SYSTEM, METHOD, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM FOR PROVIDING A MULTI-MERCHANT ELECTRONIC SHOPPING CART FOR A SHOPPING SERVICE

• US 20140122203A1
• Filed: 11/01/2012
• Published: 05/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rakuten Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Performance Marketing Brands, Inc. (Rakuten Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Johnson, Kevin H., Chatterjee, Tanuj
• Granted Patent: US 9,922,327 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.23
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers

Abstract

A system, method, and computer program are provided for providing a multi-merchant electronic shopping cart within a web browser. The shopping cart can be used at a plurality of unrelated merchant shopping sites and remains within the browser regardless of the displayed website. When a user selects the shopping cart, a user interface is displayed with information about a product on the website without navigating to a new webpage. If the product has options, the user is able to select for the options via the user interface. The user is also able to save products from a plurality of shopping sites to the shopping cart or purchase products from the shopping cart at one time. For each product to be purchased, a purchase transaction is conducted, on behalf of the user, with the merchant associated with the website from which the user added the product to the shopping cart.

Claims

1. A method performed by a computer system for providing a multi-merchant, electronic shopping cart for a shopping service, the method comprising:

providing a shopping cart object within a web browser that provides access to an electronic shopping cart for the shopping service, wherein the shopping cart can be used at a plurality of unrelated merchant shopping sites and wherein the shopping cart object remains within the browser regardless of the website displayed in the browser;

in response to a user selecting a visual representation of the shopping cart object from within the browser, displaying a user interface for the electronic shopping cart in a new window, wherein a user is able to view the user interface for the electronic shopping cart without navigating the browser to a new webpage;

in response to the user selecting the visual representation while a webpage supported by the electronic shopping cart is displayed in the browser, performing the following;

displaying information related to a product on the supported webpage in the user interface, wherein, if the product has one or more options, the information includes the options and the user is able to enter selections for the options via the user interface;

enabling the user to either commence a purchase transaction for the product via the electronic shopping cart or save the product in the electronic shopping cart for retrieval at a later time, wherein the user is able to save products from a plurality of unrelated merchant shopping sites to the electronic shopping cart; and

in response to the user electing to purchase the product, conducting a purchase transaction on behalf of the user with the merchant associated with the supported webpage; and

enabling the user to purchase at one time, from a plurality of unrelated merchant shopping sites, a plurality of products saved to the electronic shopping cart, wherein for each product to be purchased, a purchase transaction is conducted, on behalf of the user, with the merchant associated with the website from which the user added the product to the electronic shopping cart.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic shopping cart is associated with a shopping service that provides a reward based on purchases through the shopping service, and wherein the method further comprises:

crediting purchases made through the electronic shopping cart towards a reward calculation.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the information displayed in the user interface includes a rewards calculation.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic shopping cart is associated with a shopping service that provides a cash back reward for purchases and wherein the method further comprises:

determining a cash back amount, if any, for each product displayed in the user interface for the electronic shopping cart;

displaying the cash back amount in the user interface for the electronic shopping cart;

in response to a user purchasing a product via the electronic shopping cart, crediting the user with the cash back amount.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

for each product displayed in the user interface, determining if any coupon applies to the product or the corresponding merchant;

in response to identifying one or more coupons applicable to the product, displaying coupon information in the user interface; and

in response to the user purchasing the product, applying any identified coupons to the purchase.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining if a coupon applies comprises:

identifying any potentially-applicable coupons; and

for each potentially-applicable coupon, initiating an online purchase transaction with the applicable merchant to identify any price savings related to the coupon, wherein the purchase transaction is terminated before completion of a purchase.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining if a coupon applies comprises:

identifying any potentially-applicable coupons; and

sending an API request to a merchant to determine whether any potentially-applicable coupons may be used in the purchase transaction.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the displaying information step comprises extracting product information from the webpage, normalizing the extracted information, and displaying the normalized information in the user interface.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the displaying information step comprises identifying an application programming interface associated with the website, sending a request for product information on the webpage to the application programming interface, receiving the requested information, and displaying the requested information in the user interface for the electronic shopping cart.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the shopping cart object is a software program embedded within the browser.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the shopping cart object is one of a bookmarklet, browser add-on, browser extension, browser widget, or toolbar.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the shopping cart object provides access to a plurality of electronic shopping carts and a user is able to save products to any one of a plurality of electronic shopping carts.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein one of a plurality of electronic shopping carts represents a registry.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein a user is able to designate a privacy level for each of the electronic shopping carts.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein conducting a purchase transaction comprises:

retrieving a user-saved address and payment information;

providing said information to the merchant associated with the purchase transaction;

receiving a purchase confirmation from the merchant; and

communicating the purchase confirmation to the user.

16. A system for providing a multi-merchant electronic shopping cart for a shopping service, the system comprising:

a client computing device that enables a user to access an electronic shopping cart for the shopping service by selecting a visual representation of the shopping cart object within a web browser, wherein, in response to the user selecting a visual representation of the shopping cart while a webpage supported by the electronic shopping cart is displayed in the web browser, a user interface with information on a product on the webpage is generated and a user is able to purchase the product or save the product to the electronic shopping cart; and

a server for providing the information to the client computing device, for saving product information to the electronic shopping cart in response to the user electing to save the product, and for conducting a purchase transaction on behalf of the user with an applicable merchant in response to the user electing to purchase the product.

17. A computer program embodied on one or more non-transitory computer-readable mediums and comprising code that when executed by a computer system, enables the computer system to perform the following method for providing a multi-merchant electronic shopping cart for a shopping service, the method comprising:

providing a shopping cart object within a user'"'"'s web browser that provides access to an electronic shopping cart for the shopping service, wherein the shopping cart can be used at a plurality of unrelated merchant shopping sites and wherein the shopping cart object remains within the browser regardless of the website displayed in the browser;

in response to the user selecting a visual representation of the shopping cart object from within the browser, displaying a user interface for the electronic shopping cart in a new window, wherein a user is able to view the user interface for the electronic shopping cart without navigating the browser to a new webpage;

in response to the user selecting the visual representation while a webpage supported by the electronic shopping cart is displayed in the browser, performing the following;

displaying information related to a product on the supported webpage in the user interface, wherein, if the product has one or more options, the information includes the options and the user is able to enter selections for the options via the user interface;

enabling the user to either commence a purchase transaction for the product via the electronic shopping cart or save the product in the electronic shopping cart for retrieval at a later time, wherein the user is able to save products from a plurality of unrelated merchant shopping sites to the electronic shopping cart; and

in response to the user electing to purchase the product, conducting a purchase transaction on behalf of the user with the merchant associated with the supported webpage; and

enabling the user to purchase at one time, from a plurality of unrelated merchant shopping sites, a plurality of products saved to the electronic shopping cart, wherein for each product to be purchased, a purchase transaction is conducted, on behalf of the user, with the merchant associated with the website from which the user added the product to the electronic shopping cart.

18. The computer program of claim 17, wherein the electronic shopping cart is associated with a shopping service that provides a reward based on purchases through the shopping service, and wherein the method further comprises:

crediting purchases made through the electronic shopping cart towards a reward calculation.

19. The computer program of claim 18, wherein the information displayed in the user interface includes a rewards calculation.

20. The computer program of claim 17, wherein the electronic shopping cart is associated with a shopping service that provides a cash back reward for purchases and wherein the method further comprises:

determining a cash back amount, if any, for each product displayed in the user interface for the electronic shopping cart;

displaying the cash back amount in the user interface for the electronic shopping cart;

in response to a user purchasing a product via the electronic shopping cart, crediting the user with the cash back amount.

21. The computer program of claim 17, further comprising:

for each product displayed in the user interface, determining if any coupon applies to the product or the corresponding merchant;

in response to identifying one or more coupons applicable to the product, displaying coupon information in the user interface; and

in response to the user purchasing the product, applying any identified coupons to the purchase.

22. The computer program of claim 17, wherein determining if a coupon applies comprises:

identifying any potentially-applicable coupons; and

for each potentially-applicable coupon, initiating an online purchase transaction with the applicable merchant to identify any price savings related to the coupon, wherein the purchase transaction is terminated before completion of a purchase.

23. The computer program of claim 17, wherein determining if a coupon applies comprises:

identifying any potentially-applicable coupons; and

sending an API request to a merchant to determine whether any potentially-applicable coupons may be used in the purchase transaction.

24. The computer program of claim 17, wherein the displaying information step comprises extracting product information from the webpage, normalizing the extracted information, and displaying the normalized information in the user interface.

25. The computer program of claim 17, wherein the displaying information step comprises identifying an application programming interface associated with the website, sending a request for product information on the webpage to the application programming interface, receiving the requested information, and displaying the requested information in the user interface for the electronic shopping cart.

26. The computer program of claim 17, wherein the shopping cart object is a software program embedded within the browser.

27. The computer program of claim 17, wherein the shopping cart object is one of a bookmarklet, browser add-on, browser extension, browser widget, or toolbar.

28. The computer program of claim 17, wherein the shopping cart object provides access to a plurality of electronic shopping carts and a user is able to save products to any one of a plurality of electronic shopping carts.

29. The computer program of claim 28, wherein one of a plurality of electronic shopping carts represents a registry.

30. The computer program of claim 28, wherein a user is able to designate a privacy level for each of the electronic shopping carts.

31. The computer program of claim 17, wherein conducting a purchase transaction comprises:

retrieving a user-saved address and payment information;

providing said information to the merchant associated with the purchase transaction;

receiving a purchase confirmation from the merchant; and

communicating the purchase confirmation to the user.