Method for managing an electronic-commerce shopping cart

• US 7,788,135 B2
• Filed: 08/10/2006
• Issued: 08/31/2010
• 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:
  US11/463,626
• Publication Number:
  US 20070078724A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,482 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 server identifies a secondary item in the shopping cart linked to a primary item in the shopping cart. The server changes an attribute of the secondary item in response to a change in a corresponding attribute of the primary item. The server removes the secondary item from the shopping in response to removal of the primary item from the shopping cart.

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:

identifying by the server a secondary item in the shopping cart linked to a primary item in the shopping cart; and

removing by the server the secondary item from the shopping cart in response to removal of the primary item from the shopping cart,

wherein before said identifying, the method further comprises determining by the server whether a shopping command of the shopper has removed the primary item from the shopping cart, and wherein said identifying is performed after the server has determined that the shopping command has removed the primary item from the shopping cart,

wherein after said determining has determined that the shopping command has removed the primary item and before said identifying, the method further comprises;

said server 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.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein after said identifying and before said removing, the method further comprises:

soliciting and receiving by the server authorization from the shopper to remove the secondary item in response to said determining that the shopping command has removed the primary item from the shopping cart.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein before said determining, the method further comprises 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.

4. A system, comprising a server for managing an electronic commerce (e-commerce) shopping cart relating to communication between a shopper and a server over a communication network, said server comprising:

One or more processors;

a non-transitory computer readable medium storing executable software, which when executed by said one or more processors implementing a method comprising;

identifying by the server a secondary item in the shopping cart linked to a primary item in the shopping cart; and

removing by the server the secondary item from the shopping cart in response to removal of the primary item from the shopping cart,

wherein before said identifying, the method further comprises determining by the server whether a shopping command of the shopper has removed the primary item from the shopping cart, and wherein said identifying is performed after the server has determined that the shopping command has removed the primary item from the shopping cart,

wherein after said determining has determined that the shopping command has removed the primary item and before said identifying, the method further comprises;

said server 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.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein after said identifying and before said removing, the method further comprises:

soliciting and receiving by the server authorization from the shopper to remove the secondary item in response to said determining that the shopping command has removed the primary item from the shopping cart.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein before said determining, the method further comprises 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.