Multi-picture online commerce feature

• US 7,319,981 B2
• Filed: 08/27/2002
• Issued: 01/15/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Michael Schwartzman
• Original Assignee: Michael Schwartzman
• Inventors: Schwartzman, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): ZURITA, JAMES H
• Application Number:
  US10/228,506
• Publication Number:
  US 20040044587A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,967 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/24, 705/25, 705/26, 705/27, 707/2, 707/9, 709/217, 725/24, 725/105
• US Class Current: 705/26.62
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0625 Directed, with specific intent or strategy
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

A software application that provides images of multiple items associated by a common seller on an on-line commerce network comprising query software for automatically retrieving from a list all items associated by a common seller from a server, retrieving the location of an image of each item and retrieving the image of each item after a user has identified an item being sold by the seller from a list, display software for automatically displaying the retrieved images as thumbnail images with an image map layer containing each location on the server of a file associated with each thumbnail image. The invention also comprises a method of doing the same.

Claims

1. A method of enhancing a Web based selling platform comprising:

retrieving images associated by a common seller based on a query of one item from said common seller from a list of items;

manipulating the retrieved images to produce a master image of thumbnail images, each of the thumbnail images having unique master image coordinates;

providing for an image map wherein a user clicks on one of the thumbnail images to send a request to a server storing the image map, said request including the unique master image coordinates of the thumbnail image, to query a Web server for the detail information page of an associated registered item and sending the information back to the user for viewing.

2. A method of enhancing a Web based selling platform as in claim 1 wherein:

the thumbnail images are ordered by a filter.

3. A method of enhancing a Web based selling platform as in claim 2 wherein:

the filter criteria is chosen by the user.

4. A method of enhancing a Web based selling platform as in claim 1 wherein:

the retrieving step updates after a predetermined term.

5. A method of enhancing a Web based selling platform as in claim 4 wherein:

the retrieving step eliminates images after the predetermined term.

6. A method of enhancing a Web based selling platform as in claim 1 wherein:

the retrieving step updates after a seller initiated action.

7. A method of enhancing a Web based selling platform as in claim 6 wherein:

the retrieving step eliminates images after the seller initiated action.