Virtual sales person for electronic catalog

• US 6,035,283 A
• Filed: 10/10/1997
• Issued: 03/07/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Rofrano, John Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Stamber, Eric W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Caudle, Penny
• Application Number:
  US08/948,719
• Time in Patent Office: 879 Days
• Field of Search: 705/27, 705/26, 706/45, 706/47, 706/50, 706/60
• US Class Current: 705/26.41
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0203 Market surveys; Market polls
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

This invention involves an electronic catalog system which employs the knowledge and experience of a "Sales Agent", which is provided to a computer data base, and used with an inference engine to assist and guide actual customers to products that they will most likely be interested in purchasing. This system is employs hypothetical questions and answers, based on the sales agents experience with generic customers, as well as criteria and constraints provided by both the Sales Agent and the electronic catalog content.

Claims

1. A method of providing electronic catalog shopping comprising the steps of:

creating a data base containing a Sales Agent'"'"'s information on generic customer product interests and probable buying habits;

providing said data base with product questions and anticipated probable answers to said product questions expected from said genetic customer, which are derived from said Sales Agent'"'"'s prior sales experience, and storing said probable answers to said product questions, in said data base;

employing a computer logic inference engine to present and advise an actual customer on specific suggested product choices based on said probable answers to said probable product questions provided for said generic customer.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the means for presenting and advising an actual customer on specific suggested product choices, is by an audio technique.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the means for presenting and advising an actual customer on specific suggested product choices, is by a graphics display device.

4. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein said computer logic inference engine incorporates specific Sales Agent'"'"'s constraints and then advises and presents for said actual customer, the most likely recommended product candidate to consider for purchase.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said computer logic inference engine also incorporates catalog content product constraints and then advise and present for said actual customer, the most likely recommended product candidate to consider for purchase.

6. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the method can display a plurality of said product candidates for said actual customer to consider for purchase.

7. The method as defined in claim 2, wherein said system can ask a plurality of questions and provide answers based on a Sales Agent'"'"'s constraints and catalog content product constraints in order to refine the product presentation to specific candidates.

8. An electronic catalog system comprising:

means for a Sales Agent to provide data base information on generic customer product interests and probable buying habits;

means for providing questions for a customer to answer, which questions are based on said generic customer product interests and supplying anticipated probable answers to said questions, which are based on a Sales Agent'"'"'s prior sales experience and storing said probable answers to said product questions, in said data base; and

computer logic inference means to present and advise an actual customer on specific suggested product choices based on said probable answers to said probable questions provided for said generic customer.

9. The electronic catalog system of claim 8, wherein said computer logic inference means incorporates specific Sales Agent'"'"'s constraints and then advises and presents for said actual customer, the most likely recommended product candidate.

10. The electronic catalog system of claim 8, wherein said computer logic inference means also incorporates catalog content product constraints and then advises arid presents for said actual customer, the most likely recommended product candidate to consider for purchase.

11. The electronic catalog system of claim 10, wherein the system presents a plurality of product candidates for said actual customer to consider for purchase.

12. The electronic catalog system of claim 10, wherein said system asks a plurality of questions and provides answers based on a set of Sales Agents constraints and said catalog content product constraints in order to refine the product presentation to specific candidates.

13. A method of selling products using an electronic catalog comprising:

providing in the electronic catalog products contained in a rational database;

providing in the electronic catalog questions relating to the catalog products to be presented to a customer using the electronic catalog;

supplying in the electronic catalog likely answers of the customer linked by feature constraints relative to the products contained in the data base;

providing the questions to the customer using the electronic catalog;

arranging the questions in a tree structure with the answers to the questions linked to further questions and proposed answers; and

limiting product choices presented to the customer based on the customer'"'"'s answers to the provided questions using the constraints invoked by the customer'"'"'s answers.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of providing the questions is an audible step.

15. The method of claim 13, including the step of limiting the questions asked to those that leave at least one available product for the customer to select by one or more possible answers.

16. The method of claim 15, including the step of using an inference engine in limiting the selection of goods in response to the answers of a customer to the questions provided.

17. An computer program product supplied on a medium for use in connection with a graphics display device to provide an electronic catalog comprising:

software for providing in the electronic catalog products contained in a rational data base;

software for providing in the electronic catalog questions relating to the catalog products to be presented to a customer using the electronic catalog;

software for supplying in the electronic catalog likely answers of the customer linked by feature constraints relative to the products contained in the data base;

software providing the questions and likely answers to the customer using the electronic catalog;

software for limiting the questions asked to those that leave at least one available product for the customer to select by each of one or more likely answers; and

limiting product choices presented to the customer using the constraints associated with the likely answers selected by the customer.

18. The software product of claim 17, including software for enabling the customer to stop the progress of the questions at the customer'"'"'s discretion;

and

software for providing products selected by the constraint associated with the answered questions.

19. An electronic catalog comprising:

means providing in the electronic catalog products contained in a rational data base;

means providing in the electronic catalog questions to a customer using the electronic catalog as to the products;

means supplying in the electronic catalog likely answers of the customer linked by constraints to the products contained in the data base;

means for arranging the questions and answers to the questions in a tree structure where answers to the questions link to further questions;

means for providing the questions to the customer using the electronic catalog; and

means for responding to the answers provided by the customer to the questions by limiting product choices presented to the customer based on the constraints associated with the answers given by the customer.

20. The electronic catalog of claim 19, including limiting the questions asked to those that leave an available product for the customer to select after answering one of more of the possible answers.

21. A method of selling products using an electronic catalog comprising:

providing in the electronic catalog products contained in a rational database;

providing in the electronic catalog questions relating to the catalog products to be presented to a customer using the electronic catalog;

supplying in the electronic catalog likely answers of the customer linked by feature constraints relative to the products contained in the data base;

providing the questions to the customer using the electronic catalog;

stopping the progress of the questioning at the shoppers discretion; and

presenting products selected limiting product choices presented to the customer based on the customer'"'"'s answers to the provided questions using the constraints invoked by the customer'"'"'s answers.

22. An computer program product supplied on a medium for use in connection with a graphics display device to provide an electronic catalog comprising:

software for providing in the electronic catalog products contained in a rational data base;

software for providing in the electronic catalog questions relating to the catalog products to be presented to a customer using the electronic catalog;

software for supplying in the electronic catalog likely answers of the customer linked by feature constraints relative to the products contained in the data base;

software providing the questions and likely answers to the customer using the electronic catalog;

software for arranging the questions and likely answers to the questions in a tree structure where the likely answers to the questions link to further questions; and

software for limiting product choices presented to the customer based on the constraints associated with the likely answers selected by the customer.