System, method and computer program product for on-line real-time price comparison and adjustment within a detachable virtual shopping cart
First Claim
1. A system for managing an on-line virtual shopping cart which contains information about an item offered by a host merchant, comprising:
- a shopping cart manager that creates the virtual shopping cart and that detaches the virtual shopping cart prior to, or upon a shopper leaving a site of the host merchant to a different merchant'"'"'s site;
an extract and verify module that performs a comparison between a host merchant'"'"'s offer for the item and an offer from the different merchant'"'"'s site;
a counter offer module that selectively requests a counter offer from the host merchant relative to the item;
a validation module that automatically prepares a counter offer relative to an underbid offer from the different merchant'"'"'s site; and
the shopping cart manager automatically and selectively updates the item information in the virtual shopping cart to reflect the host merchant'"'"'s counter offer, so that when the shopper returns to the host merchant'"'"'s site for checkout, the shopper acquires the item at the host merchant'"'"'s counter offer.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A price comparison and adjustment system can be used in the context of an Internet environment. The system is generally comprised of a server based browser, a shopping cart manager, an extract and verify module, a validation module, and a counter offer module. The system provides an Internet shopper with a convenient method for comparison shopping online while allowing the shopper control over the comparison-shopping search, which also enables a host merchant to counter offer prices at rival merchant'"'"'s web sites. The system also provides information about rival merchants to the host merchant, which allows the host merchant to develop an optimal pricing and counter offer strategy. The system creates a portable virtual shopping cart that allows the Internet user to browse rival merchants without the appearance of leaving the host merchant'"'"'s web site, and further allows the shopper to quickly return to the host merchant'"'"'s web site to purchase items in the virtual shopping cart.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. A system for managing an on-line virtual shopping cart which contains information about an item offered by a host merchant, comprising:
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a shopping cart manager that creates the virtual shopping cart and that detaches the virtual shopping cart prior to, or upon a shopper leaving a site of the host merchant to a different merchant'"'"'s site;
an extract and verify module that performs a comparison between a host merchant'"'"'s offer for the item and an offer from the different merchant'"'"'s site;
a counter offer module that selectively requests a counter offer from the host merchant relative to the item;
a validation module that automatically prepares a counter offer relative to an underbid offer from the different merchant'"'"'s site; and
the shopping cart manager automatically and selectively updates the item information in the virtual shopping cart to reflect the host merchant'"'"'s counter offer, so that when the shopper returns to the host merchant'"'"'s site for checkout, the shopper acquires the item at the host merchant'"'"'s counter offer. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method of managing on on-line virtual shopping cart which contains information about an item offered by a host merchant, comprising:
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automatically initiating a shopping session by creating the virtual shopping cart and by detaching the virtual shopping cart prior to, or upon a shopper leaving a site of the host merchant to rival merchant'"'"'s site;
performing a comparison between a host merchant'"'"'s offer for the item and an offer from the rival merchant'"'"'s site;
the host merchant automatically preparing a counter offer relative to an underbid offer from the rival merchant'"'"'s site; and
the host merchant automatically and selectively updating the item information in the virtual shopping cart to reflect the host merchant'"'"'s counter offer, so that when the shopper returns to the host merchant'"'"'s site for checkout, the shopper acquires the item at the host merchant'"'"'s counter offer. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A computer program product having executable instructions codes for managing on on-line virtual shopping cart which contains information about on item offered by a host merchant, comprising:
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a first set of instruction codes for creating the virtual shopping cart and for detaching the virtual shopping cart prior to, or upon a shopper leaving a site of the host merchant to a different merchant'"'"'s site;
a second set of instruction codes for selectively requesting a counter offer from the host merchant relative to the item;
a third of instruction codes for automatically preparing a counter offer relative to an underbid offer from the different merchant'"'"'s site; and
a fourth set of instruction codes for automatically and selectively updating the item information in the virtual shopping cart to reflect the host merchant'"'"'s counter offer, so that when the shopper returns to the host merchant'"'"'s site for checkout, the shopper acquires the item at the host merchant'"'"'s counter offer. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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Specification