System and method for browsing and comparing products

• US 20060265260A1
• Filed: 05/03/2006
• Published: 11/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/1998
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Craig Perkins, Doug Bregman, George A. Lopez, Kevin Perkins, Robert Brown
• Original Assignee: Craig Perkins, Doug Bregman, George A. Lopez, Kevin Perkins, Robert Brown
• Inventors: Lopez, George A., Brown, Robert, Perkins, Kevin, Perkins, Craig, Bregman, Doug
• Application Number:
  US11/418,484
• Publication Number:
  US 20060265260A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0629 for generating comparisons

Abstract

A system and method permit a user to browse and compare products of a merchant using information about a competitor. In one embodiment of the system and method, a page server serves a competitor electronic page to a customer browser which permits the user to select a competitor. The competitor electronic page includes a hyperlink having a manufacturer ID parameter, which hyperlink, when selected, issues a request to the page server for competitor product information. The request includes the manufacturer ID. Responsive to that request, the page server uses the manufacturer ID to form a query to present to a product database having competitive product information, manufacturer information, product information and associations between that information. A database engine processes the query and returns records satisfying the query. The records are used to construct a competitor product electronic page permitting a user to select a competitor product. The page server serves the competitor product electronic page to the customer browser. The competitor product electronic page includes hyperlinks corresponding to competitor products, each hyperlink, when selected, issuing a request for corresponding product information, and each hyperlink including a corresponding product ID parameter transmitted with the issued request. The page server responds to a request for corresponding product information by using the corresponding product ID parameter to query the product database for corresponding product information. The records satisfying the query are returned and used to construct an electronic page including corresponding product information. The page server sends the electronic page including the corresponding product information to the customer browser.

Claims

1. A method for locating product information, comprising the steps of:

displaying first competitor product information indicative of a first competitor product, the first competitor product having performance features at least some of which are interchangeable with performance features of a first product;

while displaying the first competitor product information, also displaying second competitor product information indicative of a second competitor product, the second competitor product having performance features at least some of which are interchangeable with performance features of a second product, the second competitor product and the first competitor product both of the same competitor, and the second product and the first product both of the same merchant; and

selecting an option associated with the display of the first competitor product information to retrieve and display information indicative of the first product.