J /70 \` Packing Materials, Labels,
Contents
1. and reviews by consumers and post these ratings on the website This service will encourage custom ers to purchase quality reliable products and a system of the present invention will make personalized recommendations for customers based on their previous purchases Another advantage of a system of the present invention is that it encourages communication between the Manufacturer and the Retailer minimizing costly mistakes and controlling returns or recalls 0048 There are also numerous advantages for Consum ers when using a system of the present invention Current customer trends indicate few warranty claims are ever filed even though products are covered by either retailer or manufacturer warranties For the consumer a system of the present invention will provide a mechanism to capture product reliability by providing retailer manufacturer accountability as well as a simplified method for maintain ing warranty information 0049 Most retail products include a manufacturer war ranty which in most cases is limited with a requirement of registration of the product as well as the retail receipt Some products come with a limited warranty that does not require registration but to file a claim with the manufacturer the consumer would need to keep the original packing material and associated materials A system of the present invention can eliminate the need for the customer to complete product registration and the need to keep manuals2. as well as receipts If a product is unsatisfactory or malfunctions the costumer could access their account examine the warranty and ask the system to forward a preaddressed and prepaid shipping box to return the item If questions arise the customer can access a 24 hour help line and speak with personnel who specialize in product replacement or return 0050 Ifa replacement piece or accessory for a product is needed purchase information will be available from the present system and should a product be unavailable a system of the present invention can show the customer items most similar to the original product This will eliminate unnecessary visits to retailers and put the consumer in direct contact with the manufacturer when required US 2006 0095289 Al 0051 Another consumer advantage is the ability to access product user manuals whenever necessary Thus the system s database optionally includes such manuals acces sible through an internet site and a system of the present invention can eliminate the need for consumers to keep stacks of paperwork as well as providing an alternative when paperwork is lost If a warranty on a particular item has already expired but now the product is malfunctioning the user manual may assist in correcting the problem 0052 Rebates have become a common incentive and just like returns often require the customer to have copies of receipts cut bar codes from original packaging and a myri
3. embodiment of logic and of a process exemplifying yet further principles of the present invention and 0023 FIGS 4 and 5 schematically illustrate additional embodiments of logic and of processes exemplifying prin ciples of the present invention US 2006 0095289 Al DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS 0024 Referring to the drawing figures like reference numerals designate identical or corresponding elements throughout the several figures 0025 Throughout this description the following non limiting definitions will aid in a better understanding of the principles of the present invention but are neither exclusive nor exhaustive of the persons or things they define 0026 Customer an individual or business who uses a system of the present invention 0027 Consumer an individual or business that purchases any item that has a warranty and or guarantee 0028 Warranty a guarantee usually in writing of the integrity of a product and the good faith of the maker given to the purchaser and generally specifying that the maker will for a period of time be responsible for the repair or replace ment of defective product or parts of the product and will optionally also provide periodic servicing 0029 Guarantee an expressed assurance of satisfaction by a seller or maker of a product to a consumer of a product with a definite promise of purchase money to be returned or goods to be replaced or other specified
4. from the product 9 A system for tracking product warranty information the system comprising database means for storing data representative of a prod uct warranty and of a customer s unique account iden tifier means for communicating with the database for reading data from and writing data to the database said means for communicating data via the internet to a customer computing device generating a user interface on the customer computing device and May 4 2006 presenting to the customer on the customer computing device data representative of a product warranty 10 A system according to claim 9 wherein the means is also for communicating with a retailer computing device to permit the retailer to upload data into the database repre sentative of a unique product identifier and a customer s unique account identifier 11 A system according to claim 9 wherein the means is also for communicating with a manufacturer computing device to permit the manufacturer to upload data into the database representative of a plurality of unique product identifiers and an unique account identifier the unique account identifier being the manufacturer s or the custom er s 12 A system according to claim 9 wherein the means is also for permitting the customer to request materials be delivered to the customer for the return of the product 13 Asystem according to claim 12 wherein the materials are selected from the g
5. other related information including but not limited to the foregoing biographic and demographic information product name product unique identifier e g UPC product serial number retailer ID product warranty time description of warranty manual or link to product manual list or pointers to subcomponents or parts of the products return information repair instructions indicator that the product has been returned indicator that a warranty claim has been made for the product rebate amount given and rebate date given 0061 FIG 3 schematically illustrates another portion of logic 12 When there is a problem 60 with a product that has been identified in the database 14 the customer checks 62 in the database for any recalls and or the status of any warranty on the product The logic 12 returns 64 information from the database 14 on how to repair replace and or return the product The customer then decides 66 if they wish to return the product If not the customer decides 68 to request and or buy replacement parts and or purchase additional parts of the product to rectify the problem If the customer decides to have the system 10 send parts to the customer the logic generates an order 70 to send the parts with any necessary installation instructions to the customer and the customer s account with the system is charged 72 for the parts If the customer decides not to order any parts the logic informs 74 the customer of any re
6. Replacement and or Additional Parts Packing Materials Labels Completed Return Forms Etc Send Parts to Customer Charge Customer s Account Inform Customer of Retailers that Sell Parts Print Return Label Return Docs Calculate Postage Patent Application Publication May 4 2006 Sheet 1 of 3 US 2006 0095289 A1 10 Logic amp Interface Retailer n Manufacturer n Manufacturer Identifies Problem or Benefit Manufacturer Pushes Notice to DB 90 Manufacturer Lists All Warranted Parts in DB 96 92 Manufacturer Sells 98 System Pushes Notification of Problem or Benefit to 94 DB Updated with Customer Customer as Owner of 100 All Parts of Product Fig 4 Fig 5 Patent Application Publication May 4 2006 Sheet 2 of 3 US 2006 0095289 A1 Install Client side 30 Access System via application 32 Internet 34 Enter Bio amp Demographic Info 38 Retailer Enters Purchase Data Product Info Uploaded to DB 36 Enter Product Info Manually UPC 42 Notify Customer of Successful Registration Notify Customer of Issue Rebates to Recalls End of Customer s System Warranty etc Account or refund Fig 2 Patent Application Publication May 4 2006 Sheet 3 of 3 US 2006 0095289 A1 60 Problem with Product Customer Checks DB for Recalis and Warranty Status 62 Receive nfo on Repair Replacement Return Ret
7. US 20060095289A1 as United States a2 Patent Application Publication co Pub No US 2006 0095289 A1 Bunning 43 Pub Date May 4 2006 54 WARRANTY TRACKING SYSTEMS AND Publication Classification METHODS 51 Int Cl 76 Inventor Michel L Bunning Lackland Air G06Q 99 00 2006 01 Force Base TX US G06Q 20 00 2006 01 G06G 1 14 2006 01 Correspondence Address EPA EE OES e PEE eases hades E 705 1 705 22 705 28 CERMAK amp KENEALY LLP 515 E BRADDOCK RD 57 ABSTRACT SUITE B ALEXANDRIA VA 22314 US A warranty tracking system associates products and or their sub components with warranties and or guarantees on them and with the consumer who owns the product When the consumer needs to investigate whether a warranty claim can be made on the product the system provides information on the warranty and optionally can provide the materials nec essary to return the product to the manufacturer Registration of the product can be optionally enhanced by associating the 60 Provisional application No 60 623 338 filed on Nov customer s system ID with the product at the retailer s 1 2004 point of sale 21 Appl No 11 263 118 22 Filed Nov 1 2005 Related U S Application Data 60 Problem with Product Customer Checks DB for Recalls and Warranty Status 62 Receive Info on Repair Replacement Return Return Product 64 66 No Yes Send Materials Request Buy
8. ad of other requirements that take time and attention A system of the present invention can file rebates for the customer at the same time the product is registered and offer a method for the company to deposit the money directly into the customer s system account or mail a check If the manufacturer mails a check a system of the present inven tion can send weekly notices to the customer to insure the rebate has been received and once received take this off a reoccurring task list 0053 When a person purchases a new home car recre ational vehicle boat or other highly complex product these items come with a general warranty for the item overall For example a builder will warranty the entire house for one year against structural problems but there are many items that were used in the construction that also have individual warranties It is estimated that a new house has over 500 warrantable items Windows door locks carpet and so on often come with their own warranty the builder can use a system of the present invention to keep track of all the items during construction and transfer this information to the new owner on closing This same process would be available on items such as cars that have numerous individually warranty items and or items with different warranties that most owners are not even aware of 0054 With customized recommendations online manu als consumer updates and warranty countdowns online assist
9. ance consumers can be better equipped to hold manu facturers to their claims using a system of the present invention 0055 There are even advantages for law enforcement and Customers As part of the registration phase many manu facturers require the product serial number in order to index the item These serial numbers can be made available to law enforcement officials by a system of the present invention to assist in the reclaiming of stolen property Although the identity of the owner does not need to be revealed the serial numbers will be provided and if a match is discovered a system of the present invention can contact the customer In a preferred embodiment this advantageous yet optional feature is a push only system for costumer identification and a pull system for cross matching identification numbers Utilizing a system of the present invention can thus assist in the recovery of stolen property as well as acting as a deterrent to thieves 0056 Turning now to the several drawing figures a number of embodiments exemplifying principles of the present invention are illustrated FIG 1 diagrammatically illustrates a top level view of the configuration of a system 10 in accordance with the present invention A customer s personal computer PC 16 is connected to the internet 18 May 4 2006 through one or more known ways The logic optionally including the logic to generate a user interface 12 of the present inventi
10. assurance 0030 Manufacturer an entity that produces the product 0031 Retailer an entity that carries a product for pur chase by the consumer which may include a manufacturer 0032 In general systems and processes in accordance with the present invention include logic e g software that electronically captures and maintains a database with war ranty information both for the individual or corporate user on all purchased items covered by a warranty A system of the present invention can eliminate the need to keep receipts manuals boxes and packing material in the event that return of the product or a part of the product is necessary to enforce a warranty or guarantee 0033 One aspect of the present invention includes an internet based program that electronically registers main tains and tracks manufacturer warranties and retailer guar antees for products purchased by a consumer The costumer takes a license to the system initially either from a retail establishment or is directly downloaded via the internet from a web site and then pays an annual fee for maintaining and updating their database and services A system of the present invention maintains and provides access to the database of the consumer s product warranties on line access to manu als for warranted products parts and supply replacements accessed by item and access to costumer friendly return repair systems 0034 According to one exemplary e
11. be provided to the customer in image for mat 0064 At the conclusion of the foregoing processes the database 14 is updated 82 with the status of the product and the particular activity that the customer has engaged in 0065 Yet further optional aspects of the logic 12 are illustrated schematically in FIGS 4 and 5 When a manu facturer identifies 90 a problem or benefit with a product the manufacturer through its connection to the logic 12 and database 14 can push notification of the issue to the data base 14 and the logic 12 pushes the notice to the customer such as via email or post Another advantageous aspect of the present invention is illustrated in FIG 5 A manufac turer again via its access to the database 14 lists 96 all of the parts or subcomponents of a product e g a vehicle a house a computer or other multi component product as well as the product itself and an account identifier this may be performed either before or after the product is sold If it is performed before the product is sold the identifier is the manufacturer s identifier When the product is sold 98 to the customer the customer s unique ID is associated 100 with the product and all of its subcomponents or parts as the owner thus eliminating the need for the customer to do more than merely have an account with the system In this manner a customer can benefit from all of the different warranties that may be provided with the product wi
12. dditionally reducing further sales of a poor product returning items to manufacturers earlier decreasing cus tomer complaints and decreasing labor costs by decreasing returns on unfavorable products are all possible further benefits of the present invention 0041 Costumers that need replacement parts and or additional complementary equipment or products can be advised by a system of the present invention if the original retailer has the desired items available thereby expanding the secondary product support market for products that have replacement equipment e g if a costumer purchases an automatic coffer maker and needs a new glass coffee pot or other associated items that are compatible with the original product a system of the present invention can alert the customer if the original retailer carries these products or provide other sources if that is not the case 0042 The shopper will be able to get retailer specific guidance on all of these questions by simply contacting the on line service portion of the present system If the item is returnable to the retailer the costumer will arrive at the retailer fully aware of the return policies Additionally the costumer does not need to keep a copy of the store receipt and the retailer will be assured the item being returned was purchased from their store s Retailers using a system of the present invention will eliminate fraudulent returns from customers using the system al
13. helf improve sales for replacement parts and the second ary market decrease fraud decrease costs related to cus tomer service issues and decrease the amount of inquiries regarding a Retailer s return policies 0038 These advantages and improvements can allow retailers to redirect customer service monies and energies into other areas there by increasing sales and profits Each of the areas addressed above are elucidated below 0039 Customers will view the participation of retail stores using a system of the present invention as an added benefit to shopping a built in return protection policy by the retailer The system also reiterates the retailer s beliefs in their return policies and makes returning as well as warranty claims more consumer friendly In return customers will identify stores that make this service available and will see this service as the sole reason to patronize a particular retailer 0040 Retailers will have a computerized method of determining returned numbers by product and reasons behind the return thus rapidly identifying common prob lems e g possible needed education or change in expec US 2006 0095289 Al tation and or defective items and alerting manufacturers and when necessary removing product from the shelf or cautioning customers to the store identified concerns thereby decreasing customer dissatisfaction with poor prod ucts and improving manufacture retailer costumer relations A
14. ll is necessary a system of the present invention will be able to identify and notify customers resulting in faster response time and more satisfied consumers simultaneously May 4 2006 improving customer loyalty This same communication method can be utilized to share positive information as well such as product upgrades or manufacturer recognition and awards A system of the present invention will provide a mechanism for manufacturers to receive feedback from consumers create personalized surveys or hear suggestions from the users of their products Manufacturers will also have access for a fee to the warranty history of similar products in order to assess criteria and make improvements 0047 Manufacturers will also be able to reduce customer service staff that currently provides information to costum ers regarding return policies or warranty information By providing on line access to manuals a system of the present invention can reduce unnecessary returns and reroute trouble shooting questions to the system s help line If a product does need to be returned to the manufacturer a system of the present invention can create a return form for the customer as well as a shipping label that will simplify the return process and minimize miscommunication between the manufacture and consumers Additionally a system of the present invention can optionally rate products based on volume of customer service issues product replacement
15. lowing the retailer to focus scarce resources on other areas decreasing labor overhead Retailers may wish to extend additional return leniency to customers using the system to encourage greater participa tion 0043 In the event a particular item has a national recall retailers will have the capability through a system of the present invention for those customers wishing to be noti fied to contact them regarding the recall reducing the potential for injury and improving community stature for the retailer 0044 A system of the present invention can also assist Customers navigate the often complicated process of regis tering for a product s warranty and can step in to help the costumer file the paperwork provides the ability for manu facturers to have direct contact with consumers expanding and in some cases developing after sales market for product accessories as well as keeping costumers abreast of new products Additionally a system of the present invention can improve the costumer s satisfaction with products covered by warranty increasing long term sales 0045 Registering warranties with a system of the present invention can thus be automated and in most cases can be completed at the point of sale There is optionally also an option to register from home when a retailer does not offer the service 0046 Yet another advantage to the manufacturer will be the direct communication link to the consumer When a reca
16. mation about the product e g manufacturer s name product name and other identifying indicia so that the product can be uniquely identified The logic 12 optionally provides cascading menus to sequentially narrow the description of the product so that the product is correctly identified Alternatively and preferably the retailer of the product conducts this task 38 during purchase of the product by for example associating the customer s unique identification code or account number with the purchase of the product which can be identified by US 2006 0095289 Al UPC or the like The data concerning the particular product and its association with the particular customer is then uploaded 40 to the database 14 and the customer and or retailer is notified of the successful database update There after the logic 12 can push notifications to the customer of product recalls the impending expiration of a warranty or the like and can issue refunds rebates and other benefits from purchasing the product which are specific to the product purchased Further optionally such monetary ben efits can be credited to the customer s account on the system 10 thus eliminating the need to generate checks or crediting a credit account optionally checks can be generated and mailed or a credit account credited 0060 The database 14 includes information about the customer the products that the customer has registered with the system 10 and
17. mbodiment client side application software is loaded on the costumer s per sonal or business general purpose computer PC for which internet access and an e mail account are optionally required and the costumer s demographics are entered dur ing installation When the consumer purchases a warranted or guaranteed item information that uniquely identifies that product e g the UPC code is entered into the system s database by one of two methods The customer can enter the information manually from their computer or they can have the retailer from which they purchased the item enter data May 4 2006 that uniquely identifies the customer e g scan a unique bar code card kept on the customer s key chain The retailer s computer system notifies a system of the present invention of the purchase which automatically registers the product with the warrantor and or guarantor and associates the purchase with the customer s consumer s account 0035 A system of the present invention optionally can notify the costumer e g via e mail post telephone or other methods of successful product registration and any addi tional warranty information and from then on notify the costumer of any product recalls as well as alerting the customer e g 30 days prior to the termination of the warranty and optionally offering an extended warranty If the costumer has a problem with a product they can review on line to see if thi
18. n unique account identifier the unique account identifier being the manufacturer s or the custom er s 4 Asystem according to claim 1 wherein the logic is also configured to permit the customer to request materials be delivered to the customer for the return of the product 5 A system according to claim 4 wherein the materials are selected from the group consisting of packing materials labels return forms and combinations thereof 6 Asystem according to claim 1 wherein the logic is also configured to permit the customer to request replacement parts of the product to be delivered to the customer 7 Asystem according to claim 1 wherein the logic is also configured to read data from and write data to the database representative of product information consumer informa tion or both selected from the group consisting of bio graphic information demographic information product name product UPC product serial number retailer ID product warranty time description of warranty product manual list of parts of the product pointers to parts of the product return information repair instructions indicator that the product has been returned indicator that a warranty claim has been made for the product rebate amount given rebate date given and combinations thereof 8 A system according to claim 1 wherein the logic is also configured to generate mail to the customer including infor mation concerning problems with or benefits
19. on is represented in FIG 1 as being in a server type position relative to the customer s PC 16 that is the logic is contained in a computing device other than the PC 16 Of course other embodiments of the present inven tion include that some or all of the logic 12 is contained in the memory of the customer s PC 16 leaving only a thin server side application The logic 12 is also in communica tion with the internet and with a database 14 which contains at least some of the data described herein optionally some data such as owner s manuals and other manufacturer specific documents can be located on other computing devices or databases to which the logic 12 and or the database 14 points 0057 One or more retailers 20 are also in communication with the logic 12 either through the internet as indicated by the solid line connection thereto or directly through a dedicated connection as suggested by the dotted line con nection Preferably one or more manufacturers are in com munication with the logic 12 also either directly or through the internet As described above the customer the retailer and optionally the manufacturer are all in communication with the logic 12 and through the logic the database 14 permitting the customer and or the retailer to register prod ucts warranties and or guarantees order supplies and parts and receive information about products 0058 The functionality of the logic 12 and the structu
20. re of the database 14 of the present invention are preferably embodied in a set or sets of instructions or scripts that are contained in a memory and are executable by a general purpose computing device Because the present invention is not limited to any particular scripting language or database type the present invention can be implemented in many different computing environments which are well known to those of ordinary skill in the art 0059 With reference to FIG 2 a number of aspects of the logic 12 the present invention are illustrated A customer can install 30 a client side application embodying some or all of the logic 12 on the PC 16 and preferably enters in 34 biographic and demographic information which is then passed on to the database 14 such information can include but is not limited to First Name Middle Initial Last Name Maiden Name Month of Birth Year of Birth Mailing Address Physical Address Phone Number E Mail Address Credit Card Information and Survey Information Alternatively when the logic 12 is entirely embodied in server side logic the customer accesses 32 their account by using the PC 16 to navigate to a URL or IP address of a computing device which provides access to a web browser interface generated by the logic 12 the customer may then start to populate 34 the database 14 with data When the customer wants to benefit from the system 10 for a product that she has obtained she enters in 36 infor
21. roup consisting of packing materials labels return forms and combinations thereof 14 A system according to claim 9 wherein the means is also for permitting the customer to request replacement parts of the product to be delivered to the customer 15 A system according to claim 9 wherein the means is also for reading data from and writing data to the database representative of product information consumer informa tion or both selected from the group consisting of bio graphic information demographic information product name product UPC product serial number retailer ID product warranty time description of warranty product manual list of parts of the product pointers to parts of the product return information repair instructions indicator that the product has been returned indicator that a warranty claim has been made for the product rebate amount given rebate date given and combinations thereof 16 A system according to claim 9 wherein the means is also for generating mail to the customer including informa tion concerning problems with or benefits from the product
22. s particular problem is under warranty and find out what actions they need to take to have their product repaired and or a replacement issued If the cos tumer elects to return an item to the manufacturer either for repair or replacement a system of the present invention can send a prepaid shipping box with the necessary paper work optionally for a fee Included in this service can optionally be a pre paid shipping label packaging materials and any needed return documentation 0036 If the customer elects to return the product inde pendently a system of the present invention can provide a printable return label any necessary return documentation and calculate the amount of postage needed to return the item This process is simplified because the registration of the product with a system of the present invention will automatically record the identity of the retailer doing away with the need for a paper receipt and contacting the manu facturer and or retailer directly 0037 A list of the motivating factors to encourage Retail ers to participate in a system of the present invention includes but is not limited to attracting new costumers Customers will look for products that participate in such a system improve costumer loyalty improve costumer sat isfaction when returns are necessary identification of defec tive products with an organized method to quickly identify problem products manufactures and remove items from the s
23. t is often difficult to decipher the warranty s meaning and consumers can become con fused and intimidated by the proposition of fulfilling the manufacturer s requirements The difficulty in filling out the paperwork and then filing it with the company results in many costumers not taking advantage of the warranty If a product has a problem the costumer s satisfaction with the May 4 2006 product will be negatively influenced erroneously in some cases because they failed to fill out and or file the appro priate paperwork In many cases the manufacturer would have repaired or replaced the item maintaining costumer loyalty 0015 There remains a need therefore for systems and methods that alleviate the burdens put on consumers by complex and numerous warranties and guarantees of prod ucts SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 0016 According to a first aspect of the invention a system for tracking product warranty information comprises a database configured and arranged to store data represen tative of a product warranty and of a customer s unique account identifier and logic in communication with the database to read data from and write data to the database the logic configured to communicate data via the internet to a customer computing device generate a user interface on the customer computing device and present to the customer on the customer computing device data representative of a product warranty 0017 According
24. tailers that sell the particular part or parts 0062 Ifthe customer instead elects at step 66 to return the product the logic 12 queries the customer 76 whether or not materials should be sent to the customer to facilitate the return of the product If yes the logic generates an order internal to the system 10 to ship to the customer packing materials labels completed return forms etc specific to the product and to the manufacturer or retailer to which the product will be returned Because the product has already been uniquely identified in the database 14 including all of the unique data concerning the warranty and return policies of the manufacturer and retailer the logic 12 can easily generate these materials Furthermore the system can elimi nate the need for the customer to supply the original or copy of the receipt for the purchase of the product because the product has been registered through the system 10 with the manufacturer and or retailer The customer s account is then charged 72 for the materials and the service of providing them 0063 If the customer elects instead at step 76 not to receive the customized return materials at step 78 the logic May 4 2006 12 generates 80 a return label the return documents and can calculate the postage all specific for the return of the product to the manufacturer or retailer which can be printed out by the customer using PC 16 e g the customized documents can
25. thout the need to separately track the warranties herself 0066 While the invention has been described in detail with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that various changes can be made and equivalents employed without departing from the scope of the invention 0067 What is claimed is 1 A system for tracking product warranty information the system comprising a database configured and arranged to store data repre sentative of a product warranty and of a customer s unique account identifier logic in communication with the database to read data from and write data to the database the logic config ured to communicate data via the internet to a customer com puting device generate a user interface on the customer computing device and present to the customer on the customer computing device data representative of a product warranty 2 Asystem according to claim 1 wherein the logic is also configured to communicate with a retailer computing device to permit the retailer to upload data into the database representative of a unique product identifier and a custom er s unique account identifier 3 Asystem according to claim 1 wherein the logic is also configured to communicate with a manufacturer computing device to permit the manufacturer to upload data into the US 2006 0095289 Al database representative of a plurality of unique product identifiers and a
26. to another aspect of the present inven tion a system for tracking product warranty information comprises database means for storing data representative of a product warranty and of a customer s unique account identifier and means for communicating with the database for reading data from and writing data to the database said means for communicating data via the internet to a customer computing device generating a user interface on the cus tomer computing device and presenting to the customer on the customer computing device data representative of a product warranty 0018 Still other aspects features and attendant advan tages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from a reading of the following detailed description of embodiments constructed in accordance therewith taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 0019 The invention of the present application will now be described in more detail with reference to exemplary embodiments of the apparatus and method given only by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which 0020 FIG 1 diagrammatically illustrates an embodi ment of a system exemplifying principles of the present invention 0021 FIG 2 schematically illustrates an embodiment of logic and of a process exemplifying further principles of the present invention 0022 FIG 3 schematically illustrates an
27. tunate result of the foregoing is that in many cases the consumer of a product is overwhelmed by the prospect of communicating with the product s retailer and or manufacturer and opts to not try to enforce the warranty and or guarantees that cover the product Thus a consumer foregoes their rights to enjoy the use of the product when it is partly or completely inoperative or defective when the consumer could have a repaired or replaced product instead Will I get store credit or cash 0014 Manufacturers that produce quality products know this translates commercially into name recognition drawing first time buyers and then keeping their customers Most quality products come with a manufacturer s warranty For the warranty to be valid manufacturers require the costumer to file the appropriate paperwork with the manufacturer often including the sales receipt It is often the case how ever that very few customers file the necessary paperwork to validate the warranty and even fewer ever file a claim even when there is a problem There may be many reasons for these low numbers but the two most important are difficulty in making the appropriate copies knowing what is required and then filing the paperwork by the manufacturers deadline and if a product fails to meet the manufacturer warranty to find all the necessary paperwork ship the item and communicate with the manufacturer Even when these first two items are successful i
28. urn Product 64 66 Yes Send Materials Request Buy Replacement and or Additional Parts Send Parts to Customer Packing Materials Labels Completed Return Forms Etc Charge Customer s Account Inform Customer of Retailers that Sell Parts Print Return Label Return Update DB Docs Calculate Postage Fig 3 US 2006 0095289 Al WARRANTY TRACKING SYSTEMS AND METHODS 0001 This application claims priority under 35 U S C 119 to U S provisional application No 60 623 338 by Michel L Bunning entitled Warranty Keeper System filed 1 Nov 2004 the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 0002 0003 The present invention relates to devices systems and processes useful for tracking the status of warranties on products and more specifically to a computer implement able system by which consumers retailers and manufactur ers can manage warranties and guarantees 0004 2 Brief Description of the Related Art 1 Field of the Invention 0005 When contemplating returning a product consum ers face a myriad of dilemmas such as 0006 Is the original packaging required 0007 Can and how do I return a gift item 0008 Do I need the receipt 0009 How long do I have to return the item 0010 What is the return policy for CD s and DVDs 0011 Can I return opened food items 0012 0013 An unfor
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