Method for managing an electronic-commerce shopping cart

• US 7,734,508 B2
• Filed: 08/10/2006
• Issued: 06/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Jaffe, Stephen Eric, Hayes, Dennis Frank, Priester, Dellena Wyman
• Primary Examiner(s): Garg; Yogesh C
• Application Number:
  US11/463,617
• Publication Number:
  US 20060293970A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,398 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/27
• US Class Current: 705/26.8
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing

Abstract

A method and system for managing an electronic commerce (e-commerce) shopping cart relating to communication between a shopper and a server over a communication network. A sever whether a shopping command of the shopper has changed an attribute of a primary item in the shopping cart. After the server has determined that the shopping command has changed the attribute of the primary item in the shopping cart, the server identifies a secondary item in the shopping cart linked to the primary item. The server changes a corresponding attribute of the secondary item in response to the change in the attribute of the primary item, wherein the attribute of the primary item is a quantity of the primary item, a color of the primary item, or a size of the primary item.

Claims

1. A method for managing an electronic commerce (e-commerce) shopping cart relating to communication between a shopper and a server over a communication network, said method comprising the steps of:

determining by the server whether a shopping command of the shopper has changed an attribute of a primary item in the shopping cart;

after the server has determined that the shopping command has changed the attribute of the primary item in the shopping cart, identifying by the server a secondary item in the shopping cart linked to the primary item; and

changing by the server a corresponding attribute of the secondary item in response to the change in the attribute of the primary item, wherein the attribute of the primary item is selected from the group consisting of a quantity of the primary item, a color of the primary item, and a size of the primary item.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the attribute of the primary item consists of the quantity of the primary item.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the attribute of the primary item consists of the color of the primary item.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the attribute of the primary item consists of the size of the primary item.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein after said identifying step and before said changing step, said method further comprising the step of:

soliciting and receiving by the server authorization from the shopper to change the corresponding attribute of the secondary item in response to the change in the attribute of the primary item.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein before said determining step, said method further comprising the step of:

waiting by the server for said shopping command and continuing to wait by the server for said shopping command so long as said shopping command has not been received by the server.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein after said determining step has determined that the shopping command has changed the attribute of said primary item and before said identifying step, said method further comprising the steps of:

ascertaining whether the primary item is a new primary item; and

after said ascertaining has ascertained that the primary item is not said new primary item, then performing said identifying step.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the attribute of the primary item and the corresponding attribute of the secondary item are a same attribute.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the attribute of the primary item and the corresponding attribute of the secondary item are different attributes.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication network comprises the Internet.

11. A system, comprising a server adapted to implement a method for managing an electronic commerce (e-commerce) shopping cart relating to communication between a shopper and a server over a communication network, said method comprising the steps of:

determining by the server whether a shopping command of the shopper has changed an attribute of a primary item in the shopping cart;

after the server has determined that the shopping command has changed the attribute of the primary item in the shopping cart, identifying by the server a secondary item in the shopping cart linked to the primary item; and

changing by the server a corresponding attribute of the secondary item in response to the change in the attribute of the primary item, wherein the attribute of the primary item is selected from the group consisting of a quantity of the primary item, a color of the primary item, and a size of the primary item.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the attribute of the primary item consists of the quantity of the primary item.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the attribute of the primary item consists of the color of the primary item.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the attribute of the primary item consists of the size of the primary item.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein after said identifying step and before said changing step, said method further comprising the step of:

soliciting and receiving by the server authorization from the shopper to change the corresponding attribute of the secondary item in response to the change in the attribute of the primary item.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein before said determining step, said method further comprising the step of:

waiting by the server for said shopping command and continuing to wait by the server for said shopping command so long as said shopping command has not been received by the server.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein after said determining step has determined that the shopping command has changed the attribute of said primary item and before said identifying step, said method further comprising the steps of:

ascertaining whether the primary item is a new primary item; and

after said ascertaining has ascertained that the primary item is not said new primary item, then performing said identifying step.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the attribute of the primary item and the corresponding attribute of the secondary item are a same attribute.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the attribute of the primary item and the corresponding attribute of the secondary item are different attributes.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein the communication network comprises the Internet.