Facilitating Online Transactions

• US 20130103538A1
• Filed: 10/22/2012
• Published: 04/25/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Groupon Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Groupon Incorporated
• Inventors: Scholl, Nathaniel Blake, Miner, Andrew David, Crawford, Jason Alan
• Granted Patent: US 9,665,898 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26.7
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted

Abstract

Merchandise content is aggregated from numerous merchant sources and presented on computing devices of individual users. Users are able to purchase select individual merchandise items by performing a simplified action, such as a screen tap on a touchscreen device. When the user performs the action, a series of actions are performed programmatically and/or automatically on behalf of the user to initiate and complete the transaction for the selected merchandise item from the merchant source.

Claims

1. A method of completing an electronic form, comprising:

receiving user profile information comprised of profile components;

receiving a request to complete an electronic form;

accessing a programmatic agent that configures a processor to map at least some of the profile components to data entries needed to complete the electronic form provided by the third party;

determining, by the processor configured by the programmatic agent, which of the profile components are to be used to complete the electronic form; and

transmitting the profile components in a manner that causes the electronic form to be completed programmatically.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the profile components comprises transmitting the profile component to a remotely-located network server of an online retailer.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the profile components results in ordering goods from an online retailer.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the profile components results in registering for a service provided by an online service provider.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving user profile information comprises receiving a consumer'"'"'s address, the consumer'"'"'s name, and the consumer'"'"'s purchasing information.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a first trigger input associated with product information, wherein accessing the programmatic agent is in response to receiving the trigger input; and

transmitting the product information identifying a first product to be purchased in response to receiving the trigger input.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

receiving subsequent trigger inputs over a predetermined period of time as measured from when the first trigger input was received, wherein each of the subsequent trigger inputs are associated with different products sold by the same merchant as the first product; and

queuing individual transactions associated with each of the subsequent trigger inputs until the predetermined period of time expires; and

in response to determining the predetermined period of time has expired, facilitating the purchase of the first product and the different products from the merchant.

8. The method of claim 6 further comprising, wherein facilitating the purchase of the first product and the different products occur as single online purchase order.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining whether the electronic form has been modified; and

in response to determining the electronic form has been modified, facilitating the updating of the programmatic agent.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein determining which of the profile components are to be used to complete the electronic form comprises:

determining whether merchant account login information is associated with the user profile, wherein the merchant account login information is specific to a merchant associated with the electronic form; and

in response to determining the merchant account login information is associated with the user profile, transmitting the merchant account login information as at least some of the profile components.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining whether the user profile has been used to complete a previous transaction associated with a merchant that is also associated with the electronic form; and

in response to determining the merchant is a new merchant, requesting additional information required to complete the electronic form.

12. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium and computer program instructions stored therein, the computer program instructions comprising program instructions for:

receiving user profile information comprised of profile components;

receiving a request to complete an electronic form;

accessing a programmatic agent that configures a processor to map at least some of the profile components to data entries needed to complete the electronic form provided by the third party;

determining, by the processor configured by the programmatic agent, which of the profile components are to be used to complete the electronic form; and

transmitting the profile components in a manner that causes the electronic form to be completed programmatically.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the computer program instructions for transmitting the profile components comprises instructions for transmitting the profile component to a remotely-located network server of an online retailer.

14. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the computer program instructions for transmitting the profile components results in ordering goods from an online retailer.

15. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the computer program instructions for transmitting the profile components results in registering for a service provided by an online service provider.

16. The computer program product of claim 12 further comprising instructions for:

receiving a first trigger input associated with product information, wherein accessing the programmatic agent is in response to receiving the trigger input; and

transmitting the product information identifying a first product to be purchased in response to receiving the trigger input.

17. A system comprising one or more processors configured to:

receive user profile information comprised of profile components;

receive a request to complete an electronic form;

access a programmatic agent that configures at least one of the processors to map at least some of the profile components to data entries needed to complete the electronic form provided by the third party;

determine which of the profile components are to be used to complete the electronic form; and

transmit the profile components in a manner that causes the electronic form to be completed programmatically.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein transmitting the profile components results in ordering goods from an online retailer.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein transmitting the profile components results in registering for a service provided by an online service provider.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein one or more processors configured to:

receive a first trigger input associated with product information, wherein accessing the programmatic agent is in response to receiving the trigger input; and

transmit the product information identifying a first product to be purchased in response to receiving the trigger input.

21. A method of aggregating information, comprising:

retrieving information associated with a plurality of items for sale from a plurality of online sources;

identifying a transaction type associated with each of the plurality of items;

accessing a user profile indicating categories of preferred transaction types;

selecting specific items from the plurality of items based on the transaction type of the items matching the preferred transaction types indicated by the user profile; and

associating the specific items with the user profile.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the selecting of the specific items is based on an amount of savings offered due to a current discount being offered on a normal price of the specific items.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the selecting of the specific items is based on an availability of the specific items, such that the specific items are selected only if there is at least a predetermined number of the specific items available.

24. The method of claim 21 further comprising:

displaying the specific items to a user associated with the user profile; and

enabling the user to delete one or more of the specific items.

25. The method of claim 24 further comprising:

in response to the user deleting one or more of the specific items, determining there has been an update to the user profile modifying the preferred transaction types; and

removing at least some associations of the specific items in response to the modifications made to the preferred transaction types.

26. The method of claim 21 further comprising:

displaying the specific items to a user associated with the user profile; and

enabling the user to purchase one or more of the specific items.