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

• US 10,026,111 B2
• Filed: 10/24/2013
• Issued: 07/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Inventors: Thomason, Graham Gordon, Townsend, Stephen
• Primary Examiner(s): Hayles, Ashford S
• Application Number:
  US14/061,799
• Publication Number:
  US 20140046797A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,727 Days
• Field of Search: 705 26, 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 purchase goods or services. The Buyer'"'"'s computer system automatically extracts purchase information from which the Vendor can identify the Buyer'"'"'s purchase. The Buyer'"'"'s computer system may transmit, 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. A third party'"'"'s computer system may transmit 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 local to a Buyer, configured to perform acts of:

providing a browser modified by program code, the browser having a window interface and trusted program code to enable browsing a webpage of a remote Host computer of a Vendor'"'"'s Website to render the webpage on a display local to the Buyer in order for the Buyer to select at least one of a good and service for purchase, the remote Host computer being remote from the local computer system and the Buyer;

scanning on the local computer system a currently displayed webpage;

automatically extracting from the currently displayed webpage on the local computer system and under control of the trusted program code via the window interface, a portion of the currently displayed webpage comprising purchase information, the purchase information being sufficient information for the Vendor to identify the Buyer'"'"'s selected purchase; and

transmitting from the local computer system, under the control of the Buyer operating via the trusted program code, an instruction to a Third Party different than the Vendor to pay the Vendor for the Buyer'"'"'s purchase, wherein the instruction includes at least a pay portion of the purchase information obtained from the scanning and extracting on the local computer system the currently displayed webpage, the pay portion identifying at least a price and the Buyer'"'"'s selected purchase, the instruction being sufficient information for the Third party to pay the Vendor for the Buyer'"'"'s selected purchase.

2. The computer system of claim 1, configured to perform an act of transmitting directly to the Vendor by the local computer system of the Buyer under control of the trusted program code an order including at least an ordering portion of the purchase information, the ordering portion identifying at least the Buyer'"'"'s selected purchase, and the order being sufficient information to purchase the Buyer'"'"'s selected purchase from the Vendor.

3. The computer system of claim 1, configured to perform an act of transmitting under control of the trusted program code to the Third Party an order including at least an ordering portion of the purchase information.

4. The computer system of claim 3, wherein the ordering portion includes at least one of the price and a Vendor purchase reference.

5. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the trusted program code is provided by the Third Party to the local computer system.

6. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the browser is modified to enable operation of the trusted program code.

7. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the browser is modified to include a visual interface to interact with the trusted program code.

8. The computer system of claim 7, wherein the visual interface includes a portion in a title bar to interact with the trusted program code.

9. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the purchase information is tagged as purchase information in the currently displayed webpage and wherein extracting comprises an act of copying the purchase information to a payment window.

10. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the purchase information includes at least one of an account number of the Vendors Bank, the Vendor'"'"'s invoice number and the Vendor'"'"'s email address.

11. A method of enabling a Buyer to purchase a selection offered from a Vendor'"'"'s website, the method comprising acts of:

providing a browser modified by program code, the browser having a window interface and trusted program code;

displaying via the browser on a display local to the Buyer a Vendor'"'"'s webpage from a remote Host computer at a computer system that is local to the Buyer, the remote Host computer being remote from the local computer system and the Buyer;

browsing via the browser the Vendor'"'"'s webpage;

selecting via the browser a purchase from the Vendor'"'"'s webpage;

scanning on the local computer system the currently displayed Vendor'"'"'s webpage;

automatically extracting a portion of the currently displayed webpage comprising purchase information from the currently displayed Vendor'"'"'s webpage on the local computer system and storing the extracted purchase information from the currently displayed webpage on the local computer system under control of the trusted program code via the window interface, the purchase information being sufficient information for the Vendor to identify the Buyer'"'"'s selected purchase; and

transmitting from the local computer system, under the control of the Buyer operating via the trusted program code, an instruction to a Third Party different than the Vendor to pay the Vendor for the Buyer'"'"'s purchase, wherein the instruction includes at least a pay portion of the purchase information obtained from the scanning and extracting on the local computer system the currently displayed webpage, the pay portion identifying at least a price and the Buyer'"'"'s selected purchase, the instruction being sufficient information for the Third party to pay the Vendor for the Buyer'"'"'s selected purchase.

12. The method of claim 11, comprising an act of transmitting directly to the Vendor by the local computer system of the Buyer under control of the trusted program code an order including at least an ordering portion of the purchase information, the ordering portion identifying at least the Buyer'"'"'s selected purchase, and the order being sufficient information to purchase the Buyer'"'"'s selected purchase from the Vendor.

13. The method of claim 11, comprising acts of:

transmitting under control of the trusted program code to the Third Party an order including at least an ordering portion of the purchase information, and

transmitting by the Third Party the order to the Vendor, the ordering portion identifying the Buyer'"'"'s selected purchase, and the order being sufficient information for the Buyer to purchase the Buyer'"'"'s selected purchase from the Vendor.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the ordering portion includes at least one of the price and a Vendor purchase reference.

15. The method of claim 13, comprising an act of reserving by the Vendor for the Buyer at least one of a good and service that corresponds to the Buyer'"'"'s selected purchase.

16. The method of claim 11, comprising an act of installing in the local computer system the trusted program code from the Third Party to provide the modified browser of the local computer system.

17. The method of claim 11, comprising an act of modifying a browser program by the program code to provide the browser having the window interface and the trusted program code.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the act of modifying the browser program comprises an act of modifying the browser program to include a visual interface to interact with the trusted program code.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the purchase information is tagged as purchase information in the currently displayed webpage and wherein extracting comprises an act of copying the purchase information to a payment window.

20. The method of claim 11 wherein under control of the Buyer, the method comprising act of:

by the trusted program code

transmitting to the Third Party an instruction to pay the vendor, and

transmitting to the Vendor confirmation that the Third Party has been instructed to pay the Vendor.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein a single action by the Buyer initiates the acts of the transmitting the instruction to the Third Party to pay the vendor and the transmitting the confirmation to the Vendor that the Third Party has been instructed to pay the Vendor.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein in response to receiving confirmation that the Third Party has been instructed to pay the Vendor, the method comprising an act of reserving for the Buyer by the Vendor the selected purchase that is identified in the confirmation.

23. A computer system of a Third Party remote from a Buyer'"'"'s computer system and comprising a memory configured with program code to control a processor to perform acts of:

receiving an instruction from the Buyer'"'"'s computer system to arrange payment to a Vendor for a selection of a purchase, the instruction including purchase information automatically extracted from a displayed webpage on the Buyer'"'"'s computer system under control of a trusted program code via a window interface, the trusted program code enabling the Buyer to browse the webpage of a remote Host computer of a Vendor'"'"'s Website to render the webpage on a display local to the Buyer to enable selection of at least one of a good and service for purchase from the displayed webpage and to enable the automatic extraction of the purchase information from the displayed webpage;

the purchase information being sufficient for the Vendor to identify the Buyer'"'"'s selection of the purchase, the Vendor being a different party than the Third Party and the Vendor being remote from the Third Party;

verifying the Buyer;

verifying financial information associated with the Buyer to determine whether the Third Party will arrange payment to the Vendor;

in response to receiving the instruction, and the verifying of the Buyer and the verifying of the financial information, transmitting a confirmation of the receipt of the instruction to the Vendor; and

initiating arranging for paying the Vendor for the purchases according to the purchase information included in the instruction.

24. The computer system of the Third Party of claim 23, wherein the confirmation includes the purchase information, and the Third Party'"'"'s computer system transmits a message to the Buyer that the confirmation has been sent to the Vendor.

25. The computer system of the Third Party of claim 23, wherein the confirmation of the receipt of the instruction is transmitted to The Buyer'"'"'s computer system.

26. A computer system of a Vendor remote from a Buyer and comprising a memory configured with program code to control a processor to perform acts of:

providing tagged information on a website to allow a Buyer'"'"'s computer system to identify the purchase information, the purchase information being sufficient for the Vendor to identify a purchase of at least one of goods or services;

initiating a browsing session between the Vender'"'"'s computer system and the Buyer'"'"'s computer system, the browsing session allowing the Buyer to browse the Vendor'"'"'s website to enable the Buyer to select purchases;

receiving a confirmation of receipt of an instruction from the Buyer to arrange for paying the Vendor for a selected purchase by the Buyer, the confirmation including at least purchase information automatically extracted from a displayed webpage on the Buyer'"'"'s computer system under control of a trusted program code via a window interface, the trusted program code enabling the Buyer to browse the Vendor'"'"'s Website to render the webpage on a display local to the Buyer to enable selection of at least one of a good and service for purchase from the displayed webpage and to enable the automatic extraction of the purchase information from the displayed webpage;

the purchase information being sufficient for the Vendor to identify the Buyer and the selected purchase; and

in response to receiving the confirmation, reserving the selected purchase for the Buyer.

27. The computer system of the Vendor of claim 26, wherein the Vendor'"'"'s computer system receives from the Buyer the confirmation of the receipt of the instruction from the Buyer to the Third Party.

28. The computer system of the Vendor of claim 26, wherein the Vendor'"'"'s computer system receives from the Third Party the confirmation of the receipt of the instruction from the Buyer to the Third Party.