Method and apparatus for certified secondary market inventory management
US7945487B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 29, 2007 |
| Grant date | May 17, 2011 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 12, 2030 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06Q30/0641
- WIPO fieldIT methods for management
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A certified secondary market inventory platform maintains a certified catalog of items for sale on a secondary market. Certified items are tracked by the platform and have a verified chain of custody between the manufacturer and the current owner. The certified catalog of items is presented anonymously, such that current owners of certified items are not revealed to potential buyers. Anonymity also extends to fulfillment, with shipment of a certified item to a buyer being performed without revealing the buyer and the current owner to each other. Verification of the chain of custody may, for example, include evidence such as a goods-received note corresponding to a shipment of the certified item from the manufacturer to the current owner, or a shipping notification from the manufacturer. A physical audit may also be conducted in association with publication of the certified catalog of items, as a pre-requisite for such publication.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.