Services for enabling users to share information regarding E-commerce transactions

• US 8,180,689 B2
• Filed: 11/15/2010
• Issued: 05/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Bezos, Jeffrey P., McAuliffe, Jon, Spiegel, Joel R.
• Primary Examiner(s): LEVINE, ADAM L
• Application Number:
  US12/946,717
• Publication Number:
  US 20110060664A1
• Time in Patent Office: 547 Days
• Field of Search: 705 26- 272, 705/319
• US Class Current: 705/26.7
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0603 Catalogue ordering
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0619 Neutral agent
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0625 Directed, with specific intent or strategy
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

Various computer-implemented services are disclosed for assisting users in selecting items from an electronic catalog, and for selecting merchants with which to conduct transactions. One such service enables users to share information about their respective purchases with other users. Another service enables users to share information regarding the merchants with which they have conducted transactions.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method, comprising:

maintaining, in a computing system including one or more computing devices, one or more records in computer storage of;

transactions made by users from an electronic catalog of items, and of item reviews submitted by users;

hosting a user interface via which a first user can define an online community including at least one or more other users;

receiving, at the computer system, an online community definition provided by the first user over a computer network;

storing the first user definition of the online community in computer storage;

detecting, by the computing system,

when a transaction is made, or

when a review is submitted by at least one user included in the first user defined online community, or

both when the transaction is made and when the review is submitted by at least one user included in the first user defined online community; and

hosting a user interface via which the first user can access information related to;

the detected transaction,

the submitted review, or

both the detected transaction and the submitted review;

providing a user interface via which the first user can add other users to a personal address book of the first user;

providing a user interface via which the first user can select contacts within the personal address book of the first user in order to define at least one community;

receiving first user contact selections and an indication that the first user has elected to share information with members of the at least one community; and

providing the first user with transaction related information for at least some of the members of the at least one community;

while a first item detail page for a first item is being displayed to the first user, upon detecting that at least one prior purchaser of the first item included in the at least one community is online, and at least partly in response to determining that at least one prior purchaser of the first item included in the at least one community is online, providing the first user an option to communicate with the at least one prior purchaser that is online.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein users included in the first user defined online community explicitly elect to share information with at least the first user before their transactions and/or reviews are accessible by the first user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the transaction is in the form of a:

purchase;

lease;

license;

rental;

or

subscription.

4. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

identifying an implicit community of users at least partly based on a common user characteristic; and

hosting a user interface describing the implicit community of users and enabling at least one user to explicitly elect to share transaction information and/or reviews with the implicit community.

5. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

identifying an implicit community of users at least partly based on a common user characteristic,

wherein the common user characteristic is;

attendance at a first educational institution;

purchase history;

geographic region;

email address;

domain;

club; and

/or

profession; and

hosting a user interface describing the implicit community of users and enabling at least one user to explicitly elect to share transaction information and/or reviews with the implicit community.

6. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

identifying an implicit community of users at least partly based on a common user characteristic;

hosting a user interface describing the implicit community of users and enabling at least one user to explicitly elect to share transaction information and/or reviews with the implicit community;

hosting a user interface configured to display to at least one user a plurality of online communities, wherein the at least one user can select a plurality of the online communities to define a composite community; and

storing in computer readable memory the composite community definition.

7. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

identifying an implicit community of users at least partly based on a common user characteristic;

hosting a user interface configured to display to at least one user a plurality of online communities; and

enabling at least one user to anonymously share transaction information with at least one other user.

8. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

identifying an implicit community of users at least partly based on a common user characteristic;

hosting a user interface describing the implicit community of users and enabling at least one user to explicitly elect to share transaction information and/or reviews with the implicit community; and

supplementing an item detail page requested by a second user with a notification that an item described thereon has been purchased by the first user, the item detail page including an interface for adding the described item to a shopping cart.

9. An information system, comprising:

a computing device;

program code stored in non-transitory computer readable memory, that when executed by the computing device, is configured to perform operations comprising;

maintaining, using a computing system, one or more records in computer storage of;

transactions made by users from an electronic catalog of items, and of item reviews submitted by users;

hosting a user interface via which a first user can define an online community including at least one or more other users;

receiving an online community definition provided by the first user over a computer network;

storing the first user definition of the online community in computer storage;

detecting,

when a transaction is made, or

when a review is submitted by at least one user included in the first user defined online community,

or both when the transaction is made and when the review is submitted by at least one user included in the first user defined online community; and

hosting a user interface via which the first user can access information related to;

the detected transaction,

the submitted review, or

both the detected transaction and the submitted review;

providing a user interface via which the first user can add other users to a personal address book of the first user;

providing a user interface via which the first user can select contacts within the personal address book of the first user in order to define at least one community;

receiving first user contact selections and an indication that the first user has elected to share information with members of the at least one community; and

providing the first user with transaction related information for at least some of the members of the at least one community;

while a first item detail page for a first item is being displayed to the first user, upon detecting that at least one prior purchaser of the first item included in the at least one community is online, and at least partly in response to determining that at least one prior purchaser of the first item included in the at least one community is online, providing the first user an option to communicate with the at least one prior purchaser that is online.

10. The information system as defined in claim 9, the operations further comprising receiving explicit elections by a plurality of users included in the first user defined online community to share information with at least the first user before their transactions and/or reviews are accessible by the first user.

11. The information system as defined in claim 9, wherein the transaction is in the form of a:

purchase;

lease;

license;

rental;

or

subscription.

12. The information system as defined in claim 9, the operations further comprising:

identifying an implicit community of users at least partly based on a common user characteristic; and

hosting a user interface describing the implicit community of users and enabling at least one user to explicitly elect to share transaction information and/or reviews with the implicit community.

13. The information system as defined in claim 9, the operations further comprising:

identifying an implicit community of users at least partly based on a common user characteristic,

wherein the common user characteristic is;

attendance at a first educational institution;

purchase history;

geographic region;

email address;

domain;

club; and

/or

profession; and

hosting a user interface describing the implicit community of users and enabling at least one user to explicitly elect to share transaction information and/or reviews with the implicit community.

14. The information system as defined in claim 9, the operations further comprising:

identifying an implicit community of users at least partly based on a common user characteristic;

hosting a user interface describing the implicit community of users and enabling at least one user to explicitly elect to share transaction information and/or reviews with the implicit community;

hosting a user interface configured to display to at least one user a plurality of online communities, wherein the at least one user can select a plurality of the online communities to define a composite community; and

storing in computer readable memory the composite community definition.

15. The information system as defined in claim 9, the operations further comprising:

identifying an implicit community of users at least partly based on a common user characteristic;

hosting a user interface configured to display to at least one user a plurality of online communities; and

enabling at least one user to anonymously share transaction information with at least one other user.

16. The information system as defined in claim 9, the operations further comprising:

identifying an implicit community of users at least partly based on a common user characteristic;

hosting a user interface describing the implicit community of users and enabling at least one user to explicitly elect to share transaction information and/or reviews with the implicit community; and

supplementing an item detail page requested by a second user with a notification that an item described thereon has been purchased by the first user.

17. Non-transitory computer storage having stored thereon executable code that directs one or more computers to perform operations comprising;

maintaining one or more records in computer storage of transactions made by users from an electronic catalog of items and of item reviews submitted by users;

hosting a user interface via which a first user can define an online community including at least one or more other users;

receiving an online community definition provided by the first user over a computer network;

storing the first user definition of the online community in computer storage;

detecting,

when a transaction is made, or

when a review is submitted by at least one user included in the first user defined online community,

or both when the transaction is made and when the review is submitted by at least one user included in the first user defined online community; and

hosting a user interface via which the first user can access information related to;

the detected transaction,

the submitted review, or

both the detected transaction and the submitted review;

providing a user interface via which the first user can add other users to a personal address book of the first user;

providing a user interface via which the first user can select contacts within the personal address book of the first user in order to define at least one community;

receiving first user contact selections and an indication that the first user has elected to share information with members of the at least one community; and

providing the first user with transaction related information for at least some of the members of the at least one community;

while a first item detail page for a first item is being displayed to the first user, upon detecting that at least one prior purchaser of the first item included in the at least one community is online, and at least partly in response to determining that at least one prior purchaser of the first item included in the at least one community is online, providing the first user an option to communicate with the at least one prior purchaser that is online.

18. The non-transitory computer storage system as defined in claim 17, the operations further comprising receiving explicit elections by a plurality of users included in the first user defined online community to share information with at least the first user before their transactions and/or reviews are accessible by the first user.

19. The non-transitory computer storage system as defined in claim 17, wherein the transaction is in the form of a:

purchase;

lease;

license;

rental;

or

subscription.

20. The non-transitory computer storage system as defined in claim 17, the operations further comprising:

identifying an implicit community of users at least partly based on a common user characteristic; and

hosting a user interface describing the implicit community of users and enabling at least one user to explicitly elect to share transaction information and/or reviews with the implicit community.

21. The non-transitory computer storage system as defined in claim 17, the operations further comprising:

identifying an implicit community of users at least partly based on a common user characteristic,

wherein the common user characteristic is;

attendance at a first educational institution;

purchase history;

geographic region;

email address;

domain;

club; and

/or

profession; and

hosting a user interface describing the implicit community of users and enabling at least one user to explicitly elect to share transaction information and/or reviews with the implicit community.

22. The non-transitory computer storage system as defined in claim 17, the operations further comprising:

identifying an implicit community of users at least partly based on a common user characteristic;

hosting a user interface describing the implicit community of users and enabling at least one user to explicitly elect to share transaction information and/or reviews with the implicit community;

hosting a user interface configured to display to at least one user a plurality of online communities, wherein the at least one user can select a plurality of the online communities to define a composite community; and

storing in computer readable memory the composite community definition.

23. The non-transitory computer storage system as defined in claim 17, the operations further comprising:

identifying an implicit community of users at least partly based on a common user characteristic;

hosting a user interface configured to display to at least one user a plurality of online communities; and

enabling at least one user to anonymously share transaction information with at least one other user.

24. The non-transitory computer storage system as defined in claim 17, the operations further comprising:

identifying an implicit community of users at least partly based on a common user characteristic;

hosting a user interface describing the implicit community of users and enabling at least one user to explicitly elect to share transaction information and/or reviews with the implicit community; and

supplementing an item detail page requested by a second user with a notification that an item described thereon has been purchased by the first user.