System and method for message-based purchasing

• US 8,244,592 B2
• Filed: 03/27/2008
• Issued: 08/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Nihalani, Vishay S., Gupta, Diwakar, Huang, Chih-Jen, Yuen, Philip, Gefen, Howard B., Yuen, Gerald
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Jeffrey A
• Assistant Examiner(s): STOPP, COURTNEY L
• Application Number:
  US12/057,148
• Publication Number:
  US 20090248543A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,601 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/27
• US Class Current: 705/26.1
• 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 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing

Abstract

Various embodiments of a system and method for message-based purchasing are described. The system and method for message-based purchasing may include a message-based purchase service configured to determine that a selection has been performed through a network-based interface. Such selection may be indicative of one or more items offered for sale via the network-based interface. The message-based purchase service may be configured to, in response to the selection of one or more items, send to a communication device, a message indicating a code corresponding to the selection. The message-based purchase service may receive from the communication device through a communication channel that does not include the network-based interface, a message including the code. The message-based purchase service may be configured to, in response to determining that the message received from the communication device includes the code, generate a purchase request for the one or more previously selected items.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a memory comprising program instructions; and

one or more processors coupled to said memory, wherein the program instructions are executable by at least one of said one or more processors to implement a message-based purchase service configured to;

provide to a remote client through a network-based interface, network content including a sales listing for a particular item offered for sale through the network-based interface, the sales listing comprising;

sales content for the particular item, a first control that is selectable by the remote client to order the specific item through the network-based interface, and a second control that is selectable by the remote client to request a code for purchasing the particular item at a later time through a communication channel that is distinct from said network-based interface;

determine that a selection of the second control of the sales listing for the particular item has been performed by a user through the network-based interface;

in response to said selection of the second control on the sales listing, send to a communication device associated with the user, a message indicating the code;

receive from the communication device through a communication channel that does not include said network-based interface and is distinct from that network-based interface, a message including said code that was previously requested with the second control of the sales listing and provided to the communication device; and

in response to determining that said received message includes said code, generate a purchase request to order the particular item of the sales listing for the user.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the message-based purchase service is configured to send to the communication device via a particular communication channel, an authorization request message for requesting validation information, wherein the particular communication channel is a communication channel other than the communication channel through which the received message including the code is received.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the message-based purchase service is configured to, in response to receiving a message including the requested validation information from the communication device via the particular communication channel, indicate the purchase request as authorized.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the message-based purchase service is configured to generate mapping information indicating a correspondence between said code and information for generating the purchase request, wherein the message-based purchase service is configured to generate the purchase request based on said mapping information.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein said mapping information indicates a correspondence between said code and one or more of:

one or more identifiers of said one or more items offered for sale, one or more shipping preferences, and one or more billing preferences.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the received message including said code is a text message.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein said text message adheres to the Short Message Service (SMS) protocol.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein said text message is an email message.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein to determine that a selection has been performed through a network-based interface the message-based purchase service is configured to determine that a control of a sales listing web page has been selected, wherein the sales listing web page comprises a sales listing for at least one of said one or more items.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the message-based purchase service is configured to send to the communication device, a message indicating a promotional discount for said one or more items.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the message-based purchase service is configured to, in response to determining that a given time period has elapsed, send a second message indicating the code corresponding to said selection.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the message-based purchase service is configured to send a message indicating said code to the communication device in response to determining that said communication device is located within a given geographical region.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the message-based purchase service is configured to determine the identity of the user.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the message-based purchase service is further configured to determine the identity of the user based on information within said message received from the communication device.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the message-based purchase service is configured to send the message including said code to the communication device in response to a price change for said one or more items.

16. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

performing by one or more computers;

providing to a remote client through a network-based interface, network content including a sales listing for a particular item offered for sale through the network-based interface, the sales listing comprising;

sales content for the particular item, a first control that is selectable by the remote client to order the specific item through the network-based interface, and a second control that is selectable by the remote client to request a code for purchasing the particular item at a later time through a communication channel that is distinct from said network-based interface;

determining that a selection of the second control of the sales listing for the particular item has been performed through the network-based interface;

in response to said selection of the second control on the sales listing, sending to a communication device associated with a user of the network-based interface, a message indicating the code;

receiving from the communication device through a communication channel that does not include said network-based interface and is distinct from that network-based interface, a message including said code that was previously requested with the second control of the sales listing and provided to the communication device; and

in response to determining that said received message includes said code, generating a purchase request to order the particular item of the sales listing for the user.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising sending to the communication device via a particular communication channel, an authorization request message for requesting validation information, wherein the particular communication channel is a communication channel other than the communication channel through which the received message including the code is received.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising in response to receiving a message including the requested validation information from the communication device via the particular communication channel, indicating the purchase request as authorized.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising generating mapping information indicating a correspondence between said code and information for generating the purchase request, wherein the method comprises generating the purchase request based on said mapping information.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said mapping information indicates a correspondence between said code and one or more of:

one or more identifiers of said one or more items offered for sale, one or more shipping preferences, and one or more billing preferences.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein the received message including said code is a text message.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein said text message adheres to the Short Message Service (SMS) protocol.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein said text message is an email message.

24. The method of claim 16, wherein determining that a selection has been performed through a network-based interface comprises determining that a control of a sales listing web page has been selected, wherein the sales listing web page comprises a sales listing for at least one of said one or more items.

25. The method of claim 16, further comprising sending to the communication device, a message indicating a promotional discount for said one or more items.

26. The method of claim 16, further comprising, in response to determining that a given time period has elapsed, sending a second message indicating the code corresponding to said selection.

27. The method of claim 16, further comprising sending a message indicating said code to the communication device in response to determining that said communication device is located within a given geographical region.

28. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

offering said one or more items for sale via said network-based interface at a given price during the performance of said selection;

subsequent to said selection, modifying the price of said one or more items to a different price and offering said one or more items for sale via said network-based interface at said different price;

subsequent to said modifying, receiving said message including said code from the communication device; and

subsequent to determining that said received message includes said code, processing a sale of said one or more items at said given price.

29. The method of claim 16, further comprising, in response to said selection, reserving said one or more items in inventory for a given time period, wherein reserving said one or more items comprises preventing the sale of said one or more items to entities other than an entity controlling the communication device.

30. The method of claim 16, further comprising determining the identity of the user.

31. The method of claim 30, further comprising determining the identity of the user based on information within said message received from the communication device.

32. The method of claim 16, further comprising sending the message including said code to the communication device in response to a price change for said one or more items.

33. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing program instructions computer-executable to implement a message-based purchase service configured to:

provide to a remote client through a network-based interface, network content including a sales listing for a particular item offered for sale through the network-based interface, the sales listing comprising;

sales content for the particular item, a first control that is selectable by the remote client to order the specific item through the network-based interface, and a second control that is selectable by the remote client to request a code for purchasing the particular item at a later time through a communication channel that is distinct from said network-based interface;

determine that a selection of the second control of the sales listing for the particular item has been performed through the network-based interface;

in response to said selection of the second control on the sales listing, send to a communication device associated with a user of the network-based interface, a message indicating the code;

receive from the communication device through a communication channel that does not include said network-based interface and is distinct from that network-based interface, a message including said code that was previously requested with the second control of the sales listing and provided to the communication device; and

in response to determining that said received message includes said code, generate a purchase request to order the particular item of the sales listing for the user.

34. The medium of claim 33, wherein the message-based purchase service is configured to send to the communication device via a particular communication channel, an authorization request message for requesting validation information, wherein the particular communication channel is a communication channel other than the communication channel through which the received message including the code is received.

35. The medium of claim 34, wherein the message-based purchase service is configured to, in response to receiving a message including the requested validation information from the communication device via the particular communication channel, indicate the purchase request as authorized.

36. The medium of claim 33, wherein the message-based purchase service is configured to generate mapping information indicating a correspondence between said code and information for generating the purchase request, wherein the message-based purchase service is configured to generate the purchase request based on said mapping information.

37. The medium of claim 36, wherein said mapping information indicates a correspondence between said code and one or more of:

one or more identifiers of said one or more items offered for sale, one or more shipping preferences, and one or more billing preferences.

38. The medium of claim 33, wherein the received message including said code is a text message.

39. The medium of claim 38, wherein said text message adheres to the Short Message Service (SMS) protocol.

40. The medium of claim 38, wherein said text message is an email message.

41. The medium of claim 33, wherein to determine that a selection has been performed through a network-based interface the message-based purchase service is configured to determine that a control of a sales listing web page has been selected, wherein the sales listing web page comprises a sales listing for at least one of said one or more items.

42. The medium of claim 33, wherein the message-based purchase service is configured to send to the communication device, a message indicating a promotional discount for said one or more items.

43. The medium of claim 33, wherein the message-based purchase service is configured to, in response to determining that a given time period has elapsed, send a second message indicating the code corresponding to said selection.

44. The medium of claim 33, wherein the message-based purchase service is configured to send a message indicating said code to the communication device in response to determining that said communication device is located within a given geographical region.

45. The medium of claim 33, wherein the message-based purchase service is configured to determine the identity of the user.

46. The medium of claim 45, wherein the message-based purchase service is further configured to determine the identity of the user based on information within said message received from the communication device.

47. The medium of claim 33, wherein the message-based purchase service is configured to send the message including said code to the communication device in response to a price change for said one or more items.