Providing gift clustering functionality to assist a user in ordering multiple items for a recipient

Abstract

A method and system for creating of gift clusters of multiple items in a client/server environment by users, and for the ordering of such user-defined gift clusters of multiple items. In particular, a user can specify multiple items to be associated together as a gift cluster, and can also specify a variety of descriptive information about the gift cluster. That user or another user can then order the gift cluster as a gift for themselves or for another recipient, and may also order the gift cluster for the same or different recipients multiple times. The descriptive information can provide various information about how the gift cluster is to be used, and can also assist the user or others in identifying when the gift cluster is appropriate for a recipient. When customers are later searching for appropriate gift clusters, the various categorization or other descriptive information can then assist is identifying appropriate gift clusters. The gift clustering functionality may be provided by and work in conjunction with a particular item ordering service, or instead may work independently from any particular item ordering service.

1 - 74 . (canceled) 
     
     
         75 . A computer-implemented method, comprising:
 receiving, by a configured computing system of an item ordering service, information from a user indicating a search criterion that includes a specified characteristic of an intended recipient other than the user;   based at least in part on the specified characteristic of the indicated search criterion, identifying, by the configured computing system, a group of multiple items available from the item ordering service that is determined to be appropriate for the intended recipient, the group of multiple items having been defined by a customer of the item ordering service distinct from the user; and   providing, by the configured computing system, information for display to the user indicating that the group of multiple items is determined to be appropriate for the intended recipient.   
     
     
         76 . The method of  claim 75  wherein the specified characteristic includes an interest of the intended recipient. 
     
     
         77 . The method of  claim 75  wherein the specified characteristic includes demographic information associated with the intended recipient. 
     
     
         78 . The method of  claim 75  wherein the specified characteristic includes information identifying the intended recipient, wherein the intended recipient is a second customer of the item ordering service that is distinct from the user and from the customer who defined the group, and wherein the identifying of the group is based at least in part on information tracked by the item ordering service and associated with the second customer. 
     
     
         79 . The method of  claim 75  wherein the indicated search criterion further includes an indication of a specified occasion, and wherein the identifying of the group includes determining that the group is appropriate for the specified occasion. 
     
     
         80 . The method of  claim 75  wherein the group of multiple items is an individual group of a plurality of groups of multiple items, each group of the plurality of groups being available from the item ordering service, and wherein the identifying of the group is based at least in part on a category associated with the group. 
     
     
         81 . The method of  claim 80  wherein the category associated with the group is determined in an automated manner by the configured computing system. 
     
     
         82 . The method of  claim 75  wherein the identifying of the group is based at least in part on information associated with the group that is received from the customer who defined the group. 
     
     
         83 . The method of  claim 75  wherein the information provided for display to the user identifies an action that is to be performed to order the group of multiple items from the item ordering service as a single item, and wherein the method further comprises, after performance by the user of the identified action, initiating an order for the group of multiple items. 
     
     
         84 . The method of  claim 83  wherein the initiating of the order is performed to cause delivery to the intended recipient of the multiple items of the group together as a group. 
     
     
         85 . The method of  claim 75  further comprising, before the providing of the information, creating the group of multiple items based at least in part on an indication received from the customer. 
     
     
         86 . The method of  claim 85  wherein the information received from the customer includes categorization information related to the group of multiple items. 
     
     
         87 . The method of  claim 86  wherein the categorization information reflects a categorization type from a group of categorization types, the group of categorization types including at least one of an occasion for which the group of multiple items is appropriate, a mnemonic moniker associated with the group of multiple items, or a type of recipient for which the group of multiple items is appropriate. 
     
     
         88 . The method of  claim 75  further comprising, before the providing of the information for display to the user, receiving an instruction from the customer to make the group of multiple items available for ordering by other customers of the item ordering service, and wherein the user is one of a plurality of customers of the item ordering service. 
     
     
         89 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing specific computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a computing device, causes the computing device to at least:
 receive information from a first user defining a group of multiple items available from an item ordering service;   receive a search criterion from a second user distinct from the first user, the search criterion including a characteristic of a recipient that is distinct from the first and second users; and   based at least in part on receiving the search criterion,
 determine that the group of multiple items is appropriate for the recipient having the characteristic; and 
 provide information for display to the second user identifying the group of multiple items as a single item that is available to be ordered for the recipient. 
   
     
     
         90 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 89  wherein the characteristic includes at least one of an interest of the recipient or demographic information associated with the recipient. 
     
     
         91 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 89  wherein the first and second users are customers of the item ordering service, wherein the received search criterion identifies the recipient as a distinct third user of the item ordering service, and wherein the determining that the group of multiple items is appropriate for the recipient is based at least in part on information tracked by the item ordering service with respect to the third user. 
     
     
         92 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 89  wherein the received search criteria further include an indication of a specified occasion. 
     
     
         93 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 89  wherein the determining that the group of multiple items is appropriate for the recipient is based at least in part on a category associated with the group of multiple items. 
     
     
         94 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 89  wherein the determining that the group of multiple items is appropriate for the recipient is based at least in part on information associated with the group of multiple items by the first user. 
     
     
         95 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 89 , wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the computing device, further cause the computing device to at least:
 before the providing of the information for display to the second user, receive an indication from the first user that the group of multiple items is to be made available for ordering by users other than the first user.   
     
     
         96 . A system comprising:
 an electronic data store configured to at least store specific computer-executable instructions; and   a processor in communication with the electronic data store, the processor configured to execute the specific computer-executable instructions to at least:
 receive information defining a group of multiple items, the information being received from a first user of multiple users of an item acquisition service, the multiple items being available to the multiple users from the item acquisition service; 
 select the group of multiple items as being appropriate for an intended recipient based at least in part on categorization information associated with the group of multiple items; and 
 provide information for display to a second user of the multiple users that is distinct from the first user, the provided information indicating that the group of multiple items is appropriate for the intended recipient and identifying the group of multiple items as a single item that is available to be acquired from the item acquisition service. 
   
     
     
         97 . The configured computer system of  claim 96  wherein the categorization information associated with the group of multiple items identifies an occasion. 
     
     
         98 . The configured computer system of  claim 96  wherein the categorization information associated with the group of multiple items identifies a type of intended recipient. 
     
     
         99 . The configured computer system of  claim 96  wherein the selecting of the group as appropriate for the intended recipient is further based in part on a search criterion received from the second user, the search criterion specifying a characteristic of the intended recipient.