System and methods for electronic commerce using personal and business networks

• US 8,370,269 B2
• Filed: 07/20/2004
• Issued: 02/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Overstock.com Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Overstock.com Incorporated
• Inventors: MacDonald-Korth, Holly C., Peterson, Samuel Jacob
• Primary Examiner(s): CHOI, PETER H
• Application Number:
  US10/894,813
• Publication Number:
  US 20050273378A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,122 Days
• Field of Search: 705/319
• US Class Current: 705/319
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0637 Strategic management or analysis, e.g. setting a goal or target of an organisation; Planning actions based on goals; Analysis or evaluation of effectiveness of goals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0282 Rating or review of business operators or products
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

Electronic commerce over a publicly accessible computer network such as the Internet is facilitated and leveraged by a computer system that forms a community of computer user parties based on personal and business connections of the parties involved. Personal connections are created between users by invitation and mutual acceptance. Business connections are created between users when a transaction takes place between those users. Users search to perform any one or more of a variety of actions such as to purchase products, browse departments and categories for purchasing products, or explore the connections between the parties involved to find items to buy. Different groupings of the parties involved may be the users themselves and other buyers/sellers in the business network, the users themselves and their friends in the personal networks, or some combination of buyers/sellers and friends from each of the types of networks. A computer or server at a site in the network implements an architecture whereby various pages viewed by a user have links to enable them to find products.

Claims

1. A method of facilitating electronic commerce, the method comprising:

processing with a server module registering registrations for a plurality of users on a website of a communications network, said communications network having a computer system connected thereto for hosting said website, said computer system having at least one computer defining the server module, said server module being connected to a data storage medium, each of the plurality of users being electronically interconnected so that the plurality of users define a community of users;

receiving and processing with the server module listing information for products or services for sale from users in the community at the computer system over the communications network and storing the listing information in the data storage medium;

providing with the server module the listing information for the products or services for sale from the data storage medium to other users in the community upon request over the communications network;

processing with the server module electronic commerce between users in the community over the communications network, said electronic commerce including business transactions involving the products or services identified in the listing information stored in the data storage medium;

processing with the server module, for each user in the community of users, a business network of business relationships based upon (i) the electronic commerce with other users in the community conducted through the computer system such that the only users included in a user'"'"'s business network are those other users with whom the user has either sold to, purchased from, or both, and (ii) mutual agreement between the user and those other users to join each other'"'"'s business network;

electronically storing, for each user in the community of users, the business network of business relationships in the data storage medium;

processing with the server module business ratings of electronic commerce with other users within the community and storing said business ratings in the data storage medium;

processing with the server module personal, non-commercial electronic interaction between users in the community through the computer system;

processing with the server module, for each user in the community of users, a personal network of personal relationships based upon (i) the personal, non-commercial electronic interaction with other users conducted through the computer system, and (ii) mutual agreement between the user and those other users to join each other'"'"'s personal network;

electronically storing, for each user in the community of users, the personal network of personal relationships in the data storage medium;

processing with the server module personal ratings of personal, non-commercial electronic interactions with other users within the community and storing said personal ratings in the data storage medium;

displaying on a computer of a third party user (i) thumbnail images, profile names, and links to homepages of users in the community belonging to a selected user'"'"'s business network, (ii) thumbnail images, profile names, and links to homepages of users in the community belonging to the selected user'"'"'s personal network (iii) the business and personal ratings of the selected user, (iv) any connection between the third party user and the selected user in their personal or business networks, and (v) listing information for products or services offered for sale by the selected user on the computer system; and

processing with the server module a business transaction between the third party user and the selected user, the business transaction involving buying or selling of a product or service identified in the listing information stored in the data storage medium by the selected user.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein each of the business ratings and personal ratings comprises both qualitative assessments responsive to textual or graphic comments for describing users within the respective business network and personal network, and quantitative assessments responsive to a relative sale for comparing users within the respective business network and personal network.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising a first user within the community inviting a second user within the community to join either the first user'"'"'s personal network or the first user'"'"'s business network so that the first user can leverage the personal and business relationships of the second user, and sending a confirmation to the invited second user of association with the first user that invited the second user.

4. A method as defined in claim 3, wherein, if an invited user is not already registered in the community, allowing the invited user to register and participate in the community.

5. A method as defined in claim 3, wherein both the first user and the invited second user are members of one another'"'"'s joined personal network or business network responsive to receipt of the confirmation.

6. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein at least some users within the community with whom a user communicates with or transacts business become part of either the users'"'"' personal or business network, and wherein the electronic commerce comprises at least one of buying goods, selling goods, buying services, or selling services.

7. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising users either performing keyword searches or browsing taxonomy of other users'"'"' networks within the community to locate either products or services in which the users are interested in electronic commerce.

8. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising the third party user browsing the selected user'"'"'s personal network and business network and, if the third party user is registered in the community, and the third party user and said selected user share at least one other user that is in at least one of both the third party user'"'"'s and said selected user'"'"'s networks, then allowing the third party user to see at least one of the users within the community that link the third party user and said selected user, thereby indicating to the third party user how the third party user is connected to said selected user.

9. A method as defined in claim 8, further comprising graphically illustrating and providing links to each of said at least one of the users within the community to the third party user.

10. A method as defined in claim 8, wherein selecting one of said at least one of the users responsively displays the personal and business networks, the ratings, and links to either products or services being offered for sale of the selected one of said at least one of the users so that a user can browse the networks of interconnected users.

11. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising organizing either business transactions or personal events that are formed by selecting users from other users'"'"' respective business or personal networks within the community.

12. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising participating in either business transactions or personal events that are formed by selecting users from other users'"'"' respective business or personal networks within the community.

13. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

displaying product webpages featuring the products or services listed for sale by selling users in the community to potential buying users in the community;

automatically solving the degrees of separation between potential buying users and selling users; and

providing a graphical display of the degrees of separation between the potential buying users and the selling users to the potential buying users.

14. A computer-implemented method of facilitating electronic commerce over a publicly accessible computer network, comprising the steps of:

processing with a server module registrations for users to provide a community of electronically interconnected users, said storage medium being accessible to at least one computer defining the server module, said server module being part of a computer system connected to the publicly accessible computer network;

receiving and processing with the server module listing information for products or services for sale from users in the community at the computer system over the communications network and storing the listing information in the storage medium;

providing with the server module the listing information for the products or services for sale from the storage medium to other users in the community upon request over the communications network;

processing with the server module electronic commerce transactions between users in the community over the communications network, said electronic commerce transactions including business transactions involving the products or services identified in the listing information stored in the storage medium;

processing with the server module a business network of business relationships for the community of electronically interconnected users based on (i) electronic commerce transactions with other users in the community conducted through the computer system such that the only users included in a user'"'"'s business network are those other users with whom the user has either sold to, purchased from, or both, and (ii) mutual agreement between the user and those other users to join each other'"'"'s business network;

processing with the server module business ratings of the users in the community of electronically interconnected users;

forming a record in the storage medium of the business ratings received from the users of the community of electronically interconnected users;

making the business ratings in the storage medium available to the users of the community of electronically interconnected users on request from one of the users of the community of electronically interconnected users;

processing with the server module personal electronic interaction between users in the community through the computer system;

processing with the server module a personal network of personal relationships for the users of the community of electronically interconnected users based on the personal electronic interaction through the computer system with other users of the community;

processing with the server module personal ratings received from the users in the community of electronically interconnected users;

making the personal ratings in the storage medium available to the users of the community of electronically interconnected users on request from one of the users of the community of electronically interconnected users; and

displaying on a computer of a third party user (i) thumbnail images, profile names, and links to homepages of users in the community belonging to a selected user'"'"'s business network, (ii) thumbnail images, profile names, and links to homepages of users in the community belonging to the selected user'"'"'s personal network (iii) the business and personal ratings of the selected user, (iv) any connection between the third party user and the selected user in their personal or business networks, and (v) listing information for products or services offered for sale by the selected user on the computer system.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the personal ratings and business ratings comprise qualitative assessments based on comments describing users and quantitative assessments based on a relative scale for comparing users.

16. The method of claim 14, further including the steps of receiving at the computer system from one of the users of the community of electronically interconnected users to another user of the Internet an invitation to join one or both of the inviting user'"'"'s personal network and business network;

receiving at the computer system an indication from the invited user acceptance of the invitation;

and

sending from the computer system a confirmation to the invited user of association with the inviting user.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the invited user is not already registered in the community and further including the step of allowing the invited user to register and participate in the community.

18. The method of claim 16, further including the step of including both the inviting user and the invited user as members of each other'"'"'s personal network or business network in response to the step of sending a confirmation.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the users with whom a user member of the community of electronically interconnected users communicates with and transacts business become part of one or both of the users'"'"' personal or business network.

20. The method of claim 14, further including the step of permitting users to perform searches of other users'"'"' networks to find products or services in which the users are interested in viewing or buying.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the searches comprise keyword searches.

22. The method of claim 20 wherein the searches comprise browsing taxonomy.

23. The method of claim 14, further wherein a third party user browses another user'"'"'s personal network and business network and, if the third party user is a registered member in the community, and the third party user and said another user share at least one other user that is in at least one of both the third party user'"'"'s and said another user'"'"'s networks, then allowing the third party user access to the users that link the third party user and said another user, thereby illustrating to the third party user how the third party user is connected to said another user.

24. The method of claim 14, further comprising illustrating records received from the computer system and providing links to the community to the third party user.

25. The method of claim 14, wherein selecting one of the users displays the personal and business networks, the ratings, and links to products or services being sold by such one of the users, such that a user can browse the networks of interconnected users.

26. The method of claim 14, further comprising organizing or participating in business transactions or personal events that are formed by selecting users from other users'"'"' networks.

27. A system to facilitate e-commerce over a publicly accessible computer network, comprising:

a first computer at a site accessible to the computer network to define a server, the first computer having a processor, memory coupled to the processor to store operating instructions therein, a graphical display coupled to the processor for displaying graphical images;

a database accessible to the processor of the server and containing database records about e-commerce and the community of electronically interconnected users;

a set of machine-readable instructions stored in the memory of the server to cause the server to form a community of electronically interconnected users of the computer network to facilitate e-commerce;

a user interface coupled to the processor of the first computer to provide user access to manipulate the software and access database records;

said user interface allowing users to provide listing information for products or services for sale that is stored in the database;

said user interface further allowing users to browse the listing information for products or services for sale stored in the database upon request;

said user interface further allowing users to engage in electronic commerce through the server, said electronic commerce including business transactions for the products or services identified in the listing information stored in the database;

a second computer at a user site accessible to the computer network, the second computer defining a first user and having a processor, memory coupled to the processor to store software therein, and to receive database records therein, a graphical display coupled to the processor for displaying graphical images, and a user interface coupled to the processor to provide a user access to manipulate the stored software and received database records;

a third computer positioned at another user site accessible to the computer network, the third computer defining a second user and having a processor, memory coupled to the processor to store software therein and to receive database records therein, a graphical display coupled to the processor for displaying graphical images, and a user interface coupled to the processor to provide a user access to manipulate the software and received database records;

the first user computer and the second user computer being interconnected through the server to the publicly accessible computer network to establish business networks of business relationships for the community of electronically interconnected users based on the electronic commerce transactions through the server and based on mutual agreement between two users to join each others business networks, and to establish personal networks of personal, noncommercial relationships for the community of electronically interconnected users based on personal electronic interaction through the server;

the first user and the second user generating business ratings of the users in the community based on commercial e-commerce transactions between the users, and generating personal ratings of the users in the community based on personal non-commercial interactions between the users;

the database receiving and storing the business ratings and the personal rating generated by the users and making the stored ratings available to the users of the community such that information concerning the business networks, business ratings, personal networks, and personal ratings of the users of the community are shared between the users of the community; and

displaying on the second computer (i) thumbnail images, profile names, and links to homepages of users in the community belonging to second user'"'"'s business network, (ii) thumbnail images, profile names, and links to homepages of users in the community belonging to the second user'"'"'s personal network (iii) the business and personal ratings of the second user, (iv) any connection between the first user and the second user in their personal or business networks, and (v) listing information for products or services offered for sale by the second user.

28. A system of claim 27, wherein each of the business ratings and personal ratings comprises both qualitative assessments responsive to textual or graphic comments for describing users within the respective business network and personal network, and quantitative assessments responsive to a relative scale for comparing users within the respective business network and personal network.

29. A system of claim 27, wherein the first user invites the second user to join either the first user'"'"'s personal or business network so that the first user can leverage the personal and business relationships of the second user, and wherein the server sends a confirmation to the invited second user of association with the first user that invited the second user.

30. A system of claim 29, wherein both the first user and the invited second user are members of one another'"'"'s joined personal or business network responsive to receipt of the confirmation.

31. A system of claim 27, wherein at least some users within the community with whom a user communicates with or transacts business become part of either the user'"'"'s personal or business network, and wherein the electronic commerce comprises at least one of buying goods, selling goods, buying services, or selling services.

32. A system of claim 27, wherein the first and second users either perform keyword searches or browse taxonomy of other users'"'"' networks within the community to locate either products or services in which the users are interested in electronic commerce.

33. A system of claim 27, further comprising a third user browsing one of the first and second user'"'"'s personal and business networks and, if the third user is registered in the community, and the third user and said one of the first and second user share at least one other user that is in at least one of both the third user'"'"'s and said one of the first and second user'"'"'s networks, then allowing the third user to see at least one of the users within the community that link the third user and said one of the first and second user, thereby indicating to the third user how the third user is connected to said one of the first and second user.

34. A system of claim 33, further comprising the server graphically illustrating and providing links to each of said at least one of the users within the community to the third user.

35. A system of claim 33, wherein selecting one of said at least one of the users responsively displays the personal and business networks, the ratings, and links to either products or services being offered for sale of the selected one of said at least one of the users so that a user can browse the networks of interconnected users.

36. A system of claim 27, further comprising organizing either business transactions or personal events that are formed by selecting users from other users'"'"' respective business or personal networks within the community.

37. A system of claim 27, further comprising participating in either business transactions or personal events that are formed by selecting users from other users'"'"' respective business or personal networks within the community.

38. A non-transitory computer readable medium that is readable by a computer facilitating electronic commerce in a publicly accessible computer network, the computer readable medium comprising:

a set of instructions that, when executed by the computer, cause the computer to perform the following operations;

register users with the computer to provide a community of electronically interconnected users;

receive product listing information for products or services for sale from users;

provide the listing information to other users upon request;

allow users to engage in electronic commerce through the computer, said electronic commerce including business transactions for the products or services identified in the listing information;

establish at the computer a business network of business relationships for the community of electronically interconnected users based on the electronic commerce transactions through the computer with other users of the community and mutual agreement between two users to join each other'"'"'s business networks;

receive at the computer business ratings of the users in the community of electronically interconnected users;

form a record of the business ratings received from the users of the community of electronically interconnected users;

make the received record of the business ratings available to the users of the community of electronically interconnected users on request from one of the users of the community of electronically interconnected users;

establish in the computer a personal network of personal relationships for the users of the community of electronically interconnected users based on personal electronic interaction through the computer with other users of the community;

receive at the computer personal ratings received from the users in the community of electronically interconnected users;

make the received record of personal ratings available to the users of the community of electronically interconnected users on request from one of the users of the community of electronically interconnected users; and

display on a computer of a third party user;

(i) thumbnail images, profile names, and links to homepages of users in the community belonging to a selected user'"'"'s business network, (ii) thumbnail images, profile names, and links to homepages of users in the community belonging to the selected user'"'"'s personal network (iii) the business and personal ratings of the selected user, (iv) any connection between the third party user and the selected user in their personal or business networks, and (v) listing information for products or services offered for sale by the selected user.

39. A computer system facilitating electronic commerce over a publicly accessible computer network, comprising:

a processor;

a storage medium having data accessible to the processor;

an input/output for transferring data to the processor;

the processor comprising;

means for registering users in the storage medium to provide a community of electronically interconnected users;

means for receiving listing information for products or services for sale from users in the community at the computer system over the communications network and storing the listing information in the storage medium;

means for providing the listing information for the products or services for sale from the storage medium to other users in the community upon request over the communications network;

means for allowing users in the community to conduct electronic commerce transactions with other users in the community over the communications network using the computer system, said electronic commerce transactions including business transactions involving the products or services identified in the listing information stored in the storage medium;

means for establishing in the storage medium a business network of business relationships for the community of electronically interconnected users based on the electronic commerce transactions through the computer with other users of the community;

means for receiving at the input/output business ratings of the users in the community of electronically interconnected users;

means for forming a record in the storage medium of the business ratings received from the users of the community of electronically interconnected users;

means for making the business ratings in the storage medium available to the users of the community of electronically interconnected users on request from one of the users of the community of electronically interconnected users;

means for establishing in the storage medium a personal network of personal relationships for the users of the community of electronically interconnected users based on personal electronic interaction through the computer with other users of the community;

means for receiving at the input/output personal ratings received from the users in the community of electronically interconnected users;

means for making the personal ratings in the storage medium available to the users of the community of electronically interconnected users on request from one of the users of the community of electronically interconnected users; and

means for displaying on a computer of a third party user (i) thumbnail images, profile names, and links to homepages of users in the community belonging to a selected user'"'"'s business network, (ii) thumbnail images, profile names, and links to homepages of users in the community belonging to the selected user'"'"'s personal network (iii) the business and personal ratings of the selected user, (iv) any connection between the third party user and the selected user in their personal or business networks, and (v) listing information for products or services offered for sale by the selected user on the computer system.

40. A method of facilitating electronic commerce, the method comprising:

processing with a server module registrations for a plurality of users on a website of a communications network, each of the plurality of users being electronically interconnected so that the plurality of users define a community of users;

receiving and processing with the server module listing information for products or services for sale from users in the community through the website;

providing the listing information for the products or services for sale to other users in the community upon request through the website;

processing with the server module electronic commerce between users in the community through the website for the products or services identified in the listing information;

processing with the server module a business network of business relationships for the community based on (i) electronic commerce with other users in the community conducted through the computer system such that the only users included in a user'"'"'s business network are those other users with whom the user has either sold to, purchased from, or both, and (ii) mutual agreement between the user and those other users to join each other'"'"'s business network;

processing with the server module a personal network of personal relationships for the community through personal, non-commercial electronic interaction between users;

displaying on a computer of a third party user (i) thumbnail images, profile names, and links to homepages of users in the community belonging to a selected user'"'"'s business network, (ii) thumbnail images, profile names, and links to homepages of users in the community belonging to the selected user'"'"'s personal network (iii) business and personal ratings of the selected user, (iv) any connection between the third party user and the selected user in their personal or business networks, and (v) listing information for products or services offered for sale by the selected user on the computer system; and

sharing the business network and the personal network among the plurality of users within the community.