COMPUTER SYSTEMS AND A RELATED METHOD FOR ENABLING A PROSPECTIVE BUYER TO BROWSE A VENDOR'S WEBSITE TO PURCHASE GOODS OR SERVICES

• US 20140046797A1
• Filed: 10/24/2013
• Published: 02/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Inventors: Townsend, Stephen, Thomason, Graham Gordon
• Granted Patent: US 10,026,111 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26.41
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces

Abstract

Buyer, vendor and third party computer systems are disclosed together with a related method for enabling a prospective Buyer to browse a Vendor'"'"'s website purchase goods or services. The Buyer'"'"'s computer system automatically extracts purchase information from which the Vendor can identify the Buyer'"'"'s purchase. The Buyer'"'"'s computer system may transmit, under control of the Buyer, confirmation to the Vendor that a third party has been instructed to pay the Vendor for the Buyer'"'"'s purchase. A third party'"'"'s computer system may transmit to the Vendor confirmation of receipt of an instruction from a Buyer to pay a Vendor for goods or services.

Claims

1. A computer system local to a Buyer, configured to perform acts of;

enabling a Buyer to use a computer system that is local to the Buyer to browse a webpage of a remote Host computer of a Vendor'"'"'s Website to select and store a Vendor'"'"'s webpage in a local memory of the local computer system for rendering the webpage on a display local to the Buyer in order for the Buyer to select at least one of a good and service for purchase, the remote Host computer being remote from the local computer system and the Buyer;

a secure portion of the local computer system automatically scanning the webpage stored in the local memory for extracting purchase information from the Buyers local computer and storing the extracted purchase information in local memory of the secure portion, the purchase information being sufficient information for the Vendor to identify the Buyer'"'"'s selected purchase, the secure portion being secure from access by the remote Host computer and the Vendor; and

the secure portion of the local computer transmitting, under the control of the Buyer, an instruction to a Third Party different then the Vendor to pay the Vendor for the Buyer'"'"'s purchase, wherein the instruction includes at least a pay portion of the purchase information read from the local memory, the pay portion identifying at least a price and the Buyer'"'"'s selected purchase, the instruction being sufficient information for the Third party to pay the Vendor for the Buyer'"'"'s selected purchase.

2. The computer system of claim 1, configured to perform an act of transmitting directly to the Vendor by the local computer system of the Buyer an order including at least an ordering portion of the purchase information, the ordering portion identifying at least the Buyer'"'"'s selected purchase, and the order being sufficient information to purchase the Buyer'"'"'s selected purchase from the Vendor.

3. The computer system of claim 1, configured to perform an act of transmitting by the secure portion to the Third Party an order including at least an ordering portion of the purchase information.

4. The computer system of claim 3, wherein the ordering portion includes at least one of the price and a Vendor purchase reference.

5. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the local computer system includes installed software from the Third Party to provide the secure portion of the local computer system.

6. The computer system of claim 1, comprising a browser program that is modified to enable operation of the secure portion.

7. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the browser program is modified to include a visual interface to interact with the secure portion.

8. The computer system of claim 7, wherein the visual interface includes a portion in a title bar to interact with the secure portion.

9. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the purchase information is tagged as purchase formation in the local memory.

10. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the purchase information includes at least one of an account number of the Vendors Bank, the Vendor'"'"'s invoice number and the Vendor'"'"'s email address.

11. A method of enabling a Buyer to purchase a selection offered from a Vendor'"'"'s website, the method acts of:

storing a Vendor'"'"'s webpage from a remote Host computer in a local memory of a computer system that is local to the Buyer, the remote Host computer being remote from the local computer system and the Buyer;

browsing the Vendor'"'"'s webpage;

selecting a purchase from the Vendor'"'"'s webpage;

a secure portion of the local computer system automatically scanning the webpage stored in the local memory for extracting purchase information from the Buyers local computer and storing the extracted purchase information in a local memory of the secure portion, the purchase information being sufficient information for the Vendor to identify the Buyer'"'"'s selected purchase, the secure portion being secure from access by the remote Host computer and the Vendor; and

the secure portion of the local computer transmitting, under the control of the Buyer, an instruction to a Third Party different than the Vendor to pay the Vendor for the Buyer'"'"'s purchase, wherein the instruction includes at least a pay portion of the purchase information read from the local memory, the pay portion identifying at least a price and the Buyer'"'"'s selected purchase, the instruction being sufficient information for the Third party to pay the Vendor for the Buyer'"'"'s selected purchase.

12. The method of claim 11, comprising at act of transmitting directly to the Vendor by the local computer system of the Buyer an order including at least an ordering portion of the purchase information, the ordering portion identifying at least the Buyer'"'"'s selected purchase, and the order being sufficient information to purchase the Buyer'"'"'s selected purchase from the Vendor.

13. The method of claim 11, comprising acts of:

transmitting by the secure portion to the Third Party order including at least an ordering portion of the purchase information, and

transmitting by the Third Party the order to the Vendor, the ordering portion identifying the Buyer'"'"'s selected purchase, and the order being sufficient information for the Buyer to purchase the Buyer'"'"'s selected purchase from the Vendor.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the ordering portion includes at least one of the price and a Vendor purchase reference.

15. The method of claim 13, comprising an act of reserving by the Vendor for the Buyer at least one of a good and service that corresponds to the Buyer'"'"'s selected purchase.

16. The method of claim 11, comprising an act of installing in the local computer system software from the Third Party to provide the secure portion of the local computer system.

17. The method of claim 11, comprising an act of modifying a browser program to enable operation of the secure portion.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the act of modifying the browser program comprises an act of modifying the browse program to include a visual interface interact with the secure portion.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the purchase information is tagged as purchase information in the local memory.

20. The method of claim 11 wherein under control of the Buyer, the method comprising act of:

by the secure portion of the local computer

transmitting to the Third Party an instruction to pay the vendor, and

transmitting to the Vendor confirmation that the Third Party has been instructed to pay the Vendor.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein a single action by the Buyer initiates the acts of the transmitting the instruction to the Third Party to pay the vendor and the transmitting the confirmation to the Vendor that the Third Party has been instructed to pay the Vendor,

22. The method of claim 20, wherein in response to receiving confirmation that the Third Party has been instructed to pay the Vendor, the method comprising an act of reserving for the Buyer by the Vendor the selected purchase that is identified in the confirmation.

23. A computer system of a Third Party remote from a Buyer'"'"'s computer system and comprising a memory configured with program code to control a processor to perform act of:

receiving an instruction from the Buyer'"'"'s computer system to arrange payment to a Vendor for a selection of a purchase, the instruction including purchase information sufficient for the Vendor to identify the Buyer'"'"'s selection of the purchase, the Vendor being a different party than the Third Party and the Vendor being remote from the Third Party;

cryptographically validating the instruction;

verifying financial information associated with the Buyer to determine whether the Third Party will arrange payment to the Vendor;

in response to receiving the instruction, and the validating and the verifying, transmitting a confirmation of the receipt of the instruction;

initiating arranging for paying the Vendor for the purchases according to the purchase information included in the instruction; and

transmitting a message to the Buyer that arrangements for paying the Vendor for the purchase has been initiated.

24. The computer system of the Third Party of claim 23, wherein the confirmation of the receipt of the instruction is transmitted to the Vendor, and the confirmation includes the purchase information, and the Third Party'"'"'s computer system transmits a message to the Buyer that the confirmation has been sent to the Vendor.

25. The computer system of the Third Party of claim 23, wherein the confirmation of the receipt of the instruction is transmitted to The Buyer'"'"'s computer system.

26. A computer system of a Vendor remote from a Buyer and comprising a memory configured with program code to control a processor to perform acts of:

tagging purchase information in website to allow a Buyer'"'"'s computer system to easily identify the purchase information, the purchase information being sufficient for the Vendor to identify a purchase of at least one of goods or services;

receiving a message from the Buyer to initiate a browsing session between a computer system of the Buyer and the Vendor'"'"'s computer system;

initiating the browsing session between the Vendor'"'"'s computer system and the Buyer'"'"'s computer system, the browsing session allowing the Buyer to browse the Vendor'"'"'s website to enable the Buyer to select purchases;

receiving a confirmation of receipt of an instruction from the Buyer to a Third Party to arrange for paying the Vendor for a selected purchase by the Buyer, the confirmation including at least purchase information sufficient for the Vendor to identify the Buyer and the selected purchase; and

in response to receiving the confirmation, reserving the selected purchase for the Buyer.

27. The computer system of the Vendor of claim 26, wherein the Vendor'"'"'s computer system receives from the Buyer the confirmation of the receipt of the instruction from the Buyer to the Third Party.

28. The computer system of the Vendor of claim 26, wherein the Vendor'"'"'s computer system receives from the Third Party the confirmation of the receipt of the instruction from the Buyer to the Third Party.