U.S. patent application number 10/744009 was filed with the patent office on 2005-06-30 for transaction system and methodology with inter-party communications capability.
Invention is credited to Mayo, Anthony Paul.
Application Number | 20050144121 10/744009 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34700516 |
Filed Date | 2005-06-30 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050144121 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Mayo, Anthony Paul |
June 30, 2005 |
Transaction system and methodology with inter-party communications
capability
Abstract
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, although not
necessarily limited thereto, the system of the present invention
may function in the context of an internet based commercial real
estate brokering system. In such a system, potential buyers,
sellers, lessors and lessees list and respond to offerings having
characteristics as described in connection with the listings. For
example, a potential landlord may, through interaction with the
system of the present invention, list one or more buildings for
lease. Communication and interaction may occur on an anonymous
basis such that the potential landlord is unaware of the actual
identity of the prospective tenant and vice versa until such time
as one or the other or both decide to reveal their identity. It is
also possible to avoid the need to reveal any contact information
associated with either party (including, for example, email
addresses, phone numbers, addresses, etc.) until such time as a
party wishes to disclose such information. Another aspect of the
system of the present invention provides users of the transaction
system as well as the operator thereof with the ability to
conveniently and accurately track orders and renewals of listings.
All that is necessary from the advertiser's point of view is to
select and activate the "reply" button on, for example, the
advertiser's email application screen. Once this is done, a reply
email is sent to and received by the system of the present
invention and, based upon the specific "reply to address", the
system processes the reply and carries out the automated billing
process.
Inventors: |
Mayo, Anthony Paul; (Reston,
VA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
MCGUIREWOODS, LLP
1750 TYSONS BLVD
SUITE 1800
MCLEAN
VA
22102
US
|
Family ID: |
34700516 |
Appl. No.: |
10/744009 |
Filed: |
December 24, 2003 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
705/39 ;
705/26.1; 705/40; 707/999.003 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 20/102 20130101;
G06Q 20/10 20130101; G06Q 30/0277 20130101; G06Q 30/0222 20130101;
G06Q 30/0601 20130101; G06Q 30/06 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
705/039 ;
705/040; 705/026; 707/003 |
International
Class: |
G06F 007/00; G06F
017/30; G06F 017/60 |
Claims
1-20. (canceled)
21. A method for processing a purchase transaction over a network
comprising the steps of: receiving at a server first user
information from a first user, where the first user information
comprises the identity of the user; receiving at the server a
plurality of transaction descriptions; generating at the server a
unique email address for each of the plurality of transaction
descriptions, where email transmissions sent to the unique email
address are accessible by the first user; generating at the server
a transaction description page for each of the transaction
description, where the transaction description page includes a
message soft button that enables an email message to be sent to the
unique email address associated with the transaction description
and does not provide the identity of the first user; storing at a
storage device the received plurality of transaction descriptions,
the transaction description page generated for each transaction
description, and the unique email address for each transaction
description; receiving at the server a request from a second user
for at least one of the plurality of transaction descriptions;
displaying at least one of the transaction description pages from
the server to the second user, where the at least one displayed
transaction description page corresponds to the requested
transaction description; receiving an email transmission at the
server, where the email transmission is from the second user
activating the message soft button and the email transmission is
directed toward the unique email address and does not provide the
identity of the second user; receiving a request at the server from
the first user to view at least one of the plurality of transaction
descriptions; generating at the server a display page comprising at
least one transaction description hyper-text links and at least one
message hyper-text links, where: a) the at least one transaction
description hypertext link corresponds to one transaction
description page for a transaction description; and b) the at least
one message hyper-text link corresponds to one unique email
address; and transmitting from the server the display page to the
first user; receiving at the server a request to access at least
one email transmission; transmitting an email page from the server
to the first user, where the email page comprises: a) the text of
the email transmission; and b) a message soft button that enables
an email message to be sent to the second user at the unique email
address associated with the transaction description; and receiving
a second email transmission at the server.
22. The method of claim 21, wherein the at least one of the
plurality of transaction descriptions is an offer for sale of at
least one of a good and a service.
23. The method of claim 22, where the at least one of a good and a
service comprises a real estate listing.
24. The method of claim 22, where the at least one of a good and a
service comprises a retail product.
25. The method of claim 21, where: a) at least one of the plurality
of transaction descriptions is received from a first user; b) each
of the plurality of transaction descriptions is an offer for sale
of at least one of a good and a service; c) each of the plurality
of transaction descriptions comprise identification indicia, price
indicia and location indicia; and d) each of the plurality of
transaction descriptions is associated with the first user and the
first user information.
26. A computer readable medium containing code for causing a
processor to perform a purchase transaction over a network, the
computer readable medium comprising: code for receiving at a server
first user information from a first user, where the first user
information comprises the identity of the user; code for receiving
at the server a plurality of transaction descriptions; code for
generating at the server a unique email address for each of the
plurality of transaction descriptions, where email transmissions
sent to the unique email address are accessible by the first user;
code for generating at the server a transaction description page
for each of the transaction description, where the transaction
description page includes a message soft button that enables an
email message to be sent to the unique email address associated
with the transaction description and does not provide the identity
of the first user; code for storing at a storage device the
received plurality of transaction descriptions, the transaction
description page generated for each transaction description, and
the unique email address for each transaction description; code for
receiving at the server a request from a second user for at least
one of the plurality of transaction descriptions; code for
displaying at least one of the transaction description pages from
the server to the second user, where the at least one displayed
transaction description page corresponds to the requested
transaction description; code for receiving an email transmission
at the server, where the email transmission is from the second user
activating the message soft button and the email transmission is
directed toward the unique email address and does not provide the
identity of the second user; code for receiving a request at the
server from the first user to view at least one of the plurality of
transaction descriptions; code for generating at the server a
display page comprising at least one transaction description
hyper-text links and at least one message hyper-text links, where:
a) the at least one transaction description hypertext link
corresponds to one transaction description page for a transaction
description; and b) the at least one message hyper-text link
corresponds to one unique email address; and code for transmitting
from the server the display page to the first user; code for
receiving at the server a request to access at least one email
transmission; code for transmitting an email page from the server
to the first user, where the email page comprises: a) the text of
the email transmission; and b) a message soft button that enables
an email message to be sent to the second user at the unique email
address associated with the transaction description; and code for
receiving a second email transmission at the server.
27. The computer medium of claim 26, wherein the at least one of
the plurality of transaction descriptions is an offer for sale of
at least one of a good and a service.
28. The computer medium of claim 27, where the at least one of a
good and a service comprises a real estate listing.
29. The computer medium of claim 27, where the at least one of a
good and a service comprises a retail product.
30. The computer medium of claim 26, where: a) at least one of the
plurality of transaction descriptions is received from a first
user; b) each of the plurality of transaction descriptions is an
offer for sale of at least one of a good and a service; c) each of
the plurality of transaction descriptions comprise identification
indicia, price indicia and location indicia; and d) each of the
plurality of transaction descriptions is associated with the first
user and the first user information.
31. A system for processing a purchase transaction over a network
comprising: means for receiving at a server first user information
from a first user, where the first user information comprises the
identity of the user; means for receiving at the server a plurality
of transaction descriptions; means for generating at the server a
unique email address for each of the plurality of transaction
descriptions, where email transmissions sent to the unique email
address are accessible by the first user; means for generating at
the server a transaction description page for each of the
transaction description, where the transaction description page
includes a message soft button that enables an email message to be
sent to the unique email address associated with the transaction
description and does not provide the identity of the first user;
means for storing at a storage device the received plurality of
transaction descriptions, the transaction description page
generated for each transaction description, and the unique email
address for each transaction description; means for receiving at
the server a request from a second user for at least one of the
plurality of transaction descriptions; means for displaying at
least one of the transaction description pages from the server to
the second user, where the at least one displayed transaction
description page corresponds to the requested transaction
description; means for receiving an email transmission at the
server, where the email transmission is from the second user
activating the message soft button and the email transmission is
directed toward the unique email address and does not provide the
identity of the second user; means for receiving a request at the
server from the first user to view at least one of the plurality of
transaction descriptions; means for generating at the server a
display page comprising at least one transaction description
hyper-text links and at least one message hyper-text links, where:
a) the at least one transaction description hypertext link
corresponds to one transaction description page for a transaction
description; and the at least one message hyper-text link
corresponds to one unique email address; and means for transmitting
from the server the display page to the first user; means for
receiving at the server a request to access at least one email
transmission; means for transmitting an email page from the server
to the first user, where the email page comprises: a) the text of
the email transmission; and b) a message soft button that enables
an email message to be sent to the second user at the unique email
address associated with the transaction description; and means for
receiving a second email transmission at the server.
32. The system of claim 31, wherein the at least one of the
plurality of transaction descriptions is an offer for sale of at
least one of a good and a service.
33. The system of claim 32, where the at least one of a good and a
service comprises a real estate listing.
34. The system of claim 32, where the at least one of a good and a
service comprises a retail product.
35. The system of claim 31, where: a) at least one of the plurality
of transaction descriptions is received from a first user; b) each
of the plurality of transaction descriptions is an offer for sale
of at least one of a good and a service; c) each of the plurality
of transaction descriptions comprise identification indicia, price
indicia and location indicia; and d) each of the plurality of
transaction descriptions is associated with the first user and the
first user information.
36. A method for processing a purchase transaction over a network
comprising the steps of: receiving at a server first user
information from a first user, where the first user information
comprises the identity of the user; receiving at the server a
transaction description; generating at the server a unique email
address for the transaction description, where email transmissions
sent to the unique email address are accessible by the first user;
generating at the server a transaction description page for the
transaction description, where the transaction description page
includes a message soft button that enables an email message to be
sent to the unique email address associated with the transaction
description and does not identify the first user; storing at a
storage device the received transaction description, the
transaction description page generated for the transaction
description, and the unique email address for each transaction
description; receiving at the server a request from a second user
for the transaction description; displaying the transaction
description page from the server to the second user; receiving an
email transmission at the server, where the email transmission is
from the second user activating the message soft button, the email
transmission is directed toward the unique email address and does
not provide the identity of the second user; receiving a request at
the server from the first user to view the transaction description;
generating at the server a listing page containing the transaction
description and at least one message hyper-text link, where the at
least one message hyper-text link corresponds to a unique email
address; transmitting from the server the display page to the first
user; receiving at the server a request to access at least one
email transmission; transmitting an email page from the server to
the first user, where the email page comprises: a) the text of the
email transmission; and b) a message soft button that enables an
email message to be sent to the second user at the unique email
address associated with the transaction description; and receiving
a second email transmission at the server.
37. The method of claim 36, wherein the at least one of the
plurality of transaction descriptions is an offer for sale of at
least one of a good and a service.
38. The method of claim 37, where the at least one of a good and a
service comprises a real estate listing.
39. The method of claim 37, where the at least one of a good and a
service comprises a retail product.
40. The method of claim 36, where: a) at least one of the plurality
of transaction descriptions is received from a first user; b) each
of the plurality of transaction descriptions is an offer for sale
of at least one of a good and a service; c) each of the plurality
of transaction descriptions comprise identification indicia, price
indicia and location indicia; and d) each of the plurality of
transaction descriptions is associated with the first user and the
first user information.
41. A computer readable medium containing code for causing a
processor to perform a purchase transaction over a network, the
computer readable medium comprising: code for receiving at a server
first user information from a first user, where the first user
information comprises the identity of the user; code for receiving
at the server a transaction description; code for generating at the
server a unique email address for the transaction description,
where email transmissions sent to the unique email address are
accessible by the first user; code for generating at the server a
transaction description page for the transaction description, where
the transaction description page includes a message soft button
that enables an email message to be sent to the unique email
address associated with the transaction description and does not
identify the first user; code for storing at a storage device the
received transaction description, the transaction description page
generated for the transaction description, and the unique email
address for each transaction description; code for receiving at the
server a request from a second user for the transaction
description; code for displaying the transaction description page
from the server to the second user; code for receiving an email
transmission at the server, where the email transmission is from
the second user activating the message soft button, the email
transmission is directed toward the unique email address and does
not provide the identity of the second user; code for receiving a
request at the server from the first user to view the transaction
description; code for generating at the server a listing page
containing the transaction description and at least one message
hyper-text link, where the at least one message hyper-text link
corresponds to a unique email address; code for transmitting from
the server the display page to the first user; code for receiving
at the server a request to access at least one email transmission;
code for transmitting an email page from the server to the first
user, where the email page comprises: a) the text of the email
transmission; and b) a message soft button that enables an email
message to be sent to the second user at the unique email address
associated with the transaction description; and code for receiving
a second email transmission at the server.
42. The computer medium of claim 41, wherein the at least one of
the plurality of transaction descriptions is an offer for sale of
at least one of a good and a service.
43. The computer medium of claim 42, where the at least one of a
good and a service comprises a real estate listing.
44. The computer medium of claim 42, where the at least one of a
good and a service comprises a retail product.
45. The computer medium of claim 41, where: a) at least one of the
plurality of transaction descriptions is received from a first
user; b) each of the plurality of transaction descriptions is an
offer for sale of at least one of a good and a service; c) each of
the plurality of transaction descriptions comprise identification
indicia, price indicia and location indicia; and d) each of the
plurality of transaction descriptions is associated with the first
user and the first user information.
46. A system for processing a purchase transaction over a network
comprising: means for receiving at a server first user information
from a first user, where the first user information comprises the
identity of the user; means for receiving at the server a
transaction description; means for generating at the server a
unique email address for the transaction description, where email
transmissions sent to the unique email address are accessible by
the first user; means for generating at the server a transaction
description page for the transaction description, where the
transaction description page includes a message soft button that
enables an email message to be sent to the unique email address
associated with the transaction description and does not identify
the first user; means for storing at a storage device the received
transaction description, the transaction description page generated
for the transaction description, and the unique email address for
each transaction description; means for receiving at the server a
request from a second user for the transaction description; means
for displaying the transaction description page from the server to
the second user; means for receiving an email transmission at the
server, where the email transmission is from the second user
activating the message soft button, the email transmission is
directed toward the unique email address and does not provide the
identity of the second user; means for receiving a request at the
server from the first user to view the transaction description;
means for generating at the server a listing page containing the
transaction description and at least one message hyper-text link,
where the at least one message hyper-text link corresponds to a
unique email address; means for transmitting from the server the
display page to the first user; means for receiving at the server a
request to access at least one email transmission; means for
transmitting an email page from the server to the first user, where
the email page comprises: a) the text of the email transmission;
and b) a message soft button that enables an email message to be
sent to the second user at the unique email address associated with
the transaction description; and means for receiving a second email
transmission at the server.
47. The system of claim 46, wherein the at least one of the
plurality of transaction descriptions is an offer for sale of at
least one of a good and a service.
48. The system of claim 47, where the at least one of a good and a
service comprises a real estate listing.
49. The system of claim 47, where the at least one of a good and a
service comprises a retail product.
50. The system of claim 46, where: a) at least one of the plurality
of transaction descriptions is received from a first user; b) each
of the plurality of transaction descriptions is an offer for sale
of at least one of a good and a service; c) each of the plurality
of transaction descriptions comprise identification indicia, price
indicia and location indicia; and d) each of the plurality of
transaction descriptions is associated with the first user and the
first user information.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates generally to processing
transactions on the Internet and more particularly to systems and
methods for efficiently and optimally processing and administering
transactions between parties including interactions with brokers,
agents, and those parties that offer advertising services.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The amount of commerce being conducted on the Internet is
exploding. Both business to business (B2B) and business to consumer
(B2C) transactions are more popular than ever in large part due to
the conveniences and benefits available through the use of the
Internet to process transactions. Advertising is one service that
is particularly well suited for the Internet. There are a multitude
of companies that offer advertising through websites, bulletin
boards, email and other technologies associated with the
Internet.
[0003] There are various business processes associated with the
operation and maintenance of an advertising service on the
Internet. For example, an operator of such a service must make its
service availability known to potential customers. This can be done
through traditional advertising, web-based advertising,
partnerships, co-branding relationships and other ways. In
addition, once a large number of listings are obtained, the
operator must be in a position to bill for the listings preferably
on an automated basis. It is desirable for the billing function to
include a way to collect, monitor and credit payments made on
account.
[0004] In many cases, it is also desirable for a service operator
to provide for automatic renewals of advertising services.
Automatic renewals provide a way for the operator to achieve
incremental revenue from entities and/or individuals that have
shown a propensity to take advantage of the advertising services
offered by the operator. In addition to advertising, the operator
may want to make available other services and/or product offerings
which may or may not be related to the context of the advertising.
Since demographic information concerning advertisers and possibly
potential respondents is often captured by the operator, targeted
offerings may be made available and are often successful.
[0005] There exist techniques for automatically renewing
advertisements and making offers available through the Internet.
One typical scenario involves an advertiser or other user
navigating to the operator's website and providing information
which usually includes an email address. Once the user signs up for
an advertisement or other service, renewal may be accomplished and
offerings may be made via the generation (either manually or
automatically) of an email which is sent to a specified email
address. Typically, the email message contains a "subject line"
which contains information specific to the offer or, in the case of
the renewal of advertising, the advertiser's advertisement. Often
times, this subject line is composed of a cryptic string of numbers
and letters which are coded to reflect the offer or advertisement.
The email may also contain a message to the user asking whether he
or she is interested in renewing the advertisement or accepting a
particular offer. If the user is interested, he or she is
instructed to reply to the message by selecting the "reply to"
button on their internet browser application. By doing so, the user
is causing an email with the pre-designated subject line to be sent
to a particular email address which is typically controlled by the
operator. In most cases capability is provided such that upon
receipt of this reply email by the operator, a software application
or similar functionality can process the renewal or offer
acceptance automatically.
[0006] Unfortunately, this procedure suffers from some drawbacks.
First, since the subject line is accessible to and may be
manipulated by the user, there is the potential for the user to
either accidentally or intentionally manipulate the response so as
to create an error. For example, if the user were to change a digit
in a string of characters, it could cause a processing error when
received by the service provider and this, in turn could result in
a lost sale, customer dissatisfaction and/or a dispute. A second
consequence resulting from the accessibility of the subject line is
the possibility for a security breach. If a user can figure out the
"code", it is possible that the user could intentionally cause
processing errors in order to defraud the system and/or cause it to
crash. In addition, some email application programs (e.g. Eudora
and Microsoft Outlook) may be configured to automatically modify a
subject line in connection with a reply email. By way of example,
these applications may automatically modify the subject line when a
reply is made by inserting a character string such as "re:"
followed by the original subject line. As mentioned above, such a
modification can present problems in connection with prior art
systems that rely on the string contained in the subject line.
[0007] Another drawback of the prior art systems and methodologies
is that there exist significant problems in the case where a user
may maintain more than one email account. In such a case, when an
email is automatically generated and sent to a user, the user's
origination "from address" may not be recognized (and thus the
transaction will not be properly processed) if the user replies
from an email account which is not the same as the one initially
specified in the registration process.
[0008] Another specific benefit of advertising (or in any proposed
business transaction) in the Internet context which may be made
available to users is the ability for each of the parties to a
potential transaction to communicate with each other regarding the
potential transaction. For example, an advertiser may list a
certain office space for rent through an Internet service. Once
posted, one or more individuals may view the advertisement and some
or all of those viewing the advertisement may be interested in
exploring further. By way of example, a potential renter viewing a
rental listing may obtain the landlord's email address from the
listing, send the landlord an email including questions about the
property and await a response. Following that, the landlord may or
may not respond to the interested party by sending a reply
email.
[0009] In some situations, this procedure does not present
problems. However, there are certain situations where advertisers
and/or those responding to listing may wish to preserve their
confidentiality. For example, an employer may wish to list a new
position as a "blind" listing such that nobody knows who the
company is and/or what the position is until such time as the
employer wishes to disclose such information. Further, a potential
employee may wish to maintain the confidentiality of his or her
identity until such time as he or she wishes to disclose such
information. This is often not possible or is very difficult once
email addresses are disclosed.
[0010] Thus, while internet based advertising and other web sites
have come a long way towards user convenience and usability, some
aspects of the related transactions still suffer from various
problems including those related to security, confidentiality and
convenience.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] It is therefore an object of the present invention to
overcome the disadvantages and drawbacks of prior art systems and
methods.
[0012] It is another object of the present invention to provide a
system and methodology which permits advertising service providers
as well as other service providers to efficiently and accurately
bill their customers and track advertising orders and renewals.
[0013] It is yet another object of the present invention to provide
a system and methodology which permits advertisers to conveniently
order and renew advertising services.
[0014] It is a further object of the present invention to provide a
system and methodology which permits parties to a potential
transaction to interact with each other in connection with and
prior to consummating a proposed transaction.
[0015] It is a still further object of the present invention to
provide a system and methodology which permits such interaction to
occur on an anonymous basis up until the time that one or more
parties wishes to disclose its own identity.
[0016] It is a yet further object of the present invention to
permit parties to a potential transaction to communicate with one
another without subjecting themselves to unwanted email
communications or other solicitations.
[0017] The above and other objects are achieved through the novel
transaction management system of the present invention. In a
preferred embodiment of the present invention, although not
necessarily limited thereto, the system of the present invention
may function in the context of an internet based commercial real
estate advertising system. In such a system, potential buyers,
sellers, lessors and lessees list and respond to offerings having
characteristics as described in connection with the listings. For
example, a potential landlord may, through interaction with the
system of the present invention, list one or more buildings for
lease. Particular characteristics of the property may be provided
in connection with the listing including, for example, location,
square footage, applicable zoning restrictions, build-out
possibilities and more. Potential tenants may peruse the listings
via the system of the invention and interact with the potential
landlord through electronic mail.
[0018] This communication and interaction may occur on an anonymous
basis such that the potential landlord is unaware of the actual
identity of the prospective tenant and vice versa until such time
as one or the other or both decide to reveal their identity.
According to the teachings of the present invention, in addition to
maintaining the confidentiality of the identity of the potential
parties, it is also possible to avoid the need to reveal any
contact information associated with either party (including, for
example, email addresses, phone numbers, addresses, etc.) until
such time as a party wishes to disclose such information.
[0019] Another aspect of the system of the present invention
provides users of the transaction system as well as the operator
thereof with the ability to conveniently and accurately track
orders and renewals of listings. According to a preferred
embodiment of the present invention, when an advertiser wishes to
initiate or renew an advertisement, the system of present invention
provides various payment options. One possible option the
advertiser may select is for billing to occur via an automated
email process involving, for example, a credit card charge. In such
a case, when payment becomes due either at the initiation or
renewal of an advertisement, the advertiser may be notified by an
automatically generated email with a specifically generated
"reply-to address". All that is necessary from the advertiser's
point of view at this point to is select and activate the "reply"
button on, for example, the advertiser's email application screen.
Once this is done, a reply email is sent to and received by the
system of the present invention and, based upon the specific "reply
to address", the system processes the reply and carries out the
automated billing process.
[0020] As will be described in greater detail below, the novel
features of the present invention are not by any means limited to
transactions occurring in commercial real estate context or even
with respect to real estate generally. By way of example only, the
benefits of the present invention particularly with respect to
anonymity and automated billing can offer great value in many other
contexts and industries including, job search sites,
dating/relationship sites, sites permitting or facilitating
exchanges of materials or services, sites offering postings and
responses to RFP's and the like, sites providing collective
procurement, or any other environment where internet based
transactions may occur. In addition, the teachings of the present
invention may be beneficially applied in the context of repetitive
billing such as when a utility bills customers on a monthly basis.
While the present invention will be described in the context of an
internet based commercial real estate listing service, those of
skill in the art will recognize that the teachings of the present
invention have applicability across a great many industries and
with respect to a great many transactions.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0021] FIG. 1 is a screen shot illustrating an exemplary property
listing that may be constructed, viewed and processed according to
the teachings of the present invention.
[0022] FIG. 2 is a screen shot illustrating an exemplary form which
permits a user to initiate one or more property listings according
to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
[0023] FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the automated payment
processing methodology according to a preferred embodiment of the
present invention.
[0024] FIG. 4 is an exemplary email message which may be generated
by the system of the present invention in connection with the
automated processing of a billing transaction.
[0025] FIG. 5 is an exemplary screen shot illustrating the
composition of a message in connection with the anonymous
communication feature of the present invention.
[0026] FIG. 6 is an exemplary screen shot illustrating a desktop
for viewing and administering messages in connection with the
anonymous communication feature of the present invention.
[0027] FIG. 7 is an exemplary screen shot illustrating the viewing
of one or more messages in connection with the anonymous
communication feature of the present invention.
[0028] FIG. 8 is an exemplary screen shot illustrating the viewing
of a message and the input of a reply message in connection with
the anonymous communication feature of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0029] The present invention is preferably practiced in an Internet
environment such that an operator of the system ("System") may, in
a preferred embodiment, maintain software which implements the
processes of the present invention on one or more server computers.
As mentioned above, the description provided herein is specific to
an embodiment where commercial real estate is listed, rented and
sold. However, the teachings of the present invention are not
limited thereto. In the commercial real estate embodiment, various
users including potential landlords, tenants, sellers and buyers
may list, view and communicate with respect to properties listed on
the system. In a preferred embodiment, each of these users
interacts with the system via the Internet as is known in the art.
As such, these users may access the system and the particular
applications provided thereby via a browser running on a user's
personal computer or other access device. Other possibilities for
connectivity are also possible. For example access may be via a
private communications network, intranet, direct dial up access or
any other communications medium and/or protocol now existing or
developed in the future.
[0030] FIG. 1 is a screen shot showing an example of a commercial
real estate listing which has been entered into the system. In this
case, the user viewing the listing is "Tony" as reflected by user
welcome indicator 10. The particular property being viewed is
located at 10915 Thanlet Lane in Reston, Va. This is reflected by
property address indicator 20. The display screen may also include
advertisements 30 and one or more toolbars 40. Capability for
displaying the location of the property on a map may also be
provided through the use of Map button 50. Various property
information may be displayed in property information window 60. For
example, in FIG. 1, the owner's initials are specified as is the
land area, year built, floor area, etc. Available space window 70
provides information on the particular floors and locations
available for rent within the building. Finally, button 80 provides
a mechanism by which a user (in this case, the potential lessee)
can communicate with the lister and button 90 provides a mechanism
by which a user may email the subject listing to another party that
may be interested.
[0031] FIG. 2 is a screen shot of an exemplary form whereby a
lister may initiate one or more listings. In this example, Kristine
(as identified by the welcome notation 200) is an advertiser who is
preparing to initiate a number of listings 210 with the commercial
real estate service available through the system of the present
invention. For each listing 210, a start date for the listing 230
may be selected as may the number of months for which the listing
will run 240. In the example, the "10914 Thanlet Lane" listing will
start to run on Mar. 14, 2000 and will run for six months at a
pre-negotiated price. The cost per month field 250 may reflect a
specific price or a "pre-negotiated" price which is not displayed.
By checking the "Pay" box 220, Kristine is specifying that she
wishes to initiate and pay for one or more listings. In the FIG. 1
example, since she has checked the "pay" box for 10914 Thanlet
Lane, she will be initiating the listing and initial payment
associated with this particular property. It is possible to process
this single listing or multiple listings at one time according to
the teachings of the present invention.
[0032] Since many listings may need to run for a term which is
longer than the initial term, it is often desirable to provide a
mechanism for advertisers to renew listings automatically.
According to the novel teachings of the present invention,
advertisers may be notified by automatically generated electronic
mail at predetermined times (e.g. some number of days prior to
expiration of the previous listing period) that it is time to
renew. Further, the advertiser may renew the listings according to
the novel teachings of the present invention simply by activating
the "reply" button on the advertiser's browser or via a similar
application. In a preferred embodiment, it is not necessary at the
time of renewal for the advertiser to do anything other than
activate this button to generate a return email. For example, it is
not necessary to specify a reply address, to provide credit card or
other payment information, to modify the subject line or to type in
any text or instructions or make any selections.
[0033] During the above registration process, the advertiser is
preferably prompted to input various data and make various
selections. In particular, the advertiser is asked to input billing
information such as a credit card number and expiration date so
that the user may be billed automatically as discussed below. The
advertiser may also be required or given the opportunity to specify
other preferences such as the time at which he or she would like to
be notified that renewal is due and which offers would be of
particular interest.
[0034] The payment processing methodology of the present invention
in a preferred embodiment thereof is reflected in FIG. 3 which is a
flowchart illustrating the steps for processing a payment. The
process begins at step 310. Next, at step 320, the System selects
an offer to make with respect to the particular advertiser.
Preferably, the System contains or has access to a database which
contains each of the listings currently maintained by the System as
well as the expiration date of each. The System may be configured
on a global basis, with respect to particular classes of
advertisements or on an individual basis as to the time at which an
offer is selected and an email is automatically generated for
renewal purposes. By way of example, the System may be configured
such that for all advertisements, an offer of renewal is selected
and a resulting email is transmitted ten days prior to expiration
of the previous term. As an alternative example, advertisers may
themselves specify when they desire to be notified and offered an
opportunity to renew. Additionally, offer selection as far as the
specifics of the offer may be influenced by various factors such as
the advertiser's volume of ads and the particular types of ads
placed by each individual advertiser. An unlimited number of other
offers are also possible in connection with this feature.
[0035] Administrators and/or other users of the System (from the
service provider point of view) may design and enter various
offerings which may be made in connection with renewals. There will
preferably be a great deal of flexibility available so as to
accommodate various marketing strategies. For example the System
may be configured such that it periodically generates offers which
provide a discount for an early reply. In this case if the
advertiser replies within, for example, 5 days of receipt of the
email, they may receive a discount of, for example, ten percent.
The time of response may be compared against the deadline for the
discount during the payment processing phase.
[0036] Following step 320, at step 330, the System of the present
invention selects the content to be associated with the particular
email message for transmission. The selected content is highly
dependent upon the particular offer selected. In a preferred
embodiment of the present invention, there exists a library of
email messages that may be sent to users in connection with billing
and other processes. The particular content selected may also be
dependent upon the desired transaction, the selections and
preferences designated by the advertiser at the time of
registration, the status of the user, the user's email address as
well as any combination of these factors and others. The email
message may also be set up to be a generic message which may be
customized in one or more "fields" so as to reflect the user and/or
characteristics of the particular transaction.
[0037] An example of an email message that may be generated by the
System of the present invention is provided as FIG. 4. This email
message is generated automatically by the System in response to a
triggering event such as renewal for a listing coming due within a
pre-specified number of days. In FIG. 4, "From Address" 410
(r1234567r@findAspace.net) reflects a custom generated email
address which will be the target address for receipt of a reply
when the user selects "reply to" on his browser or through a
similar application. This will be discussed in greater detail
below.
[0038] "Sent Data" 420 may provide the time and/or date that the
message was generated and/or transmitted by the system to the user.
The information in field 440 is indicative of an identifier
assigned to the particular listing. The email address may also
contain custom generated content to remind the user of the data
associated with the listing. In this case, such information may
include the address of the listing (12 Pine Street) and the amount
of time left prior to expiration of the listing. The data in field
450 may be included to provide the user with specific information
about the exposure that the listing has received or any other data
which may be available on the system and which may be presented to
the user to potentially aid him or encourage him to renew the
listing. Field 460 provides a prompt for the user to simply use the
"reply to" function on his browser in order to renew the listing
without any further action on his part.
[0039] Returning now to the overall process presented in the
flowchart of FIG. 3, in step 330, the content of the transmitted
email message has been selected and customized for the particular
transaction. In this particular case (as reflected by FIG. 4), a
"standard" renewal template has been selected from the library and
customized with the property address, the listing number, the time
until expiration and specific exposure data. As an alternative
example, if the application had been an employment site with job
listings, an employer might receive, for example, an email
identifying the job order, the time until expiration, various
exposure data, renewal terms and directions to renew according to
the teachings of the present invention.
[0040] Now, at step 340, the system generates a specific reply
email address which will receive the reply email if the user
activates his or her "reply" button. In the case of FIG. 4, the
email address r1234567r@findAspace.net has been generated, inserted
into the email template and recorded in the appropriate system
database. The updating of the database is reflected by step 350 in
FIG. 3. In one preferred embodiment, the system may store each of
the generated email addresses and for each of these, the associated
data that is necessary to automatically process the renewal and/or
initiation. For example, the database may link the email address to
the date sent, the "to" email address, the advertiser's name and
contact information, the listing number, the time until expiration,
exposure data, advertising costs and durations and other
information that is helpful or desirable for use with the automated
renewal or initiation of the listings. If time to expiration is
stored, for example, additional follow-up emails may be sent to the
advertiser with new, unique "reply to" email addresses. In this way
it is possible to control and implement various marketing programs
and related specials in connection with the acquisition and
retention of those entities which use or may use the service
provided by the System.
[0041] Once the database has been updated in step 350, it is
possible for the System to transmit the customized (or a generic)
email to the advertiser in step 360. The message can be sent in
either or both of two ways. It is possible for a normal email
message to be transmitted to the advertiser at the email address
that the advertiser may have provided during the registration
process or at some other time. Alternatively or in addition, an
"email" may be accomplished by signaling the advertiser that a
message is available to him or her on the service website. Thus, in
the latter case, when the advertiser logs on to the service, he may
be notified that a new message is available and it is not necessary
to transmit an actual email. The advertiser can than access the
message through the website and continue processing as described
below.
[0042] After the advertiser receives the email he or she may choose
to select the "reply to" function in his or her browser and cause
an email to be returned (step 370) to a custom email address. If
such a reply is received, in step 380, the System will cause the
aforementioned database to be queried (step 380) so as to retrieve
the information which is associated with the "reply-to" email
address. For example, in the case of the FIG. 4 email, the query
step may result in the payment processing application being
provided with data such as the listing number, what the renewal
rate is, how long until expiration of the current listing and the
address of the property.
[0043] At this point, the payment may be processed at step 390.
Payment processing may occur as is known in the art. For example,
credit card information for the advertiser may be pre-stored or
acquired during the renewal or initiation process and the
advertiser's credit card may be automatically charged upon renewal
or initiation. Payment processing step further preferably includes
communication of the renewal or initiation to the application which
manages and displays the listings appearing on the System. At step
395, the user may optionally be provided with notification (through
email or otherwise) by the System that the subject listing has been
successfully renewed or initiated and that the advertiser's credit
card has been charged or the advertiser has otherwise been billed.
The process then ends at step 399.
[0044] The System of the present invention also provides a feature
whereby parties to a potential transaction may communicate with one
another on an anonymous basis until such time as either or both of
the parties wish to reveal their identity. For example, in the
context of an advertisement offering a commercial property for
rent, the landlord may wish his identity to remain confidential not
only with respect to what appears in the listing but also for some
time after a potential renter contacts the landlord to indicate
interest. Confidentiality may be desirable for various reasons
including the avoidance of providing contact information so as to
avoid unwanted solicitations and/or communications. The System of
the present invention provides all parties to maintain their
identity in confidence while still allowing them to have
unrestricted communication with each other.
[0045] FIG. 5 is an illustration of a screen presentation that may
be used by a potential tenant in order to respond to a real estate
listing posted through a commercial real estate advertising service
available through the System. In the example to be discussed, Tony
is a potential tenant who has noticed a listing of interest on the
System and he has decided to respond to his potential landlord,
Kristine, who is an advertiser that has placed an advertisement
through the service. Although the following discussion assumes a
commercial real estate context for exemplary purposes, it will be
readily understood by one of skill in the art that the teachings
disclosed herein have application to a large number of environments
and applications especially with respect to those made available
through the Internet where communication between parties is summary
format or she may expand some or all of the messages by clicking on
the hyperlink associated with that message. If Kristine desires to
respond, she may click on the listing and a screen such as that
illustrated by FIG. 8 may appear. At that point, Kristine can type
in her reply message and send it back to Tony via the System of the
present invention. Communication in this fashion may continue for
as long as Tony and Kristine desire to correspond. Each can become
aware of the other's identity only at the point that the other
desires to reveal his or her identity.
[0046] The System of the present invention preferably accomplishes
the anonymous communication function as follows. When an advertiser
registers with the service, he or she is asked to specify his or
her email for the purposes of receiving replies to listings. That
email address is mapped to a system reply to address, the latter
being the destination address for replies by those viewing the
advertisements. A database with the mapping scheme is preferably
maintained within the System. In this fashion, when a respondent
replies to a listing by selecting the "Reply to" button on the
listing, the database is updated and an email may be generated and
sent to the System at a system address which maps to the
advertiser. The System may then automatically forward the email to
the advertiser at his or her designated address by querying the
mapping database in order to determine the specified address.
Communication back from the advertiser to the respondent may also
be processed in a similar fashion to maintain identity in
confidence by mapping the destination address of the respondent to
a system address at the time that the respondent replies to the
listing. According to the teachings of the present invention, each
of the advertiser and the respondent can view the communications
transmitted back and forth through the website. In addition, email
transmissions may be initiated to automatically forward the
received messages to the intended recipients at their designated
email addresses.
[0047] As has been noted, the teachings of the present invention
including those with respect to anonymous communication may be
practiced in many environments other than just a commercial real
estate advertising service. For example, potential dates may be
arranged in confidence through an online dating service. As another
example, buyers and sellers of goods and services can communicate
online without revealing their identities until the transaction is
consummated.
[0048] While various preferred embodiments of the present invention
have been illustrated and described, it will be apparent that
various modifications and alterations may be made thereto without
departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the
appended claims.
* * * * *