Computer systems and a related method for enabling a prospective buyer to browse a vendor's website to purchase goods or services

• US 10,007,939 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2003
• Issued: 06/26/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Inventors: Thomason, Graham Gordon, Townsend, Stephen
• Primary Examiner(s): Hayles, Ashford S
• Application Number:
  US10/507,772
• Publication Number:
  US 20050177438A1
• Time in Patent Office: 5,619 Days
• Field of Search: 705 26, 705 35, 705 261
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces

Abstract

Buyer, vendor and third party computer systems are disclosed together with a related method for enabling a prospective Buyer to browse a Vendor'"'"'s website to purchase goods or services. According to one aspect of the present invention, the Buyer'"'"'s computer system automatically extracts purchase information from the Vendor'"'"'s website from which the Vendor can identify the Buyer'"'"'s purchase. According to a further aspect of the present invention, the Buyer'"'"'s computer system transmits, under control of the Buyer, confirmation to the Vendor that a third party has been instructed to pay the Vendor for the Buyer'"'"'s purchase. In a yet further aspect of the present invention, a third party'"'"'s computer system transmits to the Vendor confirmation of receipt of an instruction from a Buyer to pay a Vendor for goods or services.

Claims

1. A computer system comprising:

a processor, a memory and computer storage medium having instructions stored thereon, wherein the processor executes the instructions stored on the computer storage medium to perform acts of;

supporting a browser to enable a Buyer to browse a Vendor'"'"'s website to select goods or services for purchase;

scanning on a Buyer'"'"'s computer a currently displayed webpage;

automatically extracting from the currently displayed webpage by the scanning of the currently displayed webpage on the Buyer'"'"'s computer, a portion of the currently displayed webpage comprising purchase information, the purchase information being sufficient information for the Vendor to identify the Buyer'"'"'s purchase and being tagged as purchase information in the currently displayed webpage; and

transmitting to a third party from the Buyer'"'"'s computer an instruction to pay the Vendor for the Buyer'"'"'s purchase, the transmitted instruction including the purchase information extracted from the currently displayed webpage on the Buyer'"'"'s computer.

2. The computer system according to claim 1, wherein the purchase information includes a purchase price and/or a Vendor purchase reference automatically extracted by the scanning.

3. The computer system according to claim 1, wherein the purchase information further includes banking information of the Vendor needed for the third party to effect payment automatically extracted by the scanning.

4. The computer system according to claim 1, wherein the extracting comprises an act of copying the purchase information to a payment window.

5. The computer system according to claim 1, wherein the automated extraction of purchase information and the transmission of the instruction to the third party is controlled by program code not provided by the Vendor.

6. The computer system according to claim 4, wherein the automated extraction of purchase information and the transmission of the instruction to the third party is controlled by program code provided by the third party.

7. The computer system according to claim 1, wherein the third party is a Bank with which the Buyer has an account.

8. A computer system comprising:

a processor, a memory and computer storage medium having instructions stored thereon, wherein the processor executes the instructions stored on the computer storage medium to perform acts of;

supporting a browser to enable a Buyer to browse a Vendor'"'"'s website to select goods or services for purchase;

scanning on a Buyer'"'"'s computer a currently displayed webpage;

extracting from the currently displayed webpage by the scanning of the currently displayed webpage on the Buyer'"'"'s computer, a portion of the currently displayed webpage comprising purchase information, the purchase information being sufficient information for the Vendor to identify the Buyer'"'"'s purchase and being tagged as purchase information in the currently displayed webpage;

transmitting to a third party from the Buyer'"'"'s computer an instruction to pay the Vendor for the Buyer'"'"'s purchase, the transmitted instruction including the purchase information extracted from the currently displayed webpage on the Buyer'"'"'s computer;

automatically clicking on a payment instructed item displayed on the currently displayed webpage in response to the transmitted instruction to the third party; and

transmitting to the Vendor from the Buyer'"'"'s computer confirmation that the third party has been so instructed in response to the automatic clicking.

9. The computer system according to claim 8, wherein the instruction to the third party and the confirmation to the Vendor that the third party has been so instructed are transmitted as a result of a single action by the Buyer.

10. A computer system to perform upon receiving an instruction from a Buyer to pay a Vendor for goods or services, the computer system comprising:

a processor, a memory and computer storage medium having instructions stored thereon, wherein the processor executes the instructions stored on the computer storage medium to perform acts of;

supporting a browser to enable a Buyer to browse a Vendor'"'"'s website to select the goods or services;

transmitting in response to the instruction a confirmation of receipt of the instruction to the Vendor; and

paying or instructing payment to the Vendor in accordance with purchase information included in the confirmation of receipt, the computer system comprising the instruction from which the Vendor can identify the Buyer'"'"'s selection, comprises a portion of a currently displayed webpage on the computer system, the portion comprising purchase information extracted by locally scanning a currently displayed webpage on a Buyer'"'"'s computer, from which the Vendor can identify the Buyer'"'"'s selection, the purchase information being tagged as purchase information in the currently displayed webpage.

11. The computer system according to claim 10, wherein the transmission of the confirmation of receipt of the instruction constitutes a contract between either the Buyer or the third party and the Vendor.

12. A method of enabling a Buyer to browse a Vendor'"'"'s website in order to select goods or services for purchase comprising, in order, acts of:

initiating a session between a Buyer'"'"'s computer systems and the host of a Vendor'"'"'s website to enable the Buyer to browse and select goods or services for purchase;

at the Buyers computer system, scanning solely on a buyer'"'"'s computer a currently displayed webpage;

at the Buyer'"'"'s computer system, automatically extracting a portion of the currently displayed webpage comprising purchase information from the currently displayed webpage by the scanning of the currently displayed webpage on the Buyer'"'"'s computer of the currently displayed webpage, the purchase information being sufficient information for the Vendor to identify the Buyer'"'"'s purchase and being tagged as purchase information in the currently displayed webpage;

at the Buyer'"'"'s computer system, transmitting to a third party from the Buyer'"'"'s computer, an instruction to the computer system of the third party to pay the Vendor for the Buyer'"'"'s purchase, the instruction including the purchase information automatically extracted from the currently displayed webpage on the buyers computer by the scanning on the Buyer'"'"'s computer of the currently displayed webpage;

at the third party'"'"'s computer system and in accordance with the purchase information, either (i) effecting payment or future payment to the Vendor or the Vendor'"'"'s Bank or (ii) contracting to pay the Vendor or the Vendor'"'"'s Bank; and

terminating the session between the computer systems of the Buyer and the Vendor.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the purchase information includes a purchase price and/or a Vendor purchase reference automatically extracted by the scanning.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the purchase information further includes banking information of the Vendor needed for the third party to effect payment automatically extracted by the scanning.

15. The method according to claim 12, wherein the extracting comprises an act of copying the purchase information to a payment window.

16. The method according to claim 12, wherein the extraction of purchase information from the locally displayed webpage is automated and controlled along with the transmission of the instruction to the third party by program code not provided by the Vendor.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the program code is provided by the third party.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the third party is a Bank with which the Buyer has an account.

19. The method according to claim 18, further comprising an act of, at the Buyer'"'"'s computer system, transmitting, under the control of the Buyer, confirmation to the Vendor that the third party has been instructed to pay the vendor.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the instruction to the third party and the confirmation to the Vendor that the third party has been instructed to pay the vendor are transmitted as a result of a single action by the Buyer.

21. The method according to claim 19, further comprising an act of the Vendor instigating an action with respect to the purchase upon receipt of confirmation from the Buyer that a third party has been instructed to pay the Vendor for the Buyer'"'"'s purchase.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein the action instigated is to reserve for the Buyer the goods or services selected for purchase.

23. The method according to claim 12, further comprising an act of, at the third party'"'"'s computer system, transmitting a confirmation of receipt of the instruction to the Vendor.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein the transmission of the confirmation of receipt of the instruction constitutes a contract between either the Buyer or the third party and the Vendor.

25. The method according to claim 23, further comprising an act of the Vendor instigating an action with respect to the purchase upon receipt of confirmation from a third party of that third party having received an instruction from the Buyer to pay the Vendor for the Buyer'"'"'s purchase.

26. The method according to claim 25, wherein the action instigated is to reserve for the Buyer the goods or services selected for purchase.