Distributed electronic commerce system with centralized point of purchase
First Claim
1. A broker in an electronic commerce system, the broker comprising:
- a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having executable computer program instructions for facilitating electronic commerce transactions between remote customers and remote merchants, the computer program instructions comprising;
a communication module configured to receive a description of a virtual shopping cart at the broker from a remote customer device responsive to a purchase module on a remote merchant providing the shopping cart description to the customer device and directing the customer device to send the shopping cart description to the broker, the shopping cart description identifying an item for purchase by a customer from the merchant, the communication module further configured to present the customer with an interface with which the customer can select options associated with the purchase from the merchant;
a transaction module configured to calculate at the broker a purchase total responsive to the shopping cart description received from the customer device and the options selected by the customer, and to charge the customer for the purchase total; and
a coordination module configured to interface the broker with the merchant to inform the merchant of the purchase; and
a processor for executing the computer program instructions.
2 Assignments
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Accused Products
Abstract
An electronic commerce system includes a broker that enables customers to purchase items from merchants. A customer interacts with the merchant to identify items to purchase, and the merchant directs the customer to the broker in order to complete the transaction. The broker receives a description of a virtual shopping cart generated by the merchant and presents the customer with an interface allowing the customer to select shipping and other options for the purchase. The broker calculates a total amount for the transaction based on the shopping cart description and the options selected by the customer. The broker informs the merchant of the purchase and coordinates the shipment of the purchased items from the merchant to the customer.
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Citations
28 Claims
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1. A broker in an electronic commerce system, the broker comprising:
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a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having executable computer program instructions for facilitating electronic commerce transactions between remote customers and remote merchants, the computer program instructions comprising; a communication module configured to receive a description of a virtual shopping cart at the broker from a remote customer device responsive to a purchase module on a remote merchant providing the shopping cart description to the customer device and directing the customer device to send the shopping cart description to the broker, the shopping cart description identifying an item for purchase by a customer from the merchant, the communication module further configured to present the customer with an interface with which the customer can select options associated with the purchase from the merchant; a transaction module configured to calculate at the broker a purchase total responsive to the shopping cart description received from the customer device and the options selected by the customer, and to charge the customer for the purchase total; and a coordination module configured to interface the broker with the merchant to inform the merchant of the purchase; and a processor for executing the computer program instructions. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A computer program product having a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having executable computer program instructions embodied therein for providing a broker to facilitate electronic commerce transactions between remote customers and remote merchants, the computer program instructions comprising:
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a communication module configured to receive a description of a virtual shopping cart at the broker from a remote customer device responsive to a purchase module on a remote merchant providing the shopping cart description to the customer device and directing the customer device to send the shopping cart description to the broker, the shopping cart description identifying an item for purchase by a customer from the merchant, the communication module further configured to present the customer with an interface with which the customer can select options associated with the purchase from the merchant; a transaction module configured to calculate at the broker a purchase total responsive to the shopping cart description received from the customer device and the options selected by the customer, and to charge the customer for the purchase total; and a coordination module configured to interface the broker with the merchant to inform the merchant of the purchase. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A method for facilitating electronic commerce transactions between remote merchants and remote customers, comprising:
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receiving a description of a virtual shopping cart at a broker from a remote customer device, where a purchase module on a remote merchant provided the shopping cart description to the customer device and directed the customer device to send the shopping cart description to the broker, the shopping cart description identifying an item for purchase by a customer from the merchant; presenting the customer with an interface generated responsive to the description of the virtual shopping cart with which the customer can select options associated with the purchase from the merchant; calculating at the broker a purchase total responsive to the shopping cart description received from the customer device and the options selected by the customer, and charging the customer for the purchase total; and interfacing the broker with the merchant to inform the merchant of the purchase. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having executable computer program instructions for providing a broker in a system having remote customers and remote merchants, a remote merchant in the system having a purchase module configured to provide shopping cart descriptions to customer devices and to direct the customer devices to send the shopping cart descriptions to the broker, the broker for facilitating electronic commerce transactions between the remote customers and the remote merchants, the computer program instructions comprising:
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a communication module configured to receive a description of a virtual shopping cart at the broker from a remote customer device responsive to the purchase module on the remote merchant providing the shopping cart description to the customer device and directing the customer device to send the shopping cart description to the broker, the shopping cart description identifying an item for purchase by a customer from the merchant, the communication module further configured to present the customer with an interface with which the customer can select options associated with the purchase from the merchant; a transaction module configured to calculate at the broker a purchase total responsive to the shopping cart description received from the customer device and the options selected by the customer, and to charge the customer for the purchase total; and a coordination module configured to interface the broker with the merchant to inform the merchant of the purchase.
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Specification