METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PLACING A PURCHASE ORDER VIA A COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK

• US 20070106570A1
• Filed: 12/29/2006
• Published: 05/10/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jeffrey Bezos, Joel Spiegel, Peri Hartman, Shel Kaphan
• Original Assignee: Jeffrey Bezos, Joel Spiegel, Peri Hartman, Shel Kaphan
• Inventors: Bezos, Jeffrey, Spiegel, Joel, Kaphan, Shel, Hartman, Peri
• Granted Patent: US 8,341,036 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0605 Supply or demand aggregation
• 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 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/002 Vending machines being part of a centrally controlled network of vending machines
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/962 Operator interface for marketing or sales

Abstract

A method and system for placing an order to purchase an item via the Internet. The order is placed by a purchaser at a client system and received by a server system. The server system receives purchaser information including identification of the purchaser, payment information, and shipment information from the client system. The server system then assigns a client identifier to the client system and associates the assigned client identifier with the received purchaser information. The server system sends to the client system the assigned client identifier and an HTML document identifying the item and including an order button. The client system receives and stores the assigned client identifier and receives and displays the HTML document. In response to the selection of the order button, the client system sends to the server system a request to purchase the identified item. The server system receives the request and combines the purchaser information associated with the client identifier of the client system to generate an order to purchase the item in accordance with the billing and shipment information whereby the purchaser effects the ordering of the product by selection of the order button.

Claims

1-48. -48. (canceled)

49. A method in a client system for ordering an item, the method comprising:

receiving from a server system a client identifier of the client system;

persistently storing the client identifier at the client system;

when an item is to be ordered,

displaying information identifying the item and displaying an indication of a single action that is to be performed to order the identified item; and

in response to the single action being performed, sending to the server system a request to order the identified item along with the client identifier, the client identifier identifying account information previously supplied by a user of the client system wherein the user does not need to log in to the server system when ordering the item; and

when account information is to be changed,

coordinating the log in of the user to the server system;

receiving updated account information; and

sending the updated account information to the server system

whereby the user does not need to log in to the server system when ordering the item, but needs to log in to the server system when changing previously supplied account information.

50. The method of claim 49 wherein the account information includes billing information.

51. The method of claim 49 wherein the account information includes shipping information.

52. The method of claim 49 wherein the client system and server system communicate via the Internet.

53. The method of claim 49 including receiving from the server system a confirmation that the order was generated.

54. The method of claim 49 wherein the single action is clicking a mouse button when a cursor is positioned over a predefined area of the displayed information.

55. The method of claim 49 wherein the displaying includes displaying partial information supplied by the server system as to an identity of the user of the client system.

56. A method in a client system for ordering items, the method comprising:

receiving from a server system a client identifier of the client system;

persistently storing the client identifier at the client system; and

for each of a plurality of items

displaying information identifying the item and displaying an indication of a single action that is to be performed to order the identified item; and

in response to the single action being performed, sending to the server system a request to order the identified item and the client identifier, the client identifier identifying account information of a user

wherein the server computer automatically combines orders into a single order.

57. The method of claim 56 wherein the requested orders are combined when sent within a certain time interval.

58. The method of claim 56 wherein the requested orders are combined when requested within 90 minutes.

59. The method of claim 56 wherein the requested orders are combined when the requested items have similar availability.

60. The method of claim 59 wherein the availability is categorized as short-term or long-term.

61. The method of claim 59 wherein the availability is categorized as short-term, intermediate-term, or long-term.

62. The method of claim 56 wherein the client system and server system communicate via the Internet.

63. The method of claim 56 wherein the single action is clicking a mouse button when a cursor is positioned over a predefined area of the displayed information.

64. A method in a client system for ordering an item, the method comprising:

receiving from a server system a client identifier of the client system;

persistently storing the client identifier at the client system;

displaying information identifying the item and displaying an indication of a single action that is to be performed to order the identified item;

in response to the single action being performed, sending to the server system a request to order the identified item along with the client identifier, the client identifier identifying account information of a user; and

displaying an indication that the order for the item that is requested can be canceled within a time interval.

65. The method of claim 64 wherein the time interval is 90 minutes.

66. The method of claim 64 wherein the client system and server system communicate via the Internet.

67. The method of claim 64 wherein the single action is clicking a mouse button when a cursor is positioned over a predefined area of the displayed information.

68. The method of claim 64 wherein the displaying includes displaying partial information supplied by the server system as to the identity of the user of the client system.