Method of requesting a customized instance of an object using information contained within an existing instance

• US 8,346,669 B2
• Filed: 10/08/2008
• Issued: 01/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bellamy, Rachel K. E., Malkin, Peter K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Augustin, Evens J
• Application Number:
  US12/247,337
• Publication Number:
  US 20100088195A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,546 Days
• Field of Search: 705/54, 705/61
• US Class Current: 705/75
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

A method and system for reselling an object in a client-server environment is disclosed. The method and system also enables a user using a client device can order an object, order a customized object, order a composite object, and order a customized composite object. The system includes an object order form handler, an object order handler, a view objects handler, a reseller form handler, a reseller handler, a reseller permission handler, an add object handler and a server database.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method in a server device for reselling and customizing an object in a client-server environment including a plurality of client devices, the object including one or more subobjects, the method comprising:

receiving from a client device a request of a reseller form corresponding to the object, generating the reseller form corresponding to the object and providing the reseller form to the client device;

receiving a request to be a reseller from the client device that completed the reseller form and forwarding the request to be the reseller to an original seller; and

receiving a determination of the request to be the reseller from the original seller, storing the determination in a database and sending the determination to the client device

receiving an object order form, from another client device, specifying customization of the one or more subobjects in the object;

determining which subobject needs to be customized and how the subobject is customized, based on the received object order form;

calculating cost of a customization of each subobject in response to determining that which subobject needs to be customized and how the subobject is customized;

determining cost of a customization of the object, based on the calculated customization cost of each subobject;

informing the another client device of the determined cost of the customization of the object and an expected delivery date of the customized object; and

reselling the customized object to the another client device if the received determination indicates an approval of the request to be the reseller.

2. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request of viewing the object from the another client device, finding the object on a web page, modifying the web page by adding a mark-up to indicate the object can be resold and sending the modified web page to the another client device;

receiving a request of the object order form associated with the object in the modified web page from the another client device, generating the object order form of the object and providing the object order form of the object to the another client device; and

receiving an order of the object from the another client device that completed the object order form of the object and sending the order of the object to the reseller.

3. The computer-implemented method according to claim 2, wherein the object order form specifies customizations of the object in the modified web page.

4. The computer-implemented method according to claim 2, wherein the object order form is provided to the another client device via one or more of:

a web site, an email, a phone call, a fax, an instant messaging, a postal mail and a carrier service.

5. The computer-implemented method according to claim 2, wherein the object order form includes information of the reseller, information of a user and information of the object.

6. The computer-implemented method according to claim 2, wherein the object order form is associated with one or more of:

a template of the object, an owner of the object, a price of the object other instances of the object and a version of the object.

7. The computer-implemented method according to claim 6, further comprising:

automatically charging an amount of money to the another client device based on the price of the object.

8. The computer-implemented method according to claim 2, further comprising:

retrieving instances of the subobjects modified based on the specified customization; and

sending an instance of the object made of the instances of the subobjects to the another client device.

9. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1, wherein the object is one or more of:

software, hardware and a service.

10. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1, wherein the object includes an unique ID.

11. A program storage device, readably by machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by a machine to perform method steps for reselling and customizing an object in a client-server environment including a plurality of client devices, said method steps comprising the steps of claim 1.