Method and system for automatically updating a seller application utilized in a network-based transaction facility

• US 8,078,505 B2
• Filed: 09/20/2002
• Issued: 12/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Veres, Robert Dean, Liang, Ching-Jye
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Jeffrey A
• Assistant Examiner(s): STOPP, COURTNEY L
• Application Number:
  US10/252,127
• Publication Number:
  US 20030229545A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,371 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/27, 705/37
• US Class Current: 705/27.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions

Abstract

According to the present invention, there is provided a method for automatically updating a seller application upon connecting to a network-based transaction facility. The method includes receiving a request, by a seller application, to connect to the network-based transaction facility. The method also includes determining whether a category update exists for a category data structure maintained by the seller application. The method further includes downloading the category update to the seller application for each updating of a category data structure maintained by the seller application utilizing the downloaded category update.

Claims

1. A method for automatically updating a seller application upon connecting to a network-based transaction facility, the method including:

communicating the seller application over a network from the network-based transaction facility to a client machine, the seller application being executable at the client machine to receive a plurality of transaction listings that are utilized at the network-based transaction facility to transact a plurality of offerings that are described by the respective transaction listings;

receiving a request, over the network from the seller application, to connect to the network-based transaction facility;

determining whether a category update exists for a category data structure that is maintained remotely by the seller application, the determining performed at the network-based transaction facility;

communicating the category update to the seller application responsive to the determining the category update exists, the downloading the category update for each updating of a category data structure maintained by the seller application by utilizing the downloaded category update, the downloading of the category updated including downloading a changed category data structure to the seller application for updating of the category data structure maintained by the seller application;

communicating a plurality of attribute updates to the seller application to enable automatic updating of the seller application with the downloaded attribute updates, the plurality of attribute updates including an attribute that includes a descriptive information field associated with a transaction listing;

receiving a plurality of transaction listings that were created by the seller application at the client machine, wherein the receiving includes receiving a batch file over the network in a single transmission that includes the plurality of transaction listings; and

specifying by the seller application a minimum scheduling value between a plurality of start times for publishing each of the plurality of transaction listings on the network-based transaction facility.

2. The method of claim 1 further includes only downloading the category update to the seller application if automatic updating of the seller application is enabled.

3. The method of claim 1 including downloading program updates to the seller application to enable automatic updating of the seller application utilizing the downloaded program updates.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein an attribute is associated with a transaction listing according to a respective category of the transaction listing.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein a plurality of attributes are associated with a transaction listing.

6. The method of claim 1 further includes automatically uploading user information updates from the seller application to the network-based transaction facility.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein user information includes a payment address.

8. The method of claim 1 further including recognizing that the user has enabled support for a targeted site for which support has not yet been installed and automatically downloading the support for the targeted site from the network-based transaction facilities.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the downloaded support includes information necessary to configure the seller application to work the targeted site language.

10. The method of claim 8 further includes updating the seller application with the downloaded support for the targeted site.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein targeted site includes a plurality of targeted sites.

12. The method of claim 1 further includes recognizing that the user operates a store at the network-based transaction facility and automatically downloading support for the store.

13. The method of claim 12 further includes updating the seller application with the downloaded support for the store.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein a store includes a plurality of stores.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein downloading support for the store includes downloading format updates.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein format updates includes a stores format.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining includes comparing an available version of data elements including at least one category and an installed version of data elements including at least one category.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the determining includes identifying the seller application is associated with a seller application version that is lower than a minimum seller application version.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the minimum seller application version is associated with the category update.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining is performed upon the receiving the request from the seller application to connect to the network-based transaction facility.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of transaction listings further includes a first transaction listing and further including communicating a user interface to the client machine to facilitate editing of the first transaction listing.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the plurality of start times include a first start time and wherein the first transaction listing describes a first offering and further including publishing the first transaction listing on the network-based transaction facility based on the first start time, wherein the first transaction listing describes the first offering in an auction.

23. A system to automatically update a seller application upon connecting to a network based transaction facility, the system including:

at least one processor operable to execute;

the network based transaction facility to communicate the seller application over a network from the network-based transaction facility to a client machine, the seller application is executable at a client machine to receive a plurality of transaction listings that are utilized at the network-based transaction facility to transact a plurality of offerings that are described by the respective transaction listings;

a communicator module at the network-based transaction facility to receive a connection request, over a network from the seller application, to connect to the network-based transaction facility; and

an upgrade control module to determine whether a category update exists for a category data structure that is maintained remotely by the seller application, the determining performed at the network-based transaction facility, the communicator module, responsive to the determination performed by the upgrade control module, to communicate the category update to the seller application to update the category data structure maintained by the seller application utilizing the downloaded category update, the communicated category update including a changed category data structure to update the category data structure maintained by the seller application, the communicator module is to further communicate attribute updates to the seller application to enable automatic updating of the seller application with the communicated attribute updates, the attributes updates includes an attribute that includes a descriptive information field associated with a transaction listing;

the network-based transaction facility receiving a plurality of transaction listings that were created by the seller application at the client machine, wherein the receiving includes receiving a batch file over the network in a single transmission that includes the plurality of transaction listings; and

the seller application specifying a minimum scheduling value between a plurality of start times for publishing each of the plurality of transaction listings on the network-based transaction facility.

24. The system of claim 23 wherein the upgrade control module is to determine whether automatic updating of the seller application is enabled.

25. The system of claim 23 wherein the communicator module is to download program updates to the seller application to enable automatic updating of the seller application utilizing the downloaded program updates.

26. The system of claim 23 wherein an attribute is associated with a transaction listing according to a respective category of the transaction listing.

27. The system of claim 23 wherein a plurality of attributes may be associated with a transaction listing.

28. The system of claim 23 wherein the connection request further includes user information updates from the seller application.

29. The system of claim 28 wherein user information includes a payment address.

30. The system of claim 23 wherein the upgrade control module is to recognize that the user has enabled support for a targeted site for which support has not yet been installed and is to automatically download support for the targeted site from the network-based transaction facility.

31. The system of claim 23 wherein the upgrade control module is to recognize that the user operates a store at the network-based transaction facility and the communicator module is to automatically download support for the store.

32. The system of claim 31 wherein downloading support for the store includes downloading format updates.

33. The system of claim 32 wherein the format updates include a stores format.

34. A transaction application at a network-based transaction facility to provide updates to a seller application:

at least one processor operable to execute;

the network based transaction facility to communicate the seller application over a network from the network-based transaction facility to a client machine, the seller application is executable at a client machine to receive a plurality of transaction listings that are utilized at the network-based transaction facility to transact a plurality of offerings that are described by the respective transaction listings;

the transaction application including;

a communicator module to receive a request, communicated over a network by a seller application, to connect to the network-based transaction facility; and

an upgrade control module to determine whether a category update exists for a category data structure that is maintained remotely by the seller application, the communicator module, responsive to the determination by the upgrade control module, to communicate the category update to the seller application to update a category data structure maintained by the seller application utilizing the communicated category update, the category update including a changed category data structure to update the category data structure maintained by the seller application, the communicator module is to further communicate attribute updates to the seller application to enable an automatic update of the seller application with the communicated attribute updates, the attribute updates include an attribute that includes a descriptive information field associated with a transaction listing;

the network-based transaction facility receiving a plurality of transaction listings that were created by the seller application at the client machine, wherein the receiving includes receiving a batch file over the network in a single transmission that includes the plurality of transaction listings; and

the seller application specifying a minimum scheduling value between a plurality of start times for publishing each of the plurality of transaction listings on the network-based transaction facility.

35. The transaction application of claim 34 wherein the communicator module only downloads the category update to the seller application if the upgrade control module determines that automatic updating of the seller application is needed.

36. The transaction application of claim 34 wherein the communicator module is to download program updates to the seller application to enable automatic updating of the seller application utilizing the downloaded program updates.

37. The transaction application of claim 34 wherein an attribute is associated with a transaction listing according to a respective category of the transaction listing.

38. The transaction application of claim 34 wherein the communicator module is to receive user information updates uploaded from the seller application to the network-based transaction facility.

39. A compute-readable medium storing a sequence of instructions that, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to:

communicate the seller application over a network from a network-based transaction facility to a client machine, the seller application being executable at the client machine to receive a plurality of transaction listings that are utilized at the network-based transaction facility to transact a plurality of offerings that are described by the respective transaction listings;

receive a request, over a network via a seller application, to connect to the network-based transaction facility;

determine whether automatic updating of the seller application is enabled;

communicate category updates to the seller application responsive to the determination the respective category update exists for a respective plurality of category data structures that are maintained remotely by the seller application, the determination performed at the network-based transaction facility;

update the seller application with communicated category updates including a first category update including a changed category data structure to update a first category data structure maintained by the seller application; and

communicate a plurality of attribute updates to the seller application to enable an automatic update of the seller application with the communicated attribute updates, the attribute updates including an attribute that includes a descriptive information field associated with a transaction listing;

receive a plurality of transaction listings that were created by the seller application at the client machine, wherein the receiving includes receiving a batch file over the network in a single transmission that includes the plurality of transaction listings; and

specify a minimum scheduling value between a plurality of start times for publishing each of the plurality of transaction listings on the network-based transaction facility by the seller application.