US2012253895A1PendingUtilityA1

Virtual shopping cart spanning plurality of sales sites

72
Individually held — no corporate assignee on recordPriority: Apr 19, 1999Filed: Jun 13, 2012Published: Oct 4, 2012
Est. expiryApr 19, 2019(expired)· nominal 20-yr term from priority
Inventors:James D. BennettChristopher C. Winslade
G06Q 40/03G06Q 20/20G06Q 30/0207G06Q 30/0605G06Q 30/02G06Q 30/0255G06Q 30/0235G06Q 30/0601G06Q 30/0641G06Q 30/0224G06Q 40/08G06Q 40/04G06Q 30/0239G06Q 30/0613G06Q 30/0251G06Q 30/0269G06Q 30/0257G06Q 30/0261G06Q 30/0253G06Q 30/0625G06Q 30/0611G06Q 30/0222G06Q 30/0244
72
PatentIndex Score
0
Cited by
0
References
0
Claims

Abstract

A system for online sales with automatic rebate and coupon redemption provides customers making online purchases to automatically retrieve and redeem all applicable rebates and coupons during an online purchase. Purchase orders from customers are selectively fulfilled and products are shipped to the customers either by the system for online sales with automatic rebate and coupon redemption or by other merchant or manufacturer environments. The system makes purchases from merchants or manufacturers using all applicable coupons and rebates and then sells the products to the customers, passing the savings to them. The system automatically retrieves coupons and rebates for items in a shopping cart during the activity of an online purchase at an electronic mall or an online merchant site and to retrieve manufacturer's and merchant's coupons prior to an online purchasing activity for subsequent submission to an online merchant during a subsequent purchasing activity.

Claims

exact text as granted — not AI-modified
1 . A method that supports online sales between a plurality of buyers and an online merchant, the method comprising:
 receiving via a buyer interface comprising one or more web pages, first input from a given buyer of the plurality of buyers, the first input selecting one or more products being offered for sale online by the online merchant;   assembling, based on the first input of the given buyer, a shopping cart including the one or more products;   delivering for display on a computing device of the given buyer, a web page including a promotion link or button for selection by the given buyer;   receiving, via the web page, second input from the given buyer selecting the promotion link or button;   causing, responsive to the second input and based on information relating to the one or more products in the shopping cart, a search of one or more of promotion databases to identify one or more promotions relating to the shopping cart; and   delivering for display on the computing device of the given buyer, one or more identified promotions, the one or more identified promotions offering a reduction in a purchase price of at least one of the one or more products in the shopping cart.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , comprising automatically applying the one or more promotions to reduce a shopping cart purchase price, prior to completion of a transaction involving the shopping cart. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , comprising completing the transaction involving the shopping cart. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , comprising storing the shopping cart. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , comprising sending an email related to the shopping cart to the computing device of the given buyer. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , comprising sending an email related to the shopping cart to the computing device of the given buyer. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more promotions comprises one or more rebates and/or one or more coupons. 
     
     
         8 . A method that supports online sales between a plurality of buyers and an online merchant, the method comprising:
 receiving via a buyer interface comprising one or more web pages, first input from a given buyer of the plurality of buyers, the first input selecting one or more products being offered for sale online by the online merchant;   assembling, based on the first input of the given buyer, a shopping cart including the one or more products;   delivering for display on a computing device of the given buyer, a web page including a promotion link or button for selection by the given buyer;   receiving, via the web page, second input from the given buyer selecting the promotion link or button;   searching, responsive to the second input and based on information relating to the one or more products in the shopping cart, one or more of promotion databases to identify one or more promotions relating to the shopping cart; and   delivering for display on the computing device of the given buyer, one or more identified promotions, the one or more identified promotions offering a reduction in a purchase price of at least one of the one or more products in the shopping cart.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , comprising automatically applying the one or more promotions to reduce a shopping cart purchase price, prior to completion of a transaction involving the shopping cart. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , comprising completing the transaction involving the shopping cart. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 8 , comprising storing the shopping cart. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , comprising sending an email related to the shopping cart to the computing device of the given buyer. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 8 , comprising sending an email related to the shopping cart to the computing device of the given buyer. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the one or more promotions comprises one or more rebates and/or one or more coupons. 
     
     
         15 . A method that supports online sales between a plurality of buyers and an online merchant, the method comprising:
 receiving via a buyer interface comprising one or more web pages, first input from a given buyer of the plurality of buyers, the first input selecting one or more products being offered for sale online by the online merchant;   assembling, based on the first input of the given buyer, a shopping cart including the one or more products;   delivering for display on a computing device of the given buyer, a web page including a promotion link or button for selection by the given buyer;   receiving, via the web page, second input from the given buyer selecting the promotion link or button;   submitting, responsive to the second input, information relating to the one or more products in the shopping cart to a promotion system for identification of one or more promotions relating to the shopping cart;   receiving, responsive to the submission and from the promotion system, one or more identified promotions relating to the one or more products in the shopping cart; and   delivering for display on the computing device of the given buyer, the one or more identified promotions, the one or more identified promotions offering a reduction in a purchase price of at least one of the one or more products in the shopping cart.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , comprising automatically applying the one or more promotions to reduce a shopping cart purchase price, prior to completion of a transaction involving the shopping cart. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , comprising completing the transaction involving the shopping cart. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 15 , comprising storing the shopping cart. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , comprising sending an email related to the shopping cart to the computing device of the given buyer. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 15 , comprising sending an email related to the shopping cart to the computing device of the given buyer. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the one or more promotions comprises one or more rebates and/or one or more coupons.

Join the waitlist — get patent alerts

Track US2012253895A1 — get alerts on status changes and closely related new filings.

We store only your email — no account needed. See our privacy policy.