US 7,024,381 B1 · Approach for renting items to customers

Abstract

According to a computer-implemented approach for renting items to customers, customers specify what items to rent using item selection criteria separate from deciding when to receive the specified items. According to the approach, customers provide item selection criteria to a provider provides the items indicated by the item selection criteria to customer over a delivery channel. The provider may be either centralized or distributed depending upon the requirements of a particular application. A “Max Out” approach allows up to a specified number of items to be rented simultaneously to customers. A “Max Turns” approach allows up to a specified number of item exchanges to occur during a specified period of time. The “Max Out” and “Max Turns” approaches may be used together or separately with a variety of subscription methodologies.

Claims51

Dependent claims

A computer-implemented method for renting movies to customers, the method comprising:

providing electronic digital information that causes one or more attributes of movies to be displayed;
establishing, in electronic digital form, from electronic digital information received over the Internet, a movie rental queue associated with a customer comprising an ordered list indicating two or more movies for renting to the customer;
causing to be delivered to the customer up to a specified number of movies based upon the order of the list;
in response to one or more delivery criteria being satisfied, selecting another movie based upon the order of the list and causing the selected movie to be delivered to the customer;
and
in response to other electronic digital information received from the customer over the Internet, electronically updating the movie rental queue.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Approach for renting items to customers

Life of this patent

Approach for renting items to customers

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims51