Method and System for Monitoring the Status of an Online Transaction

• US 20090024709A1
• Filed: 09/29/2008
• Published: 01/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Moody, Paul
• Granted Patent: US 8,086,727 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

The invention includes methods and software for presenting a user with a set of interfaces that reveal what events are to occur, or are likely to occur, in a transaction, and provide the ability to program the automatic monitoring of these anticipated events with a customizable set of alerts. A merchant encodes events that are possible for the transaction as part of developing an online transaction system such as an online catalog. The data regarding these events is encoded in an electronic communication, such as an email or onsite transaction history item, such that this data can be detected by a receiving system. The method includes presenting and setting monitoring options for event notices that have not yet been received. The chosen options for event notices that have not yet been received are used to program the monitoring and alerting of the user when such event notices have or have not been received.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring a transaction between a client and a transaction server, the transaction involving a series of events, the system comprising:

authoring means in the transaction server for generating a list of events to occur within the transaction;

means for embedding into a plurality of first messages event identification data identifying each event in the transaction as it occurs;

transmission means for transmitting the list of events and first messages to an intermediate server accessible to the client;

a monitoring system within the intermediate server for monitoring the receipt of the first messages and notifying the client upon the occurrence of a given event or the failure of a given event contained in the list of events to occur within a certain amount of time; and

a visualization tool within the client for displaying the series of events in the transaction and the status of each event.

2. The system of claim 1, comprising an encoder in the transaction server for encoding the list of events and event identification data into a form recognizable by a decoder but ignored by the intermediate server in the absence of the decoder.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the intermediate server comprises an email server, and wherein the transmission means comprises means for transmitting email messages.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the intermediate server comprises a web server, and wherein the transmission means comprises means for transmitting web pages.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring system comprises means for creating one or more agents to detect the receipt of first messages containing desired event identification data.

6. Computer readable media encoded with a set of software programs, the software programs being executable on one or more computers to support a method for monitoring the status of a transaction performed between a local computer user and a remote computer, the transaction comprising a series of events, the set of software programs comprising:

an authoring program for generating a list of events to occur within the transaction;

an embedding program for embedding into a plurality of first messages event identification data identifying each event in the transaction as it occurs;

a monitoring program for monitoring the receipt of the first messages and notifying the client upon the occurrence of a given event or the failure of a given event contained in the list of events to occur within a certain amount of time; and

a visualization program for displaying the series of events in the transaction and the status of each event.