WO2002044840A2 - Systemes et procedes pour commander des produits via un reseau - Google Patents

Systemes et procedes pour commander des produits via un reseau Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2002044840A2
WO2002044840A2 PCT/US2001/044205 US0144205W WO0244840A2 WO 2002044840 A2 WO2002044840 A2 WO 2002044840A2 US 0144205 W US0144205 W US 0144205W WO 0244840 A2 WO0244840 A2 WO 0244840A2
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
product
icon
computing device
metadata
product icon
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US2001/044205
Other languages
English (en)
Other versions
WO2002044840A8 (fr
Inventor
Gregory Alan Bolcer
Tim Byars
Arthur Hughes Muir Iii
Clay Hall Cover
Original Assignee
Endeavors Technology, Inc.
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Endeavors Technology, Inc. filed Critical Endeavors Technology, Inc.
Priority to AU2002217872A priority Critical patent/AU2002217872A1/en
Priority to GB0314859A priority patent/GB2387695A/en
Publication of WO2002044840A2 publication Critical patent/WO2002044840A2/fr
Publication of WO2002044840A8 publication Critical patent/WO2002044840A8/fr

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Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G06Q30/00—Commerce
    • G06Q30/06—Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Definitions

  • the present invention relates generally to systems and methods for completing transactions over a computer network, and more particularly to systems and methods for ordering products over a computer network, such as the Internet.
  • the network generally includes a large number of computers and computer networks that are interconnected through various communications links.
  • a consumer using a web browser or other interactive application on a client computer, may contact a vendor web site on a remote server computer system via the network.
  • the server may send the client computer web pages of information, which the web browser may display for the consumer on the client computer.
  • the web pages may include a catalog or other list of goods or services available for purchase from the vendor that the purchaser may review.
  • the server uses to identify the products of interest.
  • the server may prompt the purchaser for information to complete the order. This may include the consumer's name, his or her method of payment, generally a credit card, and shipping information.
  • the virtual "shopping cart” does not allow the consumer to freely shop across multiple vendors' web sites. This is because the virtual "shopping cart” resides only on the server used to access a particular vendor's web site. As a result, the consumer is restricted to adding products to the virtual "shopping cart" only from the respective vendor's web site.
  • the consumer when the consumer leaves a vendor's web site, the products in the "shopping cart" are generally lost. Thus, it may be difficult or inconvenient for a consumer to compare goods or services offered by competitors on their respective web sites.
  • the consumer when the consumer is ready to make a purchase, the consumer is generally required to enter payment and shipping information each time that he or she makes a purchase. This generally requires accessing a particular vendor's web site, selecting products for purchase, and entering payment and shipping information each time that he or she wishes to purchase a product.
  • a consumer must generally provide personal information, such their name, address, and payment method, e.g., credit card number, to the vendor, risking that their personal or financial information may be misused by the vendor or otherwise may fall into the wrong hands.
  • An online shopping network includes one or more vendor servers operated by vendor(s) selling products online.
  • Each vendor server includes one or more web pages, each web page including a catalog of products available from one or more vendors.
  • the web page(s) for each vender server further includes product icons, each product icon representing a product available from the catalog and having associated product metadata.
  • the product metadata for each product icon includes product information identifying the product associated with the product icon and may also include order fulfillment information for the product.
  • the product metadata includes a contact location, such as a uniform resource identifier ("URI"), e.g., a URL, identifying a location where an order request, e.g., including shipping and payment information, may be sent to order the product associated with the product icon.
  • URI uniform resource identifier
  • the product metadata may be an address, e.g., a URI, where information, such as product ID, contact location, and the like, may be obtained via the network.
  • a user may connect a computing device to a vendor server accessible via the network and download a vendor's web page to the computing device.
  • the vendor's web page may be displayed to the user on the computing device.
  • a desktop shopping cart provided by a shopping manager residing locally on the computing device, may also be displayed to the user on the computing device.
  • the user may add a product icon representing a product of interest from the vendor's web page to the desktop shopping cart. This may be done, for example, by dragging the product icon representing the product of interest from the vendor's web page onto the desktop shopping cart.
  • the product metadata associated with the selected product icon is transferred and stored locally on the computing device.
  • the user may continue their online shopping session by connecting to other vendor servers via the network and adding one or more product icons from these other web pages to the desktop shopping cart.
  • the product metadata for that product icon is stored locally on the computing device.
  • the shopping manager may be directed to order one or more of the products identified by selected product icons in the deslctop shopping cart. For example, the user may have selected two or more similar or competing products offered on competitors' respective web sites. The user may compare the product metadata associated with each of the products, e.g., comparing price, shipping options, and the like, to decide which of the products to order. Because the product metadata of each of the competing products may be stored on the user's computing device, the user may compare the products and make an order decision "offline," i.e., without being connected to any of the competitors' web sites or the network at all.
  • the shopping manager may automatically contact the location identified by the URI to present information to the user for each product of interest. For each selected product to be ordered in the desktop shopping cart, the shopping manager may automatically generate an order request, e.g., including payment and shipping information based upon the product metadata associated with the respective product icon, and personal information stored locally on the computing device. To order each product, the shopping manager may connect the computing device to the contact location included in the respective product metadata for that product. The shopping manager may then send the order request to the contact location to initiate ordering the desired product(s).
  • FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an online shopping network, according to one embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 2 is a drawing showing the contents of a display screen, according to one embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG 3 is a flowchart showing steps for adding a product icon to a desktop shopping cart, according to one embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing steps for placing an order for a product with a vendor server, according to one embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 1 shows a diagram of an online shopping network 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention.
  • the network 1 includes one or more, and, preferably, a plurality of vendor servers 15-n operated by one or more vendors selling products online. For simplicity, only two vendor servers 15-n are shown in FIG. 1, although, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that any number of vendor servers 15-n may be included.
  • the online shopping network 1 also includes a computing device 5 operated by a user. The computing device 5 is connectable to each of the vendor servers 15-n via a communication link 12-n, such as an Internet link.
  • the computing device 5 includes, but is not limited to, a desktop computer, a laptop, a Wireless Access Protocol ("WAP”) telephone, a personal digital assistant (“PDA”), or any other device capable of supporting a shopping manager, either as a software module or a hardware component, such as an embedded chip, as described further below.
  • WAP Wireless Access Protocol
  • PDA personal digital assistant
  • the online shopping network 1 may further include a merchant bank 25 -n connectable to each vendor server 15-n.
  • the merchant bank 25-n may include a merchant account that holds electronic funds for the vendor(s) associated with the corresponding vendor server 15-n.
  • the online shopping network 1 may include a settlement house 30 that includes a consumer account that holds electronic funds available for online transactions by the user.
  • the consumer account may include, but is not limited to, a credit card account, a prepaid account, a Paypal account, and the like.
  • the settlement house 30 may also include a billing account that periodically bills the user for online purchases, for example, by adding the purchase charges to the user's telephone or other utility bill.
  • the merchant bank 25-n is connectable to the settlement house 30 via a transaction interface 27-n that supports the transfer of electronic funds between the merchant bank 25-n and the settlement house 30.
  • the transaction interface 27-n may include, but is not limited to, a Value Added Network ("VAN”) or an Electronic Data Interface (“EDI").
  • VAN Value Added Network
  • EDI Electronic Data Interface
  • Each vendor server 15-n includes one or more web pages that may be downloadable to the computing device 5 via the Internet or another network.
  • the web page(s) may include a catalog of products for sale by or otherwise available from the respective vendor.
  • the catalog may include descriptions and images of the products.
  • the catalog also includes product icons, each product icon representing one of the products for sale in the catalog.
  • Each product icon is preferably contained in a graphical file, including, but not limited to, a GIF file or a JPEG file.
  • the web page(s) further includes product metadata attached to or embedded in the graphical file of each product icon.
  • the product metadata for each product icon may include product information and/or order fulfillment information for the product represented by the product icon.
  • the product metadata may include an address, such as a uniform resource identifier ("URI"), that may identify a location where such information may be obtained.
  • URI uniform resource identifier
  • the product information in the product metadata may include a product ID identifying the product represented by the corresponding product icon, a vendor ID identifying the respective vendor, a unit cost, a picture of the product, and/or a description of the product.
  • the order fulfillment information preferably includes a contact location identifying a location where an order request may be sent to order a product from a respective vendor.
  • the contact location may include a URI, e.g., a Uniform Resource Locator ("URL") or a resolvable address, identifying a vendor server 15-n or other web site.
  • URI Uniform Resource Locator
  • a URI may identify a process for identifying or otherwise contacting the contact location, e.g., by uniquely identifying a device, which may be movable between one or more specific locations.
  • the contact location may be a telephone number, e.g., corresponding to a fax machine, or an e-mail address, as described further below.
  • the order fulfillment information in each product metadata may include shipping options and payment method options for the product represented by the corresponding product icon.
  • the shipping options may include different shipping carriers and delivery services available for shipping the product.
  • the payment options may include different payment methods for purchasing the product, including, but not limited to, a credit card, a prepaid account, or adding a purchase charge to a utility bill.
  • the product metadata provides a convenient method for providing product information and/or order fulfillment information for a product by attaching the product metadata to or embedding the metadata in the graphical file of the corresponding product icon.
  • the product metadata may include embedded binary data, a Uniform Resource Identifier ("URI"), or an ActiveX component.
  • the product metadata may also include a tag written in HTML, XML, or Javascript.
  • the computing device 5 further may include a user interface, such as a display 7, a keyboard 9, and a mouse 11 for interfacing with the user. Alternatively, a track ball or touch pad may be used in place of the mouse 11 for compact computers, such as a laptop, or other user interfaces may be included.
  • the computing device 5 also includes memory (not shown) for storing programs and information, including, but not limited to, Random Access Memory ("RAM") and a hard drive.
  • the computing device 5 further includes a web browser stored locally in memory for receiving the web pages from the vendor servers 15-n and displaying the web pages on the display 7. The web browser may be any commercially available web browser including, but not limited to, Netscape's NavigatorTM or Microsoft's Internet ExplorerTM.
  • the computing device 5 also includes a shopping manager (not shown), residing locally on the computing device 5, for conducting online shopping via the shopping network 1.
  • the shopping manager may include special application software stored locally in memory on the computing device 5.
  • the shopping manager may be an embedded hardware component.
  • the term "shopping manager" is used generally herein to refer to an embedded Web server, or any combination of hardware-based components and/or software-based modules that may perform the features described herein.
  • the computing device 5 further includes personal information that may be supplied by the user and stored locally in memory on the computing device 5.
  • the personal information may include user payment account information, e.g., a credit card number, and/or billing account information for conducting transactions with the settlement house 30.
  • the personal information may also include an address book listing addresses of people or places to whom the user may wish to send a product.
  • the personal information is stored in a secure manner, e.g., by or within the shopping manager, thereby substantially protecting the personal information from inadvertent or unauthorized distribution or modification.
  • FIG. 2 shows a display screen 203 for conducting online shopping viewable on the display 7 of the computing device 5, according to one embodiment of the present invention.
  • the display screen 203 includes a web browser window 205 provided by the web browser for viewing web pages downloaded to the computing device 5.
  • the web browser window 205 displays a web page downloaded from one of the vendor servers 15-n.
  • the downloaded web page includes a catalog 207 of products available.
  • the catalog 207 includes descriptions 210-n of the products and corresponding product icons 220-n.
  • the display screen 203 further includes a local desktop shopping cart 225 provided by the shopping manager residing on the computing device 5.
  • the display screen 203 includes a pointer 230 that may move within the display screen 203 in response to corresponding movement of the mouse 11 or other user interface by the user.
  • the shopping manager allows the user to relocate the desktop shopping cart 225 to any desired location within the display screen 203.
  • the user may relocate the desktop shopping cart 225 by moving the pointer 203 to the desktop shopping cart 225 and, while holding down a mouse button (not shown), dragging the desktop shopping cart 225 to a desired location within display screen 203.
  • the display screen 203 allows the user to readily view various products available from different vendors via the online network 1 (FIG. 1). This is done by downloading the web pages from different vendor servers 15-n to the computing device 5 and viewing the web pages in the web browser window 205 on the display screen 203.
  • the user may add products he or she is interested in ordering to the desktop shopping cart 225.
  • the user may, for example, add products to the desktop shopping cart 225 according to a "drag and drop" method, such as that described below, or other known methods, such as pull down menus, pop-up menus, and the like.
  • FIG. 3 shows the steps for adding products from the catalog 207 to the desktop shopping cart 225 according to a "drag and drop" method, in accordance with the present invention.
  • step 310 the user moves the pointer 230 to the product icon 220-n corresponding to the product he or she is interested in possibly ordering.
  • step 320 the user drags the product icon 220-n, while holding down a mouse button, onto the desktop shopping cart 225. Once the product icon 220-n is dragged onto the desktop shopping cart 225, in step 330, the user may release the product icon 220-n on the desktop shopping cart 225.
  • step 340 when the product icon is dropped on the desktop shopping cart 225, the shopping manager retrieves or otherwise receives the product metadata attached to or embedded in the graphical file of the product icon 220-n.
  • step 350 the shopping manager stores the retrieved product metadata locally in memory on the computing device 5. During this step, the shopping manager may also store the graphical file of the product icon locally on the computing device 5.
  • the product metadata stored locally on the computing device 5 allows the shopping manager to keep track of the products added to the desktop shopping cart 225.
  • the product information and/or order fulfillment information contained in the product metadata provides the shopping manager with the information needed to order the product from a respective vendor.
  • the computing device 5 does not need to remain connected to the respective vendor server 15-n in order to allow a product to ordered, and the shopping manager may be directed to order the product at a later time.
  • the user may connect the computing device 5 to other vendor servers 15-n on the network 1 and add products from the other vendor servers 15-n to the desktop shopping cart 225. This may be done by repeating steps 310-350 for each product of interest whose product icon is added to the desktop shopping cart 225.
  • the user may use the shopping manager to view a list of products that the user has selected as being of interest, e.g., by opening a shopping cart window (not shown) that lists products in the desktop shopping cart 225.
  • the user may bring up the shopping cart window on the display 7, for example, by double clicking on the desktop shopping cart 225 with the mouse 11.
  • the shopping cart window may list the products in the desktop shopping cart 225 using the product ID, product picture and/or the brief product description provided by the product metadata stored locally on the computing device 5.
  • the shopping cart window also preferably displays the product icons associated with the products in the desktop shopping cart 225, since the user may quickly identify the products by their product icons.
  • the shopping cart window may list the unit cost, the vendor ID, the shipping options, and/or the payment method options available for each product provided by the product metadata.
  • the shopping cart window may allow the user to select a product and review available information related to the product, which may be extracted from the product metadata.
  • the product metadata includes a URI
  • the shopping manager may contact the location identified by the URI to obtain and/or display the product information to the user.
  • the shopping cart window may facilitate the user comparing different products, for example, which have been added to the desktop shopping cart from different vendors' web sites, e.g., operated by competitors. Thus, competing products may be compared directly on the computing device's display, without requiring the computing device to be connected to the respective vendors' web sites. If the product information is included in the product metadata stored on the computing device, the products may be compared while "offline," i.e., without being connected to the network at all.
  • the product and/or its product icon may be discarded.
  • the product icon in the desktop shopping cart may be dragged and dropped into a trash can, whereupon the shopping manager may automatically delete the associated product metadata from the computing device.
  • the user may also review the product information to make ordering decisions. For example, the user may select shipping options and/or payment method options for each product by selecting desired options displayed in the shopping cart window. In addition, the user may specify the quantity of a product he or she wishes to order. Furthermore, the user may select a destination for shipment of the products, e.g., to their own address, to a third party, or even to a URI if the product is electronic media. For example, the user may enter the address with the keyboard 9 or by pulling the address from an address book accessed from the menu on the shopping cart window or otherwise stored locally on the computing device 5. The shopping cart may also display the total cost of the products in the desktop shopping cart 225 before and/or after shipping.
  • the total cost of the products before shipping may be calculated by multiplying the unit cost of each product by the quantity of the product to determine the total cost of each product and by adding together the total cost of each product.
  • the total cost after shipping may be calculated by adding the shipping cost for the shipping options selected by the user to the total cost of the products. This may require that the shipping rates for the different shipping options be included in the product metadata.
  • the shopping cart window gives the user the option of closing the shopping cart window and resuming shopping or purchasing the products in the desktop shopping cart 225.
  • the shopping manager may be directed to complete an order request for each product to be ordered that is identified in the desktop shopping cart 225.
  • the steps for ordering one product in the desktop shopping cart 225 will now be described with reference to FIG. 4.
  • the shopping manager automatically generates an order request, which may include payment and shipping information related to the product to be ordered.
  • the shopping manager may assemble product information and/or order fulfillment information from the product metadata associated with the product icon for the product being ordered.
  • the shopping manager may assemble personal information stored locally on the computing device 5 to be included in. the order request.
  • the order request may include a product ID, a quantity of the product selected by the user, and a payment method option selected by the user, e.g., including user account or billing account information corresponding to the selected payment method.
  • the user account or billing account information may be extracted from the personal information stored locally on the computing device 5.
  • the shipping information may include the shipping options selected by the user and the address of the recipient entered by the user. - li ⁇
  • the shopping manager connects the computing device 5 to a contact location, e.g., to a vendor server 15-n identified (directly or indirectly) by the product metadata.
  • a contact location e.g., to a vendor server 15-n identified (directly or indirectly) by the product metadata.
  • the connection to the vendor server 15-n is a secure connection, such as a secure socket layer (SSL) connection.
  • SSL secure socket layer
  • the vendor server 15-n may send the user account or billing account information, and the product and shipping cost to a corresponding merchant bank 25-n.
  • the merchant bank 25-n may transfer funds totaling the amount of the product and shipping cost from settlement house 30 to the merchant account.
  • the merchant bank 25-n may send a notice to the vendor server 15 that the product and shipping costs have been credited to the merchant account.
  • the order request may include a payment token that may be obtained by the shopping manager from the settlement house 30. Additional information on such a payment token may be found in application Serial No.
  • the order request may be handled in a manner that protects the user, e.g., that minimizes or substantially eliminates the vendor obtaining the user's personal information.
  • the order request may include a user identifier that may be used by a common third party, such as the settlement house, that may already have the user's personal information.
  • the third party may provide the vendor with the minimum information necessary to complete the order, e.g., a payment and a shipping destination.
  • the vendor server 15-n may arrange for a shipping carrier, e.g., selected by the user, to pick up the product for delivery to the recipient specified by the user.
  • the vendor server 15-n may send a notice to the user that the order has been accepted and/or that the product has been shipped.
  • the vendor server 15-n may send the notice to the user by e- mail, requiring that the user to supply his or her e-mail address to the vendor, e.g. as part of the order request.
  • Steps 410-490 are carried out for each product in the desktop shopping cart 225 to be ordered.
  • the shopping manager may group products from the same vendor together using the vendor ID included in the product metadata and may send their payment and shipping information to the appropriate vendor server 15-n at the same time.
  • the vendor server 15-n may arrange to have products addressed to the same recipient shipped together.
  • a shipping carrier may provide a discount to the vendor and/or the user if all of the ordered products are shipped via that carrier even if shipped to and from different locations.
  • each vendor server 15-n may be perfonned by more than one computer system.
  • two separate computer systems at different locations may be used for uploading the vendor's web page(s) to the computing device 5 and for processing orders from the computing device 5.
  • two or more vendor servers 15-n may share computing resources.
  • two or more vendor servers 15-n may share the same computer system to process product orders from the computing device.
  • the computing device 5 may send the vendor ID for a product to the shared computer system. That way, the shared computer system may use the received vendor ID to connect to the proper merchant bank 25-n or otherwise credit the proper vendor for the order.
  • the shopping cart window gives the user the option of selecting which products in the desktop shopping cart 225 to order.
  • the user may select products from the shopping cart window, for example, by clicking on a check box located next to each product he or she is interested in purchases.
  • the product icons are displayed in the shopping cart window
  • the user may select the product he or she wishes to order by double clicking on its product icon with the mouse 11.
  • the product information in the product metadata may include product model or variation options, which may include different colors and/or sizes in which the corresponding product is available.
  • the shopping cart window may allow the user to select product variation options for a product. The shopping manager may then include the selected product variation options in the order request when ordering the product from the vendor.
  • the shopping manager may send the payment and shipping information to a vendor via a FAX transmission.
  • the contact location in the product metadata may include a fax number for contacting the corresponding vendor, and the computing device 5 may be equipped with a FAX/modem.
  • the shopping manager may send an order request, e.g., including payment and shipping information for a product, to the vendor via a FAX transmission using the fax number provided in the product metadata.
  • the vendor server 15-n receives the order request for the product using a fax machine conesponding to the fax number.
  • the vendor server 15-n then may process the order request by sending the user account or billing account information, and the product and shipping cost to the appropriate merchant bank 25-n.
  • the vendor server 15-n may arrange for shipment of the product to the recipient.
  • a human operator may perform some of the operations of the vendor server 15-n described herein. For example, for a credit card order, the fax machine may print out a hardcopy of the user's credit card account information. The human operator may then read the hardcopy and send the credit card account information to the merchant bank 25-n using a credit card terminal.
  • the shopping manager may send the order request, including the payment and shipping information, to a vendor via/using e-mail.
  • the contact location in the product metadata may include an e-mail address for contacting the corresponding vendor.
  • the shopping manager may send an order request for a product to the e-mail address included in the product metadata.
  • the respective vendor server 15-n may then receive the order request via its e- mail address and automatically or manually process the order, similar to the embodiments described above.
  • the shopping manager may allow a user to view a history of their online shopping orders or purchases.
  • the shopping manager may display an order history window on the display screen 203 listing products that have been ordered using the desktop shopping cart 225.
  • the order history window gives the user the option of listing the products by date of purchase, by vendor, by recipient or shipping destination, and/or by the user account used to pay for the products.
  • the order history window may allow the user to reorder products from the history window.
  • the online shopping network 1 allows a user to order downloadable electronic media.
  • a vendor server 15-n may include an archive or memory containing electronic media available for purchase.
  • the electronic media may include, but is not limited to, a music file, a video file, or software.
  • the vendor server 15-n may retrieve the electronic media file from its archives.
  • the vendor server 15-n may then complete the order by electronically transferring the retrieved electronic media.to the computing device 5 or to another device identified in the order request.
  • the shopping manager, and methods for ordering online in accordance with the present invention offer several advantages to a user shopping online.
  • the shopping manager allows the user to place products from multiple vendors' web pages into the desktop shopping cart 225. This allows the user to easily shop across vendor web sites on the online shopping network 1. Once the user adds a product from one vendor's web page to his or her desktop shopping cart 225, the user may comiect to a different vendor server 15-n and add additional products to the desktop shopping cart 225 from other web sites.
  • the product metadata for the products that are added to the desktop shopping cart 225 are stored locally on the computing device 5, providing the user with local control of his or her shopping decisions.
  • the desktop shopping cart may facilitate comparison shopping products available from different web sites.
  • the shopping manager may subsequently contact the vendor for each selected product placed into the desktop shopping cart 225 and order the products at the end of the user's online shopping session.
  • Another advantage of the present invention is that it may provide greater security to the user and/or may free the user from having to reenter his or her user account information for each vendor from which he or she wishes to order a product.
  • the shopping manager may access user account information already securely maintained by the shopping manager or otherwise stored locally on the computing device 5 and automatically transfer the information when ordering products from the vendor servers 15- n.
  • the personal information is stored locally, the user may easily update his or her user account or billing account information by simply updating the user account and billing account information and storing it locally on the computing device 5.
  • Still another advantage of the present invention is that many commercially available web browsers already allow a user to save graphical files and associated metadata from a web page onto the computing device 5.
  • Such a web browser may give the user the option of saving a product icon and its product metadata in the memory of the computing device 5, e.g., in an e-mail archive, without having to drag the product icon onto the desktop shopping cart 225.
  • This may allow a user to hold onto the product icon and its product metadata for further purchasing consideration while ordering other products from the desktop shopping cart 225.
  • This may also allow a user to send the product icon and its product metadata to another computing device, for example, as an e- mail attachment.

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Abstract

L'invention concerne des systèmes et des procédés pour acheter des produits au moyen d'un dispositif informatique. Ce dernier permet de contacter un serveur de vente via un réseau et de consulter un catalogue constitué d'icônes de produits, chacune représentant un produit proposé à la vente. Chaque icône de produit comporte des métadonnées associées, constituées d'informations relatives au produit correspondant. Représentant des produits d'intérêt, ces icônes de produits sont ajoutées par des sites Web vendeurs à un chariot d'achat local sur le dispositif informatique. Lorsqu'une icône de produit est ajoutée au chariot d'achat, les métadonnées associées sont mises en mémoire sur le dispositif informatique. Un gestionnaire d'achat localisé dans ledit dispositif informatique commande le produit dont l'icône est sélectionnée dans le chariot d'achat local. Ce gestionnaire d'achat soumet une demande de commande, y compris des informations extraites des métadonnées associées au produit et des informations de paiement mémorisées dans le dispositif informatique, un emplacement de contact étant identifié dans les métadonnées associées au produit pour commander le produit sélectionné.
PCT/US2001/044205 2000-11-28 2001-11-26 Systemes et procedes pour commander des produits via un reseau WO2002044840A2 (fr)

Priority Applications (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
AU2002217872A AU2002217872A1 (en) 2000-11-28 2001-11-26 Systems and methods for ordering products over a network
GB0314859A GB2387695A (en) 2000-11-28 2001-11-26 Systems and methods for ordering products over a network

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

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US72466000A 2000-11-28 2000-11-28
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US8438298B2 (en) 2001-02-14 2013-05-07 Endeavors Technologies, Inc. Intelligent network streaming and execution system for conventionally coded applications
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US10587473B2 (en) 2005-03-23 2020-03-10 Numecent Holdings, Inc. Opportunistic block transmission with time constraints
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US11121928B2 (en) 2005-03-23 2021-09-14 Numecent Holdings, Inc. Opportunistic block transmission with time constraints
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US8261345B2 (en) 2006-10-23 2012-09-04 Endeavors Technologies, Inc. Rule-based application access management
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US11451548B2 (en) 2006-10-23 2022-09-20 Numecent Holdings, Inc Rule-based application access management
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WO2002044840A8 (fr) 2003-08-14
AU2002217872A1 (en) 2002-06-11
GB0314859D0 (en) 2003-07-30
GB2387695A (en) 2003-10-22

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