Sales system with buyer price selection

• US 7,860,776 B1
• Filed: 10/11/2000
• Issued: 12/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Simpson, Rick, Johns, Valerie, Traynor, David, Chin, Jeff
• Primary Examiner(s): Colbert; Ella
• Application Number:
  US09/685,449
• Time in Patent Office: 3,730 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/27, 705/37, 705/1, 705/1.1, 705/28, 705/35
• US Class Current: 705/37
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

Some embodiments include a networked sales method. The method includes presenting, via a first network, item information associated with an item on a sales screen to a user. The method also includes communicating a variable price schedule for the item to the user. The variable price schedule includes a plurality of price selections for the item. The method includes receiving a reminder command associated with a selection of an entry in the variable price schedule from the user. The reminder command includes a price selection from the plurality of the price selections for the item. The method includes notifying the user when the entry in the variable price schedule is reached.

Claims

1. A networked sales method, comprising:

presenting with a sales server, via a first network, item information associated with an item on a sales screen to a user, the item information including an item identifier for an item, and a price box for the item;

communicating with a sales server a falling price schedule for the item to the user, the falling price schedule including a plurality of entries, each entry indicating a price at which the item is to be offered for sale in a specified time period;

receiving at the sales server a reminder request associated with an entry in the falling price schedule; and

notifying the user through a second network with a near-real-time alerting mechanism when the price of the item is the price indicated in the entry associated with the received reminder request, the second network being a wireless network.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the notifying the user includes presenting a purchase acceptance control button to the user.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the notifying the user includes notifying the user through a telephone network, and wherein the presenting of the purchase acceptance control includes requesting that the user signal acceptance of a purchase acceptance using dial keys for a telephone connected to the telephone network.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein acceptance of the reminder request in the receiving of a reminder request from the user is contingent upon receipt of contact information for the user, wherein the presenting of the item is independent of the receipt of any contact information from the user.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the receiving of the reminder request is responsive to only a single click on a reminder control.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the presentation of the item identifier includes displaying an image of the item on the sales screen and wherein the presentation of the price box displays the price box proximate the image of the item.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the presentation of the item identifier includes displaying an image on the sales screen and wherein the presentation of the price box displays the price box to overlap the image of the item.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the presentation of the plurality of price choices displays the plurality of choices as a series of user price selection controls.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the communicating of the falling price schedule to the user includes displaying at least one user price selection control as a control that is responsive to a single actuation to place a bid on the item.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the price box has one curved edge.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the price box has a circular marking near one of its edges.

12. The method of claim 1 further including displaying price boxes for different items and further displaying price choices for those items on the same screen.

13. The method of claim 12 further including displaying an image for each of the items on the sales screen.

14. The method of claim 1 further including displaying further price information for the item in response to user interaction with the price box.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the displaying further price information displays the information in a window that overlays an area of the screen in which the price box and the item identifier are displayed.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the displaying is responsive to the user locating a pointing device cursor above a screen area associated with the item.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the price box further includes an accessorize button that is responsive to user input to retrieve information about items available that complement the item for which the price box is displayed.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein the communicating of the falling price schedule includes displaying a present price and a present purchase control button next to it.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein the communicating of the falling price schedule includes displaying a future price and a future purchase control button next to it.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein the communicating of the falling price schedule includes displaying the plurality of choices as a series of displayed price values each located proximate one of a plurality of purchase control buttons, and wherein the plurality of purchase control buttons includes at least one present purchase control button and at least one future purchase control button.

21. The method of claim 1 wherein the communicating of the falling price schedule includes displaying the plurality of choices as a series of displayed price values each located proximate one of a plurality of purchase control buttons.