Patent ID: 8126724

Claim:
A system for use in obtaining return qualification information for a consumer-type product on behalf of a consumer using a non-unique product identifier, the system comprising: at least one processor; a subsystem operable to prompt a user for the non-unique product identifier, wherein the non-unique product identifier identifies the product as a member of a defined product group; a product registration database including a plurality of different, non-unique product identifiers; a return policy storage location including return policies for each of the non-unique product identifiers, one or more of said return policies being at least partially dependent on a last date associated with at least one of the products identified by the non-unique product identifier; and an arrangement operable to look up a specific return policy for the non-unique product identifier entered by the user and provide information to the user regarding return qualification for the product identified by the non-unique product identifier, wherein the at least one processor of the system is configured to make a return qualification of a first product having a non-unique identifier based at least in part on a last date for accepting a return by the consumer associated with a second product having the same non- unique identifier.