Wish list associated with buddy list screen name

• US 7,925,542 B2
• Filed: 10/24/2008
• Issued: 04/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AOL Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Shah, Ketan
• Primary Examiner(s): Dunham; Jason
• Application Number:
  US12/258,237
• Publication Number:
  US 20090112729A1
• Time in Patent Office: 900 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/27
• US Class Current: 705/26.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/386 using messaging services or messaging apps using mobile network messaging services for payment, e.g. SMS G06Q20/3255
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for connecting wish lists to users, thus making wish lists accessible to such user attributes as buddy lists, or the equivalent. The invention attaches a wish list to an instant messaging name and therefore makes it available to all persons on the user'"'"'s buddy list. In a further embodiment of the invention, the wish list is attached to an account, such as a wallet. As a result, various conveniences are provided. For example, a member of the user'"'"'s buddy list can give a gift to the user from the wish list; a group can contribute incrementally to the giving of a gift to the user; an individual can add incremental amounts to his or her wish list to pay for an item on time (as a type of layaway); and relatives and friends can give gifts that they know will be appreciated because the gifts are on the user'"'"'s wish list.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for sharing wish list information between users, the method comprising the steps of:

maintaining, with a computer, a plurality of wish lists in a wish list repository on a particular portal on a network for a plurality of users on said particular portal, each of said wish lists being associated with a specific user and comprising at least items offered for sale by a third party not associated with a wish list, said items being identified by an associated user as being desired by said associated user;

making, with the computer, each wish list associated with each user of said plurality of users automatically viewable to said associated user and to other users of said plurality of users;

wherein said plurality of users are buddies with said associated user in an instant messaging application and have access to said associated user'"'"'s wish list through their buddy properties;

attaching, with the computer, said items on said wish list to a wallet account of said associated user in a wallet repository on aid particular portal on said network;

receiving, with the computer, gifts including receiving requests from multiple users of said other users than can automatically view said wish list to contribute funds to said wallet account towards a purchase of an item on an associated user'"'"'s wish list as a gift for said associated user, wherein each of said multiple users has a wallet account in said wallet repository;

said multiple users contributing, with the computer, funds from said each wallet account to said wallet account of said associated user towards said purchase;

storing, with the computer, an indication of an amount of contributed funds in said associated user'"'"'s wallet account;

allowing for automatically and electronically executing, with the computer, a purchase of said item as a gift for said associated user upon said contributed funds equaling a purchase price of said item;

updating, with the computer, said associated user'"'"'s wish list to delete said purchased item from said wish list and said buddy properties.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

generating, with the computer, a thank-you note for each user that contributed funds towards said purchase; and

electronically transmitting, with the computer, said thank-you note to each user.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

receiving from a user, with the computer, dates of events associated with said user.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 3, further comprising the step of:

displaying, with the computer, said dates of events associated with said user along with said user'"'"'s wish list.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 3, wherein said dates of events comprise at least one of said user'"'"'s birthday and said user'"'"'s marriage anniversary date.

6. An apparatus comprising:

a network of computers;

a wish list repository stored on said network for maintaining a plurality of wish lists in a wish list repository on a particular portal for a plurality of users on said particular portal and comprising at least items offered for sale by a third party not associated with a wish list, said items being identified by an associated user as being desired by said associated user;

wherein said wish list repository is configured for making each wish list associated with each user viewable to that associated user and to other users of said plurality of users;

wherein said plurality of users are buddies with said associated user in an instant messaging application and have access to said associated user'"'"'s wish list through their buddy properties;

a wallet repository configured for attaching each wish list to an associated wallet account;

wherein requests are received from multiple users of said other users than can automatically view said wish list to contribute funds to said account towards a purchase of an item on said user'"'"'s wish list as a gift for said user, wherein each of said multiple users has a wallet account in said wallet repository;

wherein said multiple users contribute funds from said each wallet account to said wallet account of said associated user towards said purchase of said item;

wherein an indication of an amount of contributed funds in said associated user'"'"'s wallet account is stored;

wherein said wallet account is configured for automatically and electronically executing a purchase of said item as a gift for said user upon said contributed funds equaling a purchase price of said item; and

wherein said user'"'"'s wish list is updated to delete said purchased item from said wish list and said buddy properties.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein:

a thank-you note for each user that contributed funds towards said purchase of said item is generated; and

said thank-you note to each user is electronically transmitted.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein

dates of events associated with said user are received from said user.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein

said dates of events associated with said user along with said user'"'"'s wish list are displayed.

10. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said dates of events comprise at least one of said user'"'"'s birthday and said user'"'"'s marriage anniversary date.

11. A computer-implemented method for sharing wish list information between users, the method comprising the steps of:

maintaining, with a computer, a plurality of wish lists in a wish list repository on a particular portal on a particular network for a plurality of users on said particular portal, each of said wish lists being associated with a specific user and comprising at least items offered for sale by a third party not associated with a wish list, said items being identified by an associated user as being desired by said associated user;

making, with the computer, each wish list associated with each user of said plurality of users automatically viewable to said associated user and to other users of said plurality of users and only to said associated user and to each of said other users of said particular portal by said plurality of users and said associated user using a particular application on said portal on said network of which said plurality of users and said associated user are members and by which said members can view other members properties;

attaching, with the computer, said items on said associated user'"'"'s wish list to a wallet account of said associated user in a wallet repository on said particular portal on said network;

receiving, with the computer, requests from multiple users of said other users that can automatically view said wish list to transfer funds to said associated user'"'"'s wallet account towards a purchase of an item on said associated user'"'"'s wish list as a gift for said associated user, wherein each of said multiple users has a wallet account in said wallet repository;

said multiple users directly transferring, with the computer, funds from said each wallet account to said wallet account of said associated user towards said purchase;

storing, with the computer, an indication of an amount of transferred funds in said associated user'"'"'s wallet account;

allowing for automatically and electronically executing, with the computer, a purchase of said item as a gift for said associated user upon said transferred funds equalling a purchase price of said item; and

updating, with the computer, said associated user'"'"'s wish list to delete said purchased item from said wish list.