Actively and passively customizable navigation bars

• US 8,972,895 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2010
• Issued: 03/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Target Brands Inc. (Target Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Target Brands Inc. (Target Corporation)
• Inventors: Gonsalves, Michael F., Nations, Gregory M., Gourley, Chad R., Korth-McDonnell, Patricia, Neidermire, Troy, Stewart, Joe
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Kieu
• Assistant Examiner(s): Weber, Joy M
• Application Number:
  US12/973,857
• Publication Number:
  US 20120159294A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,534 Days
• Field of Search: 715/786, 715/810, 715/825, 715/815
• US Class Current: 715/825
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces

Abstract

A web site user interface for an e-commerce retail company allows a user to easily browse or purchase products or services offered by the company. The web site user interface can include a dual horizontal navigation bar including a main navigation bar and subordinate navigation bar. The subordinate navigation bar can be actively and passively customized. Further, the subordinate navigation bar can include product shipment information in a user specific notification pane. The web site user interface can also include a drop-down logo from the dual parent navigation bar where the web page continues to include the drop-down logo as the user scrolls down to focus on web page content. Alternatively, the web site user interface can include a main navigation bar and secondary navigation bar where the main navigation bar includes fewer subcategories of products than the secondary navigation bar.

Claims

1. A method for generating a web page comprising the steps of:

operating one or more computers to generate a web page that is accessible to a user, the web page including;

a horizontal navigation bar comprising

a main navigation region displaying product categories that can be selected by the user to navigate to retail product areas, and

a subordinate navigation region displaying subcategories that the user can select to navigate to sub-regions within the retail product areas, the subordinate navigation region having at least a dynamic links tile and a user specific tile, the subordinate navigation region having a threshold value of a number of links wherein the total number of dynamic links and user specific links does not exceed the threshold value of the number of links, the dynamic links tile is dynamically populated to display in the dynamic links tile one or more links to subcategories by the one or more computers based on at least one of the following criteria;

(i) products or services offered by an e-commerce company;

(ii) sales; and

(iii) industry trends, the user specific tile is populated by the one or more computers with one or more links to subcategories previously specified by the user; and

an image comprising an enterprise image, logo, or symbol, the image projecting downwardly from the horizontal navigation bar;

wherein both the horizontal navigation bar and the enterprise image, logo, or symbol are statically positioned as the user scrolls down to web page content existing below a lower boundary of a visible portion of the web page as initially displayed on a communications terminal;

using the one or more computers, determining whether a user has altered the number of links in the user specific tile such that the total number of links in the subordinate navigation region would exceed the threshold value of the number of links; and

,

in response to determining that a user has altered the number of links in the user specific tile such that the total number of links in the subordinate navigation region would exceed the threshold value of the number of links, automatically altering the number of links in the dynamic links tile to ensure that a total number of links to product subcategories in the subordinate navigation region does not exceed the threshold value of the number of links.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the web page further comprises a notification pane that includes local store information and product shipment information customized to the user.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the notification pane includes a carousel that comprises information areas which present information or data customized to the user.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the carousel includes a tile that provides at least one link to view one or more wedding registries associated with a user account corresponding to the user.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the wedding registries display desired products of people socially networked with the user.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the carousel includes a tile that provides at least one link to one or more desired product lists associated with a user account registered to the user.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the product lists display desired products of people socially networked with the user.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein the carousel includes a tile that provides at least one link to one or more shopping lists associated with a user account registered to the user.

9. The method of claim 3, wherein the carousel includes a tile that provides information about product subcategories from which the user has previously purchased products and a link to one or more pages displaying products within the product subcategories.

10. The method of claim 3, wherein the carousel includes one or more of a local store tile, a sales and coupons tile, and a weekly ad tile.

11. The method of claim 3, wherein the carousel includes two or more of a local store tile, a sales and coupon tile, and a weekly ad tile.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the subcategories include a reference to a physical store location.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the subcategories are represented by icons.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the web page further comprises a suggestions region disposed below a search input region, the suggestions region containing two or more items selected from a group consisting of registries, buying guides, faqs, and lists.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the lists display desired products of people socially networked with the user.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the search input region includes one or more suggested alternative searches in response to a search query, the alternative searches being based on one or more factors of industry trend behavior, the factors not including purchasing behavior at the web site.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the search input region includes product thumbnail arrays or brand specific thumbnail arrays in response to a search query that did not return results.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the subcategories include links to additional information about an e-commerce company.

19. A system for generating a graphical user interface for a retail environment, said system comprising:

at least one computer for generating a graphical user interface for a retail environment so that a user can access the graphical user interface and conduct an e-commerce session in the retail environment, the graphical user interface including;

a main navigation region displaying a first array of product category links configured upon selection to navigate to corresponding web pages; and

a secondary navigation region, spaced apart from the main navigation region, the secondary navigation region having at least a dynamic links tile having one or more dynamic links and a user specific links tile having one or more user specific links, the secondary navigation region having a threshold value of a number of links wherein the total number of dynamic links and user specific links does not exceed the threshold value of the number of links;

the at least one computer being configured to determine whether a user has altered the number of links in the user specific links tile such that the total number of links in the secondary navigation region would exceed the threshold value of the number of links; and

,

the at least one computer being further configured such that in response to determining that a user has altered the number of links in the user specific links tile such that the total number of links in the secondary navigation region would exceed the threshold value of the number of links, the number of links in the dynamic links tile are automatically altered to ensure that a total number of links to product subcategories in the secondary navigation region does not exceed the threshold value of the number of links.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the secondary navigation region is a vertical navigation bar.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein at least the main navigation region or the secondary navigation region is customized based on purchase history of the user within the retail environment.

22. The system of claim 19, further comprising an image comprising a corporate image, the image projecting downwardly from the main navigation region.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the image is statically positioned as the user scrolls down on the graphical user interface.

24. A method for generating a graphical user interface for a retail environment, said method comprising the steps of:

providing at least one server for generating a graphical user interface for a retail environment so that a user can access the graphical user interface;

generating a graphical user interface including;

a product display area for displaying a plurality of products offered for sale by a retailer;

a main navigation region displaying a first set of product category links configured upon selection to navigate to corresponding web pages of the retailer; and

,

a secondary navigation region having at least a dynamic links tile and a user specific links tile, the secondary navigation region having a threshold value of a number of links wherein the total number of dynamic links and user specific links does not exceed the threshold value of the number of links, the dynamic links tile is dynamically populated to display in the dynamic links tile one or more links to product subcategories by the at least one server based on at least one of the following criteria;

(i) products or services offered by an e-commerce company;

(ii) sales; and

(iii) industry trends, the user specific links tile is populated by the at least one server with one or more links to product subcategories previously specified by the user and, wherein the secondary navigation region is disposed outside of the product display area;

using the at least one server, determining whether a user has altered the number of links in the user specific links tile such that the total number of links in the secondary navigation region would exceed the threshold value of the number of links; and

,

in response to the determining that a user has altered the number of links in the user specific links tile such that the total number of links in the secondary navigation region would exceed the threshold value of the number of links, automatically altering the number of links in the dynamic links tile to ensure that a total number of links to product subcategories in the secondary navigation region does not exceed the threshold value of the number of links.

25. The method of claim 24, further including the steps of:

using the at least one server, determining whether a user has altered the number of links in the user specific links tile such that the total number of links in the secondary navigation region would be less than the threshold value of the number of links; and

,

in response to the determining that a user has altered the number of links in the user specific links tile such that the total number of links in the secondary navigation region would be less than the threshold value of the number of links, automatically altering the number of links in the dynamic links tile to ensure that a total number of links to product subcategories in the secondary navigation region meets does not exceed the threshold value of the number of links.