Method and system for providing portable shopping information

• US 20030187755A1
• Filed: 04/01/2002
• Published: 10/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: AOL LLC (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AOL LLC (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Liu, Louise, Tong, Vincent, Gremett, Peter, Crampton, Matthew, Acharya, Kamal, Butler, Ellen F.
• Application Number:
  US10/115,028
• Publication Number:
  US 20030187755A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/27
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0625 Directed, with specific intent or strategy
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces

Abstract

Portable, instant, and personalized online shopping information and assistance is disclosed for a fast and filtered shopping experience that enables online shoppers to print, download to a portable device, or share the useful portion of the online shopping information with another person. Online shoppers may print or email the useful portion of the online shopping information in a brochure-style format for off-line browsing. The disclosed invention saves shopping time for selective and busy shoppers, attracts more physical product or service retail outlets to join online shopping services, and retains the existing online product or service providers.

Claims

1. A method for printing online shopping information for a shopper, comprising the steps of:

receiving a request from the shopper to print the online shopping information;

generating a version of the online shopping information for printing; and

printing the version of the online shopping information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving the request includes receiving a single request for printing the shopping information that is about a plurality of items.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the receiving the request includes receiving a single-click input from the shopper.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating the version includes stripping extraneous information from the online shopping information.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the stripping extraneous information includes stripping hyperlink information.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the stripping extraneous information includes stripping navigation information.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating the version includes generating a summary of the online shopping information.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the printing the version includes

printing the version in a brochure-style format.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the printed version of the online shopping information includes product information page.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the printed version of the online shopping information includes provider information.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the printed version of the online shopping information includes promotion information.

12. A method for sharing online shopping information with a person other than a shopper, comprising the steps of:

identifying the online shopping information for sharing with the person;

generating a version of the online shopping information;

providing forwarding information for the person; and

sharing the version of the online shopping information with the person.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the identifying includes searching the online shopping information.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the searching includes searching for a shopping list for the shopper.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the searching includes searching for information about products and services offered in a favorite shopping category.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the searching includes searching for information about products and services offered by a favorite provider.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the generating the version includes stripping extraneous information from the online shopping information.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the stripping extraneous information includes stripping hyperlink information.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the stripping extraneous information includes stripping navigation information.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein the generating the version includes generating a summary of the online shopping information.

21. The method of claim 12, wherein the providing includes providing email address for the person.

22. The method of claim 12, wherein the providing includes providing personal notes for the person.

23. The method of claim 12, wherein the sharing includes emailing the version of the online shopping information to the person.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the emailing includes emailing when the shopper synchronizes with a global telecommunication network.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the emailing includes emailing when the shopper synchronizes with the Internet.

26. The method of claim 12, further including providing confirmation information to the shopper that the person has viewed the shared version of the online shopping information.

27. A method for downloading online shopping information from a user terminal to a device, comprising the steps of:

identifying the online shopping information for downloading to the device;

generating a version of the online shopping information for downloading to the device;

receiving a request for downloading the version of the online shopping information to the device; and

downloading the version of the online shopping information to the device.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the identifying includes searching the online shopping information.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the searching includes searching for a shopping list for the shopper.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein the searching includes searching for the information about product and services offered in a favorite shopping category.

31. The method of claim 28, wherein the searching includes searching for the information about products and services offered by a favorite provider.

32. The method of claim 27, wherein the generating the version includes stripping extraneous information from the online shopping information.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the stripping extraneous information includes stripping hyperlink information.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein the stripping extraneous information includes stripping navigation information.

35. The method of claim 27, wherein the generating the version includes generating a summary of the online shopping information.

36. The method of claim 27, wherein the receiving the request includes receiving a single request for downloading the version of the online shopping information that is about a plurality of items.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the receiving the single request includes receiving a single-click input from the shopper.

38. The method of claim 27, wherein the receiving the request includes receiving a request from the device.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein the receiving the request from the device includes an indication that the device is linked to the user terminal.

40. The method of claim 38, wherein the receiving the request from the device includes an indication that the device is synchronized with the user terminal.

41. The method of claim 27, wherein the generating the version includes generating a brochure-style version of the online shopping information suitable for a portable device.

42. A computer readable medium embodying a method for providing a portable version of online shopping information, the method comprising the steps of:

identifying the online shopping information;

generating a version of the online shopping information, said version being suitable for delivery to a device.

43. A system for printing online shopping information, comprising:

at least one user terminal;

at least one database containing shopping information;

means for receiving a request from the shopper to print the online shopping information;

means for generating a version of the online shopping information for printing; and

means for printing the version of the online shopping information.

44. The computer system of claim 43, further implemented on a network environment.

45. The computer system of claim 44, wherein the network environment includes a global telecommunications network.