achieve the beneficial results as described herein. Accordingly, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the specific form set forth herein, but on the contrary, it is intended to cover such alternatives, modifications, and equivalents, as can be reasonably included within the spirit and scope of the invention.