System and method for online shopping

Abstract

A system of and method for online shopping in which an intelligent agent at a client-side server renders and updates domestic information relevant to a first geographical location provided on any deliverable Webpages such that the updated information is displayed on the display device as non-domestic information relevant to a second geographical location.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system for online shopping, the system comprising:
 a data storage device for storing information that includes computer-executable instructions for enabling online shopping;   a mid-tier broker platform; and   a processing device for executing the computer-executable instructions, the processing device including:
 memory for storing information, 
 a user browser that is adapted to enable the user to search for products and pricing information about the products offered by at least one vendor server, each vendor server adapted to operate a Website having a vendor catalog and a plurality of deliverable Webpages and to detect additional coding incorporated into any of the plurality of deliverable Webpages, 
 a display device, and 
 an intelligent agent that is adapted to render and update information relevant to a first geographical location provided on any of the plurality of deliverable Webpages such that the updated information is displayed on the display device as information relevant to a second geographical location. 
   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the intelligent agent is adapted to store data sent from a vendor's Website in the form of at least one of static cookies and volatile cookies. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the user browser is adapted to initialize the intelligent agent after detecting additional coding incorporated into any of the plurality of deliverable Webpages. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1  further comprising a context chooser that is adapted to allow the user to manually override the updated information before it is displayed on the display device as information relevant to the second geographical location. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the memory includes a client-side library. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the intelligent agent is adapted to transform information relevant to a first geographical location in any of the plurality of Webpages into information relevant to a second geographical location. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 6 , wherein the information relevant to the first geographical location and the information relevant to the second geographical location are selected from the group consisting of a price in a default billing currency, a price in a preferred billing currency, local taxes, additional duties, value added taxes, export codes, classification under the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System, shipping costs, handling costs, shipping restrictions, import restrictions, export restrictions, licensing requirements, geographical-specific discounts, and geographical-specific mark-ups. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the additional coding detected by the web browser does not require Website-specific coding. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the information relevant to a first geographical location includes a default currency. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the information relevant to a first geographical location includes a default shipping destination. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the mid-tier broker platform comprises a data storage device, a processing device, and an intelligent services device. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the at least one of the data storage device and the intelligent services device is configured to include transaction data that includes at least one of: merchant identification and geographical location information, user IP addresses and geographical location (shipping) information, countries to which delivery is supported (in general and by each merchant), all possible transaction currencies, current currency exchange and transaction rates, shipping (export and import) restrictions (by country and by each merchant), pricing customization rules, commercial rules (by geographical location), country-specific price markups, country-specific price discounts, special regional marketing messages, and offers depending on the preferred shipping destination of the products. 
     
     
         13 . A method of transforming information relevant to a first geographical location in any of the plurality of Webpages into information relevant to a second geographical location, the method comprising:
 providing a processing device for executing computer-executable instructions, the processing device including memory for storing information, a user browser that is adapted to enable the user to search for products and pricing information about the products offered by at least one vendor server, each vendor server adapted to run a Website having a vendor catalog and a plurality of deliverable Webpages, a display device, and an intelligent agent;   detecting using the user browser additional coding incorporated into any of the plurality of deliverable Webpages;   initializing the intelligent agent after detecting the additional coding;   transforming using the intelligent agent information relevant to a first geographical location in any of the plurality of Webpages into information relevant to a second geographical location; and   displaying on the display device a Webpage having information relevant to the first geographical location but that is displayed as information relevant to the second geographical location.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13  further comprising accessing using the intelligent agent a mid-tier broker platform having a database containing information relevant to a plurality of geographical locations. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the information relevant to the first geographical location and the information relevant to the second geographical location are selected from the group consisting of a price in a default billing currency, a price in a preferred billing currency, local taxes, additional duties, value added taxes, export codes, classification under the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System, shipping costs, handling costs, shipping restrictions, import restrictions, export restrictions, licensing requirements, geographical-specific discounts, and geographical-specific mark-ups. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the mid-tier broker platform comprises a data storage device, a processing device, and an intelligent services device, the method further comprising the at least one of the data storage device and the intelligent services device providing transaction data that includes at least one of: merchant identification and geographical location information, user IP addresses and geographical location (shipping) information, countries to which delivery is supported (in general and by each merchant), all possible transaction currencies, current currency exchange and transaction rates, shipping (export and import) restrictions (by country and by each merchant), pricing customization rules, commercial rules (by geographical location), country-specific price markups, country-specific price discounts, special regional marketing messages, and offers depending on the preferred shipping destination of the products. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 13  further comprising enabling a user to override displaying the information relevant to the second geographical location. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 18  further comprising substituting information relevant to a third geographical location for the over-ridden information relevant to the second geographical location. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the information relevant to a first geographical location includes a default currency. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the information relevant to a first geographical location includes a default shipping destination.