Granted Patent B1

US 8,433,624 · App. 12/367,837 · Granted Apr 30, 2013

Abstract

Claims (45)

1. A method comprising:

receiving, in a mobile item-purchasing device, identification information from a physical item for sale by a seller;

electronically matching, via the mobile item-purchasing device, the item for sale with an item on a buying list of an inventory control system in response to entering the identification information for the item for sale into the mobile item-purchasing device;

electronically obtaining, via the mobile item-purchasing device, a purchase price for the item for sale;

purchasing the item via the mobile item-purchasing device utilizing the electronically obtained purchase price;

determining, via the mobile item-purchasing device, a hot spot buying condition when purchasing activity by the mobile item-purchasing device occurs at a rate higher than a predetermined purchasing activity threshold;

identifying, via the mobile item-purchasing device, a location of the mobile-item purchasing device associated with the hot spot buying condition as a hot spot buying location; and

based on the determination of the hot spot buying condition, automatically sending a purchasing assistance message from the mobile item-purchasing device to at least one other mobile item-purchasing device notifying the at least one other mobile item purchasing of the hot spot buying location.

2. The method of claim 1 and further comprising utilizing the mobile item-purchasing device to issue a payment to the seller for the item.

3. The method of claim 2 and further comprising enabling the mobile item-purchasing device to issue the payment using at least one of a pre-paid debit card technique, a paper check-based technique, an electronic payment technique and a cash transaction technique.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein entering identification information for an item for sale by a seller into a mobile item-purchasing device comprises scanning a barcode on the item for sale with a barcode scanner integrated with the mobile item-purchasing device.

5. The method of claim 1 and wherein the mobile item-purchasing device is Global Positioning System (GPS)-enabled.

6. The method of claim 5 and further comprising determining a location of the mobile item-purchasing device using the GPS-enabled feature of the mobile item-purchasing device.

7. The method of claim 6 and further comprising utilizing the location of the mobile item-purchasing device to determine a nearest price source for obtaining the purchase price for the item for sale.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein electronically obtaining, via the mobile item-purchasing device, the purchase price for the item for sale comprises receiving the purchase price for the item for sale from the nearest price source.

9. The method of claim 5 and further comprising inhibiting the mobile item-purchasing device from carrying out item-purchasing transactions in at least one predetermined zone.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the item for sale is a book and wherein the mobile item-purchasing device is operated by an affiliate of a bookstore.

11. The method of claim 10 and further comprising inhibiting the mobile item-purchasing device from carrying out item-purchasing transactions based on a predetermined radius from the bookstore.

12. The method of claim 10 and further comprising utilizing a price list of the bookstore as a price source for obtaining the purchase price for the item for sale.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the buying list and the purchase price are obtained from a same source.

14. An item purchasing system comprising:

a datacenter comprising:

a price arbiter; and

a payment processing component; and

a mobile item-purchasing device configured to:

receive identification information from a physical item for sale by a seller;

employ the identification information for the item for sale to electronically match the item for sale with an item on a buying list of an inventory control system;

utilize the identification information for the item for sale to electronically obtain, from the price arbiter, a purchase price for the item for sale; and

operate in conjunction with the payment processing component to execute a payment for the item for sale;

determine a hot spot buying condition when purchasing activity by the mobile item-purchasing device occurs at a rate higher than a predetermined purchasing activity threshold;

identify a location of the mobile-item purchasing device associated with the hot spot buying condition as a hot spot buying location; and

based on the determination of the hot spot buying condition, automatically send a purchasing assistance message from the mobile item-purchasing device to at least one other mobile item-purchasing device notifying the at least one other mobile item purchasing of the hot spot buying location.

15. The item purchasing system of claim 14 wherein the mobile item-purchasing device is Global Positioning System (GPS)-enabled.

16. The item purchasing system of claim 15 wherein the datacenter is configured to utilize the GPS-enabled feature of the mobile item-purchasing device to determine a location of the mobile item-purchasing device and, based on the location of the mobile item-purchasing device, to determine a nearest price source for obtaining the purchase price for the item for sale.

17. The item purchasing system of claim 14 wherein the payment processing component is configured to communicate with a card management system, which is external to the item purchasing system, to execute a pre-paid debit card payment option.

18. A book acquisition method comprising:

meeting a book supplier at a residence of the book supplier;

entering identification information from a book for sale by the book supplier, at the residence of the book supplier, into a mobile item-purchasing device;

electronically matching, via the mobile item-purchasing device, the book for sale with a book on a buying list of an inventory control system in response to entering the identification information for the book for sale into the mobile item-purchasing device;

electronically obtaining, via the mobile item-purchasing device, a purchase price for the book for sale;

utilizing the electronically obtained purchase price as a guide price for purchasing the book for sale from the book supplier;

utilizing the mobile item-purchasing device to issue a payment to the book supplier for the book at the residence of the book supplier;

determining, via the mobile item-purchasing device, a hot spot buying condition when purchasing activity by the mobile item-purchasing device occurs at a rate higher than a predetermined purchasing activity threshold;

identifying, via the mobile item-purchasing device, a location of the mobile-item purchasing device associated with the hot spot buying condition as a hot spot buying location; and

based on the determination of the hot spot buying condition, automatically sending a purchasing assistance message from the mobile item-purchasing device to at least one other mobile item-purchasing device notifying the at least one other mobile item purchasing of the hot spot buying location.

Assignments (30)