SYSTEM, PROGRAM PRODUCT, AND METHOD OF ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION NETWORK GUIDED NAVIGATION
First Claim
1. A computer implemented method of facilitating a guided navigational search by one or more users of one or more remote user computers in communication with an online retail or wholesale store computer defining an online e-commerce computer associated with an online e-commerce product provider, through an electronic communication network, the method comprising the steps of:
- providing a product search request content page of an online e-commerce website having a pre-selected format, through the communication network, the product search request content page viewable on a display of one or more user computers and including fields for entering into the product search request content page product search request criteria comprising one or more search terms;
initiating an initial product search request responsive to receipt of the one or more search terms from the one or more remote second computers;
returning a plurality of product search results responsive to the initial product search request;
accessing a plurality of general product attributes associated with the plurality of returned product search results;
determining at least one website user interaction refinement associated with a specific customer user by the online e-commerce computer, the at least one website user interaction refinement based upon a customer user lifecycle stage with the e-commerce product provider for the specific customer user and a traffic segment purchasing expectation associated with a traffic segment classification associated with the specific customer user;
sorting the returned product search results responsive to the at least one website user interaction refinement to thereby form a plurality of potential refined product search results; and
generating a product search results content page including at least a subset of the plurality of potential refined product search results and at least a subset of the sorted plurality of general product attributes for display on a display of the one or more remote second computers responsive to the plurality of refined product search results and the associated general product attributes.
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Abstract
Systems, program product, and methods of electronic communication network guided navigation which allow users to obtain more relevant product search results much more quickly, are provided. An example of a system can allow a user to enter or start a product search request for a relatively broad term in a search engine and quickly start looking for relevant information by assisting the user in narrowing the product search results in a more efficient guided search. The results can be displayed to a user in a row of boxes, which focus the user on categories of potential intentions or meanings behind the product search request term or terms so that the user'"'"'s intent can be quickly ascertained and the user directed to results more closely aligned with or coinciding with the user'"'"'s intent behind the product search request.
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Citations
29 Claims
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1. A computer implemented method of facilitating a guided navigational search by one or more users of one or more remote user computers in communication with an online retail or wholesale store computer defining an online e-commerce computer associated with an online e-commerce product provider, through an electronic communication network, the method comprising the steps of:
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providing a product search request content page of an online e-commerce website having a pre-selected format, through the communication network, the product search request content page viewable on a display of one or more user computers and including fields for entering into the product search request content page product search request criteria comprising one or more search terms; initiating an initial product search request responsive to receipt of the one or more search terms from the one or more remote second computers; returning a plurality of product search results responsive to the initial product search request; accessing a plurality of general product attributes associated with the plurality of returned product search results; determining at least one website user interaction refinement associated with a specific customer user by the online e-commerce computer, the at least one website user interaction refinement based upon a customer user lifecycle stage with the e-commerce product provider for the specific customer user and a traffic segment purchasing expectation associated with a traffic segment classification associated with the specific customer user; sorting the returned product search results responsive to the at least one website user interaction refinement to thereby form a plurality of potential refined product search results; and generating a product search results content page including at least a subset of the plurality of potential refined product search results and at least a subset of the sorted plurality of general product attributes for display on a display of the one or more remote second computers responsive to the plurality of refined product search results and the associated general product attributes. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A computer implemented method of facilitating a guided navigational search by one or more users of one or more remote user computers in communication with an online retail or wholesale store computer defining an online e-commerce computer associated with an online e-commerce product provider, through an electronic communication network, the method comprising the steps of:
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receiving a product search request comprising one or more search terms; generating a product search results content page including a plurality of potential refined product search results by the online e-commerce computer responsive to the product search request and at least one user interaction refinement, the product search results content page being accessible and readily viewable by a user and also including a plurality of user selectable refinement categories arranged in one or more rows and each of the plurality of user refinement categories defining a column having a plurality of user-selectable subcategory rows so that when a user selects a column and a subcategory row defining a user selectable refinement, a user search is substantially more focused and thereby assists the user in more quickly narrowing the product search results to more specific user desired product search results; updating the product search results content page to include a plurality of user refined product search results responsive to user selection of the user selectable refinement; assigning a higher relevancy value to one or more of the following;
a user selected refinement category row element or a user selected refinement category column associated with the user selectable refinement responsive to user selection thereof; andresponsive to the higher relevancy value, assigning an enhanced visual position within the product search results content page to the one or more of the following;
a user selected refinement category row element or a user selected refinement category column associated with the user selectable refinement. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13)
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14. Guided navigational search program product stored on a tangible computer medium, the guided navigational search program product including instructions that when executed by an online retail or wholesale store computer defining an online e-commerce computer associated with an online retail or wholesale website defining an online e-commerce website featuring a plurality of goods, services, or goods and services collectively defining products, cause the computer to perform operations to facilitate a guided navigational search by one or more users of one or more remote user computers in communication with the online e-commerce computer through an electronic communication network, the operations comprising:
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receiving a product search request comprising one or more search terms; providing data over the communication network to display a product search results content page on a remote user computer, the product search results content page including a plurality of potential refined product search results generated responsive to the one or more search terms and at least one website user interaction refinement associated therewith, and including a plurality of refinement categories each displaying a plurality of user selectable refinement links, each user selectable refinement link indicating an associated one of a plurality of user selectable refinements and positioned so that when a user selects one of the plurality of user selectable refinement links, a user search is substantially more focused and thereby assists the user in more quickly narrowing the product search results to more specific user desired product search results; and providing data over the communication network to update the product search results content page to include a plurality of user refined product search results responsive to user selection of one of the plurality of user selectable refinement links. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. Guided navigational search program product stored on a tangible computer medium, the guided navigational search program product including instructions that when executed by an online retail or wholesale store computer defining an online e-commerce computer associated with an online retail or wholesale website of an e-commerce product provider defining an online e-commerce website featuring a plurality of goods, services, or goods and services collectively defining products, cause the computer to perform operations to facilitate a guided navigational search by one or more users of one or more remote user computers in communication with the online e-commerce computer through an electronic communication network, the operations comprising:
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returning a plurality of product search results; identifying a customer user lifecycle stage with the e-commerce product provider for a specific customer user; selecting one of a plurality of presentation metrics responsive to the customer user lifecycle stage with the e-commerce product provider for the specific customer; returning the plurality of potential refined product search results sorted according to the selected one of the plurality of presentation metrics; and generating a product search results content page including at least a subset of the plurality of potential refined product search results for display on a display of the one or more remote second computers. - View Dependent Claims (23)
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24. Guided navigational search program product stored on a tangible computer medium, the guided navigational search program product including instructions that when executed by an online retail or wholesale store computer defining an online e-commerce computer associated with an online retail or wholesale website of an e-commerce product provider defining an online e-commerce website featuring a plurality of goods, services, or goods and services collectively defining products, cause the computer to perform operations to facilitate a guided navigational search by one or more users of one or more remote user computers in communication with the online e-commerce computer through an electronic communication network, the operations comprising:
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returning a plurality of product search results; identifying a traffic segment classification associated with a specific customer user, and a traffic segment purchasing expectation associated with the traffic segment classification associated with the specific customer user; sorting the returned product search results according to the traffic segment classification associated with the specific customer user responsive to the traffic segment purchasing expectation associated with the specific customer user to thereby return a plurality of potential refined product search results; and generating a product search results content page including at least a subset of the plurality of potential refined product search results for display on a display of the one or more remote second computers. - View Dependent Claims (25)
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26. A system for facilitating a guided navigational search by one or more users of one or more remote user computers in communication with an online retail or wholesale store computer defining an online e-commerce computer associated with an online e-commerce product provider through an electronic communication network, the system comprising:
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a first computer; one or more second computers positioned remote from the first computer and in communication with the first computer through an electronic communication network defining an internet; guided navigational search program product stored on a tangible computer medium that is readable by the first computer to facilitate a guided navigational search by one or more users of the one or more remote second computers, the guided navigational search program product comprising a set of instructions that when executed by the first computer, causes the first computer to perform the following operations; initiating an initial product search request as received from one or more remote second computers for one or more search terms, generating a product search results content page including a plurality of potential refined product search results responsive to either the plurality of product search results produced in response to the initial product search request and at least one website user interaction refinement or responsive to a plurality of predetermined product search results stored in a pre-selected repository, for display on a display of the one or more remote second computers in communication with the internet and being accessible by a user thereof, the product search results content page also including a plurality of user selectable refinement categories each displaying a plurality of user selectable refinement links and arranged in a pre-selected pattern defining a guided navigational tool so that when a user selects a portion of the guided navigational tool, a user search is substantially more focused and thereby assists the user in more quickly narrowing the product search results to more specific user desired product search results, and updating the product search results content page to include a plurality of user refined product search results responsive to user selection of a portion of the guided navigational tool. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29)
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Specification