Generating and navigating streaming dynamic pricing information

• US 6,856,967 B1
• Filed: 10/21/1999
• Issued: 02/15/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mercexchange LLC
• Original Assignee: Mercexchange LLC
• Inventors: Woolston, Thomas G., McEachern, Cameron David John, Kavitz, Paul Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): OLSZEWSKI, ROBERT PAUL
• Application Number:
  US09/422,057
• Time in Patent Office: 1,944 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/27
• US Class Current: 705/26.3
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0625 Directed, with specific intent or strategy
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions

Abstract

An interactive linkage between a search engine and dynamic pricing content available on a computer network can be provided by organizing links to dynamic pricing information (e.g., bid/ask pricing information) on the computer network into a predetermined taxonomy, and providing to the search engine a mapping between search requests and the predetermined taxonomy. The mapping includes reference pointers to dynamic pricing content that can be returned in response to search requests at the search engine. Accordingly, in response to a search request at the search engine, a reference pointer (e.g., an interactive link, a URL, a meta-tag and/or an index into a database) to dynamic pricing information corresponding to the search request can be returned.

Claims

1. A method for providing an interactive linkage between a search engine and dynamic pricing content available on a computer network, the method comprising:

receiving dynamic pricing information representing items available on the computer network, the items having a predetermined taxonomy classification encoded in a header for each item;

concentrating said encoded dynamic pricing information onto a concentration layer, said concentration layer having more than one output, at least one output having a selection based on the predetermined taxonomy classification for selecting dynamic pricing information from a category in the predetermined taxonomy, the category having at least one sub-category in the taxonomy classification schema;

organizing links to the received dynamic pricing information into a predetermined taxonomy; and

providing to the search engine a mapping between search requests and the predetermined taxonomy, the mapping comprising reference pointers to dynamic pricing content that can be returned in response to search requests at the search engine.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising returning, in response to a search request at the search engine, a reference pointer comprising an interactive link to dynamic pricing information corresponding to the search request.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the interactive link comprises one or more Uniform Resource Locator (URL) addresses.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the interactive link comprises one or more meta-tags.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the reference pointers are indexable.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the reference pointers comprise indices into a database of dynamic pricing information.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein dynamic pricing information comprises bid/ask pricing information for goods/services available in commerce.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the predetermined taxonomy comprises a classification hierarchy.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the classification hierarchy corresponds to goods/services available in commerce.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the classification hierarchy includes a plurality of levels including a category level, a topic level and a sub-topic level.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein a highest level of the classification hierarchy describes goods/services at a highest level of generality and each subsequent level in the classification hierarchy describes goods/services at increasingly detailed levels of generality.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein organizing links to dynamic pricing information comprises generating data packets having encoded headers, each encoded header describing a payload of the data packet.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the reference pointers comprise a stream of dynamic pricing information that has been collected from the Internet.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the stream of dynamic pricing information is organized and/or filtered according to predetermined criteria.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the available items comprise goods or services or a combination of goods and services.

16. A dynamic pricing system comprising:

one or more sources of dynamic pricing information representing items available on a computer network, the items having a predetermined taxonomy classification encoded in a header for each item;

a dynamic taxonomy, having a plurality of levels of detail for describing available items, for classifying the dynamic pricing information;

a mapping between the dynamic taxonomy and a fixed taxonomy employed by a search engine, wherein the mapping is applied to a starch request at the search engine to return a pointer to dynamic pricing information corresponding to the search request; and

a concentration layer for encoding dynamic pricing information, the concentration layer having more than one output, at least one output having a selection based on the predetermined taxonomy classification for selecting dynamic pricing information from a category in the predetermined taxonomy, the category having at least one sub-category in the taxonomy classification schema.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the pointer to dynamic pricing information comprises a uniform resource locator (URL) address.

18. The system of claim 16 wherein the pointer to dynamic pricing information comprises a meta-tag.

19. The system of claim 16 wherein the pointer to dynamic pricing information comprises an index to a database of dynamic pricing information.

20. The system of claim 16 wherein the available items comprise goods or services or a combination of goods and services.