Proxy platform integration system

• US 7,159,180 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2001
• Issued: 01/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mercury Kingdom Assets Limited
• Original Assignee: America Online Inc. (Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ward, Rory
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid, Kristine
• Assistant Examiner(s): VU, THANH T
• Application Number:
  US10/017,662
• Publication Number:
  US 20030115549A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,845 Days
• Field of Search: 345/738, 345/744, 345/745, 345/749, 345/866, 715/738, 715/744, 715/745, 715/749, 715/866
• US Class Current: 715/744
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce

Abstract

A method and system is disclosed for adding or removing functionality to a website through a proxy platform by which a user views the website. One such functionality is a checkout button by which a cyber wallet is accessed, relaying purchase information to the website where the information is used automatically fill a merchant website purchase form.

Claims

1. A method to facilitate user interaction with merchant web sites, the method comprising operations of:

independent of user interaction with merchant web sites, pre-preparing a proxy platform corresponding to participating merchant web sites by performing operations comprising;

planning a modified presentation of each participating merchant web site including one or more changes to functionality of the web site;

generating rules to fill-in purchase checkout forms of each participating merchant web site with data from users'"'"' cyber wallets accessible to the proxy platform;

responsive to a user'"'"'s request to view a merchant web site for which a corresponding pre-prepared proxy platform exists, performing operations comprising;

utilizing the requested web site'"'"'s proxy platform as an overlay to provide the user with the modified presentation instead of the requested web site;

responsive to user initiation of a purchase transaction upon the requested web site, the proxy platform automatically retrieving personal data from the user'"'"'s cyber wallet and entering said retrieved information upon the requested web site in accordance with the rules to complete the initiated purchase transaction.

2. The method of claim 1, the utilizing operation further comprising:

redirecting user requests to a proxy platform web site instead of the requested web site.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the rules include mapping items of data from the users'"'"' cyber wallets to corresponding fields in the merchants'"'"' purchase checkout forms.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein each cyber wallet includes data pertaining to a user and including at least finance data and shipping data.

5. The method of claim 1, where:

the modified presentation includes a quick checkout button;

the operation responsive to user initiation of a purchase transaction upon the requested web site is responsive to user activation of the quick checkout button.

6. The method of claim 1, the operations further comprising:

on a predetermined schedule, checking the merchant web page to determine whether any change has occurred rendering the proxy platform at least partially invalid;

if so, performing operations including re-performing at least one of the planning and generating operations sufficient to restore the proxy platform to a valid state.

7. The method of claim 1, where:

the operation of preparing the proxy platform comprises preparing a different merchant profile for each of multiple merchant web sites, where each merchant profile includes the modified presentation and rules applicable to that merchant;

the utilizing operation comprises utilizing the proxy platform, according to the merchant profile corresponding to the requested web site, as an overlay to provide the user with the modified presentation instead of the requested web site.

8. The method of claim 1, where the rules include:

proxy rules applicable to data transmitted from the merchant web site to the user;

reqproxy rules applicable to data transmitted by the user to the merchant web site.

9. The method of claim 1, where the cyber wallets comprise one or more predetermined data storage sites.

10. A system to facilitate user interaction with merchant web sites, comprising:

a merchant profile corresponding to participating merchant web sites, pre-prepare independent of user interaction with merchant web sites, the merchant profile comprising one or more computer-readable media tangibly embodying of machine-readable instructions executable by one or more digital data processors to provide;

a modified presentation of each participating merchant web site including one or more changes to functionality of the web site;

rules to fill-in purchase checkout forms of each participating merchant web site with data from users'"'"' cyber wallets accessible to a proxy platform;

a proxy platform comprising one or more computer-readable media tangibly embodying machine-readable instructions executable by one or more digital data processors to perform operations responsive to a user'"'"'s request to view a merchant web site for which a corresponding pre-prepared merchant profile exists, the operations comprising;

utilizing the request web site'"'"'s proxy platform as an overlay to provide the user with the modified presentation instead of the requested web site;

responsive to user initiation of a purchase transaction upon the requested web site, the proxy platform automatically retrieving personal data from the user'"'"'s cyber wallet and entering said retrieved information upon the requested web site in accordance with the rules to complete the initiated purchase transaction.

11. The system of claim 10, the proxy platform programmed such that the utilizing operation further comprises:

redirecting user requests to a proxy platform web site instead of the requested web site.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the rules include mapping items of data from the users'"'"' cyber wallets to corresponding fields in the merchants'"'"' purchase checkout forms.

13. The system of claim 10, further comprising the cyber wallets, wherein each cyber wallet includes data pertaining to a user and including at least finance data and shipping data.

14. The system of claim 10, where:

the modified presentation includes a quick checkout button;

the proxy platform is programmed such that user initiation of a purchase transaction upon the requested web site comprises user activation of the quick checkout button.

15. The system of claim 10, further comprising an autotester programmed to perform operations comprising:

on a predetermined schedule, checking the merchant web page to determine whether any change has occurred rendering the proxy platform at least partially invalid;

if so, performing operations including re-performing at least one of the planning and generating operations sufficient to restore the proxy platform to a valid state.

16. The system of claim 10, where:

the system includes multiple merchant profiles, each pertaining to a different merchant web site;

the proxy platform is programmed such that the utilizing operation comprises utilizing the proxy platform, according to the merchant profile corresponding to the requested web site, as an overlay to provide the user with the modified presentation instead of the requested web site.

17. The system of claim 10, where the rules include:

proxy rules applicable to data transmitted from the merchant web site to the user;

reqproxy rules applicable to data transmitted by the user to the merchant web site.

18. The system of claim 10, further comprising the cyber wallets, where the cyber wallets comprise one or more predetermined data storage sites.

19. A system to facilitate user interaction with merchant web sites, comprising:

merchant profile means corresponding to participating merchant web sites, pre-prepared independent of user interaction with merchant web sites, the merchant profile means comprising;

means for modified presentation of each participating merchant web site including one or more changes to functionality of the web site;

rules means for filling-in purchase checkout forms of each participating merchant web site with data from users'"'"' cyber wallets accessible to a proxy platform;

proxy platform means for performing operations responsive to a user'"'"'s request to view a merchant web site for which a corresponding pre-prepared merchant profile exists, comprising;

means for utilizing the requested web site'"'"'s proxy platform as an overlay to provide the user with the modified presentation instead of the requested web site;

means responsive to user initiation of a purchase transaction upon the requested web site for automatically retrieving personal data from the user'"'"'s cyber wallet and entering said retrieved information upon the requested web site in accordance with the rules to complete the initiated purchase transaction.

20. A method to facilitate user interaction with merchant web sites, the method comprising operations of:

independent of user interaction with merchant web sites, performing operations comprising;

constructing a proxy platform corresponding to multiple merchant web sites by performing operations comprising;

(1) planning a modified presentation of each merchant web site including one or more changes to functionality of the merchant web site, (2) pre-configuring rules to fill-in purchase checkout forms of each merchant web site with data from users'"'"' cyber wallets accessible to the proxy platform;

maintaining the proxy platform, by performing operations comprising;

(1) on a repeating schedule, reviewing the merchant web pages to determine whether any changes have occurred rendering the proxy platform at least partially invalid, (2) if so, repeating the constructing operation for the merchant web site upon which the changes have occurred;

receiving users'"'"' requests to view merchant web sites;

for each request, determining whether a proxy platform corresponding to the requested merchant web site has been constructed, and only if so, responding to the request by performing operations comprising;

utilizing the requested web site'"'"'s proxy platform as an overlay to provide the requesting user with the modified presentation instead of the requested web site;

responsive to user initiation of a purchase transaction upon the requested web site, the proxy platform automatically retrieving personal data from said user'"'"'s cyber wallet and entering said retrieved information upon the requested web site in accordance with the pre-configured rules to complete the initiated purchase transaction.

21. The method of claim 20, where the proxy platform is operated by an online services provider having various subscribers, and the operations further comprise the Internet services provider rendering services of the proxy platform exclusively to said subscribers.

22. The method of claim 20, where the proxy platform is operated by an online services provider having various subscribers, and the operations further comprise:

in addition to operating the proxy platform, the online services provider operating the cyber wallets.