Method and apparatus for providing enhanced functionality to product webpages

• US 20040205593A1
• Filed: 09/27/2002
• Published: 10/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/1999
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Fritch Alibates LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Wish-List.Com, Inc.
• Inventors: Kraemer, Keith M.
• Application Number:
  US10/256,632
• Publication Number:
  US 20040205593A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/513
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

A method and apparatus for providing enhanced functionality to product webpages is described. This method and apparatus may be used to provide a unified toolbar across product webpages of multiple, independent retailers. This toolbar may be used to create a gift registry across multiple retailers, to create an inter-retailer shopping cart and automate purchases, to create an inter-retailer advertising network, and to create a virtual network of retailers with a multitude of services spanning them.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for providing enhanced functionality to product webpages, the method comprising:

receiving a request for a product webpage from a user, the product webpage being associated with a product and an independent vendor;

retrieving the product webpage from an independent source;

extracting a location and structural information associated with the product webpage;

modifying the product webpage to provide a toolbar, the toolbar having at least one command associated with the product; and

presenting the modified product webpage to the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein extracting includes:

parsing the product webpage into webpage elements;

analyzing the webpage elements to identify location and structural information; and

storing the location and the structural information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the toolbar is provided in a space inserted at a top of the product webpage.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the toolbar is provided in a separate frame.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the separate frame is a floating window.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the webpage is written in a markup language.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the markup language is HTML.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein extracting includes:

parsing the product webpage according to HTML tags;

analyzing the HTML tags and accompanying text to identify URL and frameset information; and

storing the URL and the frameset information.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein modifying includes:

inserting a toolbar after the <

BODY>

marker of the product webpage.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining information about the user; and

storing the information about the user in an account associated with the user.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the information about the user includes a name, an address, and a phone number associated with the user.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the information about the user includes credit card and payment information associated with the user.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the information about the user includes personal preferences associated with the user.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the information about the user includes demographic information associated with the user.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving a product registration command associated with the product from the user;

adding the product to a list of products in the account associated with the user; and

adding a location and structural information associated with the product webpage in the account associated with the user.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

adding information associated with the product to the account associated with the user.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

obtaining information about a purchaser;

receiving a purchase command associated with the product from the purchaser;

modifying the purchase command with the information about the purchaser; and

sending the modified purchase command to the vendor.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein modifying includes:

identifying the product webpage;

retrieving instructions associated with completion of the command and the product;

retrieving the information associated with the user;

completing the command by using the instructions and the information associated with the user for the product webpage.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein identifying includes:

extracting a location and structural information associated with the product webpage; and

comparing the location and structural information with a database of known database of profiles.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a subsequent request for the product webpage;

reconstructing the product webpage using the location and the structural information associated with the product webpage; and

presenting the reconstructed product webpage.

21. A computer implemented method for providing enhanced functionality to product webpages, the method comprising:

receiving a request for a product webpage from a user, the product webpage being associated with a product and an independent vendor;

retrieving the product webpage from an independent source associated with the vendor;

extracting a location and structural information associated with the product webpage;

modifying the product webpage to provide a toolbar, the toolbar having at least one command associated with the product;

presenting the modified product webpage to the user;

receiving a subsequent request for the product webpage;

reconstructing the product webpage using the location and the structural information associated with the product webpage;

presenting the product webpage to the user.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein extracting includes:

parsing the product webpage into webpage elements;

analyzing the webpage elements to identify location and structural information; and

storing the location and the structural information.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the toolbar is provided in a space inserted at a top of the product webpage.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the toolbar is provided in a separate frame.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the separate frame is a floating window.

26. The method of claim 21, wherein the webpage is written in a markup language.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the markup language is HTML.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein extracting includes:

parsing the product webpage according to HTML tags;

analyzing the HTML tags and accompanying text to identify URL and frameset information; and

storing the URL and the frameset information.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein modifying includes:

inserting a toolbar after the <

BODY>

marker of the product webpage.

30. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

obtaining information about the user; and

storing the information about the user in an account associated with the user.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the information about the user includes a name, an address, and a phone number associated with the user.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein the information about the user includes credit card and payment information associated with the user.

33. The method of claim 30, wherein the information about the user includes personal preferences associated with the user.

34. The method of claim 30, wherein the information about the user includes demographic information associated with the user.

35. The method of claim 30, further comprising:

receiving a product registration command associated with the product from the user;

adding the product to a list of products in the account associated with the user; and

adding a location and structural information associated with the product webpage in the account associated with the user.

36. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

adding information associated with the product to the account associated with the user.

37. The method of claim 35, further comprising:

obtaining information about a purchaser;

receiving a purchase command associated with the product from the purchaser;

modifying the purchase command with the information about the purchaser; and

sending the modified purchase command to the vendor.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein modifying includes:

identifying the product webpage;

retrieving instructions associated with completion of the command and the product;

retrieving the information associated with the user;

completing the command by using the instructions and the information associated with the user for the product webpage.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein identifying includes:

extracting a location and structural information associated with the product webpage; and

comparing the location and structural information with a database of known database of profiles.

40. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

receiving a subsequent request for the product webpage;

reconstructing the product webpage using the location and the structural information associated with the product webpage; and

presenting the reconstructed product webpage.

41. A computer implemented method for providing enhanced functionality to product webpages, the method comprising:

presenting a list of vendor webpages to a user, the vendor webpages being associated with a plurality of vendors;

receiving a request for a particular vendor webpage from the user, the particular vendor webpage being associated with a particular vendor;

presenting a list of product webpages to the user, the product webpages being associated with a plurality of products, the plurality of products being associated with the particular vendor;

receiving a request for a particular product webpage, the particular product webpage being associated with a particular product;

retrieving the particular product webpage;

obtaining a location and structural information associated with the particular product webpage;

modifying the particular product webpage to provide a toolbar, the toolbar having at least one command associated with the particular product;

presenting the modified particular product webpage to the user;

receiving the command associated with the particular product from the user; and

storing information about the particular product in a list of products associated with the user.

42. The method of claim 41, wherein extracting includes:

parsing the product webpage into webpage elements;

analyzing the webpage elements to identify location and structural information; and

storing the location and the structural information.

43. The method of claim 41, wherein the toolbar is provided in a space inserted at a top of the product webpage.

44. The method of claim 41, wherein the toolbar is provided in a separate frame.

45. The method of claim 44, wherein the separate frame is a floating window.

46. The method of claim 41, wherein the webpage is written in a markup language.

47. The method of claim 46, wherein the markup language is HTML.

48. The method of claim 47, wherein extracting includes:

parsing the product webpage according to HTML tags;

analyzing the HTML tags and accompanying text to identify URL and frameset information; and

storing the URL and the frameset information.

49. The method of claim 47, wherein modifying includes:

inserting a toolbar after the <

BODY>

marker of the product webpage.

50. The method of claim 41, further comprising:

obtaining information about the user; and

storing the information about the user in an account associated with the user.

51. The method of claim 50, wherein the information about the user includes a name, an address, and a phone number associated with the user.

52. The method of claim 50, wherein the information about the user includes credit card and payment information associated with the user.

53. The method of claim 50, wherein the information about the user includes personal preferences associated with the user.

54. The method of claim 50, wherein the information about the user includes demographic information associated with the user.

55. The method of claim 41, wherein the command is a product registration command.

56. The method of claim 41, wherein the command is a product purchase command.

57. The method of claim 56, further comprising:

obtaining information about a purchaser;

receiving a purchase command associated with the product from the purchaser;

modifying the purchase command with the information about the purchaser; and

sending the modified purchase command to the vendor.

58. The method of claim 57, wherein modifying includes:

identifying the product webpage;

retrieving instructions associated with completion of the command and the product;

retrieving the information associated with the user;

completing the command by using the instructions and the information associated with the user for the product webpage.

59. The method of claim 58, wherein identifying includes:

extracting a location and structural information associated with the product webpage; and

comparing the location and structural information with a database of known database of profiles.

60. The method of claim 41, further comprising:

receiving a subsequent request for the product webpage;

reconstructing the product webpage using the location and the structural information associated with the product webpage; and

presenting the reconstructed product webpage.