Restricted purchase of regulated items over a network

• US 20070136149A1
• Filed: 02/01/2007
• Published: 06/14/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: JUNE RAY LIMITED
• Original Assignee: IpVenture, Inc.
• Inventors: Mills, James, Miller, Andrew, Wijaya, Joyo, Woodward, Franklin, Hodge, Randolph
• Granted Patent: US 8,010,411 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/27
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• 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 30/0607 Regulated
• 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

Abstract

A technique is disclosed for implementing electronic commerce transactions via a data network. A regulated item selected by a customer is identified. The regulated item may correspond to an item which satisfies predetermined criteria, indicating that the regulated item is prohibited from being purchased by the customer. Action is then taken to prohibit the purchase of the selected item, via the data network, by the customer. According to one embodiment, the action taken to prohibit the purchase of the regulated item is automatically implemented at a server system configured to implement electronic commerce transactions between an on-line merchant and the customer. According to a specific implementation, the predetermined criteria correspond to regulations which restrict sales of the regulated items to persons in a particular jurisdiction based upon certain criteria such as, for example, time of day, day of week, age of the customer, type of product being sold, etc.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for implementing electronic commerce transactions via a network, the method comprising:

identifying a regulated item selected by a customer, the regulated item corresponding to an item which satisfies one or more predetermined criteria, the one or more predetermined criteria indicating at least that the item is subject to one or more regulations, and the regulated item being made available from a merchant via an on-line store;

placing the regulated item in an electronic shopping cart associating with an order of the customer from the on-line store, the order also having delivery information from the customer regarding delivery of the order; and

subsequently taking action to remove the regulated item from the electronic shopping cart associated with the customer, the removal of the regulated item from the electronic shopping cart being based on the one or more predetermined criteria and the delivery information.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the delivery information includes at least a location, and

wherein said taking action comprises determining whether to remove the regulated item from the electronic shopping cart by at least comparing the location with the one or more predetermined criteria.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more predetermined criteria corresponds to at least one of the one or more regulations which restrict sales of the regulated item to persons in a particular jurisdiction.

4. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein ajurisdiction is a state.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the regulated item corresponds to a product having at least an alcohol component.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the regulated item is wine.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more regulations at least restricts sales of the regulated item to persons under a predetermined age.

8. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the delivery information includes a day of week, and wherein at least one of the one or more regulations at least restricts the sale of the regulated item on at least one day of the week.

9. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more regulations requires an appropriate recipient to be present to receive the delivery of the regulated item.

10. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more regulations depends on a location associated with the customer.

11. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more regulations are acquired from a data store associated with a server system that performs said method, and wherein the data store stores a plurality of regulation limitations for a plurality of different locations.

12. A computer-implemented method for facilitating online purchase of regulated products over a network, said method comprising:

(a) providing an online store for products, at least a portion of the products being regulated products;

(b) enabling a customer to interact with the online store to create an online order for a plurality of the products;

(c) requesting the customer to set a delivery time for the online order;

(d) receiving a requested delivery time for the online order from the customer;

(e) determining whether the online order includes at least one regulated product;

(f) determining, when said determining (e) determines that the online order includes at least one regulated product, whether the requested delivery time is permitted based on at least one regulation associated with the at least one regulated product; and

(g) producing a perceptible indication that the at least one regulated product is not permitted to be delivered at the requested delivery time when said determining (f) determines that the at least one regulated product is not permitted to be delivered at the requested delivery time.

13. A computer-implemented method for implementing electronic commerce transactions via a network, the method comprising:

identifying a regulated item selected by a customer, the regulated item corresponding to an item which satisfies one or more predetermined criteria, the one or more predetermined criteria indicating that the item is prohibited from being purchased by the customer, the one or more predetermined criteria corresponding to at least one regulation which restricts sales of the regulated item to persons in a particular location; and

taking action, other than or in addition to presenting a notification message, to prevent the purchase of the regulated item via the network by the customer in accordance with the at least one regulation.

14. A method of claim 13, wherein said taking action comprises modifying a display of items available for purchase by the customer, wherein the display modification includes restricting display of items which are prohibited from being purchased by the customer based upon the one or more predetermined criteria.

15. A method of claim 13, wherein said taking action comprises taking action to prevent the customer from adding the regulated item to an electronic shopping cart associated with the customer.

16. A method of claim 13, wherein said taking action comprises taking action to prevent the customer from completing a checkout operation with respect to an electronic shopping cart containing the regulated item.

17. A method of claim 13, wherein said taking action is automatically implemented at a server system configured to implement electronic commerce transactions between an on-line merchant and the customer.

18. A method of claim 13,

wherein the regulated item corresponds to a class of regulated products selected from the group consisting of:

alcohol products, tobacco products, and dairy products, and

wherein the one or more predetermined criteria correspond to one or more regulations which prohibit delivery of the regulated item to persons in a particular location or which restrict sales of the regulated item to persons under a particular age.

19. A method of claim 13, wherein the one or more predetermined criteria include at least one regulation code parameter for use in identifying items which are associated with a class of regulated products;

and

wherein said regulated item has associated therewith a specific regulation code parameter.

20. A method of claim 13, wherein the one or more predetermined criteria includes at least one restriction parameter for use in identifying at least one type of compliance action to be performed in order to comply with a legal regulation which restricts sales of the regulated item to persons in a particular location.