METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR SUPPLYING AUTOMATIC STATUS UPDATES USING ELECTRONIC MAIL

• US 20030088473A1
• Filed: 10/25/1999
• Published: 05/08/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/1996
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: KAPLAN, SAMUEL JERROLD, FISHER, ALAN S.
• Granted Patent: US 7,139,726 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063114 Status monitoring or status determination for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0875 Itemisation or classification of parts, supplies or services, e.g. bill of materials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0619 Neutral agent
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

A system is disclosed for automatically updating the status of customers'"'"' orders and shipments via electronic mail without using a human attendant to create and send the electronic mail messages. Preferably implemented in software, the updating system allows a large set of customers to be periodically updated over a computer or communications network via electronic mail. The system includes a database for maintaining order and shipping status and other relevant information.

Claims

15. In a computer network enabling communication between a plurality of computers, an update processing and transmission system, said system comprising:

record creation means, for creating a record in response to a commerce-related event;

status information retrieval means for retrieving status information about said commerce-related event;

message generation means for generating a status message reflective of said status information; and

message forwarding means for forwarding said status message to a point where it may be accessed by an interested party.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein said status information relates to shipment of an item specified within said record.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein status information retrieved by said status information retrieval means is contained on a second computer physically remote from a first computer on which said record is stored and accessible via said network.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein said record is stored on a record database within a first computer.

19. The system of claim 15, further comprising a status database for separately storing status information about said record.

20. In a computer network enabling communication between a plurality of computers, an update processing and transmission method, said method comprising the steps of:

creating a record in response to a commerce-related event;

retrieving status information about said commerce-related event;

generating a status message reflective of said status information; and

forwarding said status message to a point where it may be accessed by an interested party.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein said status information relates to shipment of an item specified within said record.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein status information retrieved is contained on a first computer physically remote from a second computer which stores the record information.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein said record is stored on a record database within a first computer.

24. The method of claim 20, further comprising separately storing status information about said record.