User Interface for In-Browser Product Viewing and Purchasing

• US 20130332318A1
• Filed: 06/10/2012
• Published: 12/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Cranfill, Elizabeth C., Dellinger, Richard R., D'Auria, Anthony, Carson, David A.
• Granted Patent: US 9,317,878 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/27.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0253 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/567 Integrating service provisioning from a plurality of service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72406 by software upgrading or downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/60 Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits

Abstract

Information about a product advertised on a web page is presented separately, but concurrently, with the content of the web page, to avoid having to navigate away from the web page. The information may be automatically presented in a banner that is displayed adjacent the content of the web page. Controls on the banner initiate the display of further information, and/or enable purchase of the product, while maintaining the web page content in view on the browser. Alternatively, the display of the product information may be triggered by user selection of a link associated with that product. The information about the product may appear in an overlay sheet displayed in front of the original web page. The user can interact with controls on the sheet to initiate purchase or download of the product, or can dismiss the overlay sheet to continue viewing the content of the web page.

Claims

1. A method to facilitate the purchase of a product presented in a web page displayed in a browser on a computing device, comprising:

detecting an identification of the product in content of the web page being displayed on the computing device;

retrieving information pertaining to the product, based upon the detected identification, from a database associated with an online store via which the product can be purchased;

displaying the retrieved information on the computing device in a user interface object that is separate from the content of the web page; and

in response to a user input directed to the user interface object, initiating a process to obtain the product from the online store.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the user interface object is a banner that is appended to the content of the web page.

3. The method of claim 2, further including the step of detecting a reference object in the content of the web page that contains the identification of the product, and automatically displaying the banner in response to detection of the object.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said reference object is a tag.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the tag contains identifications of a plurality of products, and a banner is displayed for each identified product.

6. The method of claim 3, further including the step of detecting a user action to remove the display of the banner, and inhibiting further display of a banner pertaining to the product upon subsequent downloads of web pages containing the object.

7. The method of claim 6, further including the steps of recording the product identification of a product for which a banner is displayed, together with an associated display indicator for the product, and setting a status of the display indicator to indicate that a banner is not to be displayed in response to detection of the user action.

8. The method of claim 7, further including, when a product identification is detected in a web page being downloaded, checking the associated display indicator for the identified product, and selectively displaying a banner for the product in dependence upon the status of the display indicator.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface object is an overlay sheet that is displayed in front of at least a portion of the content of the web page.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the identification of the product is contained in a link within the content of the web page, and the overlay sheet is displayed in response to user selection of the link.

11. The method of claim 9, further including the step of displaying the overlay sheet in front of content of the web page by means of an animation.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the animation comprises sliding the overlay sheet into place in front of content of the web page.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface object contains at least one control element via which a user can initiate a procedure to purchase a product.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the control element is a button.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the button exhibits different states upon successive actuations by a user, and a different respective function, which pertains to a purchase transaction, is associated with each state.

16. A computer-readable storage medium encoded with program instructions that, when executed by a computing device, cause the device to perform the following operations:

detect an identification of the product in content of a web page;

retrieve information pertaining to the product, based upon the detected identification, from a database associated with an online store via which the product can be purchased;

display the retrieved information in a user interface object that is separate from the content of the web page; and

in response to a user input directed to the user interface object, initiate an process to obtain the product from the online store.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the user interface object is a banner that is appended to the content of the web page.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the program instructions further cause the computing device to detect an object in the content of the web page that contains the identification of the product, and automatically display the banner in response to detection of the object.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the program instructions further cause the computing device to detect a user action to remove the display of the banner, and to inhibit further display of a banner pertaining to the product upon subsequent downloads of web pages containing the object.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the user interface object is an overlay sheet that is displayed in front of at least a portion of the content of the web page.

21. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the identification of the product is contained in a link within the content of the web page, and the overlay sheet is displayed in response to user selection of the link.

22. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the program instructions further cause the computing device to display the overlay sheet in front of content of the web page by means of an animation.

23. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the user interface object contains at least one control element via which a user can initiate a procedure to purchase a product.

24. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 23, wherein the control element is a button.

25. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 24, wherein the button exhibits different states upon successive actuations by a user, and a different respective function, which pertains to a purchase transaction, is associated with each state.

26. A computing device, comprising:

a processor;

a display device;

a user input device;

a network interface; and

a memory storing program instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform the following operations;

detect an identification of the product in content of a web page downloaded via the network interface;

based upon the detected identification, retrieve information pertaining to the product via the network interface, from a database associated with an online store via which the product can be purchased;

display the retrieved information on the display device in a user interface object that is separate from the content of the web page; and

in response to a user input directed to the user interface object, initiate an process to obtain the product from the online store.

27. The computing device of claim 26, wherein the user interface object is a banner that is appended to the content of the web page.

28. The computing device of claim 27, wherein the program instructions further cause the processor to detect an object in the content of the web page that contains the identification of the product, and automatically display the banner in response to detection of the object.

29. The computing device of claim 28, wherein the program instructions further cause the processor to detect a user action to remove the display of the banner, and to inhibit further display of a banner pertaining to the product upon subsequent downloads of web pages containing the object.

30. The computing device of claim 26, wherein the user interface object is an overlay sheet that is displayed in front of at least a portion of the content of the web page.

31. The computing device of claim 30, wherein the identification of the product is contained in a link within the content of the web page, and the overlay sheet is displayed in response to user selection of the link.

32. The computing device of claim 30, wherein the program instructions further cause the processor to display the overlay sheet in front of content of the web page by means of an animation.

33. The computing device of claim 26, wherein the user interface object contains at least one control element via which a user can initiate a procedure to purchase a product.

34. The computing device of claim 33, wherein the control element is a button.

35. The computing device of claim 34, wherein the button exhibits different states upon successive actuations by a user, and a different respective function, which pertains to a purchase transaction, is associated with each state.

36. A method to facilitate the purchase of digital content referenced in a web page displayed on a browser in a computing device, comprising:

detecting a tag in content of the web page, wherein the tag includes an identification of the digital content;

retrieving information pertaining to the digital content, based upon the detected identification, from a database associated with an online store via which the digital content can be purchased;

displaying the retrieved information in a banner that is separate from the content of the web page; and

in response to a user input directed to the banner, initiating a process to obtain the digital content from the online store.

37. The method of claim 36, further including:

obtaining the digital content from the online store;

storing the digital content on the computing device;

changing the display of the banner to indicate that the digital content can be accessed; and

in response to a user input directed to the banner with the changed display, accessing the digital content stored on the computing device.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein:

the digital content is an applet;

the tag further includes context information associated with the web page; and

the step of accessing the digital content includes providing the context information to the applet, and displaying the applet with data that is reference by the context information.

39. A method to launch an applet referenced in a web page displayed on a browser in a computing device, comprising:

detecting a tag in content of the web page, wherein the tag includes an identification of the applet and context information associated with the web page;

retrieving information pertaining to the applet, based upon the detected identification;

displaying the retrieved information in a banner that is separate from the content of the web page;

in response to a user input directed to the banner, determining whether the applet is stored on the computing device;

if the applet is determined to be stored on the computing device, providing the context information to the applet, and

displaying the applet with data that is reference by the context information.