Multimedia product catalog and electronic purchasing system
First Claim
1. A multimedia catalog system comprising:
- a mass storage device storing locally at least one electronic multimedia catalog containing a large volume of product-related data representing each of a plurality of products to be sold, said mass storage device having a data retrieval speed for real-time presentation of said multimedia product-related data;
a communication interface device obtaining automatically from a remote server small quantities of time-variable data related to a selected product, representing at least one of product price and product availability; and
a multimedia presentation system presenting said large volume of data and said time-variable data in association with one another in real-time for a selected one of said plurality of products.
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Abstract
An electronic system that provides multimedia product presentations in real-time, by combining locally-stored data and data received from a remote server. Large volumes of data, representing product information such as motion images and sound, are stored locally on the system'"'"'s data storing unit for fast data access. Small volumes of product time-variable data are received over a network from a remote server, which also has a transaction management function. The purchasing system combines the local and received data in order to provide both real-time and up-to-date product information to customers. Two versions of the purchasing system are provided. The first one is a multimedia public purchasing kiosk for use in malls and shopping centers. The second one is a PC-based purchasing system, equipped with multimedia capabilities. It uses a purchasing application which is distributed beside the large volumes of product-related data on a portable support such as a CD-ROM and which is intended for personal use, at home, on the customer'"'"'s PC.
407 Citations
28 Claims
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1. A multimedia catalog system comprising:
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a mass storage device storing locally at least one electronic multimedia catalog containing a large volume of product-related data representing each of a plurality of products to be sold, said mass storage device having a data retrieval speed for real-time presentation of said multimedia product-related data; a communication interface device obtaining automatically from a remote server small quantities of time-variable data related to a selected product, representing at least one of product price and product availability; and a multimedia presentation system presenting said large volume of data and said time-variable data in association with one another in real-time for a selected one of said plurality of products. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A multimedia public purchasing kiosk comprising:
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a mass storage device for storing locally at least one electronic multimedia catalog containing a large volume of product-related data representing each of a plurality of products to be sold, said storage device having a data retrieval speed for real-time presentation of said product-related data; a communication interface device for obtaining from a remote server small quantities of time-variable data related to a selected product, representing at least one of product price and product availability; a multimedia presentation system presenting said large volume of data and said time-variable data in association with one another in real-time for a selected one of said plurality of products; a product selection and ordering interface device for obtaining a user input for product order selection and for placing an electronic order; and an order processor located at a second server for receiving said electronic order, authorizing payment for said product order selection, and placing at least one order on behalf of said user. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 28)
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21. A method of presenting multimedia product information comprising the following steps:
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providing a multimedia product presentation system including an electronic mass storage device for storing large volumes of product-related electronic data locally for data access; obtaining automatically from a remote server small quantities of time-variable electronic data representing at least one of product price and product availability; presenting in real-time said large volumes of electronic data and said time-variable electronic data in association with one another for a selected one of a plurality of products. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23)
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24. A multimedia catalog purchasing system comprising:
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a mass storage device storing locally at least one electronic multimedia catalog containing a large volume of product-related data representing each of a plurality of products to be sold, said mass storage device having a data retrieval speed for real-time presentation of said multimedia product-related data; a communication interface device obtaining from a first remote server small quantities of time-variable data related to a selected product, representing at least one of product price and product availability, and carrying out communication of purchase transaction data with a second remote server; a multimedia presentation system presenting said large volume of data and said time-variable data in association with one another in real-time for a selected one of said plurality of products; a product selection and ordering interface device for obtaining a user input for product order selection and for placing an electronic order; and an order processor located at said second server for receiving said electronic order, authorizing payment for said product order selection, and placing at least one order on behalf of said user. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27)
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Specification