Methods and computer-readable media for processing web-based new and used good comparison shopping

• US 7,127,414 B1
• Filed: 10/14/1999
• Issued: 10/24/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Energetic Power Investment Limited
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Tran, Thai, Awadallah, Amr A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Jeffrey A.
• Application Number:
  US09/419,704
• Time in Patent Office: 2,567 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/27, 705/7, 705/80, 705/10, 707/3, 707/10, 700/91, 757/3
• US Class Current: 705/26.8
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0629 for generating comparisons
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions

Abstract

Methods for generating comparison shopping data are provided. One example method includes receiving a request for a desired item and generating an item table for the desired item. The item table is assembled from current on-line data that includes e-commerce purchasing information. Once the item table is assembled, the item table is displayed for the requested item such that the displayed information can inform an on-line buyer of the best current purchasing alternatives for the requested item. In one aspect of this method, the desired item can be selected form a data base of classified advertising. Once the classified advertising item is selected, the item table is generated and displayed along with the selected classified advertising item. In one example, the item table can include merchant name information, price information, availability information, new and used information, tax and shipping information, prior purchaser ratings, and total cost information. The displayed information will therefore provide an on-line purchaser with a powerful array of information to enable the making of an intelligent on-line purchasing decision.

Claims

1. A method for generating comparison shopping data, comprising:

generating a database of classified advertising, the database of classified advertising having a plurality of classified advertisements;

generating a database of items, each item having a list of merchants and prices, and each merchant has an associated price for the item;

providing a list of one or more classified advertisements from the plurality of classified advertisements;

receiving a selection of a classified advertisement from the list of one or more classified advertisements;

determining, by a computer, a description of a desired item based on information in the selected classified advertisement, the description describing the desired item and comprising information in the selected classified advertisement;

running the description of the desired item comprising information in the classified advertisement through a classification rule base to determine an item type;

determining a list of merchants and prices in the database of items for the determined item type; and

displaying the desired item along with the determined list of merchants and prices, the determined list of merchants and prices being part of the database of items and being associated with the item type from the database of items being associated with the item type from the database of items.

2. A method for generating comparison shopping data as recited in claim 1, wherein the generating of the database of items is performed in real-time over the Internet upon receiving the selection for the desired item from the database of classified advertising.

3. A method for generating comparison shopping data as recited in claim 1, wherein each item that has a list of merchants and prices further includes:

availability information for the item from each merchant;

additional costs information other than the prices for the item from each merchant; and

total costs for the item, the total cost including the price and the additional costs other than the prices.

4. A method for generating comparison shopping data as recited in claim 1, wherein the received selection for a desired item from the database of classified advertising further comprises:

searching for the desired item to facilitate in the selection of the desired item, the searching is performed by way of a keyword search or a browsing search.

5. A method for generating comparison shopping data as recited in claim 4, wherein when the searching for the desired item is complete, a selection of the desired item causes the receiving of the request for a desired item.

6. A method for generating comparison shopping data as recited in claim 1, wherein each entry in the database of classified advertising includes a type field, a title of item field, a name of seller field, a posting date field, and a sale price field.

7. A method for generating comparison shopping data as recited in claim 1, wherein each merchant in the list of merchants includes a link to an ecommerce web site of the merchant for obtaining the item at the associated prices.

8. A method for generating comparison shopping data as recited in claim 1, wherein the displaying of the desired item along with the particular list of merchants and prices further comprises:

displaying a full text description of classified advertising data for the requested item and the particular list of merchants and prices for comparison shopping.

9. A method for generating comparison shopping data as recited in claim 1, wherein the generated comparison shopping data is ecommerce based data.

10. A method for generating comparison shopping data, comprising:

providing a list of one or more classified advertisements from a plurality of classified advertisements in the database of classified advertisements;

receiving a selection of a classified advertisement from the list of one or more classified advertisements;

determining, by a computer, a description of a desired item based on information in the selected classified advertisement, the description describing the desired item and comprising information in the selected classified advertisement;

running the description of the desired item comprising information in the classified advertisement through a classification rule base to determine an item type;

generating an item table for the determined item type, the item table being assembled from currently available on-line data; and

displaying the desired item along with the generated item table.

11. A method for generating comparison shopping data as recited in claim 10, wherein the item table includes price information, availability information, type information, additional cost information other than price information, and total cost information.

12. A method for generating comparison shopping data as recited in claim 10, wherein each entry in the database of classified advertising includes a type field, a title of item field, a name of seller field, a posting date field, and a sale price field.

13. A method for generating comparison shopping data as recited in claim 10, wherein the item table includes a list of merchants and associated price for each merchant, wherein each merchant in the list of merchants includes a link to an ecommerce web site of the merchant for obtaining the item at the associated prices.

14. A method for generating comparison shopping data as recited in claim 10, wherein the displaying of the desired item along with the generated item table further comprises:

displaying a full text description of classified advertising data for the requested item and the item table for comparison shopping.

15. A method for generating comparison shopping data, comprising:

providing a list of one or more classified advertisements from a plurality of classified advertisements in the database of classified advertisements;

receiving a selection of a classified advertisement from the list of one or more classified advertisements;

determining, by a computer, a description of a desired item based on information in the selected classified advertisement, the description describing the desired item and comprising information in the selected classified advertisement;

running the description of the desired item comprising information in the classified advertisement through a classification rule base to determine an item type;

generating an item table for the determined item type, the item table being assembled from currently available on-line data that includes ecommerce purchasing information; and

displaying the desired item along with the generated item table, the displaying being configured to inform an on-line buyer of purchasing alternatives for the requested item.

16. A method for generating comparison shopping data as recited in claim 15, wherein the item table includes merchant information, price information, availability information, new and used information, tax and shipping information, and total cost information.

17. A method for generating comparison shopping data as recited in claim 15, wherein the generated item table is assembled in response to the determination of the item type.

18. A computer readable media having program instructions for generating web-based comparison shopping data, the computer readable media comprising:

programming instructions for generating a database of classified advertising, the database of classified advertising having a plurality of classified advertisements;

programming instructions for generating a database of items, each item having a list of merchants and prices, and each merchant has an associated price for the item;

programming instructions for providing a list of one or more classified advertisements from the plurality of classified advertisements;

programming instructions for receiving a selection of a classified advertisement from the list of one or more classified advertisements;

programming instructions for determining a description of a desired item based on information in the selected classified advertisement, the description describing the desired item and comprising information in the selected classified advertisement;

programming instructions for running the description of the desired item comprising information in the classified advertisement through a classification rule base to determine an item type;

programming instructions for searching for the item type in the database of items, the searching performed by way of a keyword search or a browsing search; and

programming instructions for displaying the desired item along with a particular list of merchants and prices, the particular list of merchants and prices being part of the database of items and being associated with the item type from the database of items being associated with the item type from the database of items.

19. A computer readable media having program instructions for generating web-based comparison shopping data as recited in claim 18, wherein the programming instructions for determining the item based on information in the classified advertisement comprises:

programming instructions for searching the database of items to find the class that corresponds to the desired item.

20. A computer readable media having program instructions for generating web-based comparison shopping data as recited in claim 18, wherein each entry in the database of classified advertising includes a type field, a title of item field, a name of seller field, a posting date field, and a sale price field.

21. A computer readable media having program instructions for generating web-based comparison shopping data as recited in claim 20, wherein when the searching for the desired item is complete, a selection of the desired item causes the receiving of the request for a desired item.

22. A computer readable media having program instructions for generating web-based comparison shopping data as recited in claim 18, wherein each merchant in the list of merchants includes a link to an ecommerce web site of the merchant for obtaining the item at the associated prices.

23. A computer readable media having program instructions for generating web-based comparison shopping data as recited in claim 18, wherein the programming instructions for displaying of the requested item from the database of classified advertising along with the generated item table further include:

programming instructions for displaying a full text description of classified advertising data for the requested item and the item table for comparison shopping.

24. A method for generating comparison shopping data, the comparison shopping data being generated from a database of classified advertising having a plurality of classified advertisements and on-line merchant items, each item of the on-line merchant items having a list of merchants and prices, and each merchant has an associated price for the item, the method comprises:

providing a list of one or more classified advertisements from the plurality of classified advertisements;

receiving a selection of a classified advertisement from the list of one or more classified advertisements;

determining, by a computer, a description of a desired item based on information in the selected classified advertisement, the description describing the desired item and comprising information in the selected classified advertisement;

running the description of the desired item comprising information in the classified advertisement through a classification rule base to determine an item type from the on-line merchant items; and

displaying the desired item from the database of classified advertising along with the a particular list of merchants and prices, the particular list of merchants and prices being part of the on-line merchant items and being associated with the item type from the on-line merchant items.

25. A method for generating comparison shopping data as recited in claim 24, wherein the on-line merchant items are pre-generated and stored in an item database.

26. A method for generating comparison shopping data as recited in claim 24, wherein the on-line merchant items are generated upon commencing the searching of the on-line merchant items, and the searching is an Internet-based search.

27. A method for generating comparison shopping data, comprising:

generating a database of classified advertising, the database of classified advertising having a plurality of classified advertisements;

generating a database of item classes, each item class having a list of merchants and prices, and each merchant has an associated price for the item, wherein in each item class corresponds to an item found in the plurality of classified advertisements in the database of classified advertising;

providing a list of one or more classified advertisements from the plurality of classified advertisements in the database of classified advertising;

receiving a selection of a classified advertisement from the list of one or more classified advertisements;

determining, by a computer, a description of a desired item based on information in the selected classified advertisement, the description describing the desired item and comprising information in the selected classified advertisement;

running the description of the desired item comprising information in the classified advertisement through a classification rule base to determine an item class;

determining a list of merchants and prices in the database of items for the determined item class; and

displaying the desired item along with the determined list of merchants and prices, the determined list of merchants and prices being part of the database of items and being associated with the item type from the database of items being associated with the item type from the database of items.