WORCESTER, Mass., June 9, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- Sales OnLine Direct (OTCBB:PAID) is nearing the publication date for the process patent(s) applications it submitted to the U.S. Patent Office approximately 18 months ago for online auction shipping and back-office processes the company developed. Approval of the patents will enable Sales OnLine Direct to protect its processes from infringement by other entities seeking to copy its technology processes. In addition, approval of the patents will enable the company to actively pursue licensing agreements from corporations that currently infringe upon its processes or would like to incorporate our technology into their systems.
Sales OnLine Direct's pending process patent covers specific systems for facilitating auction and non-auction based online commerce. Such methods and systems include a shipping rate engine for determining the cost of shipping an item from a location designated by a seller to a location designated by a buyer, including calculations for insurance, rate calculations for numerous carriers and their various service levels, calculations for packaging materials and handling, and calculations of all of these elements for a combined order based on the weights of the various items being purchased. In addition the process includes calculation and collection of sales tax where appropriate.
Sales OnLine Direct has developed an application called aiShip that integrates all these processes. aiShip is currently in use with hundreds of online auction and e-commerce entities. For a demonstration of how aiShip works on an integrated basis see www.auctioninc.com
Sales OnLine Direct's pending patent also includes the processes involved in its aiSeller retrieval application, which enables online auction sellers to retrieve auction data via a communication network and integrate the aiShip application to automatically determine the shipping cost for items purchased upon conclusion of the auction.
Although Sales OnLine Direct has designed specific products/applications around its pending patents, the patents are in no way limited to the products themselves because the patents are for the processes, not the specific products. In addition to online auctions, Sales OnLine Direct's pending process patent also applies to the use of this process technology relating to other methods by which a seller offers goods or services, such as a reverse auction, or an online product offering as in a shopping cart system.
Shareholders and potential investors should rely only on released Company information about our patents and details of the specific patents from the Company.
How aiShip Works
In the past, auction sellers on eBay offered either flat shipping or got shipping destination information from their customers during or at the close of the auction in order to determine the shipping costs. The flat shipping process often resulted in over-or undercharging the customer. Alternatively, the communication process to notify buyers of their winning bids, determine shipping destination and cost of shipping for multiple carrier services required substantial time/manpower from the seller and was only available during the seller's business hours. During heavy bidding common in the final hours of auctions, sellers often could not keep up with the shipping cost requests, so buyers often didn't receive the rates until the auction was over. The process was further complicated if an auction buyer wanted to combine shipping of multiple items.
aiShip automates this entire process. The buyer simply enters the shipping destination zip code at any time during an auction and aiShip automatically calculates the shipping costs for multiple shipping carriers that the seller uses, plus it adds in applicable insurance, tax, packaging and handling costs. The buyer chooses the best rate/carrier for their needs.
A $40 purchase from a typical eBay auction will often charge $10 for shipping, constituting a significant addition to the cost. In a seven-day auction on eBay where the aiShip calculator is available, the calculator is used an average of 175 times to calculate shipping before an auction closes. This strongly demonstrates that buyers on eBay want to know what a seller is going to charge them for shipping before they bid. Research has shown that this also applies to other e-commerce transactions as well.
How aiSeller Works
aiSeller manages eBay orders and is integrated with aiShip providing a complete back end solution for sellers on eBay. The product is driven by a unique "dashboard" design that lets the eBay seller run their entire business from one screen. The software alerts the seller to what he needs to do and tracks the status of the auction reconciliation. As an example, if a seller has 800 auctions closing at the same time, he would need to send out 800 winning bid notices asking the buyers for their shipping information. Then the seller would send out another 800 emails with the price for each. aiSeller eliminates 80 percent of these emails, and customers love it because they immediately have the shipping information they need so they can checkout.
For a free trial of any of our products please go to:
www.auctioninc.com or www.auctioninc.com/info/page/email_advertising
About Sales OnLine Direct and Rotman Auction
Sales OnLine Direct, http://www.paid.com, maintains and develops portals and web sites for various companies and industries. The Company has focused its efforts on the antique and collectible industry, offering the "Ask the Appraiser" online appraisal service, marketing and publishing the "Maloney's Antiques and Collectibles Resource Directory" and developing web sites that enhance the user's experience. Through web hosting and managed services, Sales OnLine Direct has provided e-business solutions to many different companies including their own Rotman Auction division. This division sells tens of thousands of items per year through auction, direct sales, and special events and is a certified eBay Platinum Power Seller. The Company has developed the "ai Suite" of software to increase revenues and reduce overhead for sellers on eBay, and offers these essential e-tools to other companies. Through recent initiatives, Sales OnLine Direct is establishing itself as one of the most important collectibles portals, and online auction services and technology providers to the collectibles industry. The Company's common stock is traded on the OTC Bulletin Board under the symbol PAID.
Link to, Rotman Auction on eBay: http://members.ebay.com/aboutme/rotman-auction/
Link to, "ai" "Auction Inc": http://www.auctioninc.com
This Press Release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are based upon current expectations or beliefs, as well as a number of assumptions about future events, including matters related to the Company's operations or patent(s). Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements and the assumptions upon which they are based are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations and assumptions will prove to have been correct. The reader is cautioned not to put undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, as these statements are subject to numerous factors and uncertainties, including without limitation, successful implementation of the Company's business strategy and competition, any of which may cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the statements. In addition, other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially are discussed in the Company's most recent filings, including Form 10-KSB and 8K with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
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