Virtual Bundles

• US 20080288372A1
• Filed: 07/30/2008
• Published: 11/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Halchin, Judy D., Hilton, Shaun, Pfendt, Susan, Davis, Glenn D., Ridenous, Cathy, Cue, Eduardo
• Application Number:
  US12/182,504
• Publication Number:
  US 20080288372A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/27
• 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 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers

Abstract

Virtual bundles of purchasable products are created by a person external to an electronic commerce site. In a preferred embodiment, the virtual bundles are associated with custom store accessible only by members of a group associated with the external administrator.

Claims

1. A system for presenting customized bundled products to members of a group for purchase on a vendor'"'"'s e-commerce site, comprising:

a server application that is responsive to a request from an authorized user associated with said group to present a first interface that enables said user to define a plurality of virtual bundles, where each virtual bundle comprises a set of one or more products supplied by the vendor and selected by said user;

a database that stores information pertaining to the products in each virtual bundle defined by said user; and

a server application that is responsive to a request at said vendor'"'"'s e-commerce site, which request identifies the requestor as a member of said group, to present a second interface that retrieves said information from said database, displays the virtual bundles of products defined by said authorized user and allows said requester to select one or more of said predefined virtual bundles for purchase.

2. The system of claim 1, further including a server application that determines whether any of the selected products of a virtual bundle are obsolete or upgradeable, and provides a notification to said authorized user if such a product is detected.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said first interface enables the authorized user to indicate the order in which the defined virtual bundles of products are displayed in said second interface.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said stored information includes an identification of a main product in a virtual bundle whose image is displayed on said second interface.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the requester is identified as being a member of said group by means of information indicating that the request is coming from a secure resource associated with the group.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said database stores base prices for the products supplied by the vendor and a pricing tier for the group, and wherein the information stored for each virtual bundle includes a group price computed from said base price and pricing tier.

7. A method for presenting customized bundled products to members of a group for purchase on a vendor'"'"'s e-commerce site, comprising the following steps:

in response to a request from an authorized user associated with said group, presenting an interface that enables said user to define a plurality of virtual bundles, where each virtual bundle comprises a set of one or more products supplied by the vendor and selected by said user;

storing information pertaining to the products in each virtual bundle defined by said user; and

in response to a request at said vendor'"'"'s e-commerce site which identifies the requestor as a member of said group, retrieving said stored information, and displaying the virtual bundles of products defined by said authorized user to enable said requester to select one or more of said predefined virtual bundles for purchase.

8. The method of claim 7, further including the steps of determining whether any of the selected products of a virtual bundle are obsolete or upgradeable, and providing a notification to said authorized user if such a product is detected.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein said interface enables the authorized user to indicate the order in which the defined virtual bundles of products are displayed to members of the group.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein said stored information includes an identification of a main product in a virtual bundle whose image is displayed to members of the group.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the requestor is identified as being a member of said group by means of information indicating that the request is coming from a secure resource associated with the group.

12. The method of claim 7, further including the steps of storing prices for the products supplied by the vendor and a pricing tier for the group, computing group prices from said base prices and pricing tier, and storing the computed group prices in association with the respective virtual bundles to which they apply.

13. A computer-readable medium containing a program that executes the following steps:

presenting an interface that enables an authorized user associated with a recognized group to define a plurality of virtual bundles, where each virtual bundle comprises a set of one or more products supplied by the vendor and selected by said user;

storing information pertaining to the products in each virtual bundle defined by said user; and

retrieving said stored information in response to a request at said vendor'"'"'s e-commerce site which identifies the requester as a member of said group, displaying the virtual bundles of products defined by said authorized user, and enabling said requester to select one or more of said predefined virtual bundles for purchase.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein said program executes the further steps of determining whether any of the selected products of a virtual bundle are obsolete or upgradeable, and providing a notification to said authorized user if such a product is detected.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein said interface enables the authorized user to indicate the order in which the defined virtual bundles of products are displayed to members of the group.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein said stored information includes an identification of a main product in a virtual bundle whose image is displayed to members of the group.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the requester is identified as being a member of said group by means of information indicating that the request is coming from a secure resource associated with the group.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein said program executes the further steps of storing prices for the products supplied by the vendor and a pricing tier for the group, computing group prices from said base prices and pricing tier, and storing the computed group prices in association with the respective virtual bundles to which they apply.