Method and system for supplying automatic status updates using electronic mail

• US 7,139,726 B2
• Filed: 10/25/1999
• Issued: 11/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Fisher, Alan S., Kaplan, Samuel Jerrold
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Jagdish
• Application Number:
  US09/426,573
• Publication Number:
  US 20030088473A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,584 Days
• Field of Search: 705/8, 705/9, 705/11, 705/26
• US Class Current: 705/26.81
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063114 Status monitoring or status determination for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0875 Itemisation or classification of parts, supplies or services, e.g. bill of materials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0619 Neutral agent
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

A system is disclosed for automatically updating the status of customers'"'"' orders and shipments via electronic mail without using a human attendant to create and send the electronic mail messages. Preferably implemented in software, the updating system allows a large set of customers to be periodically updated over a computer or communications network via electronic mail. The system includes a database for maintaining order and shipping status and other relevant information.

Claims

1. An update processing and transmission system, comprising:

status query means for automatically obtaining status information relating to a commerce-related event from a common carrier information system via a network, the common carrier information system generating the status information;

storage means for storing the status information relating to the commerce-related event;

status information retrieval means for automatically retrieving said status information from the common carrier information system via the network and updating the status information in the storage means;

message generation means for automatically generating a status message reflective of said status information stored in the storage means; and

message forwarding means for automatically forwarding said status message to a point where it may be accessed by an interested party.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said status information relates to shipment of an item.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said status information retrieved by said status information retrieval means is contained on a second computer physically remote from a first computer on which said status information is stored and accessible via the network.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said status information is stored on a status information database within a first computer.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a status information database for separately storing status information.

6. An update processing and transmission method, including:

automatically obtaining status information relating to a commerce-related event in response to a status query to a common carrier information system, wherein the status information is received from the common carrier information system over a network;

storing the status information in a status database relating to the commerce-related event, the common carrier information system generating the status information;

retrieving said status information from the status database;

automatically generating a status message reflective of said status information; and

automatically forwarding said status message to a point where it may be accessed by an interested party.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said status information relates to shipment of an item.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein said status information retrieved is contained on a first computer physically remote from a second computer which stores the status information.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein said status information is stored on the status information database within a first computer.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising separately storing said status information.

11. A computer-readable medium embodying instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to execute the method of claim 6.