Linking a retail user profile to a social network user profile

• US 8,606,643 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2010
• Issued: 12/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Target Brands Inc. (Target Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Target Brands Inc. (Target Corporation)
• Inventors: Lawrence, Sarah, Peterson, Sarah, Nations, Gregory M., Gourley, Chad R., Korth-McDonnell, Patricia, Stewart, Joe
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Jeffrey A
• Assistant Examiner(s): GEORGALAS, ANNE MARIE
• Application Number:
  US12/973,865
• Publication Number:
  US 20120158539A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,086 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26.1, 705/27.1, 705/319
• US Class Current: 705/26.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

In one example, a private profile page is displayed to a user having a user profile registered with a vendor. In this example, the private profile page includes a list of unviewed products, a product list, and information about a local retail store. As a further example, the user selects a public profile preview function and, in response, the user is presented with a preview of information associated with the user profile. In another example, a social network selection page is displayed to a user having a first profile registered with a vendor. The social network selection page includes a social network selection function for selecting a second profile of the user in a social network. In this example, the user indicates a social network and a second profile registered with the indicated social network is linked to the first profile.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for serving web pages, the method comprising:

serving, from a retail server including a processor to a client computing device, a private profile page including information about a user registered with a vendor, the private profile page defining a first profile of the user the serving step comprising;

providing with the processor a social network selection function that enables the user to select a social network from a plurality of social networks, and

providing with the processor a public profile preview function and displaying a preview of information associated with the first profile upon selection of the public profile preview function;

receiving a first user input from the client computing device, wherein if a second profile of the user exists in one or more of the plurality of social networks, the first user input comprising a social network selection from the plurality of social networks in response to the user activating the social network selection function in the private profile page, and wherein if the second profile of the user does not exist in one of the plurality of social networks, the first user input activating the social network selection function for the processor to create the second profile with a selected one of the plurality of social networks;

the processor forwarding, in response to the first user input, user data for the user to the social network;

the processor receiving, from the social network, social network profile information regarding the second profile; and

the processor associating the first profile with the second profile in response to receiving the social network profile information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the private profile page further comprises a list of one or more unviewed products available from the vendor and selected for the user, the products belonging to a first product type, and the list including at least one of new products added for sale by the vendor and promotional products having a promotion applied by the vendor, the method further comprising receiving a second user input specifying the first product type.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the private profile page further comprises at least one of a floor plan link to a floor plan of a retail store associated with the user, a promotion link to a sales promotion from the vendor, and a shopping list link operable upon selection to cause the creation of a shopping list.

4. The method of claim 1,

wherein the social network selection function provides two or more options to the user to select the second profile, the options including two or more third party social network sites;

and

wherein the second profile is registered to the social network prior to the forwarding.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising, after the user selects the second profile, serving a revised private profile page to the user, wherein the revised private profile page includes user information from the second profile.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a third user input activating the public profile preview function;

generating a public profile preview of the first profile; and

revising the private profile page to be a revised private profile page that includes the public profile preview and serving the revised private profile page.

7. A system including a computer processor, the system comprising:

a graphical user interface generated by the computer processor for a retail environment, the graphical user interface including;

a customer account page initialized to display a private account page including data about a customer registered with a retailer, the private account page defining a first account of the customer, the private account page comprising;

a first control operable upon selection by the customer to select a third party social structure service from a plurality of third party social structure services and to cause operations including

if a second account of the user exists in one of the plurality of third party social structure services, forwarding the customer data to the selected third party social structure service, the customer data used by the selected third party social structure service to identify and select the second account of the customer,

if the second account of the user does not exist in one of the plurality of third party social structure services, the first customer input activates the first control to create the second account with the selected third party social structure service, the second account not being registered to the selected third party social structure service prior to activating the first control, wherein the customer data is used by the selected third party social structure service to create the second account,

receiving, from the selected third party social structure service, social account information regarding the second account, and

associating the first account with the second account in response to receiving the social account information, and

a second control operable upon selection to cause the display of a preview of information associated with the first account,

wherein the customer account page is updated within the graphical user interface to display a revised private account page in response to the selection of the second account of the customer and the displayed preview.

8. The system of claim 7,

wherein the private account page further comprises a list of one or more unviewed items available from the retailer and selected for the customer,

the unviewed items belonging to a first item category, and

the list including at least one of new items added for sale by the retailer and promotional items having a promotion applied by the retailer;

and

wherein the graphical user interface displays the private account page responsive to a second customer input specifying the first item category.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the private account page further comprises at least one of a floor plan link to a floor plan of a retail store associated with the customer, a promotion link to a sales promotion from the retailer, and a shopping list link selectable to create a shopping list.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein

the first control provides two or more options to the customer to select the second account, the options including two or more third party social networks, and

the first customer input activates the first control to select the second account among multiple social accounts of the customer, the third party social structure service having registered the second account for the customer prior to the first customer input.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the first customer input activates the second control, and wherein the preview of information associated with the first account is generated and included in the revised private account page.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having recorded therein instructions for performing a method for serving web pages, the method comprising:

serving a private user data document including information about a user registered with an organization, the private user data document defining a first user data set of the user, the serving step comprising;

providing a social network selection control that enables the user to select a social network site from a plurality of social network sites, and

providing a public user data preview control and displaying a preview of information associated with the first user data set upon selection of the public user data preview control;

receiving a first user input, wherein if a second user data set of the user exists in one or more of the plurality of social network sites, the first user input comprising a social network site selection from the plurality of social network sites in response to the user activating the social network selection control in the private user data document, and wherein if the second user data set of the user does not exist in one of the plurality of social network sites, the first user input activating the social network selection function to create the second user data set with a selected one of the plurality of social network sites;

forwarding, in response to the first user input, user data for the user to the social network site;

receiving, from the social network site, social network user data information regarding the second user data set; and

associating the first user data set with the second user data set in response to receiving the social network user data information.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 12,

wherein the private user data document further comprises a list of one or more unviewed products available from the organization and selected for the user,

the products belonging to a first product classification, and

the list including at least one of new products added for sale by the organization and promotional products recently having a promotion applied by the organization;

and

wherein the method further comprises receiving, prior to serving the private user data document, a second user input specifying the product classification.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the private user data document further comprises at least one of:

a floor plan link to a floor plan of a retail store associated with the user, a promotion link to a sales promotion from the organization, and a shopping list link to create a shopping list.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 12,

wherein the social network selection control provides two or more options to the user to select the second user data set, the options including two or more third party social structure systems;

and

wherein the second user data set is registered to the social network site prior to the forwarding.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises, after the user selects the second data set, serving a revised private user data document to the user, wherein the revised private user data document includes user information from the second data set.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 12,

wherein the first user input activates the public user data preview control;

and

wherein the method further comprises;

receiving a third user input activating the public user data preview control,

generating a public profile preview of information associated with the first user data set, and

revising the private user data to be revised private user data that includes the public profile preview and serving the revised private user data document including the public profile preview.