Method & system for a hand-held device initiated search, purchase & delivery

Abstract

A system and method for conducting electronic business between buyers and sellers is provided. The system and method disclose a means for at least one buyer to request and receive online bids from one or more sellers of a particular product according to a price curve or price schedule. A price schedule or curve for a product defining a product's unit price as a function of the volume of product ordered. Upon receipt of a plurality of bids from sellers, a buyer can then select a seller-supplier based at least in part on the price schedule.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A non-transitory computer readable storage medium stored on a hand-held computing device, the medium having embodied thereon instructions executable by a processor to:
 receive through an input of the hand-held device a search request to receive a plurality of offers for purchase of a product or service, the request including a selection of criteria associated with the product or service;   receive updated information for the plurality of offers related to the search request and display a listing of the received plurality of offers, the plurality of offers including at least one discounted price with a price per unit for the product or service and a time period associated with the delivery of the product or service;   permit a buyer to make a purchase;   permit the buyer to select at least one additional delivery for the product or service; and   provide a seller of the product or service with an indication of the at least one additional delivery selected by the buyer.   
     
     
         2 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of  claim 1 , wherein the instructions executable by a processor further transmits the search request to a server. 
     
     
         3 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of  claim 2 , wherein the updated information is received from the server in response to the search request. 
     
     
         4 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of  claim 2 , wherein the server is in communication with computing devices associated with a plurality of merchants. 
     
     
         5 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of  claim 1 , wherein the updated information is associated with one or more real-time offers. 
     
     
         6 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of  claim 1 , wherein the additional delivery includes the ability to select a different time period from a list of available options. 
     
     
         7 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of  claim 6 , wherein the ability to select a different time period includes an option to add a quantity to the initial purchase. 
     
     
         8 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of  claim 1 , wherein the delivery is expressed in a unit of measurement, a specific day, or number of days. 
     
     
         9 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of  claim 1 , wherein the instructions executable by a processor further provide the buyer with an option to alter a delivery schedule. 
     
     
         10 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of  claim 9 , wherein the altering of the delivery schedule includes an option to select a quantity and a recurring delivery time period. 
     
     
         11 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of  claim 10 , wherein at least one of the quantity or the recurring delivery time period is changed by the buyer at a later time to alter future deliveries. 
     
     
         12 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of  claim 9 , wherein the option selected by a buyer is stored to an online account associated with the buyer and allows the buyer to receive at least one of a price discount, credit, or rebate. 
     
     
         13 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of  claim 1 , wherein the selection of criteria associated with the product or service includes a seller with a rating. 
     
     
         14 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of  claim 1 , wherein the selection of criteria including a seller with a rating is updated and shared with at least one other seller. 
     
     
         15 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of  claim 14 , wherein the update occurs in real-time. 
     
     
         16 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of  claim 14 , wherein the seller with a rating is associated with influencing buyer purchases. 
     
     
         17 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of  claim 1 , wherein the selection of criteria includes information related to a reputation of at least one seller. 
     
     
         18 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of  claim 1 , wherein a higher volume purchased by the buyer results in a higher discount. 
     
     
         19 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of  claim 1 , wherein the discounted price is dynamic and can change after a purchase by the buyer. 
     
     
         20 . A system for ordering items with varying delivery schedules, the system comprising:
 a processor;   a memory; and   one or more software modules stored in the memory and executable by the processor to:
 receive through an input of the hand-held device a search request to receive a plurality of offers for purchase of a product or service, the request including a selection of criteria associated with the product or service; 
 receive updated information for the plurality of offers related to the search request and display a listing of the received plurality of offers, the plurality of offers including at least one discounted price with a price per unit for the product or service and a time period associated with the delivery of the product or service; 
 permit a buyer to make a purchase; 
 permit the buyer to select at least one additional delivery for the product or service; and 
 provide a seller of the product or service with an indication of the at least one additional delivery selected by the buyer.