Method and system for distributing product information

• US 20090106209A1
• Filed: 12/17/2008
• Published: 04/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Gudorf, Gregory D., Siegel, Brian M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,046,325 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A method and system of associating product codes with product characteristics, and using those product codes to send and receive information about those characteristics to destinations on a network when the values of those characteristics change.

Claims

1. A method of providing product information comprising:

associating a first code with a first characteristic of a product and a second code with a second characteristic of the same product,

storing a first characteristic value associated with the first characteristic and a second characteristic value associated with the second characteristic,

associating the identity of a first entity with at least one of the codes,

changing at least one of the characteristic values,

retrieving the identity of the first entity based on the association with the code associated with the characteristic with the changed value, and

sending the changed value to the first entity.

2. The method of claim 1 further including the steps of associating the identity of a second entity with the same code as that associated with the first entity, retrieving the identity of the second vendor based on the code associated with the characteristic having the changed value, and sending the changed value to the second entity.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of associating the identity of a first entity with at least one of the codes includes setting an update value, the update value indicating whether the first entity automatically receives changes to the characteristic associated with the code, and wherein the step of retrieving the identity of the first vendor includes determining the update value.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of sending the changed value comprises sending the changed value by email.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the step of retrieving the identity of the first entity includes retrieving the electronic address of the first entity.

9. The methods of claims 1 or 6 wherein the product is a service.

6. A computer-implemented method of providing information about a product comprising:

providing product data associating information codes to information about a product,

providing destination data correlating the information codes to entities,

modifying the information about the product,

identifying a first entity based upon the information code associated with the information about a product, the product data and the destination data, and

transmitting the modified information about a product or service to the first entity.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the modified information is transmitted over a network and the first entity is a computer on the network.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the network is the Internet.

10. A system for sending product information over a network comprising:

a server in communication with a destination computer via the network,

data accessible by the server, the data including (a) a plurality of product codes, each code being associated with the characteristic of a product, (b) values representative of the characteristic, (c) the address of the destination computer, (c) data associating one or more the product codes with the address of the destination computer, and

a processor for executing instructions, the instructions including sending a communication to the address when the value of a characteristic is changed and the product code associated with the characteristic is also associated with the address.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the network is the Internet and the destination address is the IP address of the destination computer.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein the means for associating the identity of a first entity with at least one of the codes also defines an update value, the update value indicating whether the first entity automatically receives changes to the characteristic associated with the code, and wherein the means for retrieving the identity of the first further determines the update value.

14. The system of claim 11 wherein the means for sending the changed value comprises means for sending the value by email.

12. A system of providing product information comprising:

means for associating a first code with a first characteristic of a product and a second code with a second characteristic of the same product,

means for storing a first characteristic value associated with the first characteristic and a second characteristic value associated with the second characteristic,

means for associating the identity of a first entity with at least one of the codes,

means for changing at least one of the characteristic values,

means for retrieving the identity of the first vendor based on the association with the code associated with the characteristic with the changed value, and

means for sending the changed value to the first entity.

18. The system of claims 12 or 15 wherein the product is a service.

15. A system for providing product information comprising:

a processor, data and instructions executable by the processor,

the instructions including;

associating a first code with a first characteristic of a product and a second code with a second characteristic of the same product;

storing a first characteristic value associated with the first characteristic and a second characteristic value associated with the second characteristic;

associating the identity of a first entity with at least one of the codes;

changing at least one of the characteristic values;

retrieving the identity of the first entity based on the association with the code associated with the characteristic with the changed value;

sending the changed value to the first entity.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the system comprises a server connected to a network and the first entity comprises another server on the network.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein the system comprises a server connected to a network, the data is maintained by a seller, and the first entity is a buyer of the product from the seller.