Creating and maintaining gift lists in online shopping

• US 8,195,529 B1
• Filed: 11/07/2006
• Issued: 06/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Cohen, Jacob D., Koepf, Werner G., Smith, Matthew R., AbdulJaleel, Nasreen, Newell, Christopher E., Gordon, Natalie F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Garg, Yogesh C
• Assistant Examiner(s): GEORGALAS, ANNE MARIE
• Application Number:
  US11/557,447
• Time in Patent Office: 2,037 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/27, 705/26.1, 705/27.1
• US Class Current: 705/27.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces

Abstract

A system for maintaining gift lists for other persons is presented. The system includes a data store and a computing device. The data store stores at least information related to items available for purchase. The computing device is in communication with and has access to the data store. Moreover, the computing device is configured to create a gift list. The gift list includes references to items that are available for purchase by a user, and that are selected by a user as potential gifts for another. Additionally, access to the gift list is controlled by the user that created the gift list. The computing device is further configured in such a way as to add a reference to an item to the gift list while the user browses the items available for purchase.

Claims

1. A system for maintaining gift lists for other persons, the system comprising:

a centralized electronic data store storing gift lists for other persons; and

one or more computing devices in communication with the centralized electronic data store and that are operative to;

obtain from a user, via a browser application, information related to another person for whom a gift list is to be created;

create the gift list for the another person in the centralized electronic data store, wherein the gift list comprises references to items available for purchase from a network shopping service that are selected by the user as potential gifts for the another person via the browser application, and wherein the gift list is associated with the information related to the another person;

while the user is browsing at least one item offered for purchase by the network shopping service via the browser application, detect that the user has selected, via the network shopping service, the offered item as a potential gift;

in response to detecting the selection of the offered item by the user while browsing, cause display of a list of other persons and prompt the user for information identifying that the potential gift is for one person from the list of other persons;

detect, via the network shopping service, that the user has selected the another person as the one person;

add to the created gift list for the another person stored in the centralized electronic data store, a reference to the offered item selected by the user via the network shopping service;

associate a gift-giving occasion with the gift list for the another person;

provide notification to the user of the gift-giving occasion; and

prevent the another person from accessing the created gift list stored in the centralized electronic data store.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device is further operative to associate an item that was previously purchased by the user with the gift list.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device is further operative to associate a currently purchased item with the gift list.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device is further operative to store the obtained information in association with the gift list for the another person in the centralized electronic data store.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the obtained information comprises a reminder period for the gift-giving occasion, and wherein the computing device is further operative to provide notice to the user regarding the gift-giving occasion according to the reminder period.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein creating a gift list comprises creating a gift list at the direction of the user.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device is further operative to provide display information regarding references to items added to the gift list, and obtain a user selection for purchase of an item referenced in said display information.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device is further operative to add a reference to an item to the gift list while the user browses items available for purchase from any one of a plurality of network shopping services via the browser application.

9. A system for maintaining gift lists for other persons, the system comprising:

an electronic data store storing gift lists for other persons; and

one or more computing devices in communication with the electronic data store and that are operative to;

create a gift list for another person in the electronic data store, wherein the gift list comprises references to items available for purchase from a network shopping service that are selected by a user as potential gifts for the another person via a browser application, and wherein the gift list for the another person stored in the data store is not accessible to the another person;

while the user is browsing an item offered for purchase by the network shopping service via the browser application, detect that the user has selected, via the network shopping service, the offered item as a potential gift;

in response to detecting the selection of the offered item by the user while browsing, cause display of a list of other persons and prompt the user for information identifying that the potential gift is for one person from the list of other persons;

detect that the user has selected, via the network shopping service, the another person as the one person for whom the item offered for purchase by the network shopping service is the potential gift;

add to the gift list for the another person stored in the electronic data store, a reference to the offered item selected by the user as a potential gift for the another person.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein creating the gift list comprises creating the gift list at the direction of the user.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein adding the reference to an item to the gift list while the user browses the items available for purchase via the browser application comprises adding the reference to an item to the gift list at the direction of the user.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the computing device is further operative to obtain information regarding the another person and store the obtained information in the electronic data store in association with the gift list for the another person.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the computing device is further operative to associate a gift-giving occasion with the gift list and provide notification of the gift-giving occasion to the user.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the computing device is further operative to provide display information regarding items added to the gift list.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the computing device is further operative to obtain a user selection via the browser application for purchase of an item referenced in the display information regarding items added to the gift list.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the computing device is further operative to provide display information regarding recommended items for the another person to the user according to the obtained information regarding the another person.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the computing device is further operative to create a plurality of gift lists corresponding to a plurality of other persons, and wherein the gift list for each of the plurality of other persons is not accessible to said other person.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the computing device is further operative to associate prior purchases by the user to the gift list.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the computing device is further operative to associate an item being purchased to the gift list.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the computing device is further operative to associate the item being purchased to the gift list at the direction of the user.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the computing device is further operative to automatically associate the item being purchased to the gift list when the item being purchased corresponds to the reference of an item previously added to the gift list.

22. The system of claim 9, wherein the computing device is further operative to add a reference to an item to the gift list while the user browses items available for purchase from any one of a plurality of network shopping services via the browser application.

23. A computer-implemented method for maintaining a gift list, the method comprising:

enabling a user to view, via a browser, a plurality of items available for purchase via a network shopping service;

creating a gift list for another person to store references to items available for purchase that are selected by the user as potential gifts for the another person, and wherein the gift list for the another person is not accessible to the another person;

storing the created gift list in an electronic data store that stores gift lists for other persons;

while the user is browsing one of the plurality of items available for purchase from the network shopping service, determining that the user has selected, via the browser, one available item as a potential gift;

in response to determining the selection of the one available item by the user while browsing, causing display of a list of other persons and prompting the user for information identifying that the one available item is for another person from the list of other persons; and

in response to receiving the information identifying that the one available item is for the another person, adding to the created gift list for the another person stored in the electronic data store, a reference to the one available item,

wherein the method is performed on one or more configured computer systems.

24. The computer-implemented method of claim 23, wherein creating a gift list to store references to items available for purchase that are selected by the user as potential gifts for another person comprises creating the gift list at the direction of the user.

25. The computer-implemented method of claim 23 further comprising obtaining information regarding the another person from the user and storing the obtained information in the electronic data store in association with the gift list for the another person.

26. The computer-implemented method of claim 23 further comprising adding to the created gift list stored in the electronic data store, a plurality of references to items available for purchase to the gift list as gift ideas for the another person.

27. The computer-implemented method of claim 26 further comprising providing display information listing the plurality of items added to the gift list.

28. The computer-implemented method of claim 27 further comprising selecting at least one of the plurality of items added to the gift list for purchase.

29. The computer-implemented method of claim 26, wherein adding a plurality of references to items available for purchase to the gift list as gift ideas for the another person comprises adding a plurality references to items available for purchase from a plurality of network shopping services to the gift list.

30. The computer-implemented method of claim 23 further comprising associating a gift-giving occasion with the gift list and storing the gift-giving occasion with the gift list in the electronic data store.

31. The computer-implemented method of claim 30 further comprising providing notification of the gift-giving occasion to the user.

32. The computer-implemented method of claim 31, further comprising obtaining a reminder period from the user, and wherein providing notification of the gift-giving occasion to the user comprises providing notification of the gift-giving occasion to the user according to the reminder period.

33. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executable components stored thereon, the computer-executable components configured to maintain a gift list comprising references to items available for purchase that are selected by a user as potential gifts for another person from a network shopping service, the computer-executable components comprising:

a user interface component for;

enabling a user to create a gift list for another person to store references to items available for purchase that are selected by the user as potential gifts for the another person from the network shopping service, wherein the created gift list is stored in an electronic data store that stores gift lists for a plurality of persons, and wherein the gift list for the another person stored in the electronic data store is not accessible to the another person;

enabling the user to select an item offered for purchase via the network shopping service, while the user is browsing the offered item via the network shopping service; and

a gift list component for;

detecting that the user has selected the offered item as a potential gift while the user browses the offered item via the network shopping service;

in response to detecting the selection of the offered item by the user while browsing, causing display of a list of other persons and prompting the user for information identifying that the potential gift is associated with a particular person from the list of other persons;

detecting, via the network shopping service, that the user has selected the another person as the particular person from the list of other persons; and

adding to the created gift list for the another person, a reference to the offered item selected by the user.

34. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 33, wherein the user interface component further enables a user to create a plurality of gift lists for a plurality of other persons, wherein the plurality of gift lists are stored in the electronic data store.

35. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 34, wherein the user interface component further enables the user to request a list of gift lists created by the user and provide display information listing each gift list created by the user.

36. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 33, wherein the user interface component further enables the user to delete the created gift list from the electronic data store.

37. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 33, wherein the user interface component further enables the user to provide information regarding the another person, and wherein the provided information is associated with the created gift list stored in the electronic data store.

38. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 37, wherein the user interface component further enables the user to modify the created gift list for the another person stored in the electronic data store.

39. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 38, wherein modifying the created gift list for the another person comprises modifying the user provided information regarding the another person.

40. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 39, wherein the user interface component further enables the user to associate a gift-giving occasion with the created gift list for the another user stored in the electronic data store.

41. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 40, wherein the user provided information regarding the another person of the created gift list comprises a reminder period indicating a time prior to the occurrence of a gift-giving occasion that a notification should be provided to the user regarding the gift-giving occasion.

42. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 33, wherein the user interface component further enables the user to request display of all references to items added to the created gift list for the another person stored in the electronic data store.

43. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 42, wherein the user interface component further enables the user to select an item for purchase from the display of all references to items added to the created gift list for the another person stored in the electronic data store.

44. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 42, wherein the user interface component further enables the user to request display of recommended items with the display of all references to items added to the created gift list for the another person stored in the electronic data store.

45. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 33, wherein the user interface component further enables the user to add to the created gift list for the another person, a reference to an item available for purchase while the user is browsing items available for purchase from any one of a plurality of network shopping services.

46. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 33, wherein the user interface component further enables the user to delete a reference to an item from the created gift list for the another user stored in the electronic data store.

47. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 33, wherein the user interface component further enables the user to associate the user'"'"'s prior purchases with the created gift list for the another person stored in the electronic data store.

48. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 33, wherein the user interface component comprises a toolbar control used in combination with a browser.

49. A method for maintaining a gift list, the method comprising:

providing display information via a browser application regarding a plurality of items available for purchase;

creating a first gift list for another person, the first gift list storing references to items available for purchase that are selected by a user as potential gifts for the another person;

storing the first gift list in an electronic data store that stores gift lists for a plurality of persons, wherein the first gift list is not accessible from the electronic data store by the another person;

while the user is browsing at least one item offered for purchase by an electronic marketplace via the browser application, detecting that the user has selected, via the electronic marketplace, the offered item as a potential gift;

in response to detecting the selection of the offered item by the user while browsing, causing display of a list of other persons and prompting the user for information identifying at least one other person from the list of other persons;

detecting that the user has provided, via the browser application, information identifying that the item offered for purchase by the electronic marketplace is for the another person; and

adding to the first gift list for the another person stored in the electronic data store, a reference to the offered item;

wherein the method is performed on one or more configured computer systems.

50. The method of claim 49 further comprising obtaining profile information related to the another person, and storing the obtained profile information in association with the first gift list in the electronic data store.

51. The method of claim 49, further comprising creating a plurality of gift lists corresponding to other persons, wherein each of the plurality of gift lists is not accessible from the electronic data store by the another person.

52. The method of claim 49, wherein adding to the first gift list stored in the electronic data store, a reference to an item available for purchase at the direction of the user while the user is browsing items available for purchase from an electronic marketplace comprises adding to the first gift list stored in the electronic data store, a reference to an item available for purchase at the direction of the user while the user is browsing items available for purchase from any one of a plurality of electronic marketplaces.