# US 2014/0156443 A1 · Online Marketplace System

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- Number: US 2014/0156443 A1
- Document ID: US20140156443A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 14/094,593
- Filed: 2013-12-02
- Published: 2014-06-05
- Earliest claimed: 2012-12-02
- Assignees: Agent 20, Inc.
- Applicants: Agent 20, Inc.
- Inventors: Joerg Wesche; Klaas J. Van der Reijden
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140156443A1

## CPC

- G06Q 30/0611: {Request for offers or quotes}
- G06Q 30/08: Auctions
- G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR

## Abstract

An online marketplace system comprising a customer profile associated with at least one customer, a vendor profile associated with each of the plurality of vendors, a main dashboard associated with the customer profile, a vendor dashboard associated with the vendor profile and an application server configured for storing details of the customer profile, the vendor profile, the main dashboard and the vendor dashboard in the online market system. The online market system allows the at least one customer to control and coordinate the requirements to the plurality of vendors in a simple and efficient manner. Embodiments of the system and method are described, and may be used for coordinating requirements of at least one customer related to at least one service of interest to a plurality of vendors.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An online market system for coordinating requirements of at least one customer related to at least one service of interest to a plurality of vendors, the system comprising:
a customer profile associated with the at least one customer, the customer profile being created to allow the at least one customer to access the system;
a plurality of vendor profiles associated with a plurality of vendors, the vendor profiles allowing the plurality of vendors to access the system;
a main dashboard associated with the customer profile, the main dashboard allowing the at least one customer to view new and past offers;
a plurality of vendor dashboards associated with a plurality of vendor profiles, the vendor dashboards allowing the plurality of vendors to view new and past customer requests; and
an application server configured for storing details of the customer profile, the vendor profiles, the main dashboard and the vendor dashboards in the online market system;
whereby the online market system allows the at least one customer to control and coordinate requirements related to the at least one service of interest to the plurality of vendors in a simple and efficient manner.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one customer can set a pre-defined time frame to receive an offer from at least one of the plurality of vendors.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1 wherein the system filters requirements provided by the customer, identifies a plurality of pre-qualified vendors and communicates the requirements to the plurality of pre-qualified vendors via a communication means.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1 wherein the system allows each of the plurality of vendors to view customer requirements and provides competitive offers to meet the requirements.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of vendors can provide a plurality of offer ranges and complementary added values to the customer.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1 wherein the system validates the offer ranges from the plurality of vendors and converts the offer ranges to a descending range of individual offers by means of an algorithm.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1 wherein the descending range of individual offers are published to the at least one customer with a time delay based on the pre-defined time frame set by the customer.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1 wherein the main dashboard updates the at least one customer on the progress of each of the descending range of individual offers provided by the vendors.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one customer can select from the descending range of individual offers and purchase the at least one service of interest by entering transaction information.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one customer pays a transaction fee to the system.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1 wherein the least one service and/or product of interest is selected from the group consisting of: desired hotel style; availability of hotel rooms for a specific date; availability of offers and inquiry of distance to/from a point of reference.

### Claim 12

A method for coordinating requirements of at least one customer related to at least one service of interest to a plurality of vendors via an online market system, the method comprising the steps of:
a) creating a customer profile in the online market system by the at least one customer;
b) creating a vendor profile in the online market system by each of the plurality of vendors;
c) entering the requirements related to the at least one service of interest by the at least one customer;
d) setting a pre-defined time frame by the at least one customer to receive an offer from at least one of the plurality of vendors;
e) validating the requirements and the pre-defined time frame by the system;
f) filtering the requirements provided by the customer and identifying a plurality of pre-qualified vendors by the system;
g) communicating the requirements to the plurality of pre-qualified vendors on a vendor dashboard and/or via a communication means;
h) accepting an offer range and one or more complementary added values by the plurality of pre-qualified vendors;
i) validating the offer ranges from the plurality of pre-qualified vendors by the system;
j) converting the offer ranges into one descending range of individual offers by means of an algorithm and publishing said individual offers to the at least one customer, said individual offers being published with a time delay based on the pre-defined time frame selected by the at least one customer;
k) selecting an offer from the descending range of individual offers and purchasing the service of interest by the customer by entering transaction information;
l) paying a transaction fee to the system by the customer;
m) encrypting customer information and transaction information and forwarding said customer information and transaction information to the vendor;
n) decrypting the customer information and the transaction information by the vendor;
o) charging the at least one customer and providing the at least one service of interest to the at least one customer by the vendor; and
p) storing transaction information in a database of the system.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12 wherein the at least one customer can view new and past offers on a main dashboard associated with the customer profile.

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12 wherein each of the plurality of vendors can view new and past customer requests on the vendor dashboard associated with the vendor profile.

### Claim 15 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12 wherein the least one service of interest is selected from the group consisting of: desired hotel style; availability of hotel rooms for a specific date; availability of offers and inquiry of distance to/from a point of reference.

### Claim 16 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12 wherein the requirements pertaining to the at least one service and/or product of interest is selected from a group consisting of: name of the trip, destination, arrival and departure date, number of rooms, number of guests per room, desired hotel level, and desired maximum distance from the destination.

### Claim 17 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12 wherein the system allows the at least one customer to control and coordinate requirements related to the at least one service of interest to the plurality of vendors in a simple and efficient manner.

### Claim 18

A method for providing at least one service of interest to at least one customer by a plurality of vendors via an online market system, the method comprising the steps of:
a) creating a customer profile in the online market system by the at least one customer;
b) creating a vendor profile in the online market system by each of the plurality of vendors;
c) registering the at least one service of interest in the system by entering relevant information by each of the plurality of vendors;
d) entering the requirements related to the at least one service of interest by the at least one customer;
e) setting a pre-defined time frame by the at least one customer to receive an offer from at least one of the plurality of vendors;
f) validating the requirements and the pre-defined time frame by the system;
g) filtering the requirements provided by the customer and identifying a plurality of pre-qualified vendors by the system;
h) communicating the requirements to the plurality of pre-qualified vendors on a vendor dashboard;
i) viewing the requirements on the vendor dashboard by the plurality of pre-qualified vendors;
j) providing a plurality of offer ranges and a complementary added value to the customer by at least one of the plurality of pre-qualified vendors;
k) validating each of said plurality of offer ranges from at least one of the plurality of pre-qualified vendors by the system;
l) visually alerting at least one of the plurality of pre-qualified vendors if a lower offer range from at least one of the plurality of pre-qualified vendors is validated by the system and if at least one of the plurality of vendors is still making offers to the at least one customer;
m) allowing at least one of the plurality of pre-qualified vendors to re-evaluate the offer range and re-engage the at least one customer with a lower offer range;
n) repeating step m at least one time;
o) converting the plurality of offer ranges into one descending range of individual offers by means of an algorithm and publishing said individual offers to the at least one customer, said individual offers being published with a time delay based on the pre-defined time frame selected by the at least one customer;
p) selecting an offer from the descending range of individual offers and purchasing the at least one service of interest by the customer by entering transaction information;
q) paying a transaction fee to the system by the at least one customer;
r) encrypting customer information and transaction information and forwarding said customer information and transaction information to the vendor;
s) decrypting the customer information and the transaction information by the vendor;
t) charging the at least one customer and providing the at least one service of interest to the at least one customer by the vendor; and
u) storing transaction information in a database of the system.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The method of claim 18 wherein the at least one customer can view new and past offers on a main dashboard associated with the customer profile.

### Claim 20 (depends on 18)

The method of claim 18 wherein each of the plurality of vendors can view new and past customer requests on the vendor dashboard associated with the vendor profile.

### Claim 21 (depends on 18)

The method of claim 18 wherein each of the plurality of vendors can view other competing vendors who have bid on the business and the top leading vendors in the vendor dashboard.

### Claim 22 (depends on 18)

The method of claim 18 wherein the least one service of interest is selected from the group consisting of: desired hotel style; availability of hotel rooms for a specific date; availability of offers and inquiry of distance to/from a point of reference.

### Claim 23 (depends on 18)

The method of claim 18 wherein the requirements pertaining to the at least one service of interest is selected from a group consisting of: name of the trip, destination, arrival and departure date, number of rooms, number of guests per room, desired hotel level, and desired maximum distance from the destination.