Shopping on Demand Transactional System with Data Warehousing Feature, Data Tracking, Shopping Cart Reservation Feature, Purchase Commentary and External Marketing Incentives Deployed in Video On Demand Cable Systems

• US 20070107021A1
• Filed: 11/06/2006
• Published: 05/10/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: On Demand Shopping, LLC
• Original Assignee: On Demand Shopping, LLC
• Inventors: Angel, Albert, Leeper, Barry, Weiner, Gary, Eisenberg, Lance, Bienstock, Terry
• Application Number:
  US11/556,762
• Publication Number:
  US 20070107021A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/86
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0603 Catalogue ordering
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4751 for defining user accounts, e.g. accounts for children
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4753 for user identification, e.g. by entering a PIN or password cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47815 Electronic shopping payment schemes, payment architectures or payment protocols for electronic shopping systems G06Q20/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4784 receiving rewards
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 Handling of requests in head-ends

Abstract

The shop on-demand (OD) purchasing method includes an on-line shopping list compiled via a supplemental communications channel (cell phone, land line, Internet, etc.) or compiled via the shop OD VOD process. The list is displayed on the interactive TV (STB-enabled TV) via VOD menu or asset metadata or VOD-VA assets from the cable head end (HE) or shop OD client application operative at the cable HE. To motivate the user-buyer, complementary advertisements for related purchased-ordered goods are (a) compiled at the shop OD server and (b) displayed to the user via metadata or VOD-VA assets. External marketing incentives are sent via supplemental channels (discounts, time-limited offers, limited inventory offers and special sales). A transaction ID is sent to the cable HE with a promoted goods tag. At the shop OD server, a report for promoted goods is created for vendors.

Claims

1. A purchasing method permitting a user-viewer to participate in a purchasing program for goods and services with an on-line shopping list, said shopping list and purchasing method deployed via a user-viewer'"'"'s interactive television set communicatively coupled via a cable system network to a cable head end which is communicatively coupled via a communications network to a shop on-demand computer server, each interactive television set having unique set identification (id) code for differentiation in said cable system network, said shop on-demand computer server communicatively coupled to supplemental communications channels including a cellular telephone communications network, a voice over internet protocol (VoIP) communications network, a terrestrial telephone network, and a global computer communications network (Internet), the purchasing method with an on-line shopping list comprising:

advertising said goods or services upon command of said user-viewer via said interactive television set and said cable head end;

enrolling said user-viewer into said shop on-demand purchasing program;

gathering prospective orders for specific goods or services from said user-viewer as a shopping list on said shop on-demand computer server via at least one of said supplemental communications channels including said cellular telephone communications network, said VoIP communications network, said terrestrial telephone network, and said Internet;

effecting a display of said shopping list and said prospective specific goods or services from the enrolled user-viewer via shopping list formative signal from the group of shopping list formative signals including video on demand (VOD) menu metadata, VOD asset metadata, a VOD asset from said cable head end and a VOD asset from a shop on-demand client application operative at said cable head end.

2. A purchasing method with an on-line shopping list as claimed in claim 1 including gathering user-viewer comments on said prospective specific goods or services in said shopping list via at least one of said supplemental communications channels including said cellular telephone communications network, said VoIP communications network, said terrestrial telephone network, and said Internet.

3. A purchasing method with an on-line shopping list as claimed in claim 1 including, at said shop on-demand computer server, locating complementary goods or services associated with said specific goods or services on said shopping list and

generating complementary advertisements for said complementary goods or services directed said enrolled user-viewer associated with said shopping list, and either

effecting a display of said complementary advertisements and said complementary goods or services via a complementary advertisement formative signal from the group of complementary advertisement formative signals including said VOD menu metadata, said VOD asset metadata, said VOD asset from said cable head end and said VOD asset from said a shop on-demand client application operative at said cable head end;

or

transmitting representative complementary advertisements for said complementary goods or services to said user-viewer via at least one of said supplemental communications channels including said cellular telephone communications network, said VoIP communications network, said terrestrial telephone network, and said Internet.

4. A purchasing method permitting a user-viewer to participate in a purchasing program for goods and services with an on-line shopping list, said shopping list and purchasing method deployed via a user-viewer'"'"'s interactive television set communicatively coupled via a cable system network to a cable head end which is communicatively coupled via a communications network to a shop on-demand computer server, each interactive television set having unique set identification (id) code for differentiation in said cable system network, the purchasing method with an on-line shopping list comprising:

advertising said goods or services upon command of said user-viewer via said interactive television set and said cable head end;

enrolling said user-viewer into said shop on-demand purchasing program;

transmitting, upon command of said user-viewer, a signal representative of a prospective order for specific goods or services after selection of the advertised goods or services to either said cable head end or a shop on-demand client application operative at said cable head end, said prospective order signal corresponding to said prospective specific goods or services and associated with said set id code for the user-viewer'"'"'s interactive television set;

compiling said prospective order signal, corresponding prospective specific goods or services, and associated set id code into a user-viewer'"'"'s shopping list on said shop on-demand computer server;

effecting a display of said shopping list and said prospective specific goods or services for said enrolled user-viewer via a shopping list formative signal from the group of shopping list formative signals including video on demand (VOD) menu metadata, VOD asset metadata, a VOD asset from said cable head end and a VOD asset from said a shop on-demand client application operative at said cable head end.

5. A purchasing method with an on-line shopping list as claimed in claim 4 wherein:

said shop on-demand computer server is communicatively coupled to supplemental communications channels including a cellular telephone communications network, a voice over internet protocol (VoIP) communications network, a terrestrial telephone network, and a global computer communications network (Internet);

the method including;

gathering supplemental prospective orders for specific goods or services from said user- viewer for said shopping list via at least one of said supplemental communications channels including said cellular telephone communications network, said VoIP communications network, said terrestrial telephone network, and said Internet; and

further effecting a display of said shopping list and said prospective specific goods or services from the enrolled user-viewer via a supplemental shopping list formative signal from the group of supplemental shopping list formative signals including VOD menu metadata, VOD asset metadata, a VOD asset from said cable head end and a VOD asset from said a shop on-demand client application operative at said cable head end.

6. A purchasing method with an on-line shopping list as claimed in claim 4 including, at said shop on-demand computer server, locating complementary goods or services associated with said specific goods or services on said shopping list and

generating complementary advertisements for said complementary goods or services directed said enrolled user-viewer associated with said shopping list, and

effecting a display of said complementary advertisements and said complementary goods or services via a complementary advertisement formative signal from the group of complementary advertisement formative signals including said VOD menu metadata, said VOD asset metadata, said VOD asset from said cable head end and said VOD asset from said a shop on-demand client application operative at said cable head end.

7. A merchandising and purchasing method enabling a user-viewer to purchase goods or services via a user-viewer'"'"'s interactive television set communicatively coupled via a cable system network to a cable head end which is communicatively coupled via a communications network to a shop on-demand computer server, each interactive television set having unique set identification (id) code for differentiation in said cable system network, said shop on-demand computer server communicatively coupled to supplemental communications channels including a cellular telephone communications network, a voice over internet protocol (VoIP) communications network, a terrestrial telephone network, and a global computer communications network (Internet), the merchandising and purchasing method comprising:

enrolling said user-viewer into said shop on-demand purchasing program;

generating merchandising incentives from said shop on-demand computer server for promoted goods and services via at least one of said supplemental communications channels including said cellular telephone communications network, said VoIP communications network, said terrestrial telephone network, and said Internet and transmitting said merchandising incentives to said enrolled user-viewer, said merchandising incentives including at least one incentive from the group of incentives including incentives represented as discounts for said promoted goods and services, time-limited offers to sell said promoted goods and services, limited inventories of said promoted goods and services, and special sales of said promoted goods and services; and

advertising said promoted goods or services upon command of said user-viewer via said interactive television set and said cable head end.

in response to a buy-now command by said user-viewer for specific promoted goods or services, generating a transaction id code with an algorithm correlated to said set id code, said transaction id code corresponding to said specific promoted goods or services and transmitting said transaction id code to said shop on-demand computer server via said cable head end or to a shop on-demand client application operative at said cable head end; and

at said shop on-demand computer server, reporting the merchandising effort based upon said transaction id code to a vendor or vendor-authorized agent.

8. A merchandising and purchasing method as claimed in claim 7 wherein transmitting said transaction id code with said specific promoted goods or services to said interactive television set includes generating a promoted goods transaction id formative signal from the group of promoted goods transaction id formative signals including video on demand (VOD) menu metadata, VOD asset metadata, a VOD asset from said cable head end and a VOD asset from a shop on-demand client application operative at said cable head end.

9. A merchandising and purchasing method as claimed in claim 7 including generating said transaction id code in conjunction with said interactive television set prior to transmission to said shop on-demand computer server via said cable head end or to said shop on-demand client application.