Administrative notes in network-based commerce facility

• US 20070055681A1
• Filed: 10/17/2006
• Published: 03/08/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Wilson, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 7,756,776 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0609 Buyer or seller confidence or verification
• 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: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/03 Credit; Loans; Processing thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

Some embodiments provide a method and a system for generating an administrative note associated with a network-based commerce facility, associating an administrator-selected aspect of the network-based commerce facility with the administrative note, and storing the administrative note.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method including:

generating an administrative note associated with a network-based commerce facility;

associating an administrator-selected aspect of the network-based commerce facility with the administrative note; and

storing the administrative note.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the administrator-selected aspect comprises an entity in the network-based commerce facility.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the entity is a user of the network-based commerce facility.

4. The method of claim 3, further including receiving any one of a group of information items to be associated with the administrative note concerning the user, the group of information items including a user identifier and whether the user is to be suspended.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the generating of the administrative note further includes associating administrative information concerning the user with the administrative note.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the entity is an item offered for auction via the network-based commerce facility.

7. The method of claim 1, further including receiving administrative note data, and wherein the generating of the administrative note includes associating the administrative note data in the administrative note.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating of the administrative note further includes associating the administrative note with a plurality of administrator-selected aspects of the network-based commerce facility.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating of the administrative node includes associating a reason for the generation of the administrative note with the administrative note.

10. The method of claim 1, further including receiving an administrative note type.

11. The method of claim 1, further including presenting a set of administrative note types for selection by the administrator.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein a reason for generation of the administrative note is associated with each of the set of administrative note types.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the generating of the administrative note includes associating the administrative note type with the administrative note.

16. The method of claim 1, further including prompting an administrator, via a user interface, to identify the administrator-selected aspect to be associated with the administrative note.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the administrator-selected aspect comprises an item offered for auction via the network-based auction facility, the method further including prompting the administrator, via the user interface, to identify the item.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the administrator-selected aspect comprises a user, the method further including prompting the administrator, via the user interface, to identify the user.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the administrative note includes administrative information related to the monitoring of the network-based commerce facility.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the storing of the administrative note within the network-based commerce facility is in response to an invocation from any one of a plurality of administrative functions implemented by the network-based auction facility.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the storing of the administrative note within the network-based commerce facility is in response to an invocation via an Application Program Interface (API).

13. The method of 11, wherein the set of administrative note types is presented as a menu from which an administrative note type is selectable.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the menu of administrative note types is a drop-down menu.

22. A computer-implemented method including:

receiving selection criteria; and

selecting, from a plurality of administrative notes, an administrative note, the administrative note relating to an administrator-selected aspect of a network-based commerce facility, and the administrative note matching the selection criteria.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the criteria comprises at least one of a group including user information, auction item information, administrative note type, a reason for creation of an administrative note, addressor information, and addressee information.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the selecting is performed only after an identity of the administrator, at whose command the selecting is being performed, is verified.

25. The method of claim 22, further including purging the administrative note, wherein the selection criteria comprises a target expiration date, and wherein the administrative note includes an expiration date prior to the target expiration date.

26. A computer-implemented method including:

presenting an indication on an output unit of a network device to indicate an association of an administrative note with an administrator-selected aspect of a network-based commerce facility, when displaying information concerning the administrator-selected aspect on the output unit.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the output unit is a display unit.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the presenting of the indication comprises displaying an icon adjacent a text identifier for the administrator-selected aspect.

29. The method of claim 26, further including searching a plurality of administrative notes to locate the administrative note based on the administrator-selected aspect.

30. The method of claim 26, further including:

receiving a user action, associated with the indication, indicating that a user wishes to examine the administrative note; and

presenting, upon the output unit, a presentation of the administrative note.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the indication is an icon upon a display unit and the user action is a mouse click executed when a cursor is shown coincident upon the display unit with the indication.

32. A system including:

a computing device; and

a note creation application, executing on the computing device, to generate an administrative note associated with a network-based commerce facility, to associate an administrator-selected aspect of the network-based commerce facility with the administrative note, and to store the administrative note within the network-based commerce facility.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein the administrator-selected aspect comprises an entity in the network-based commerce facility.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the entity is a user of the network-based commerce facility.

35. The system of claim 34, wherein the note creation application is to receive any one of a group of information items to be associated with the administrative note concerning the user, the group of information items including a user identifier and whether the user is to be suspended.

36. The system of claim 33, wherein the note creation application is to associate administrative information concerning the user with the administrative note.

37. The system of claim 33, wherein the entity is an item offered for auction via the network-based commerce facility.

38. The system of claim 32, wherein the note creation application is to receive administrative note data, and to associate the administrative note data in the administrative note.

39. The system of claim 32, wherein the note creation application is to associate the administrative note with a plurality of administrator-selected aspects of the network-based commerce facility.

40. The system of claim 32, wherein the note creation application is to associate a reason for the generation of the administrative note with the administrative note.

41. The system of claim 32, wherein the note creation application is to receive an administrative note type.

42. The system of claim 32, wherein the note creation application is to present a set of administrative note types for selection by the administrator.

43. The system of claim 42, wherein a reason for generation of the administrative note is associated with each of the set of administrative note types.

44. The system of claim 42, wherein the set of administrative note types is presented as a menu of administrative note types from which an administrative note type is selectable.

45. The system of claim 44, wherein the menu of administrative note types is a drop-down menu.

46. The system of claim 41, wherein the note creation application is to associate the administrative note type with the administrative note.

47. The system of claim 32, wherein the note creation application is to prompt an administrator, via a user interface, to identify the administrator-selected aspect to be associated with the administrative note.

48. The system of claim 47, wherein the administrator-selected aspect comprises an item offered for auction via the network-based auction facility, the method further including prompting the administrator, via the user interface, to identify the item.

49. The system of claim 47, wherein the administrator-selected aspect comprises a user, the method further including prompting the administrator, via the user interface, to identify the user.

50. The system of claim 32, wherein the administrative note includes administrative information related to the monitoring of the network-based commerce facility.

51. The system of claim 32, wherein the note creation application is to store the administrative note within the network-based commerce facility in response to an invocation from any one of a plurality of administrative functions implemented by the network-based auction facility.

52. The system of claim 32, wherein the note creation application is to store the administrative note within the network-based commerce facility in response to an invocation via an Application Program Interface (API).

53. A system including:

a computing device; and

a note search application, executing on the computing device, to receive selection criteria, and to select, from a plurality of administrative notes, an administrative note, the administrative note relating to an administrator-selected aspect of an network-based commerce facility, the administrative note matching the selection criteria.

54. The system of claim 53, wherein the criteria comprises at least one of a group including user information, auction item information, administrative note type, a reason for creation of an administrative note, addressor information, and addressee information.

55. The system of claim 53, wherein the note search application is to perform the selecting of an administrative only after an identity of the administrator, at whose command the selecting is being performed, is verified.

56. The system of claim 53, wherein the note search application is to purge the administrative note, wherein the criteria comprises a target expiration date, and wherein the administrative note includes an expiration date prior to the target expiration date.

57. A system including:

a computing device;

a note display application, executing on the computing device, to present an indication on an output unit of a network device to indicate an association of an administrative note with an administrator-selected aspect of a network-based commerce facility, when displaying information concerning the administrator-selected aspect on the output unit.

58. The system of claim 57, wherein the output unit is a display unit.

59. The system of claim 58, wherein the note display application is to display an icon adjacent a text identifier for the administrator-selected aspect.

60. The system of claim 57, wherein the note display application is to search a plurality of administrative notes to locate the administrative note based on the administrator-selected aspect.

61. The system of claim 57, wherein the note display application is to receive a user action, associated with the indication, indicating that a user wishes to examine the administrative note, and to present, upon the output unit, a presentation of the administrative note.

62. The system of claim 61, wherein the indication is an icon upon a display unit and the user action is a mouse click executed when a cursor is shown coincident upon the display unit with the indication.

63. A system including:

means for generating an administrative note associated with a network-based commerce facility including;

means for associating an administrator-selected aspect of the network-based commerce facility with the administrative note; and

means for storing the administrative note within the network-based commerce facility.

64. A system including:

means for receiving selection criteria; and

means for selecting, from a plurality of administrative notes, an administrative note, the administrative note relating to an administrator-selected aspect of a network-based commerce facility, the administrative note matching the selection criteria.

65. A system including:

means for selecting an association of an administrative note with an administrator-selected aspect of a network-based commerce facility; and

means for presenting an indication on an output unit of a network device to indicate the association when displaying information concerning the administrator-selected aspect on the output unit.

66. A machine-readable medium embodying instructions, which when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform a method including:

generating an administrative note associated with a network-based commerce facility;

associating an administrator-selected aspect of the network-based commerce facility with the administrative note; and

storing the administrative note within the network-based commerce facility.

67. A machine-readable medium embodying instructions, which when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform a method including:

receiving selection criteria; and

selecting, from a plurality of administrative notes, an administrative note, the administrative note relating to an administrator-selected aspect of a network-based commerce facility, the administrative note matching the selection criteria.

68. A machine-readable medium embodying instructions, which when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform a method including:

presenting an indication on an output unit of a network device to indicate an association of an administrative note with an administrator-selected aspect of a network-based commerce facility, when displaying information concerning the administrator-selected aspect on the output unit.