Evolving interactive dialog box for an internet web page

• US 7,233,973 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2005
• Issued: 06/19/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Melet, Todd B., Melet, Stone J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Barot; Bharat
• Application Number:
  US11/090,024
• Publication Number:
  US 20050204279A1
• Time in Patent Office: 813 Days
• Field of Search: 709200-203, 709206-207, 709217-219, 709227-229, 707/10, 715/501.1, 715/513, 715/517, 715/526, 705 26- 27, 705/1, 705/39, 705/64
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/202 Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• 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

Abstract

A host Web page includes an evolving interactive dialog box wherein an Internet user may enter user data to be processed. When the user completes entering user data in a first revolution of the interactive dialog box, the first revolution is replaced with a second revolution of the evolving interactive dialog box without disturbing or affecting any other part of the host Web page being displayed. Beneficially, the first and second revolutions may be communicated to a user computer together with and at a same time as the host Web page. Also, the second revolution may include a variety of data which is selected or customized to match the user data submitted in the first revolution. Each revolution of the evolving interactive dialog box may be comprised of any combination of general textual data entry fields, category (pull-down) menus, contact information data entry fields, and opt-in/opt-out buttons. The evolving interactive dialog box may also include dynamically selectable features, such as font type, font size, font color, box shape, box dimension(s), background colors, foreground colors, etc.

Claims

1. A method of conducting an electronic commerce transaction using an interactive dialog box, comprising:

providing an interactive dialog box with a plurality of revolutions in a host web page;

displaying an electronic order form as a first revolution of the interactive dialog box;

receiving user data entered into the first revolution of the interactive dialog box;

displaying a second revolution of the interactive dialog box in response to user data entered into the first revolution of the interactive dialog box, the second revolution being displayed without altering the remainder of the host web page; and

processing an electronic commerce transaction based on the received user data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic order forms comprises a pull-down menu for selecting products and services.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first revolution further comprises a data entry box.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

communicating the received user data to a remote information processing system.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second revolution comprises a message confirming receipt of the received user data.

6. An article of manufacture comprising at least one machine readable storage medium having one or more computer programs stored thereon, the computer programs when executed by one or more computing systems cause the computing systems to:

provide an interactive dialog box with a plurality of revolutions in a host web page;

display an electronic order form as a first revolution of the interactive dialog box;

receive user data entered into the first revolution of the interactive dialog box;

display a second revolution of the interactive dialog box in response to user data entered into the first revolution of the interactive dialog box, the second revolution being displayed without altering the remainder of the host web page; and

process an electronic commerce transaction based on the received user data.

7. The article of manufacture of claim 6, wherein the electronic order form comprises a pull-down menu for selecting products and services.

8. The article of manufacture of claim 6, wherein the first revolution further comprises a data entry box.

9. The article of manufacture of claim 6, being further operable to communicate the received user data to a remote information processing system.

10. The article of manufacture of claim 6, wherein the second revolution comprises a message confirming receipt of the received user data.

11. A host web site system including a readable storage medium having one or more computer programs stored thereon, the one or more computer programs when executed by one or more computing systems cause the computing systems to affect the host web site to:

provide an interactive dialog box with a plurality of revolutions in a host web page;

display an electronic order form as a first revolution of the interactive dialog box;

receive user data entered into the first revolution of the interactive dialog box;

display a second revolution of the interactive dialog box in response to user data entered into the first revolution of the interactive dialog box, the second revolution being displayed without altering the remainder of the host web page; and

process an electronic commerce transaction based on the received user data.

12. The host web site system of claim 11, wherein the electronic order form comprises a pull-down menu for selecting products and services.

13. The host web site system of claim 11, wherein the first revolution further comprises a data entry box.

14. The host web site system of claim 11, being further operable to communicate the received user data to a remote information processing system.

15. The host web site system of claim 11, wherein the second revolution comprises a message confirming receipt of the received user data.