(19) United States
`(12) Patent Application Publication
`Sheets
`
`(10) Pub. No.: US 2001/0049653 Al
`Dec. 6, 2001
`(43) Pub. Date:
`
`1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111
`US 20010049653Al
`
`(54) SYSTEM FOR MATCHING CUSTOMERS
`WITH PRODUCTS IN INVENTORY
`
`(52) U.S. Cl. ................................................. 705/38; 705/20
`
`(76)
`
`Inventor: Monty D. Sheets, Bedford, IN (US)
`
`(57)
`
`ABSTRACT
`
`Correspondence Address:
`Russell E. Fowler, II
`ICE MILLER DONADIO & RYAN
`One American Square
`Box 82001
`Indianapolis, IN 46282-0002 (US)
`
`(21) Appl. No.:
`
`09/746,096
`
`(22) Filed:
`
`Dec.21,2000
`
`Related U.S. Application Data
`
`(63) Non-provisional of provisional application No.
`60/171,387, filed on Dec. 22, 1999.
`
`Publication Classification
`
`(51)
`
`Int. Cl? ..................................................... G06F 17/60
`
`The present invention is a system for matching customers
`with products in inventory that will be desirable and afford(cid:173)
`able to the customers. The system features the ability to store
`information on multiple products in a product database and
`information on multiple customers in a customer database.
`The system then matches particular products in the product
`database with particular customers in the customer database
`based upon matching multiple search criteria fields associ(cid:173)
`ated with products and customers. The system also has the
`ability to generate net prices for each product (i.e., total price
`or total monthly payment amounts) based upon the qualifi(cid:173)
`cations of the particular customer, and limit the number of
`products matched with the particular customer based upon
`the customer's desired total payment or desired monthly
`payments. By generating reports that integrate customer/
`product matches with net price information, the system
`provides for effective and efficient shopping by customers.
`
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`DOMN EX. 1003
`
`

`
`Patent Application Publication Dec. 6, 2001 Sheet 1 of 5
`
`US 2001!0049653 A1
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`Patent Application Publication Dec. 6, 2001 Sheet 2 of 5
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`US 2001!0049653 Al
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`
`Patent Application Publication Dec. 6, 2001 Sheet 3 of 5
`
`US 2001!0049653 Al
`
`STOCK#
`N-EW /U-SED
`YEAR
`MANUF ACTURER(MENU):
`TYPE(MENU)
`MAKE (MENU)
`MODEL (MENU)
`STYLE (MENU)
`COLOR (MENU)
`MILES UNDER (MENU)
`OPTION CODES:(MENU)
`MAX PRICE (MENU)
`B~ENDERPREFERENCE(MENU) ______ ~-----
`CREDIT SCORE FACTOR (MENU)___.....___
`
`NEW
`1999
`GENMOTORS
`CAR
`PONT1AC
`GRANDAM
`4:bR
`RED
`N!A
`AT ACTWPWPLCD.V6
`
`CUSTOMER DOWN PAYMENT _ __ ~
`
`MONTHLY PAYMENT RANGE DESIRED
`
`(MENU)
`CASH
`$125-175
`$176-225
`$226-275
`$276-325 _X_
`$326-375
`$376-425
`$426-475
`$476-525
`$526-575
`$575-999
`
`Fl-GO UP
`F2-SEARCH UNITS WITH SELECTED CRITERIA ONLY
`F3-SEARCH ALL
`F4-DEFAULTS
`F5-SEARCH PENDING TRADE INS
`F6-MAIN MENU
`
`

`
`Patent Application Publication Dec. 6, 2001 Sheet 4 of 5
`
`US 2001/0049653 A1
`
`VEHICLES AVAILABLE
`
`STK# 1111, NEW, 1999, PONTIAC, GRAND AM, 4 DR, RED
`AT, AC, PW, PL, TW, CC, AC, PS, CD, V6, 20 MILES
`
`STK# 2222, NEW, 1999, PONTIAC, GRAND AM, 4DR, RED
`AT, AC, PW, PL, TW, SR, CD, V6, CC, 15 MILES
`
`STK# 3333, NEW, 1999, PONTIAC, GRAND AM. 4 DR, RED
`AT, AC, TW, CD, PW, PL, CC, V6, CD, 17 MILES
`
`$324.77
`
`$314.10
`
`$302.55
`
`Fl-PRINT ALL VEHICLES LISTED
`F3-PRINT FIRST TEN LISTED
`F4-CREATE FINANCE WORKSHEETS
`F5-MAIN MENU
`
`

`
`Patent Application Publication Dec. 6, 2001 Sheet 5 of 5
`
`US 2001!0049653 Al
`
`"PENDING CUSTOMERS"
`
`Systetrls inventory files)
`(This vehicle has just been entered into the
`*STK# 1234A 1996 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX 4DR
`
`POSSIBLE CUSTOMERS FOR TillS VEHICLE:
`
`ROBERT JOHNSON (812-277-7722)- DEAL# 1234 I SALESPERSON-J. STORMS
`
`SARAH WILKINS (812-333-3311)- DEAL# 2345 I SALESPERSON-H. HILL
`
`WALTER ROBERTS (812-275-5533)- DEAL# 3456 I SALESPERSON- P. WAYNICK
`
`RECALL DEAL#
`
`Fl-PRINT FINANCE WORKSHEET I DEAL#
`F2-GO BACK TO ADD INVENTORY
`F3-MAIN MENU
`
`

`
`US 2001/0049653 Al
`
`Dec. 6, 2001
`
`1
`
`SYSTEM FOR MATCHING CUSTOMERS WITH
`PRODUCTS IN INVENTORY
`
`CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED
`APPLICATIONS
`
`[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provi(cid:173)
`sional Application No. 60/171,387, filed Dec. 22, 1999.
`
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`
`[0002] Customers searching for automobiles at automo(cid:173)
`bile dealerships and other car lots are often overwhelmed by
`the variety of choices. When the customer decides to look at
`cars without the help of a salesperson, it is sometimes
`difficult for the customer to determine if a particular car
`meets all of the customer's wants and needs. For example,
`a customer may require power locks, cruise control, or
`heated seats, but these features are not readily apparent by
`an exterior inspection of the automobile. In addition, cus(cid:173)
`tomers wishing to finance their automobile purchases will
`sometimes waste time looking at a car they can not afford,
`because they can not determine what the monthly payments
`will be on the car by looking at the sticker price. If the
`customer wishes to shop efficiently, he or she must rely on
`the salesperson's knowledge of the automobiles in inventory
`and the salesperson's estimate of which cars will be afford(cid:173)
`able to the customer. If the customer is fortunate enough to
`receive assistance from an experienced salesperson with a
`good deal of knowledge about the cars on the lot, the
`salesperson may be of much help. However, a new and
`inexperienced salesperson with little knowledge about the
`cars on the lot will be of little assistance in helping the
`customer find a car that meets all of his or her requirements.
`Furthermore, even the most experienced salesperson will not
`be capable of estimating which cars are within a particular
`customer's price range because the net sales price or
`monthly payment of each car will vary from customer to
`customer based upon variables such as the customer's credit
`rating and eligibility for special manufacturer programs.
`
`[0003] Some prior art systems have matched customers
`with cars of interest based on a comparison of the customer's
`desires with the features of the cars in inventory. These
`systems have been capable of generating reports which list
`the cars of interest along with features of each car of interest.
`In this manner, these prior art systems assist customers by
`pointing out particular cars that the customer may want to
`inspect, and thus make the shopping experience more effi(cid:173)
`cient for the customer. However, these prior art systems have
`not provided immediate information to the customer on the
`net sales price or monthly payment amount (whether retail
`or lease) that the particular customer would pay for each car
`listed on the report. If a customer was interested in knowing
`the net sales price or monthly payment amount for a par(cid:173)
`ticular car on the report, the amount had to be calculated
`independently of the report. This process required a signifi(cid:173)
`cant amount of time, especially if the customer was inter(cid:173)
`ested in knowing the net price or payment amount for a
`number of cars on the report.
`
`[0004] Therefore, it would be advantageous to provide a
`system for selling automobiles that quickly and efficiently
`leads customers to affordable cars of interest. It would be
`advantageous if the system was capable of generating
`reports which not only matched customers with particular
`
`cars of interest but also integrated the net sales price or
`monthly payment amount (whether retail or lease) into the
`report. Thus, the customer would have all information
`required to make a car purchase immediately available on
`the system generated report, and the customer would only
`need to make a physical inspection of a particular car of
`interest before making a purchase decision.
`
`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`[0005] The present invention is a system for matching
`customers with products in inventory that will be desirable
`and affordable to the customers. The system features the
`ability to store information on multiple products in a product
`database and information on multiple customers in a cus(cid:173)
`tomer database. The system then matches particular prod(cid:173)
`ucts in the product database with particular customers in the
`customer database based upon matching multiple search
`criteria fields associated with products and customers. The
`system also has the ability to generate net prices for each
`product (i.e., total price or total monthly payment amounts)
`based upon the qualifications of the particular customer, and
`limit the number of products matched with the particular
`customer based upon the customer's desired total payment
`or desired monthly payments. The system can handle desired
`monthly payments for both sale and lease of products.
`Calculation of the monthly payment includes all relevant
`factors including tax, finance rate, trade-in amounts, payoff
`amounts, rebates, and manufacturer incentives. Thus, the
`system is operable to match customers with products while
`simultaneously providing net prices for each product
`matched with a particular customer. By generating reports
`that integrate customer/product matches with net price infor(cid:173)
`mation, the system provides for effective and efficient shop(cid:173)
`ping by customers.
`[0006]
`In addition to matching customers with products at
`provided net prices, the system is also capable of serving as
`a customer follow-up tool for pending customers who have
`yet to purchase a product. When a customer is entered into
`the system, certain information is stored in the system about
`the customer and his or her desires. When a product is
`acquired by the dealership and newly entered into the
`system, the system will generate a list of pending customers
`who may be interested in the product based upon customer
`desires already stored in the system. This action will assist
`in selling products by providing names of potential custom(cid:173)
`ers for products newly entered into inventory. Thus, the
`system is an excellent follow-up tool for sellers which
`ensures that pending customers are not forgotten when
`products meeting their needs becomes available.
`[0007] The system is further capable of matching custom(cid:173)
`ers with products that are pending trade-ins. Pending trade(cid:173)
`ins are products owned by other pending customers who
`have yet to purchase a product, but have a product which
`they are willing to trade in should they decide to make a
`purchase. The system keeps a file of pending trade-ins and,
`if a particular customer is not satisfied with the available
`choices from inventory, the system may match the customer
`with pending trade-ins that match the customer's desires.
`The owner of the pending trade-in is then contacted to
`determine if they are interested in selling the product to the
`present customer. By this action, the system offers another
`opportunity for the seller to meet the needs of the customer.
`[0008] The system is also capable of generating advertis(cid:173)
`ing reports listing one or more particular products in inven-
`
`

`
`US 2001/0049653 Al
`
`Dec. 6, 2001
`
`2
`
`tory which match defined search criteria. The search criteria
`may include, but are not limited to, parameters such as
`product year, make, model, style, options, milage, net price,
`and net payments (retail or lease). Net prices and net
`payments for the products are generated by first using
`general system defaults to calculate a gross price, such as
`prescribing each product's price as a set dollar amount or set
`percentage over the product's actual cash value, sticker
`price, invoice or other value. Other defaults are then used in
`calculating net prices and/or payments, including general
`default amounts for rebates available, manufacturer incen(cid:173)
`tives, cash down payment, interest rates, and financing or
`lease term. The output format of the report is specified so
`that the report may be immediately used for advertising
`purposes. For example, in addition to listing the information
`on the product required by the various search parameters
`such as product make, model and net price, the report may
`also list other information stored by the system about the
`product such as available options.
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`
`[0009] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the system for
`matching customers with products in inventory.
`[0010] FIG. 2 flow chart showing a method for selling
`products using the system of FIG. 1;
`[0011] FIG. 3 shows an exemplary computer screen show(cid:173)
`ing data entry a deal record of the system of FIG. 1;
`[0012] FIG. 4 shows an exemplary computer screen of a
`vehicles available report generated by the system of FIG. 1;
`[0013] FIG. 5 shows an exemplary computer screen of a
`potential deals report generated by the system of FIG. 1.
`
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION
`
`[0014] As shown in FIG. 1, the present invention is a
`computerized system 10 for selling automobiles or similar
`products. The system 10 comprises a microprocessor 16 in
`communication with a customer database 12, a product
`database 14, a financing database 15 and input/output
`devices 18. The system 10 has the ability to produce reports
`which match particular customers with particular products
`by comparing information in the customer database 12 with
`information in the product database 14 and financing data(cid:173)
`base 15. Based upon the reports generated by the system 10,
`customers are empowered to find automobiles suiting their
`needs in a faster, more efficient manner when they visit a
`dealership or other car lot to purchase an automobile.
`
`[0015] A human operator known as the "desk manager" or
`"system operator" is used to input data into the system and
`request output of data and reports from the system 10
`through the input/output devices 18. The input/output
`devices 18 generally include computer display screens,
`printers, speakers, keyboards, mice and other media for
`inputting information into a computer and receiving output
`from a computer. The processor 16 is generally a PEN(cid:173)
`TIUM® quality or better chip in bidirectional communica(cid:173)
`tion with the input/output devices 18. The processor 16 is
`also in bidirectional communication with the customer data(cid:173)
`base 12, product database 14, and financing database 15. The
`customer database 12, product database 14 and financing
`database 15 will generally reside on magnetic media, such as
`a computer hard drive. The customer database, product
`
`database and financing database may reside within the same
`desktop computer as the processor 16, or may be connected
`to the processor through a network. It will be recognized by
`those of skill in the art that any number of software envi(cid:173)
`ronments may be used by the processor to implement the
`invention, including LINUX® and WINDOWS 98®.
`
`[0016] The customer database 12 includes a customer file
`20, a deal file 22, and a program eligibility file 24. The
`customer file 20 includes customer records for multiple
`customers who have visited the dealership looking for an
`automobile. Each customer record contains information
`about the customer's identity, including customer fields
`containing identifying information such as customer name,
`address, phone number, and any co-buyer. The customer file
`20 also contains a customer number assigned to the particu(cid:173)
`lar customer by the system.
`
`Information about the customer's desired purchase
`[0017]
`is stored in a deal record of the deal file 22. Each deal record
`in the deal file includes deal fields containing information on
`the particular customer and salesperson involved with the
`particular deal, such as the customer number and salesperson
`code. In addition, each record in the deal file includes deal
`fields containing information about the specific product
`interests of the customer, such as desired car make, desired
`car model, desired car year, desired color, desired options,
`etc. Some financial information is also stored in each deal
`file record such as desired total price or payment range,
`desired finance or lease term, credit rating, trade-in value,
`trade-in payoff amount, cash down payment, residual
`amounts, etc. Some information to be stored in the deal
`record may not be readily ascertainable from the customer.
`For example, the customer's credit rating will be requested
`from the credit bureau and entered into the deal record to
`help determine an interest rate for the particular customer.
`Also, an appraiser from the dealership will need to deter(cid:173)
`mine the trade in value of the customer's car before the
`trade-in value may be entered into the deal record. The
`records in the deal file also contain a field that indicates if the
`deal is "open" or "closed" and the date of the customer's last
`visit to the dealership concerning the particular deal. Deal
`records remain "open" for an indefinite amount of time.
`Records in the deal file are only "closed" when the customer
`purchases a product from the dealership or the salesperson
`determines that the customer is no longer interested in
`purchasing a product from the dealership. If a customer
`returns to the dealership after his deal record is closed, a new
`deal record is simply opened and the customer record is
`updated with the customer's most recent information. If a
`particular customer is interested in purchasing more than
`one automobile, a separate deal record is opened for each
`desired purchase.
`
`Information on desired products and options in
`[0018]
`each deal record may be prioritized by the customer's
`desires as "high priority,"" low priority" or "no priority." For
`example, a customer may specify that he must have a
`General Motors sedan with air conditioning and a monthly
`payment of less than $250 per month, and these are "high
`priority" items. He may further state that he prefers a red car
`with less than 50,000 miles, but these are "low priority"
`items. The customer may then declare that all other options
`are irrelevant or "no priority". When the system operator
`enters the customer's information into the deal record, these
`priorities will be noted so that the automobiles most closely
`
`

`
`US 2001/0049653 Al
`
`Dec. 6, 2001
`
`3
`
`matching the customer's prioritized needs are retrieved
`when the system performs a search for the customer, as will
`be explained in more detail.
`[0019] The program eligibility file 24 contains informa(cid:173)
`tion about each customer's eligibility for special manufac(cid:173)
`turer purchase programs. For example, employees of
`Chrysler Corporation may be entitled to special discounts
`for new Chrysler products. The program eligibility file 24
`contains records having a customer identifier field (e.g.,
`customer number) and other fields which indicate whether
`the customer is eligible for any special purchase programs.
`It is possible for a buyer to be eligible for special purchase
`programs from more than one manufacturer, and each spe(cid:173)
`cial program for which the customer is eligible is stored in
`the program eligibility file.
`[0020] The product database 14 includes an inventory file
`26, a potential product file 28, and a rebates/special pro(cid:173)
`grams file 29. The inventory file 24 includes records of
`information on all automobiles being offered for sale by the
`dealership. Each record in the inventory file 26 contains
`specific identifying data or information on each vehicle. For
`example, each record within the inventory file 26 may
`contain the following product fields: product year, product
`manufacturer, product make, product size, product model,
`product type, product style, product color, product options,
`product miles/hours, product stock number, sticker price,
`invoice amount, and actual cash value. Automobiles already
`purchased by a customer or sold out of inventory to other
`dealers must be noted as such in the inventory file to prevent
`the system from matching customers with already purchased
`products. Thus, the records in the inventory file 26 also
`include a field that indicates whether the product remains
`available for customer purchase.
`[0021] The product database 14 also contains information
`on other automobiles, such as automobiles that pending
`customers hold as potential trade-ins. These records are
`stored in the potential product file 28, which is sometimes
`referred to as the "trade-ins file". The records stored in the
`potential products file 28 contain, but are not limited to, the
`following fields: product year, product manufacturer, prod(cid:173)
`uct make, product size, product model, product type, product
`style, product color, product options, product miles/hours,
`product price range, and customer identification number. If
`a pending customer with a trade-in purchases a car using the
`trade-in, the customer's trade-in record will be automatically
`converted from a record in the potential product file 28 to a
`record in the inventory file 26. Thus, when a deal is started,
`potential trade-in vehicles are placed in the potential prod(cid:173)
`ucts file, and at the close of a deal, trade-in vehicles are
`moved to the inventory file.
`
`[0022] The product database 14 further includes a rebates/
`special programs file 29. This file contains all information on
`rebates for specific products and special purchase programs
`offered to eligible individuals, including specific discount
`amounts and effective dates of the rebates and special
`purchase programs. When the system goes to calculate a
`total price or payment for any particular product in the
`product database, the system will check the rebates/special
`programs file 29 to see if any discounts apply to the price of
`the product.
`
`database 15. The financing database includes an institutions
`file 30 which stores identification information on various
`lending institutions including banks, credit unions, and
`corporate lending institutions (e.g., General Motors) which
`offer their services to the dealership. A loan rates file 34 and
`a lease rates file 32 is also maintained. The loan rates file 34
`and lease rates file 32 keep records of various loan rates and
`lease rates offered by the financial institutions in the insti(cid:173)
`tutions file 30 to automobile customers. Various lease rates
`and loan rates will generally apply to different customers
`depending upon their credit status. Lease rates and loan rates
`may also vary depending upon the year of the vehicle and
`the term of the loan on the vehicle. In one embodiment of the
`invention, the lease rates file 32 could be removed and both
`loan and lease rates could be stored in the loan rates file 34.
`To this end, the term "loan rates" as used herein may include
`both loan and lease terms.
`[0024] All information stored in the customer database 12,
`product database 14, and financial database 15 is periodi(cid:173)
`cally updated by the system operator to reflect the most
`current set of information for products and customers. For
`example, if a customer decides that he is more interested in
`a blue car than a red car, the system operator may enter the
`deal file and change the desired car color of the customer
`from red to blue. Further, if the price of a particular
`automobile on the dealership lot changes, such as a year-end
`reduction in price, the price of the automobile in the inven(cid:173)
`tory file may be changed. In addition to making modifica(cid:173)
`tions, new records may be created in any of the files 20-34
`the system operator at any time. For example, new records
`are created in the inventory file 26 as new products are
`received at the dealership. In this manner, the system opera(cid:173)
`tor may continually update information in the customer
`database and product database to allow for the best matches
`of customers and products. Some of the files may lend
`themselves to automatic updating via a networked system,
`such as the Internet or an intra-net. For example, the lease
`rates file 32 and loan rates file 34 may be automatically
`updated by the system on a daily basis by logging on to
`designated websites and downloading loan and lease rate
`information into the file.
`
`[0025] With information stored in the customer database
`12, the product database 14, and the financial database, the
`system 10 is operable to match a particular customer with
`particular automobiles that may fit the customer's individual
`desires and needs. To accomplish this, the system operator
`simply inputs a particular customer identifier into the sys(cid:173)
`tem, such as the customer name or identification number,
`and requests the system to generate a report of products from
`the inventory file in which the customer may be interested.
`This type of report is referred to as a "vehicles available
`report." With a customer identifier, such as a customer
`identification number, entered by the system operator, the
`processor 16 recovers the open record in the deal file 22 (i.e.,
`the deal record) that is associated with the particular cus(cid:173)
`tomer and performs a search of the product database inven(cid:173)
`tory file 26 to determine which products most closely match
`the information stored in the deal record. If more than one
`record is open for the customer in the deal file 22, the system
`will prompt the system operator to choose which deal record
`the search is for.
`
`In addition to the customer database 12 and the
`[0023]
`product database 14, the system also includes a financing
`
`[0026] As mentioned previously, the system operator can
`prioritize the information in the deal record so that the
`
`

`
`US 2001/0049653 Al
`
`Dec. 6, 2001
`
`4
`
`processor 16 finds the most relevant products for the cus(cid:173)
`tomer and prints the records out in the vehicles available
`report. Thus, if the deal record specifies that a particular
`product make, product style, product price range, and par(cid:173)
`ticular product options (e.g., air-conditioning) are high pri(cid:173)
`ority fields for a particular customer, the processor 16 will
`primarily search for products in the inventory file 26 which
`match these high priority fields. After finding these products,
`the system will rank the products based on any low priority
`fields in the deal record. For example, a customer may
`specify that his high priority options are General Motors
`sedan-type vehicles with air-conditioning, less than 50,000
`miles and priced less than $10,000 dollars; the customers
`may further specify that his low priority options are red
`automobiles with cd player, leather upholstery, and auto(cid:173)
`matic windows. If a search is run for this customer all GM
`sedans with AC, less than 50,000 miles and priced less than
`$10,000 (the high priority items) will be returned from the
`search in the vehicles available report. The vehicles avail(cid:173)
`able report will rank the results by placing all the red
`automobiles with cd player, leather upholstery and auto(cid:173)
`matic windows (the low priority items) at the top of the list
`of automobiles in the vehicles available report. Products
`missing only one of the low priority items will be next on the
`list, followed by products missing two of the low priority
`items, and so on. At the bottom of the list would be all
`products containing each of the high priority items, but none
`of the low priority items. In addition to prioritizing the
`vehicles available report, the system operator may limit the
`number of vehicles returned by the report (e.g., list a
`maximum of 10 vehicles).
`[0027] Offered prices for automobiles may vary from
`customer to customer, depending upon the customer price
`factors, including but not limited to, trade-in value, custom(cid:173)
`er's eligibility for special manufacturer programs and, if
`financing is requested, the customer's eligibility for certain
`interest rates and the customer's desired loan term. These
`customer price factors are stored in various fields of the
`customer database 12. If the customer specifies a range for
`the net sales price, the system first looks through the
`inventory file for products matching the other specified
`parameters. Then, after coming up with a group of matching
`vehicles, the system determines if, after rebates, special
`purchase program discounts, trade-in value, taxes owed, and
`any other factors, the net selling price for each vehicle will
`be within the specified price range. In order to determine a
`net selling price, the system first calculates a gross price for
`the vehicle based on general system defaults. For example,
`the gross price of a vehicle may be calculated as a set dollar
`amount or set percentage over the product's actual cash
`value, sticker price, invoice or other value. After the gross
`price is calculated, other factors particular to the customer
`are taken from the system and used to calculate net prices
`and/or payments. Examples of these other factors include
`amounts for rebates available, manufacturer incentives, cash
`down payment, interest rates, and financing or lease term.
`Finally, after calculating the net price for the vehicles, the
`products are listed in the vehicles available report if the
`products meet the specified price range requirements.
`[0028] Operation of the system and a method for selling
`products using the system is now described with reference to
`FIG. 2. When a customer enters the automobile dealership,
`a salesperson greets the customer and offers assistance. This
`is the start of the sales process, as represented by step 50.
`
`During this initial encounter, the salesperson introduces the
`system 10 to the customer and describes the advantages of
`the system to the customer. To promote the system, a visual
`aid may be used by the salesperson such as a system
`brochure or video demonstration showing step-by-step
`examples of how the system works. The salesperson
`describes the system as a computerized tool for matching
`customers with particular products in inventory based upon
`the customer's individual needs. In particular, the system has
`the ability to provide the customer with a list of potential
`automobiles having features desired by the customer that are
`within the customer's price range. The list includes auto(cid:173)
`mobiles that the customer may be interested in based upon
`the customer's desired monthly payments. The system has
`the advantage of saving the customer and the dealership a
`great deal of time by directing the customer to specific
`automobiles on the lot that the customer is likely to be
`interested in and avoiding situations where the customer is
`interested in a specific car which he or she can not afford.
`
`[0029] After the salesperson explains the system to the
`customer, the customer decides in step 52 if he or she is
`interested in using the system. If the customer is interested
`in using the system, the salesperson sits down with the
`customer, as shown by step 54, and obtains information
`about the customer, including name, address, phone number,
`and any other information required to create a customer
`record in the customer file 20. Next, the salesperson obtains
`sufficient information about the customer's desired purchase
`to complete a deal record for the customer for storage in the
`deal file 22. A standard form may be created by the dealer(cid:173)
`ship to remind the salesperson all of the information
`required or useful in creating customer records and deal
`records, including information about automobile options and
`financial constraints. The salesperson is also responsible for
`determining if the customer is eligible for any special
`manufacturer purchase programs so the information can be
`stored in the program eligibility file 24.
`
`[0030]
`In addition to customer information, deal informa(cid:173)
`tion and program eligibility, the salesperson must also
`determine if the customer has a tra