On-line real-time price comparison and adjustment system and method
First Claim
1. A system for managing an on-line virtual shopping cart which contains information about an item offered by a host merchant, comprising:
- a shopping cart manager that creates and manages the virtual shopping cart;
an extract and verify module that performs a comparison between a host merchant'"'"'s offer and a rival merchant'"'"'s offer; and
a counter offer module which, when applicable, dynamically changes the item information in the virtual shopping cart, to reflect a change in the host merchant'"'"'s offer based on the comparison by the extract and verify module.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A price comparison and adjustment system can be used in the context of an Internet environment. The system is generally comprised of a server based browser, a shopping cart manager, an extract and verify module, a validation module, and a counter offer module. The system provides an Internet shopper with a convenient method for comparison shopping online while allowing the shopper control over the comparison-shopping search, which also enables a host merchant to counter offer prices at rival merchant'"'"'s web sites. The system also provides information about rival merchants to the host merchant, which allows the host merchant to develop an optimal pricing and counter offer strategy. The system creates a portable virtual shopping cart that allows the Internet user to browse rival merchants without the appearance of leaving the host merchant'"'"'s web site, and further allows the shopper to quickly return to the host merchant'"'"'s web site to purchase items in the virtual shopping cart.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. A system for managing an on-line virtual shopping cart which contains information about an item offered by a host merchant, comprising:
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a shopping cart manager that creates and manages the virtual shopping cart;
an extract and verify module that performs a comparison between a host merchant'"'"'s offer and a rival merchant'"'"'s offer; and
a counter offer module which, when applicable, dynamically changes the item information in the virtual shopping cart, to reflect a change in the host merchant'"'"'s offer based on the comparison by the extract and verify module. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method of managing an on-line virtual shopping cart which contains information about an item offered by a host merchant, comprising:
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initiating a shopping session;
creating and managing the virtual shopping cart;
performing a comparison between a host merchant'"'"'s offer and a rival merchant'"'"'s offer; and
when applicable, dynamically changing the item information in the virtual shopping cart, to reflect a change in the host merchant'"'"'s offer based on the comparison. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A computer program product for managing an on-line virtual shopping cart which contains information about an item offered by a host merchant, comprising:
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a shopping cart manager that creates and manages the virtual shopping cart;
an extract and verify module that performs a comparison between a host merchant'"'"'s offer and a rival merchant'"'"'s offer; and
a counter offer module which, when applicable, dynamically changes the item information in the virtual shopping cart, to reflect a change in the host merchant'"'"'s offer based on the comparison by the extract and verify module. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25)
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Specification