System and method for computerized ordering

• US 7,685,024 B2
• Filed: 02/08/2006
• Issued: 03/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dolphin Software Pty Limited
• Original Assignee: Dolphin Software Pty Limited
• Inventors: Ber, Ofer, Ofer, Amir
• Primary Examiner(s): FADOK, MARK A
• Application Number:
  US11/349,130
• Publication Number:
  US 20060190348A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,504 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/27
• US Class Current: 705/26.7
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces

Abstract

The present invention discloses a method and system for computerized ordering at least one product being a part of a final shopping list. The system comprises a first computerized trolley configured to facilitate a user to select at least one product among products being offered by one or more shops associated with the first trolley, thus giving rise to at least one first computerized order line corresponding to the selected product and being a part of a first shopping list; at least one second computerized trolley, each one of said second trolleys configured to automatically generate at least one second computerized order line matching to said first order line and comprising a product being offered by one or more shops associated with the second trolley, said second order line being a part of a second shopping list; wherein the final shopping list is configured to be based on said first shopping list or on said second shopping list. The method comprises providing said first computerized trolley, providing at least one said second computerized trolley, and facilitating compiling the final shopping list on the basis of said first shopping list or said second shopping list.

Claims

1. A method of operating a computerized system for ordering at least one product being a part of a final shopping list, the method comprising:

providing by the ordering system a first computerized trolley configured to facilitate a user to select at least one product among products being offered by one or more shops associated with the first trolley, thus giving rise to at least one first computerized order line corresponding to the selected product and being a part of a first computerized shopping list;

automated generating by the ordering system at least one second computerized trolley matching the first computerized trolley and comprising one or more second computerized order lines being a part of a second computerized shopping list, each said second order line comprising a product matching the product in corresponding first order line and being offered by one or more shops predefined as associated with the second trolley, said shops being different from the shops associated with the first trolley, wherein automated generating at least one second order line among generated second order lines comprises automated generation by the ordering system of a product alternative to the product selected by the user among the products being offered by one or more shops associated with the first trolley and comprised in the respective first order line; and

facilitating compiling the final shopping list on the basis of said first shopping list or said second shopping list.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one said second order line is generated concurrently with said first order line.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one said second order line is generated in a predefined delay after said first order line.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one said second order line is generated in accordance with a predefined event.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the predefined event is the user'"'"'s request for generating said second order line.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising calculating and displaying total price of the order lines comprised in said first shopping list.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising calculating and displaying total price of the order lines comprised in at least one said second shopping list.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising calculating and displaying a price range corresponding to total prices of the order lines comprised in at least two said shopping lists.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the calculation of the total price of the order lines comprised in at least one second shopping list is provided concurrently with said order lines generation.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein displaying the total price of the order lines comprised in at least one second shopping list is provided concurrently with said order lines generation.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising calculating and displaying a difference between total prices of the order lines comprised in said shopping lists corresponding to said first trolley and at least one said second trolley.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein calculating said difference is provided concurrently with said second order lines generation.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein displaying said difference is provided concurrently with said second order lines generation.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein said one or more shops associated with at least one trolley are selected by the user.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein said one or more shops associated with at least one trolley are predefined.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein said one or more shops associated with at least one trolley are selected automatically.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said one or more shops associated with at least one second trolley are selected in accordance with one or more shops associated with the first trolley and in accordance with predefined rules.

18. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

creating a unified catalogue comprising information related to products being offered by one or more shops associated with the first trolley and at least one of said second trolleys, wherein said products are grouped in accordance with certain criteria, and

configuring the first trolley to facilitate the user to select one or more products on the basis of the unified catalogue.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the unified catalogue comprises information related to replacing or substituting products.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising:

collecting one or more of user'"'"'s preferences;

generating, in accordance with the user'"'"'s preferences, a personal catalogue as a derivation of the unified catalogue;

configuring the first trolley to facilitate the user to select one or more products on the basis of the personal catalogue.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the personal catalogue comprises information related to personalization of replacing or substituting products.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the products in the personal catalogue are grouped in accordance with said user'"'"'s preferences.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the products in the personal catalogue are grouped in accordance with products'"'"' grouping in one of the shops associated with the first trolley.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein the alternative product in said second order line is replacing the respective product in said first order line and characterized by other quality and/or other package and/or other delivery time.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the second order line is generated in accordance with information related to personalization of substituting products.

26. The method of claim 7, wherein the total price of the second shopping list is calculated using price information related to the product selected in the first order line if said selected product has no available matching product among the products being offered by one or more shops associated with said second trolley.

27. The method of claim 7, wherein in a case that said selected product has no available matching product among the products being offered by one or more shops associated with said second trolley, the generated corresponding second order line comprises the selected product with the same price or price range as in the first order line.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein said selected product comprised in the second order line is provided with special marking indicating its non-availability in the second trolley.

29. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one second trolley is configured to automatically generate at least two second order lines matching to said first order line configured to facilitate the user'"'"'s selection of one of said second order lines, wherein at least one of said second order lines comprises a product substituting the selected product.

30. The method of claim 1 further comprising automatically optimizing at least one of the shopping lists in accordance with predefined criteria.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the predefined criteria is related to delivery characteristics.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein the optimization includes splitting a shopping list between at least two shops associated with the corresponding trolley.

33. The method of claim 30, wherein the predefined criteria is one or more validation requirements associated with promotional offering received from the shops associated with the trolley or from a 3rd party database.

37. A computer program comprising computer program code means for performing all the steps of claim 1 when said program is run on a computer.

38. A computer program as claimed in claim 37 embodied on a computer readable medium.

39. The method of claim 18, wherein the automated generation of the second trolley comprises searching by the ordering system the products within unified catalogue matching the products comprised in the first trolley and offered by at least one shop which is not associated with the first trolley.

34. A system for computerized ordering at least one product being part of a final shopping list, the system comprising:

means for generating a first computerized trolley configured to facilitate a user to select at least one product among products being offered by one or more shops associated with the first trolley, thus giving rise to at least one first computerized order line corresponding to the selected product and being a part of a first shopping list;

means for generating at least one second computerized trolley matching the first computerized trolley and comprising one or more second computerized order lines being a part of a second computerized shopping list, each said second order line comprising a product matching the product in corresponding first order line and being offered by one or more shops predefined as associated with the second trolley, said shops being different from the shops associated with the first trolley said second order line being a part of a second shopping list;

means for selecting a product alternative to at least one product in at least one second order line among generated second order lines, said product to be selected among the products being offered by the shops associated with the second trolley, said product replacing the respective product in said first order line and characterized by other quality and/or other package and/or other delivery time;

means for generating a final shopping list configured to be based on said first shopping list or on said second shopping list.

35. A method of operating a system for computerized ordering at least one product being a part of a final shopping list, the method comprising:

providing by the ordering system a first computerized trolley configured to facilitate a user to select at least one product among products being offered by one or more shops associated with the first trolley, thus giving rise to at least one first computerized shopping list;

automated generating by the ordering system at least one second computerized trolley matching the first computerized trolley and comprising at least one second computerized shopping list comprising one or more products being offered by one or more shops predefined as associated with the second trolley, said shops being different from the shops associated with the first trolley, wherein the products in the second computerized shopping list are generated by the ordering system as matching to respective selected products in said first computerized shopping list, and wherein generating the second shopping list comprises automated generation by the ordering system of at least one product alternative to the respective matching product selected among the products being offered by the shops associated with the first trolley and comprised in the first computerized shopping list; and

facilitating compiling the final shopping list on the basis of said first shopping list or said second shopping list.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the alternative product comprised in said at least one second shopping list is replacing the respective product in said first order line and characterized by other quality and/or other package and/or other delivery time.