Methods for executing commercial transactions in a network system using visual link objects

• US 6,141,006 A
• Filed: 01/05/2000
• Issued: 10/31/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Quickbuy, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Quickbuy, Inc.
• Inventors: Knowlton, Kenneth Charles, Miliefsky, Gary Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): dela Torre, Crescelle N.
• Application Number:
  US09/478,449
• Time in Patent Office: 300 Days
• Field of Search: 345/329, 345/333, 345/334, 345/335, 345/348, 345/349, 345/356, 345/357, 345/969, 705/26, 705/27, 707/104, 707/513, 707/515, 707/516, 707/522, 707/523, 707/524, 709/203, 709/217, 709/218
• US Class Current: 705/27.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2212/00 Encapsulation of packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/201 Multicast operation; Broadcast operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/602 Multilayer or multiprotocol switching, e.g. IP switching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/04 Protocols for data compression, e.g. ROHC
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/161 Implementation details of TCP/IP or UDP/IP stack architecture; Specification of modified or new header fields
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

Apparatus and methods for executing business transactions and transferring subscribed for and periodically updated information across networks by means of encapsulated, self contained visual link objects that include a displayable image representing the contents of the visual link object, a dataset forming the contents of the object, and additional information wherein the contents of a visual link object are determined by the nature of an intended transaction or the nature of the information to be distributed. Also described are apparatus and methods for creating and distributing graphical user interfaces for application programs, for customization of applications programs, and methods for multi-level encapsulation of visual link objects to protect the contents thereof from unauthorized access, together with alternate implementations of visual link objects.

Claims

1. A method for executing Internet based electronic commerce business transactions, comprising the steps of:

in a vendor system connected to the Internet and associated with a vendor offering a business transaction,

creating a visual link object representing a business transaction, wherein

a visual link object is a single self-contained entity and includes, as integral parts of the visual link object,

a displayable image residing at the start of the visual link object and representing a business transaction,

an appendix residing in the visual link object following the display image and containing information relating to the business transaction, including an encoded data block containing information relating to the business transaction sufficient for a buyer to complete the business transaction represented by the visual link object, whereby

the business transaction may be completed by a buyer independently of the vendor system, and

a postscript residing near the end of the visual link object and containing information relating to the visual link object, and

communicating the visual link object representing the business transaction to a distributor system connected to the Internet and associated with a distributor presenting business transactions represented by visual link object to potential buyers,

in the distributor system,

communicating the visual link object representing the business transaction to a buyer system associated with a potential buyer, and

in the buyer system,

accessing the contents of the visual link object to recover the information residing in the appendix relating to the business transaction.

2. The method for executing Internet based electronic commerce business transactions of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

in the buyer system,

performing actions represented in the information residing in the appendix and relating to the business transaction that are necessary to complete the business transaction.

3. The method for executing Internet based electronic commerce business transactions of claim 1, wherein:

the information relating to the business transaction and sufficient for a buyer to complete the business transaction represented by the visual link object residing in the appendix directly includes all information necessary for a buyer to complete the business transaction.

4. The method for executing Internet based electronic commerce business transactions of claim 1, wherein:

the information relating to the business transaction and sufficient for a buyer to complete the business transaction represented by the visual link object residing in the appendix includes information represented by links to other systems connected to the Internet and accessible to the buyer system.

5. The method for executing Internet based electronic commerce business transactions of claim 1, wherein the step of communicating the visual link object representing the business transaction to a buyer system is comprised of the step of:

displaying the visual link object in the distributor system through an HTML page accessible to the buyer system.

6. The method for executing Internet based electronic commerce business transactions of claim 1, wherein the step of communicating the visual link object representing the business transaction to a buyer system is comprised of the step of:

broadcast transmitting of the visual link object to the buyer system upon accessing of the distributor system by the buyer system.

7. The method for executing Internet based electronic commerce business transactions of claim 6, wherein the step of communicating the visual link object representing the business transaction to a buyer system by broadcast transmitting of the visual link object to the buyer system upon accessing of the distributor system by the buyer system is performed in conjunction with a transmission of other information from the distributor system to the buyer system that is requested by a user of the buyer system.

8. The method for executing Internet based electronic commerce business transactions of claim 1, wherein the step of communicating the visual link object representing the business transaction to a buyer system is comprised of the step of:

communicating the visual link object to a referrer system, and

transmitting the visual link object from the referrer system to the buyer system within an electronic mail message transmitted from the referrer system to the buyer system.

9. The method for executing Internet based electronic commerce business transactions of claim 1, wherein the step of communicating the visual link object representing the business transaction to a distributor system connected to the Internet and associated with a distributor presenting business transactions represented by visual link objects to potential buyers includes the steps of:

communicating the visual link object to the distributor system through at least one intermediate system, and

in an intermediate system,

inserting into the visual link object additional information relating to the intermediate system.

10. The method for executing Internet based electronic commerce business transactions of claim 9, wherein the step of inserting into the visual link object additional information relating to the intermediate system in which the additional information is inserted into the visual link object includes the steps of:

encoding the appendix and postscript of the visual link object, and

appending the displayable image of the visual link object to the start of the encoded appendix and postscript of the visual link object and appending a new postscript to the end of the encoded appendix and postscript of the visual link object to create an encapsulated version of the visual link object.

11. The method for executing Internet based electronic commerce business transactions of claim 9, wherein the step of inserting into the visual link object additional information relating to the intermediate system in which the additional information is inserted into the visual link object includes the steps of:

encoding the displayable image, appendix and postscript of the visual link object, and

appending a new displayable image to the start of the encoded displayable image, appendix and postscript of the visual link object and appending a new postscript to the end of the encoded displayable image, appendix and postscript of the visual link object to create an encapsulated version of the visual link object.

12. The method for executing Internet based electronic commerce business transactions of claim 9, wherein the additional information inserted into the visual link object comprises tracking information relating to the communication of the visual link object through the at least one intermediate system.

13. The method for executing Internet based electronic commerce business transactions of claim 9, wherein the additional information inserted into the visual link object comprises information relating to commercial activities of the at least one intermediate system.