Method, system and medium for assisting a user in evaluating a merchant in an electronic marketplace
First Claim
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1. A computer-implemented method of assisting a first user in evaluating a merchant, comprising:
- identifying a community associated with the first user;
identifying a second user who is a member of the community and that has engaged in business with the merchant, said second user being a user who has opted to expose to the first user identities of merchants with which the second user has engaged in business, as reflected within preference data stored for the second user; and
in response to the first user performing an action associated with the merchant, doing at least one of the following;
(a) electronically notifying the first user of contact information of the second user to allow the first user to communicate with the second user about the merchant, and (b) providing an option for the first user to send a message to the second user regarding the merchant.
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Abstract
Various computer-implemented services are disclosed for assisting users in selecting items from an electronic catalog, and for selecting merchants with which to conduct transactions. One such service detects when a first user accesses a web page associated with a particular merchant, and then attempts to identify, from a set of users who are affiliated with the first user, a second user who has engaged in business with this merchant. If such a second user is identified, the service notifies the first user, and provides an option or information for the first user to contact the second user regarding the merchant.
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Citations
45 Claims
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1. A computer-implemented method of assisting a first user in evaluating a merchant, comprising:
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identifying a community associated with the first user; identifying a second user who is a member of the community and that has engaged in business with the merchant, said second user being a user who has opted to expose to the first user identities of merchants with which the second user has engaged in business, as reflected within preference data stored for the second user; and in response to the first user performing an action associated with the merchant, doing at least one of the following;
(a) electronically notifying the first user of contact information of the second user to allow the first user to communicate with the second user about the merchant, and (b) providing an option for the first user to send a message to the second user regarding the merchant. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A computer system comprising a processor, said computer system programmed to perform a method comprising:
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identifying a community associated with a first user; identifying a second user who is a member of the community and that has engaged in business with a merchant, said second user being a user who has opted to expose to the first user identities of merchants with which the second user has engaged in business, as reflected within preference data stored for the second user; and in response to the first user performing an action associated with the merchant, doing at least one of the following;
(a) electronically notifying the first user of contact information of the second user to allow the first user to communicate with the second user about the merchant, and (b) providing an option for the first user to send a message to the second user regarding the merchant. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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17. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a computer program which, when executed by a computer system, causes the computer system to perform a method comprising the steps of
identifying a community associated with a first user; -
identifying a second user that is a member of the community and that has engaged in business with a particular merchant, said second user being a user who has opted to expose to the first user identities of merchants with which the second user has engaged in business, as reflected within preference data stored for the second user; and in response to the first user performing an action associated with the merchant, doing at least one of the following;
(a) electronically notifying the first user of contact information of the second user to allow the first user to communicate with the second user about the merchant; and
(b) providing an option for the first user to send a message to the second user regarding the merchant. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45)
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Specification