Method and apparatus for providing a shopping list service

• US 7,136,829 B2
• Filed: 03/08/2002
• Issued: 11/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: America Online Inc. (Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hellal, Faten Fay, Jones, Fletcher, Gremett, Peter, Chang, Jai-Jen, Crampton, Matthew, Acharya, Kamal
• Primary Examiner(s): Garg, Yogesh C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): RHODE JR, ROBERT E
• Application Number:
  US10/093,641
• Publication Number:
  US 20030172005A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,712 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/27
• US Class Current: 705/26.8
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/156 Query results presentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/438 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0253 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0617 Representative agent
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0621 Item configuration or customization
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0625 Directed, with specific intent or strategy
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers

Abstract

A method and apparatus is disclosed that provides an Internet wish list for deferred purchasing. A user clicks on an add to wish list button located on locations, such as, a product page, a banner ad, or search results to add an item to the wish list. A reminder system is used to remind a user to purchase an item at a future time. The shopping list service may be integrated at a high level of integration and a low level of integration. On a low level of integration a proxy platform is used to add functionality to a website.

Claims

1. An apparatus for providing an Internet shopping list service comprising:

a shopping list capable of containing items from at least two merchant websites, retained

on a computer memory;

a computer for adding and subtracting at least one item from a one of said at least two merchant web sites on said shopping list;

an add to wish list button located on said one of said at least two merchant web sites for adding and subtracting said item onto, and off of, said shopping list, and wherein said apparatus is configured to record information by said shopping list comprising any of;

the URL of said item, name of said item. description of said item, price of said item, related items, and the date said item was added to said shopping list; and

if the recorded information is the URL of said item, periodically checking for validity and wherein URL of said item is referenced and correlated to the stock keeping unit of said item;

a connection for connecting said computer onto said Internet;

a reminder for providing Information to a user at a future time about said item on said shopping list; and

at least one promotional item capable of being added to said shopping list;

wherein a user purchases said item from said shopping list.

2. An apparatus for providing an Internet shopping list service comprising:

a shopping list means capable of containing items from at least two merchant websites, retained on a computer memory means;

a computer means for adding and subtracting at least one item from a one of said at least two merchant web sites on said shopping list means;

an add to wish list button located on said one of said at least two merchant web sites for adding and subtracting said item onto, and off of, said shopping list and wherein said apparatus is configured to record information by said shopping list comprising any of;

the URL of said item, name of said item, description of said item, price of said item, related items, and the date said item was added to said shopping list; and

if the recorded information is the URL of said item, periodically checking for validity and wherein URL of said item is referenced and correlated to the stock keeping unit of said item;

a connection means for connecting said computer means onto said Internet;

a reminder means for providing information to a user at a future time about said item on said shopping list means; and

at least one promotional item capable of being added to said shopping list means;

wherein a user purchases said item from said shopping list means.

3. An apparatus for providing an Internet shopping list service comprising:

a shopping list capable of containing items from at least two merchant websites, retained on a computer memory;

a computer for adding and subtracting at least one item from a one of said at least two merchant web sites on said shopping list;

an add to wish list button located on said one of said at least two merchant web sites for adding and subtracting said item onto, and off of, said shopping list, and wherein said apparatus is configured to record information by said shopping list comprising any of;

the URL of said item, name of said item, description of said item, price of said item, related items, and the date said item was added to said shopping list; and

if the recorded information is the URL of said item, periodically checking for validity and wherein URL of said item is referenced and correlated to the stock keeping unit of said item; and

a connection for connecting said computer onto said internet.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising:

a reminder for providing information to a user at a future time about said item on said shopping list.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said reminder is a calendar.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said calendar automatically purchases a shopping list item on a predetermined date.

7. The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising:

at least one promotional item capable of being added to said shopping list.

8. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein a user purchases said item from said shopping list.

9. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein shopping data is recorded, said data comprising any of:

number of users creating wish lists, average number of products added per wish list, total number of products wished for, average number of products wished for per list, the link which led to the creation of the wish list, number of click-throughs generated by the wish list, number of public lists, number of shared lists, average number of recipients per shared list, number of guest viewers of all wish lists, number of removed products per list, number of purged lists, top twenty most popular products, number of anonymous wish lists created, number of anonymous wish lists saved and the number of Jot-It-Down buttons.

10. The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising:

a merging means for merging multiple shopping lists into a single shopping list.

11. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said shopping list has a theme comprising any of:

an anniversary, a wedding and a birthday.

12. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said wish list is shared by means comprising any of:

distribution through email, communication of a link, and viewing a user profile.

13. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said button for adding an item to said wish list is located on any of:

a banner ad, a decision guide, a promotional browser window, a personal shopper'"'"'s toolbar and a product page.

14. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said button adds multiple items to said wish list in a single activation.

15. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said shopping list is accessed by means comprising any of:

a logan site and an automatic logon through an Internet service provider.

16. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said button is associated with said item by a proxy platform.

17. The apparatus at claim 3, further comprising:

a buy button.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein said buy button is associated with said item by a proxy platform.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein said buy button is associated with a cyber wallet, said cyber wallet providing purchase information to conduct a purchase transaction.