Customer-annotated catalog pages

• US 8,121,902 B1
• Filed: 07/24/2007
• Issued: 02/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Dicker, Russell A., Desjardins, Chad, Goldstein, Brian, Moscoso, Maurice Codik, Frisbie, Joseph A. III
• Primary Examiner(s): Airapetian, Mila
• Application Number:
  US11/782,633
• Time in Patent Office: 1,673 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/27, 705/26.1
• US Class Current: 705/26.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0282 Rating or review of business operators or products
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

Customer-annotated catalog pages enable a user of a merchant website to annotate an image that illustrates one or more items found within an electronic catalog. This annotation may include associating an illustrated item with a hyperlink to a page that is associated with the illustrated item. This annotation may also include commenting on the illustrated item or describing the image as a whole. In some instances, the user may herself upload the image to the merchant web site to enable this annotation. Additionally, other users of the merchant website may comment on the image, the illustrated items, or may associate hyperlinks to associated pages for one or more of the illustrated items. By providing such customer-annotated catalog pages, users of the merchant website are able to view a group of potentially-related items and are able to easily navigate to these items'"'"' associated pages within the electronic catalog or otherwise.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

under control of one or more computing systems of a merchant website, the one or more computing systems configured with executable instructions,

receiving, from a user of the merchant website and at the one or more computing systems, an image that illustrates an item having a corresponding item detail page within an electronic catalog;

causing display of the image to the user by the one or more computing systems;

receiving, from the user and at the one or more computing systems, a selection of the illustrated item;

responsive to receiving the selection, causing display of a user interface by the one or more computing systems to allow the user to search the electronic catalog for the item;

receiving, from the user and at the one or more computing systems, a selection of the item within the electronic catalog; and

associating, by the one or more computing systems, the illustrated item with a link to the item detail page within the electronic catalog.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first selection comprises selecting an area within the image that borders the illustrated item.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the first selection comprises selecting an area of the image that borders the illustrated item; and

the second selection comprises selecting the area of the image that borders the illustrated item.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, where the selection of the illustrated item in the image is a first selection, and further comprising:

receiving a second selection of the illustrated item after the associating; and

enabling selection of the link to the item detail page or serving the item detail page responsive to the receiving of the second selection.

5. A method of implementing an electronic catalog of a merchant website, the method comprising:

under control of one or more computing systems of the merchant website, the one or more computing systems configured with executable instructions,

causing display of, to a user of the merchant website and by the one or more computing systems, an image that illustrates an item within the electronic catalog and having an associated page; and

enabling, by the one or more computing systems, the user to associate a hyperlink to the associated page with the illustrated item.

6. A method as recited in claim 5, wherein the associated page is an item detail page for the illustrated item.

7. A method as recited in claim 5, wherein the associated page is a review page for the illustrated item.

8. A method as recited in claim 5, wherein the merchant website is a first website, and wherein a second website hosts the associated page.

9. A method as recited in claim 5, wherein the user or another user of the merchant website uploads the image to the merchant website.

10. A method as recited in claim 5, wherein the image comprises a digital photograph and wherein the user or another user of the merchant website uploads the digital photograph to the merchant website.

11. A method as recited in claim 5, wherein the merchant website provides the image to the user for associating the illustrated item with the associated page.

12. A method as recited in claim 5, wherein the enabling the user to associate the hyperlink to the associated page with the illustrated item comprises enabling the user to select an area that borders the illustrated item.

13. A method as recited in claim 5, wherein the enabling the user to associate the hyperlink to the associated page with the illustrated item comprises enabling the user to drag a box around the illustrated item.

14. A method as recited in claim 5, wherein the enabling the user to associate the hyperlink to the associated page with the illustrated item comprises displaying a user interface that allows the user to search the electronic catalog for the illustrated item.

15. A method as recited in claim 5, further comprising presenting the hyperlink to the associated page in response to a cursor hovering over the illustrated item in the image.

16. A method as recited in claim 5, further comprising pulling metadata from the associated page and presenting the metadata to the user in response to a cursor hovering over the illustrated item in the image.

17. A method as recited in claim 5, further comprising highlighting the illustrated item that is associated with the hyperlink in response to a cursor hovering over the image.

18. A method as recited in claim 5, wherein the image includes multiple items, each having an associated page, and each having been associated with a hyperlink to a respective associated page, and further comprising highlighting each of the multiple illustrated items in response to a cursor hovering over the image.

19. A method as recited in claim 5, further comprising:

receiving a selection of the illustrated item after the hyperlink to the associated page has been associated with the illustrated item; and

serving the associated page in response to receiving the selection of the illustrated item.

20. A method as recited in claim 5, further comprising enabling the user to associate text with the illustrated item.

21. A method as recited in claim 5, further comprising:

enabling the user to associate text with the illustrated item; and

presenting the associated text in response to a cursor hovering over the illustrated item in the image.

22. A method as recited in claim 5, wherein the item is a first item, the associated page is a first associated page, and the image also illustrates a second item having a corresponding associated page, and further comprising enabling the user or another user of the merchant website to associate a hyperlink to the second associated page with the illustrated second item.

23. A method as recited in claim 5, further comprising enabling the user to suggest one or more items to serve as alternatives to the illustrated item.

24. A method as recited in claim 5, further comprising displaying a user interface that allows the user to search the electronic catalog for one or more items to serve as alternatives to the illustrated item.

25. A method as recited in claim 5, further comprising:

displaying a user interface that allows the user or another user of the merchant website to search the electronic catalog for one or more items to serve as alternatives to the illustrated item;

receiving, from the user, a selection of an alternative item; and

presenting the alternative item or metadata associated with the alternative item in response to a cursor hovering over the illustrated item.

26. A method as recited in claim 5, further comprising enabling other users of the merchant website to comment on the illustrated item or the illustrated item'"'"'s association with the hyperlink.

27. A method as recited in claim 5, further comprising:

generating one or more items to serve as alternatives to the illustrated item; and

presenting the one or more alternative items or a link to view the one or more alternative items in response to a cursor hovering over the illustrated item.

28. A method as recited in claim 5, further comprising tracking a number of times that users of the merchant website:

(1) select the hyperlink to the associated page, or (2) select the hyperlink to the associated page and purchase the illustrated item.

29. A method as recited in claim 5, further comprising:

tracking a number of times that users of the merchant website;

(1) select the hyperlink to the associated page, or (2) select the hyperlink to the associated page and purchase the illustrated item; and

compensating, based on the tracking;

(1) the user that associated the hyperlink to the associated page with the illustrated item, or (2) a user that uploaded the image.

30. One or more computing devices comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform acts comprising;

causing display of an image that illustrates multiple items found within in an electronic catalog;

associating a first item in the image with a link to a page that is associated with the first item in the electronic catalog; and

associating a second item in the image with a link to a page that is associated with the second item in the electronic catalog.

31. One or more computing devices as recited in claim 30, wherein the page that is associated with the first item is an item detail page of the first item.

32. One or more computing devices as recited in claim 30, wherein the page that is associated with the first item is an item detail page for a third item that serves an as alternative to the first item.

33. One or more computing devices as recited in claim 30, wherein a first website displays the image that illustrates the multiple items, and wherein a second website hosts the page that is associated with the first item.

34. One or more computing devices as recited in claim 30, wherein the associating of the first item is effective to display metadata pulled in from the page that is associated with the first item in response to a cursor hovering over the first item.

35. One or more computing devices as recited in claim 30, wherein:

the associating of the first item comprises associating an area of the image that approximately frames the first item with the link to the page that it associated with the first item in the electronic catalog; and

the associating of the second item comprises associating an area of the image that approximately frames the second item with the link to the page that it associated with the second item in the electronic catalog.

36. One or more computing devices as recited in claim 30, further comprising associating a user-generated annotation with the first item or the second item.

37. One or more computing devices as recited in claim 30, wherein the image is displayed on a website, and further comprising presenting a user interface to a user of the website to enable the user to search the electronic catalog for the first item to associate the illustrated first item with a link to the page that it associated with the first item in the electronic catalog.

38. A server system comprising:

one or more processors;

a memory, accessible by the one or more processors;

an item manager stored in the memory and executable on the one or more processors to maintain a link to page that is associated with an item found within an item catalog; and

a link association tool stored in the memory and executable on the one or more processors to enable a user of a website to upload, onto the website, a media file that visually represents the item found within the item catalog and associate the visually-represented item with a hyperlink to the page that is associated with the item.

39. A server system as recited in claim 38, further comprising:

a search tool to enable the user to search for the visually-represented item in the item catalog to associate the visually-represented item with the hyperlink; and

an alternative item tool to enable the user or other users of the website to search the item catalog for items to serve as alternatives to the visually-represented item.

40. A server system as recited in claim 38, further comprising a comment tool to enable the user or other users of the website to comment on the visually-represented item.

41. A server system as recited in claim 38, further comprising an alternative item generator to determine characteristics of the visually-represented item and, with the determined characteristics, associate the visually-represented item with items to serve as alternatives to the illustrated item.

42. A graphical user interface to be rendered on a computing device, comprising:

a first area to display an image that illustrates at least one item within an electronic catalog and having an associated page, wherein an area of the image that approximately frames the illustrated item is associated, by a user of the computing device, with a hyperlink to the associated page; and

a second area to enable the user of the computing device to annotate the displayed image.

43. A graphical user interface as recited in claim 42, wherein the associated page is an item detail page for the at least one item.

44. A graphical user interface as recited in claim 42, wherein a first website provides the first area and the second area, and wherein a second website hosts the associated page.

45. A graphical user interface as recited in claim 42, wherein the at least one item is a first item, the associated page is a first associated page, and the image also illustrates a second item having a an associated page, and wherein the second area enables the user to associate the illustrated second item with a hyperlink to the associated page for the second item.

46. A graphical user interface as recited in claim 42, wherein the second area enables the user to comment on the illustrated item or the illustrated item'"'"'s association with the hyperlink.

47. A graphical user interface as recited in claim 42, wherein the image comprises a digital photograph that the user has uploaded to a website.

48. A graphical user interface as recited in claim 42, further comprising a third area to list each item illustrated in the image that has been associated with a hyperlink to a respective associated page.

49. A graphical user interface as recited in claim 42, wherein the image comprises a digital photograph that the user has uploaded to a website, and further comprising a third area to enable the user to describe the image or display a digital photograph of the user.

50. A graphical user interface as recited in claim 42, further comprising a third area to display a pop-up box in response to a cursor hovering over the illustrated item, the pop-up box containing the hyperlink to the associated page.

51. A graphical user interface as recited in claim 42, further comprising a third area to display a pop-up box in response to a cursor hovering over the illustrated item, the pop-up box containing a comment on the item provided by the user or a user of another computing device.

52. A graphical user interface as recited in claim 42, further comprising a third area to display a pop-up box in response to a cursor hovering over the illustrated item, the pop-up box containing metadata about the illustrated item that has been pulled in from the associated page.

53. A graphical user interface as recited in claim 42, further comprising a third area to display a pop-up box in response to a cursor hovering over the illustrated item, the pop-up box containing a link to enable the user to suggest items to serve as alternatives to the illustrated items, wherein selection of the link allows the user to search the electronic catalog for the alternative items.

54. A graphical user interface as recited in claim 42, further comprising a third area to display a pop-up box in response to a cursor hovering over the illustrated item, the pop-up box containing items or a link to items that have been suggested as alternatives to the illustrated items.

55. A method for implementing an electronic catalog, comprising:

under control of one or more computing systems configured with executable instructions,

associating, by the one or more computing systems, a particular item in the electronic catalog with multiple customer-annotated catalog pages that each include an image that illustrates the particular item;

receiving, at the one or more computing systems, a request for a page that is associated with the particular item within the electronic catalog; and

serving, by the one or more computing systems, the page that is associated with the particular item responsive to the receiving of the request, the served associated page identifying the multiple customer-annotated catalog pages that each include an image that illustrates the particular item.

56. A method as recited in claim 55, further comprising:

detecting a cursor hovering over an identification of one of the multiple customer-annotated catalog pages; and

displaying metadata associated with items illustrated in the one customer-annotated catalog page responsive to the detecting.

57. A method as recited in claim 55, further comprising:

detecting a cursor hovering over an identification of one of the multiple customer-annotated catalog pages; and

displaying a hyperlink to the page that is associated with the particular item responsive to the detecting.

58. A method as recited in claim 55, further comprising:

detecting a cursor hovering over an identification of one of the multiple customer-annotated catalog pages; and

responsive to the detecting, listing each item illustrated in the one customer-annotated catalog page and having been associated with a hyperlink to a respective associated page.