# US 8,464,934 B2 · Method and system for purchasing goods and services for a group of individuals through a communication network > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,464,934 B2 - Document ID: US8464934B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/138,521 - Filed: 2007-04-17 - Published: 2012-03-29 - Granted: 2013-06-18 - Earliest claimed: 2006-04-26 - Assignees: Mark Phillip Watkins - Applicants: David Anthony Watkins - Inventors: David Anthony Watkins - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8464934B2 ## CPC - G06Q 30/0603: {Catalogue creation or management} - G06Q 30/06: Buying, selling or leasing transactions - G06Q 30/0613: {using intermediate agents} - 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 Allowing users to organize financial resources, it is one object of the present invention to provide a ticket vending and purchasing system for preventing illegal activities, such as ticket scalping, and for ensuring the price determiner is able to exercise their right to setting the price for events. A group purchasing method and system using the Internet is provided. Members of a group register for an event and provide a method of individual payment. A following permission to allow purchase by a system defined agent allows a single agent to purchase the group package for all registered members. The system uses each person's payment information and not only a single user's. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method and system for purchasing goods and services in a variable time horizon through a remotely extendable, multi-user communications network comprising: (a) authenticating and authorizing means to access a plurality of online users' accounts for preparing a plurality of individual contributions of funds to a shared aggregate group threshold said access selected from the group comprising of user submission of financial data, authorized proxy's submission of financial data, said authorized proxy having been authorized by the user, user submission of authorization data for a system defined agent to access said user's funds, authorized proxy's submission of authorization data for a system defined agent to access said user's funds, said authorized proxy having been authorized by the user, whereby authorization to access the user's online account is provided to a system defined agent, (b) online allocating means to allocate the individual contributions of funds to the shared aggregate group threshold, said allocation selected from the group comprising of transferring funds into a provisional account, holding funds in a user's account, holding funds in a service or good provider's account, transferring funds into a good or service provider account, or verifying financial and authorization data for future movement of funds from a user's account, whereby the system has prepared funds for payment of good and services, whereby said allocation of funds comprises a grouping of users' data into a group profile, whereby a plurality of users' funds are prepared to cover a total group cost of the plurality of users' purchase(s), (c) an event profile editor through which rule developers create definitions for when the allocated funds are moved as a payment transaction for goods and services and, definitions for what acting agent is authorized to initiate the transfer, (d) online transferring means for said users' funds, said funds previously accessed and allocated by the system, said transfer selected from the group comprising of transferring from said provisional account to an account of at least one good or service provider, transferring from said user account to at least one good or service provider, transferring from a good or service provider account back to said user's account, transferring from the holding account to at least one good or service provider whereby the funds are under control of at least one good or service provider, whereby any excess funds are refunded back to a user's account, whereby good and services are paid for, whereby a plurality of users contributions are used towards the shared aggregate group threshold. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method and system of claim 1 wherein a service provider is representing the user that is purchasing goods and services. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method and system of claim 1 wherein a service provider is representing the goods and services provider the user is purchasing from. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method and system of claim 1 wherein the transferring means comprises a sequentially debited amount from a user's account and a credited amount back to the user's account. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method and system of claim 1 wherein the users' data submissions authorize the system to use an agent defined by the system to pay for goods and services using said data when at least one threshold criterion is met, whereby a single agent is responsible for completion of the financial transactions for the plurality of users and, whereby a plurality of users' funds are used to cover a plurality of users' total cost. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method and system of claim 5 further including the user indicating a preferred payment method and data to be used to pay for goods and services when at least one system defined threshold criteria is met. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method and system of claim 6 wherein said data is selected from the group comprising of a minimum dollar amount, a maximum dollar amount, a specific dollar amount or a range of dollar amounts. ### Claim 8 (depends on 5) The method and system of claim 5 wherein said threshold criterion comprises of fund movement when goods and services become available. ### Claim 9 (depends on 5) The method and system of claim 5 wherein said threshold criterion comprises of fund movement when at least one temporal metric is met. ### Claim 10 (depends on 5) The method and system of claim 5 wherein said threshold criterion comprises of fund movement when said system defined agent performs at least one action. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method and system of claim 10 wherein the action is expressed by an agent using a computer interface selected from the group consisting of a input/output peripheral device, a keyboard, a computer mouse, a game playing device, a machine readable label reader, or a biometric reader. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The method and system of claim 10 wherein said action is selected from the group comprising of verbally accepting a sale of goods and services, verbally accepting an offer for the reservation of goods and services, accepting a sale of goods and services using a device of a communication network, accepting an offer for the reservation of goods and services using a device of a communication network. ### Claim 13 (depends on 5) The method and system of claim 5 wherein said threshold criterion comprises of fund movement when at least one quality of user data is met. ### Claim 14 (depends on 5) The method and system of claim 5 wherein said threshold criterion comprises of fund movement when a quantity of users submitting data is met. ### Claim 15 (depends on 5) The method and system of claim 5 wherein said threshold criterion comprises of fund movement when a quantity of goods or services being ordered is met. ### Claim 16 (depends on 5) The method and system of claim 5 wherein said threshold criterion comprises of fund moment when at least one quality of a good or service metric is met. ### Claim 17 (depends on 5) The method and system of claim 5 wherein said threshold criterion comprises of fund movement when a quantity of goods or services metric is met.