Patent ID: 7283974

Claim:
A system for providing offers in real time of an item constituting a good or a service in the form of offers for purchase to prospective customers as users of the system, utilizing an electronic communication device, comprising: an interface implemented through a computer and configured to establish remote communication between the electronic communication device and the system, an input collection unit coupled to the interface and configured to receive an indication of a user's interest to purchase a first item, an item selection unit implemented through the computer and configured to receive as an input at least an indication of the first item, the item selection unit outputting in real time an indication of at least one second item, different from the first item, for offer to the user, wherein the item selection unit comprises an electronic item selection unit that: employs a plurality of rules to select the at least one second item, with at least respective ones of the rules being modified over time based at least upon prior offers and the responses thereto, wherein the at least one second item is selected based on a coded designator received from a credit card issuer, wherein the coded designator is related to confidential information about the user, and wherein the coded designator is used to determine a manner of the offer for the second item, and employs at least one negative rule to determine the at least one second item for offer, and a communication unit implemented through the computer and configured to offer the second item to the user in real time during the communication.