# US 8,543,493 B2 · Systems and methods for recalling a previously sold product > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,543,493 B2 - Document ID: US8543493B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/769,265 - Filed: 2013-02-15 - Published: 2013-06-27 - Granted: 2013-09-24 - Earliest claimed: 1999-03-02 - Assignees: Walker Digital, LLC - Applicants: Walker Digital, LLC - Inventors: Jay S. Walker; Daniel E. Tedesco - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8543493B2 ## CPC - G06Q 10/02: Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events - G06Q 10/0283: {for travel seating} - G06Q 10/087: Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders - G06Q 10/0872: {using inventory planning} - G06Q 30/00: Commerce - G06Q 30/02: Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising - G06Q 30/0208: Trade or exchange of goods or services in exchange for incentives or rewards - G06Q 30/0215: {Including financial accounts} - G06Q 30/0222: {During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions} - G06Q 30/0235: constrained by time limit or expiration date - G06Q 30/0239: {Online discounts or incentives} - G06Q 30/04: Billing or invoicing - G06Q 30/06: Buying, selling or leasing transactions - G06Q 30/0601: Electronic shopping [e-shopping] - G06Q 30/0605: {Pooling transaction partners, e.g. group buying or group selling} - G06Q 30/0609: {Qualifying participants for shopping transactions (payment transaction verification G06Q20/401)} - G06Q 30/0611: {Request for offers or quotes} - G06Q 30/0613: {using intermediate agents} - G06Q 40/00: Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes - G06Q 40/04: Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange - G06Q 50/12: Hotels or restaurants - G06Q 99/00: Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass - 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 In accordance with some embodiments, a unit of product is sold by a seller to a buyer at a first price and subject to a recall upon acceptance of a buyout provision. It is then determined that a buyout condition for outputting to the buyer a buyout notification has been satisfied, the buyout notification based on the buyout provision and the buyout notification is output to the buyer, informing the buyer that the seller is interested in recalling the unit of the product and requesting the buyer to define an amount of value for which the buyer is willing to surrender the unit of product (a recall payment amount). If the seller accepts the recall payment amount, the seller recalls the unit of product in exchange for providing the buyer with the recall payment amount. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for facilitating a recall of a previously sold product, the method comprising: determining, by a seller device of a seller, that a unit of product has been sold by the seller to a buyer at a first price, wherein the unit of product is sold subject to a recall upon acceptance of a buyout provision; determining, by the seller device, that a buyout condition for outputting to the buyer a buyout notification has been satisfied, the buyout notification based on the buyout provision; outputting, to a communication device operable to output communications from the seller to the buyer, the buyout notification, the buyout notification informing the buyer that the seller is interested in recalling the unit of product subject to the buyout provision and requesting the buyer to define an amount of value for which the buyer is willing to surrender the unit of product; receiving, from the buyer, an indication of an amount of value in exchange for which the buyer is willing to surrender the unit of product, thereby determining a recall payment amount as defined by the buyer; determining, by the seller device, that the recall payment amount is acceptable to the seller; and recalling the unit of product from the buyer in exchange for the recall payment amount as defined by the buyer. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the communication device and the seller device communicate over at least one of the Internet and an intranet. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein determining that a buyout condition for outputting to the buyer the buyout notification has been satisfied comprises determining an inventory level of units of product. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the amount of value is a minimum amount of value. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the unit of product being sold subject to a recall upon acceptance of a buyout provision comprises the unit of the product being sold subject to a recall of the unit upon acceptance, by the seller, of a recall payment amount as defined by the buyer, such that determining that the recall payment amount defined by the buyer is acceptable to the seller comprises the seller accepting the buyer's offer to surrender the unit of product in exchange for the recall payment amount, thereby satisfying the recall provision. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the indication of the amount of value is received from the buyer after the buyer purchases the unit of product and after the buyout notification is output to the buyer. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the recall payment amount comprises at least one of (i) an amount of money, (ii) an amount of credit usable to purchase another product from the seller, (iii) a number of frequent flyer miles, and (iv) a substitute product available from the seller. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: tracking a value of a variable associated with units of the product sold to the buyer; and wherein determining that a condition for outputting to the buyer a notification of the buyout provision has been satisfied comprises determining that the value of the variable has changed to a predetermined value. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the unit of product is a reservation for a seat on an airline flight. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein recalling the unit of product comprises cancelling the reservation for the seat. ### Claim 11 A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions which, when read by a processor of a computing device cause the processor to execute a method, the method comprising: determining that a unit of product has been sold by the seller to a buyer at a first price, wherein the unit of product is sold subject to a recall upon acceptance of a buyout provision; determining that a buyout condition for outputting to the buyer a buyout notification has been satisfied, the buyout notification based on the buyout provision; outputting, to a communication device operable to output communications from the seller to the buyer, the buyout notification, the buyout notification informing the buyer that the seller is interested in recalling the unit of product subject to the buyout provision and requesting the buyer to define an amount of value for which the buyer is willing to surrender the unit of product; receiving, from the buyer, an indication of an amount of value in exchange for which the buyer is willing to surrender the unit of product, thereby determining a recall payment amount as defined by the buyer; determining that the recall payment amount is acceptable to the seller; and recalling the unit of product from the buyer in exchange for the recall payment amount as defined by the buyer. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the communication device and the seller device are operable to communicate over at least one of the Internet and an intranet. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein determining that a buyout condition for outputting to the buyer the buyout notification has been satisfied comprises determining an inventory level of units of the product. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the amount of value is a minimum amount of value. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the unit of product being sold subject to a recall upon acceptance of a buyout provision comprises the unit of product being sold subject to a recall of the unit upon acceptance, by the seller, of a recall payment amount as defined by the buyer, such that determining that the recall payment amount defined by the buyer is acceptable to the seller comprises the seller accepting the buyer's offer to surrender the unit of product in exchange for the recall payment amount, thereby satisfying the recall provision. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the indication of the amount of value is received from the buyer after the buyer purchases the unit of product and after the buyout notification is output to the buyer. ### Claim 17 (depends on 11) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the recall payment amount comprises at least one of (i) an amount of money, (ii) an amount of credit usable to purchase another product from the seller, (iii) a number of frequent flyer miles, and (iv) a substitute product available from the seller. ### Claim 18 (depends on 11) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, further comprising: tracking a value of a variable associated with units of product sold to the buyer; and wherein determining that a condition for outputting to the buyer a notification of the buyout provision has been satisfied comprises determining that the value of the variable has changed to a predetermined value. ### Claim 19 (depends on 11) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the unit of product is a reservation for a seat on an airline flight. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein recalling the unit of product comprises cancelling the reservation for the seat.