Method for purging abandoned shopping carts from an electronic commerce web site

• US 20030065577A1
• Filed: 10/03/2001
• Published: 04/03/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Trevathan, Matthew Bunkley, Lala, Ravesh, Haynes, Dennis Frank
• Granted Patent: US 7,047,213 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing

Abstract

An improved method for purging abandoned shopping carts from an electronic commerce web server. Periodically, the number of shopping carts that belong to guest shoppers is determined and compared with a threshold. When the number shopping carts that belong to guest shoppers exceeds the threshold, a guest shopper garbage collection routine applies to the shopping carts that belong to guest shoppers, and an established shopper garbage collection routine applies to carts that belong to established shoppers. In one embodiment of the invention, the guest shopper garbage collection routine purges shopping carts that have been inactive for a first period of time, whereas the established shopper garbage collection routine purges shopping carts that have been inactive for a second period of time that is longer than the first.

Claims

1. A method for purging abandoned shopping carts from an electronic commerce web site, comprising the steps of:

identifying shopping carts that belong to guest shoppers of an electronic commerce web site and shopping carts that belong to established shoppers of the electronic commerce web site;

applying a guest shopper garbage collection routine to the shopping carts that belong to guest shoppers; and

applying an established shopper garbage collection routine to the shopping carts that belong to established shoppers.

2. A method for purging abandoned shopping carts from an electronic commerce web site, comprising the steps of:

determining a number of shopping carts that belong to guest shoppers in an electronic commerce web site;

comparing the number of shopping carts that belong to guest shoppers with a guest shopper threshold; and

when the number of shopping carts that belong to guest shoppers exceeds the guest shopper threshold, applying a guest shopper garbage collection routine to the shopping carts that belong to guest shoppers.

3. The method of claim 2, further including the step of applying an established shopper garbage collection routine to shopping carts that belong to established shoppers.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the guest shopper garbage collection routine collects garbage more frequently than the established shopper garbage collection routine.

5. A method for managing an electronic commerce web site, comprising the steps of:

creating a shopper garbage object;

determining whether a shopper accessing the electronic commerce web site is a guest shopper rather than an established shopper;

when the shopper is a guest shopper, creating a guest shopper session object and registering the guest shopper session object with the shopper garbage object; and

when the shopper is an established shopper, creating an established shopper session object and registering the established shopper session object with the shopper garbage object.

6. A method for purging abandoned shopping carts from an electronic commerce web site, comprising the steps of:

determining a number of shopping carts that belong to guest shoppers;

comparing the number of shopping carts that belong to guest shoppers with a guest shopper threshold;

when the number of shopping carts that belong to guest shoppers exceeds the guest shopper threshold, determining a last transaction time of a guest shopper;

comparing the last transaction time to an expiration time;

when the last transaction time is earlier than the expiration time, purging a shopping cart that belongs to the guest shopper.

7. A method for purging abandoned shopping carts from an electronic commerce web site, comprising the steps of:

polling a threshold object by a shopper garbage object to determine a number of shopping carts that belong to guest shoppers in an electronic commerce web site;

comparing the number of shopping carts that belong to guest shoppers with a guest shopper threshold;

when the number of shopping carts that belong to guest shoppers exceeds the guest shopper threshold, polling a guest shopper session object of a guest shopper to determine a last transaction time;

comparing the last transaction time with an expiration time; and

when the last transaction time is earlier than the expiration time, purging a shopping cart that belongs to the guest shopper.

8. A method for purging abandoned shopping carts from an electronic commerce web site, comprising the steps of:

creating a shopper garbage object;

creating a threshold object and registering the threshold object with the shopper garbage object;

determining whether a shopper accessing the electronic commerce web site is a guest shopper;

creating a session object for the shopper accessing the electronic commerce web site;

when the shopper is a guest shopper, creating a guest shopper session object and registering the guest shopper session object with the shopper garbage object and the threshold object;

polling the threshold object by the shopper garbage object to determine a number of shopping carts that belong to guest shoppers;

comparing the number of shopping carts that belong to guest shoppers with a guest shopper threshold;

when the number of shopping carts that belong to guest shoppers exceeds the guest shopper threshold, polling the guest shopper session object for a last transaction time;

comparing the last transaction time with an expiration time; and

when the last transaction time is earlier than the expiration time, purging a shopping cart that belongs to the guest shopper.