System and method for providing selective content in an electronic commerce environment
First Claim
1. An electronic communications network based commerce system comprising:
- a communications network comprising a plurality of user interface devices, at least one brand owner server computer, and a plurality of electronic merchant computer systems, each electronic merchant computer systems operable to supply information relating to and to sell products of one or more brand owners;
a data center computer system communicatively coupled to the brand owner server computers and the electronic merchant computer systems for facilitating brand specific presentation and selection for purchase of products by a user through the user'"'"'s interface device from the plurality of electronic merchant computer systems.
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Abstract
A system and method are provided for enhancing brand power and distribution channel relationships to satisfy online customers in electronic commercial transactions. In particular, the present system creates a deep collection of products of corporate importance from across the Internet and enables visitors at the organization'"'"'s web site to find and purchase those items through existing retail and other distribution channels. Additionally, the highly customizable nature of the present invention enables the system to be delivered turnkey as a managed application, implemented without significant impact on the organization'"'"'s technical operations or business processes. In one embodiment, users of a brand owner'"'"'s web site can search from a collection of brand-related products available through distribution channel partners, online retailers and distributors. The users may then purchase a product by linking directly to the order entry system of affiliated distribution channel partners. In this manner, the brand owner doesn'"'"'t alienate them, as well as causing brand dilution in the minds of consumers, or incurring lost sales through distributor-level competition and confusion.
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Citations
41 Claims
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1. An electronic communications network based commerce system comprising:
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a communications network comprising a plurality of user interface devices, at least one brand owner server computer, and a plurality of electronic merchant computer systems, each electronic merchant computer systems operable to supply information relating to and to sell products of one or more brand owners;
a data center computer system communicatively coupled to the brand owner server computers and the electronic merchant computer systems for facilitating brand specific presentation and selection for purchase of products by a user through the user'"'"'s interface device from the plurality of electronic merchant computer systems. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. In a communications network including a plurality of user interface devices, at least one brand owner server computer, and a plurality of electronic merchant computer systems, wherein at least some of the electronic merchant computer systems are operable to supply information about and to sell products of one or more brand owners, a data center comprising:
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a computer system in electronic communication with at least one brand owner server computer and a plurality of electronic merchant computer systems and adapted to receive data therefrom;
memory for storing the data and being accessible by the computer system; and
at least one module executable by the computer system and adapted to facilitate selection for purchase of one or more products by a user through the user'"'"'s interface device from the plurality of electronic merchant computer systems while the user accesses the at least one brand owner server computer with his interface device. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method for presenting and selling brand specific goods to consumers from a plurality of sources over a communications network comprising:
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accessing a product database containing electronic links to products available for purchase over the communications network from said plurality of different sources and associating items in the product database with one or more product description fields;
based at least in part on brand owner criteria, filtering products from said product database to present to a consumer in response to a consumer query for products of a particular brand; and
presenting products, including electronic links to purchase said presented products from at least one of said plurality of sources, selected from said product database based on said brand owner criteria and said consumer query, to the consumer over a communication device connected to said communications network. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A method for providing brand enhanced online shopping to patrons of a brand owner'"'"'s Internet website comprising:
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creating a database of products offered from a plurality of e-commerce vendors over the Internet;
applying a set of brand owner criteria to the products in the database;
for products which meet the brand owner criteria, associating a brand owner site ID with those products; and
in response to a user command to shop for products executed while on the brand owner'"'"'s Internet website, presenting a catalog of products which have the site ID of that brand owner and which correspond to a type of products requested by the user, including a link to purchase those products from their respective e-commerce vendor. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. A method for enabling a consumer to shop for and purchase a brand owner'"'"'s products from a plurality of different electronic merchants'"'"' Internet websites through the brand owner'"'"'s website comprising:
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at the brand owner'"'"'s website, receiving a consumer query associated with at least one brand owner product;
presenting, in response to the query, a list representing at least one product associated with the brand owner, said at least one product available for purchase from at least one electronic merchant, the list viewable with a browser software executed on an electronic device of the consumer, wherein the list includes a link to a website of the at least one electronic merchant offering said product for sale;
allowing a user to select at least one link from said list; and
directing the consumer to the electronic merchant website associated with the selected product. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31)
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32. A computer readable storage medium containing computer readable instructions for causing a computer to execute a program for presenting and selling brand specific goods to a consumer from a plurality of sources over a communications network while the consumer accesses a brand owner computer over the network, comprising:
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instructions for accessing a product database containing electronic links to products available for purchase over the communication network from a plurality of different sources said product characterized in said database by one or more product description fields;
instructions for specifying brand owner criteria for filtering products from said product database to present to the consumer in response to a query by the consumer for products of a particular category; and
instructions for presenting products, including electronic links to purchase said presented products, from said product database based on said brand owner criteria and the consumer query to a communication device of that consumer. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34, 35, 36)
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37. In a network environment consisting of at least one brand owner having a brand owner network server associated therewith, and a plurality of electronic merchants each merchant having at least one merchant network server associated therewith, each merchant offering for sale goods of one or more brand owners through their respective at least one merchant server, a method for creating a product catalog comprising:
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populating a product database containing products offered for sale by various electronic merchants over a communications network;
associating products in the product database with product categories in a product catalog such that the product catalog contains products from a variety of different electronic merchants and such that the product catalog is operable to be queried to return products of a particular brand owner offered for sale by one or more of the variety of different electronic merchants;
creating a virtual retail network from independent electronic merchants who carry products from various brand owners, seemingly dedicated to selling a specific brand owner'"'"'s products only while keeping consumers away from competitive brands; and
creating an authentic product catalog of a brand owner from which consumers can purchase one or more products through electronic merchants authorized by the brand owner. - View Dependent Claims (38, 39, 40, 41)
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Specification