Custom stores

• US 8,249,939 B2
• Filed: 03/19/2009
• Issued: 08/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Cue, Eduardo, Hilton, Shaun, Epis, Glenn D., Halchin, Judy D., Pfendt, Susan, Ridenour, Cathy
• Primary Examiner(s): Zurita, James
• Application Number:
  US12/407,149
• Publication Number:
  US 20090177551A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,251 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/27
• US Class Current: 705/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0239 Online discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0254 based on statistics
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

A custom store web page uses an external administrator to provide configuration data for a custom store web page. The configuration data can include virtual bundles of products for sale.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon, computer-executable instructions that, if executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform a method comprising:

in response to receiving a request to store web-page configuration data, received via a computer interface secured for custom-store administration at a custom-store-administrator computer, determining whether the request is from an authorized administrator associated with a group other than the vendor,

if the request is determined to be from an authorized administrator associated with a group other than the vendor, storing configuration data in a database in association with the group, the configuration data being securely usable to arrange at least a portion of a vendor'"'"'s custom-store web page for separate use by members of the group;

in response to receiving a browser request for a URL that includes a store identifier for a custom-store, verifying whether the browser request is associated with the group; and

if the browser request is verified to be associated with the group, dynamically producing the custom-store web page corresponding to the group, the custom-store web page being constructed using data from the database, the data including the configuration data associated with the group.

2. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises setting up multiple custom stores to a web page for different groups.

3. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, the method further comprising producing an administration web page that allows the custom-store-administrator computer to modify the custom pages, wherein the custom-store- administrator computer is external to the computing device.

4. The computer-readable medium of claim 3, wherein the administration web page enables the creation of virtual bundles of products for sale using the custom store web page.

5. The computer-readable medium of claim 4, wherein the virtual bundles are shown as a recommended system on a main store web page.

6. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the configuration data prevents the selection of certain products by group members at the custom web page.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the configuration data pertain to the product display on the custom store web page.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the custom store web page is based upon a main store web page.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions comprise instantiation software and the method operates in a server system environment.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the store identifier for the custom-store is an I.D. information field in the URL and a custom store software constructs the custom store using the I.D. information field.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, the method further comprising checking a referrer URL before the construction of the custom store web page.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the group comprises an institution.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises dynamically calculating discounts for products pertaining to the custom store web pages.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, the method further comprising reviewing the data in the database to determine whether obsolete parts that are no longer offered by the vendor need to be modified at each of the custom stores.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, the method further comprising producing an E-mail notification to the custom-store-administrator computer, notifying the administrator computer of changes that need to be made at the custom store web page.