Backend commerce engine

• US 20020010645A1
• Filed: 06/01/2001
• Published: 01/24/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Gatelinx Corporation
• Original Assignee: Gatelinx Corporation
• Inventors: Hagen, David, OʼHanlon, Thomas J.
• Application Number:
  US09/873,034
• Publication Number:
  US 20020010645A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/00 Payment architectures, schemes or protocols apparatus for performing or posting payment transactions G07F7/08, G07F19/00; electronic cash registers G07G1/12
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/18 involving self-service terminals [SST], vending machines, kiosks or multimedia terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2542 for selling goods, e.g. TV shopping payment schemes, payment architectures or payment protocols for electronic shopping systems G06Q20/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2547 Third Party Billing, e.g. billing of advertiser
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4438 Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4725 using interactive regions of the image, e.g. hot spots details of information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47815 Electronic shopping payment schemes, payment architectures or payment protocols for electronic shopping systems G06Q20/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8583 by creating hot-spots
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/45 Picture in picture , e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen

Abstract

A call center enables sales agents to push content to a potential consumer at a portal to promote a good or service. The sales agents are equipped with software resources that provide information about the consumer to the sales agent to promote up-sell and cross-sell options.

Claims

1. A system for promoting sales, comprising:

a call center comprising a plurality of customer service stations adapted to be staffed by sales representatives;

a database accessible by the sales representatives from the customer service stations, said database comprising information relating to up sale or cross sale opportunities; and

a communication link adapted to support bidirectional multimedia communication between the customer service stations and at least one remote portal such that the sales agents may make multimedia presentation to a potential consumer while accessing the database to recommend up sale or cross sale opportunities.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said customer service stations comprise third party customer service stations;

said database comprising a service provider database; and

said service provider database tracking communication between the third party customer service station and the potential consumer and charging the third party based on said tracking.

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising a shipping module that interfaces with third party courier services to arrange shipping of products or services sold by the sales agent.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the sales agent is prompted to enter information about the potential consumer in the database during the communication therebetween.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the database recommends up sale or cross sale opportunities to the sales agent based in part on the information entered by the sales agent about the potential consumer.

6. The system of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of portals through which the potential consumer may contact the sales agent.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the sales agent may co-opt the portal and control material presented to the potential consumer therethrough.

8. The system of claim 6 wherein at least one of the plurality of portals comprises a network kiosk.

9. The system of claim 6 wherein at least one of the plurality of portals comprises a set top box and television.

10. The system of claim 6 wherein at least one of the plurality of portals comprises a computer.

11. A method of promoting sales, comprising:

accepting, at a call center, an incoming communication from a portal;

connecting the incoming communication to a commerce server and a sales agent;

allowing the sales agent to direct information from the commerce server to the portal for display to a potential consumer;

providing information from a database regarding up sale or cross sale opportunities to the sales agent; and

communicating over a bi-directional multimedia communication link between the potential consumer and the sales agent.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein accepting, at a call center, an incoming communication from a portal comprises accepting an incoming call from a network kiosk.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein accepting, at a call center, an incoming communication from a portal comprises accepting an incoming call from a television set top box.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein accepting, at a call center, an incoming communication from a portal comprises accepting an incoming call from a computer.

15. The method of claim 11 further comprising accepting information into the database from the sales agent during the communication.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein accepting information into the database from the sales agent during the communication comprises accepting information related to the potential consumer.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising synthesizing information accepted from the sales agent to update the database.

18. A method of receiving information from a potential consumer, comprising:

allowing the potential consumer to use a portal to contact a remote sales agent;

receiving a request for information from the sales agent about a good or service in which the potential consumer has an interest;

sending multimedia information through the portal from the sales agent about the good or service requested;

receiving supplemental information from the potential consumer; and

entering the supplemental information into a database for later use.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein receiving supplemental information from the potential consumer comprises receiving responses to inquiries directed to the potential consumer by the sales agent.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein receiving supplemental information from the potential consumer comprises the sales agent deriving the supplemental information from a visual representation of the potential consumer.