Electronic product registration system with customizable return/warranty programs

Abstract

An electronic product registration (ER) system which enables a retailer, preferable in cooperation with its vendors, to provide a customized return/warranty program for customers on a product-by product basis. The original policy(ies) in the ER system can be modified for a particular product and the modified policy is stored in the ER system so that the modified policy can be accessed if the product is again presented for a return/warranty transaction.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An electronic product registration system operable to help implement a customizable return program, comprising:
 a computer processor;   a storage medium tangibly storing a plurality of policies, including an original return policy defined for a set of serialized products in the electronic product registration system;   where the computer processor is operable to at least:
 receive, via a communication channel, a first serialized product of the set of serialized products presented for a first return request, the first serialized product having a first unique identifier associated with the predefined original return policy; 
 verify the first unique identifier and determine that the first serialized product does not qualify for return under the predefined original return policy or any other predefined return policy; 
 define a customized return policy for the first serialized product, the customized return policy being different from the original return policy and reflecting a planned course of action for the received first serialized product; 
 provide first instructions concerning how to handle the first return request based on the customized return policy; 
 store, in the storage medium, the customized return policy by overriding the predefined original return policy to create and store a modified return policy, wherein the modified return policy acts as a predefined return policy for future returns of other serialized products in the set of serialized products; 
 receive, over the communication channel, a second serialized product of the set of serialized products presented for a second return request, the second serialized product having a second unique identifier associated with the predefined original return policy; 
 access the modified return policy upon receiving the second return request; and 
 provide second instructions concerning how to handle the second return request based on the modified return policy.