摘要:
A method of demonstrating a product such as a household appliance having an internal communications network connecting two or more components includes using a smart device having demonstration software to communicate with the internal communications network and assume control of one or more of the components to effect a demonstration of features of the product.
摘要:
Techniques are described for using predictive pricing information for items to assist in evaluating buying and/or selling decisions in various ways, such as on behalf of end-user item acquirers and/or intermediate item providers. The predictive pricing for an item may be based on an analysis of historical pricing information for that item and/or related items, and can be used to make predictions about future pricing information for the item. Such predictions may then be provided to users in various ways to enable comparison of current prices to predicted future prices. In some situations, predictive pricing information is used to assist customers when purchasing airline tickets and/or to assist travel agents when selling airline tickets. This abstract is provided to comply with rules requiring an abstract, and it is submitted with the intention that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.
摘要:
Disclosed herein are computer-implemented methods and systems for securely carrying out electronic transactions including electronic drafts, wherein payment on at least one of the drafts is contingent upon the removal of an associated contingency. The method may include steps of establishing a secure computer site accessible only by authenticated parties to the transaction that includes a representation of the transaction and by any authenticated contingency approver. The site includes a representation of each of the plurality of drafts and an option to remove any contingencies associated therewith. Parties and contingency approvers requesting access to the computer site are authenticated by encrypting identification information provided by the requesting party or contingency approver over a secure channel and successfully matching the encrypted identification information with an encrypted identifier that is stored by a bank, the encrypted identifier being unique to the requesting party or contingency approver. Payment on the constituent draft of the transaction are released by the bank only when the option to remove each contingency associated with the draft is timely exercised by an authenticated party or authenticated contingency remover that is authorized to remove the contingency. Complex transactions may thereby be carried out securely, remotely and without compromising personal and/or financial information. The invention obviates the need to disseminate identification surrogates such as credit card numbers over public networks as well as the need to rely upon in-person holographic signatures on paper documents for authentication purposes.
摘要:
Utilizing the present invention, a buyer for products, services or both would prepare a bid package (750). The bid package would contain information necessary to complete the project the buyer would desire. At the buyer's option, the bid package is parceled into modules. The modules are prepared as discrete and stand-alone biddable items. The buyer then searches 'the exchange' (i.e. an integral compendium) (780) to retrieve a list of suppliers for each module. The search is made from multiple sources based on the modules and directed by the buyer's specifications for the product or service. The system of the present invention packages, processes, connects, procures, bids and reports the competitive bidding cycle for buyers and makes the necessary connection with interested prequalified sellers in a given industry or market. The sellers respond to the buyer with their qualifications and price (bid). The system receives, compiles, processes and reports the results.
摘要:
A retailing method executable by a computer system, including the steps of: sending a page to a prospective purchaser in response to a request, the page being associated with a specific product; receiving a purchase proposal from the prospective purchaser for direct purchase of the product at a fixed price, the purchase proposal including identifier information of persons nominated by the prospective purchaser and purchase term information selected at least in part by the prospective purchaser, the nominated persons being nominated to contribute to purchase of the product at the fixed price.
摘要:
A data processing system (X) is adapted to confront an offer (O) and a demand (D), in particular in the field of transportation of travelers or goods. The system (X) receives requests corresponding to new offers/demands, formulated by users (C x ) of the data processing system and data corresponding to offers/demands not yet satisfied from a plurality of secondary data processing servers (A, B, C, E) themselves adapted to confront an offer and a demand. After receiving a request corresponding to a new offer/demand formulated by a user (C x ) of the data processing system (X), the system (X) verifies if there is an offer/demand (O A , D A , O B , D B , O C , O B , D B ) not yet satisfied, received from a secondary data processing server (A, B, C, E) or transmitted previously by a user of the data processing system, that can respond to the request. If not, the system (X) stores the request in the data processing system and/or sends data corresponding to the new request to at least one of the secondary data processing servers (A, B, C, E) to enable confrontation with an offer/demand responding to the new request received subsequently by the secondary data processing server (A, B, C, E).
摘要:
A terminal sends to a host computer CAD drawing data which contains basic specifications of products ordered by a customer. The host computer manages product catalog information including price information of products for which orders can be accepted and customer planning information in which planning information of each customer about detail specifications of products has been registered, receives the CAD drawing data sent from the terminal, extracts the basic specifications of the ordered products from the CAD drawing data, searches the product catalog information using the extracted basic specifications of the ordered products and the customer planning information, creates quotation data based on retrieved product catalog information, and sends the quotation data to the terminal.