Device, System, and Method of Soliciting and Accepting Offers from Merchant Members of a Virtual Network

Abstract

A user's need to purchase a service or a good is communicated to a commercial network. The commercial network includes a plurality of merchant members that offer services or goods for sale. A plurality of electronic channels of communication is established between the mobile computing device and respective electronic devices of a subset of the plurality of merchant members. Offers for the service or good needed by the user are received from the merchant members through the electronic channels of communication. The user accepts one of the offers from a selected merchant. Thereafter, the electronic channels of communication between the mobile computing device and the respective electronic devices of the rest of the merchant members are automatically terminated. Meanwhile, the electronic channel of communication between the mobile computing device and the electronic device of the selected merchant is maintained.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A mobile computing device, comprising:
 a screen configured to display visual content;   a radio component configured to conduct wireless electronic communications with external devices;   a computer memory storage module configured to store executable computer programming code; and   a computer processor module operatively coupled to the computer memory storage module, wherein the computer processor module is configured to execute the computer programming code to perform the following steps:
 communicating, at least in part via the radio component, to a commercial network a need for a user of the mobile computing device to purchase a service or a good, wherein the commercial network includes a plurality of merchant members that offer services or goods for sale; 
 establishing, at least in part via the radio component, a plurality of electronic channels of communication between the mobile computing device and respective electronic devices of a subset of the plurality of merchant members; 
 receiving, from the subset of the plurality of merchant members through the electronic channels of communication, respective offers for the service or the good needed by the user, wherein the receiving is performed at least in part via the radio component; 
 displaying, on the screen, the respective offers received from the subset of the merchant members; 
 accepting, in response to a user engagement of the screen, one of the offers offered by a selected merchant in the subset; and 
 in response to the accepting of the one of the offers, automatically terminating the electronic channels of communication between the mobile computing device and the respective electronic devices of the rest of the merchant members while maintaining the electronic channel of communication between the mobile computing device and the electronic device of the selected merchant. 
   
     
     
         2 . The mobile computing device of  claim 1 , further comprising: preventing the merchant members of the commercial network from contacting the user until after the establishing of the electronic channels of communication. 
     
     
         3 . The mobile computing device of  claim 1 , further comprising: in response to the accepting of the one of the offers, electronically notifying the rest of the merchant members in the subset that the user has accepted the offer from the selected merchant. 
     
     
         4 . The mobile computing device of  claim 1 , further comprising, after the receiving but before the accepting:
 notifying at least some of the merchant members in the subset regarding the offers that have been received by the user; and   thereafter receiving one or more revised offers from the merchant members in the subset.   
     
     
         5 . The mobile computing device of  claim 1 , further comprising, after the displaying but before the accepting: communicating one or more counter-offers from the user to the merchant members in the subset. 
     
     
         6 . The mobile computing device of  claim 1 , wherein the communicating comprises specifying a time window during which the offers from the subset of merchant members can be received by the mobile computing device. 
     
     
         7 . The mobile computing device of  claim 1 , wherein the receiving comprises receiving time-limited offers from the subset of the merchant members, wherein each time-limited offer has a respective expiration date after which it cannot be accepted. 
     
     
         8 . A system, comprising:
 a computer memory storage module configured to store executable computer programming code; and   a computer processor module operatively coupled to the computer memory storage module, wherein the computer processor module is configured to execute the computer programming code to perform the following steps:
 wirelessly communicating to a commercial network a need for a user to purchase a service or a good, wherein the commercial network includes a plurality of merchant members that offer services or goods for sale; 
 establishing, at least in part via the radio component, a plurality of electronic channels of communication between a mobile computing device of the user and respective electronic devices of a subset of the plurality of merchant members; 
 receiving, through the electronic channels of communication, respective offers from the subset of the plurality of merchant members directed to the service or the good needed by the user; 
 electronically communicating, to the user, the respective offers received from the subset of the merchant members; 
 accepting, in response to input from the user, one of the offers offered by a selected merchant in the subset; and 
 in response to the accepting of the one of the offers, automatically terminating the electronic channels of communication between the mobile computing device and the respective electronic devices of the rest of the merchant members while maintaining the electronic channel of communication between the mobile computing device and the electronic device of the selected merchant. 
   
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 8 , further comprising: preventing the merchant members of the commercial network from contacting the user until after the establishing of the electronic channels of communication. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 8 , further comprising: in response to the accepting of the one of the offers, electronically notifying the rest of the merchant members in the subset that the user has accepted the offer from the selected merchant. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 8 , further comprising, after the receiving but before the accepting:
 notifying at least some of the merchant members in the subset regarding the offers that have been received by the user; and   thereafter receiving one or more revised offers from the merchant members in the subset.   
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 8 , further comprising, before the accepting: electronically communicating one or more counter-offers from the user to the merchant members in the subset. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein:
 the communicating comprises specifying a time window during which the offers from the subset of merchant members can be received by the mobile computing device; and   the receiving comprises receiving time-limited offers from the subset of the merchant members, wherein each time-limited offer has a respective expiration date after which it cannot be accepted.   
     
     
         14 . A method, comprising:
 communicating, at least in part via a radio component of a mobile computing device of a user, to a commercial network a need for the user to purchase a service or a good, wherein the commercial network includes a plurality of merchant members that offer services or goods for sale;   establishing, at least in part via the radio component of the mobile computing device, a plurality of electronic channels of communication between the mobile computing device and respective electronic devices of a subset of the plurality of merchant members;   receiving, from the subset of the plurality of merchant members through the electronic channels of communication, respective offers for the service or the good needed by the user, wherein the receiving is performed at least in part via the radio component of the mobile computing device;   displaying, on a screen of the mobile computing device, the respective offers received from the subset of the merchant members;   accepting, in response to a user engagement of the screen, one of the offers offered by a selected merchant member in the subset; and   in response to the accepting of the one of the offers, automatically terminating the electronic channels of communication between the mobile computing device and the respective electronic devices of the rest of the merchant members while maintaining the electronic channel of communication between the mobile computing device and the electronic device of the selected merchant member.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , further comprising: preventing the merchant members of the commercial network from contacting the user until after the establishing of the electronic channels of communication. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14 , further comprising: in response to the accepting of the one of the offers, electronically notifying the rest of the merchant members in the subset that the user has accepted the offer from the selected merchant member. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 14 , further comprising, after the receiving but before the accepting:
 notifying at least some of the merchant members in the subset regarding the offers that have been received by the user; and   thereafter receiving one or more revised offers from the merchant members in the subset.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 14 , further comprising, after the displaying but before the accepting: communicating one or more counter-offers from the user to the merchant members in the subset. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the communicating comprises specifying a time window during which the offers from the subset of merchant members can be received on the mobile computing device. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the receiving comprises receiving time-limited offers from the subset of the merchant members, wherein each time-limited offer has a respective expiration date after which it cannot be accepted.