Rule-based transferable shopping basket for online purchases

• US 9,639,884 B2
• Filed: 11/06/2013
• Issued: 05/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Chow, Kingsum, Du, Jiang Ling
• Primary Examiner(s): Iwarere, Oluseye
• Assistant Examiner(s): CRAWLEY, TALIA F
• Application Number:
  US14/073,163
• Publication Number:
  US 20140222617A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,273 Days
• 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 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces

Abstract

An online shopping basket is acquired by a buyer from an online store and is customized according to rules specified by the buyer. The buyer places zero or more items in the online shopping basket(s) before they are given to at least one shopper by the online store. The shopper(s) may further customize the online shopping basket(s) with rules that do not conflict with those specified by the buyer. The shopper(s) then place zero or more items in the online shopping basket(s) and return the basket(s) to the online store. Multiple online shopping baskets are merged into a single basket, and the buyer reviews the items in the merged online shopping basket and adds or removes items as necessary. The buyer then purchases the remaining items from the online store.

Claims

1. A web server device for merging online shopping baskets, the web server device comprising:

a processor; and

a machine-readable storage medium comprising a plurality of instructions, that in response to being executed by the processor, cause the web server device to;

receive first rules specified by a first customer;

receive second rules specified by a second customer;

associate a primary online shopping basket with the first customer comprising a primary basket identifier,

associate a first secondary online shopping basket comprising a first secondary basket identifier and a second secondary online shopping basket comprising a second secondary basket identifier with the second customer, wherein the second customer being different from the first customer, wherein the first secondary online shopping basket is associated with a first Domain Name Server (DNS) of a first online store and the second secondary online shopping baskets is associated with a second DNS of a second online store different from the first online store, and wherein the first and second secondary online shopping baskets are each associated with (i) the first rules specified by the first customer which define purchase preferences of the first customer for items within the first and second secondary shopping baskets, and (ii) second rules specified by the second customer which define purchase preferences of the second customer for items within the first and second secondary shopping baskets,

verify that the second rules specified by the second customer do not conflict with the first rules specified by the first customer,

allow entry into the first and second secondary shopping baskets of the items which comply with the first and second rules specified by the first and second customers,

selectively merge items from the first and second secondary online shopping baskets into the primary online shopping basket, the selection being based in part on the first and second rules specified by the first and second customers, to create a single merged online shopping basket, and

display the items merged into the single merged online shopping basket simultaneously with each other on a web page such that the items are simultaneously viewable on the web page before checkout of the selected items in the single merged online shopping basket during a single purchase transaction.

2. The web server device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of instructions further cause the web server device to:

associate the first customer with a first customer identifier;

associate the second customer with a second customer identifier, wherein the second customer identifier is different from the first customer identifier;

group the items merged into the single merged online shopping basket according to first and second customer identifiers associated with the first and second customers; and

wherein to display the items on the single web page comprises to display the items grouped on the single web page according to the first and second customer identifiers.

3. The web server device of claim 1, wherein the first rules specified by the first customer further define checkout approval preferences of the first customer for items within the first and second secondary online shopping baskets.

4. The web server device of claim 1, wherein the first rules specified by the first customer further define a total purchase price and an item category from which items within the first and second secondary online shopping baskets must comply.

5. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising a plurality of instructions, that in response to being executed by a web server device, cause the web server device to:

receive first rules specified by a first customer;

receive second rules specified by a second customer;

associate a primary online shopping basket with the first customer comprising a primary basket identifier,

associate a first secondary online shopping basket comprising a first secondary basket identifier and a second secondary online shopping basket comprising a second secondary basket identifier with the second customer, wherein the second customer being different from the first customer, wherein the first secondary online shopping basket is associated with a first Domain Name Server (DNS) of a first online store and the second secondary online shopping baskets is associated with a second DNS of a second online store different from the first online store, and wherein the first and second secondary online shopping baskets are each associated with (i) the first rules specified by the first customer which define purchase preferences of the first customer for items within the first and second secondary shopping baskets, and (ii) second rules specified by the second customer which define purchase preferences of the second customer for items within the first and second secondary shopping baskets,

verify that the second rules specified by the second customer do not conflict with the first rules specified by the first customer,

allow entry into the first and second secondary shopping baskets of the items which comply with the first and second rules specified by the first and second customers,

selectively merge items from the first and second secondary online shopping baskets into the primary online shopping basket, the selection being based in part on the first and second rules specified by the first and second customers, to create a single merged online shopping basket, and

display the items merged into the single merged online shopping basket simultaneously with each other on a web page such that the items are simultaneously viewable on the web page before checkout of the selected items in the single merged online shopping basket during a single purchase transaction.

6. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 5, wherein the plurality of instructions further cause the web server device to:

associate the first customer with a first customer identifier;

associate the second customer with a second customer identifier, wherein the second customer identifier is different from the first customer identifier;

group the items merged into the single merged online shopping basket according to first and second customer identifiers associated with the first and second customers; and

wherein to display the items on the single web page comprises to display the items grouped on the single web page according to the first and second customer identifiers.

7. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 5, wherein the first rules specified by the first customer further define checkout approval preferences of the first customer for items within the first and second secondary online shopping baskets.

8. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 5, wherein the first rules specified by the first customer further define a total purchase price and an item category from which items within the first and second secondary online shopping baskets must comply.

9. A method for merging online shopping baskets by a web server device, the method comprising:

receiving, by the webserver device, first rules specified by a first customer;

receiving, by the webserver device, second rules specified by a second customer;

associating, by the web server device, a primary online shopping basket with the first customer comprising a primary basket identifier,

associating, by the webserver device, a first secondary online shopping basket comprising a first secondary basket identifier and a second secondary online shopping basket comprising a second secondary basket identifier with the second customer, wherein the second customer being different from the first customer, wherein the first secondary online shopping basket is associated with a first Domain Name Server (DNS) of a first online store and the second secondary online shopping baskets is associated with a second DNS of a second online store different from the first online store, and wherein the first and second secondary online shopping baskets are each associated with (i) the first rules specified by the first customer which define purchase preferences of the first customer for items within the first and second secondary shopping baskets, and (ii) second rules specified by the second customer which define purchase preferences of the second customer for items within the first and second secondary shopping baskets,

verifying, by the webserver device, that the second rules specified by the second customer do not conflict with the first rules specified by the first customer,

allowing, by the webserver device, entry into the first and second secondary shopping baskets of the items which comply with the first and second rules specified by the first and second customers,

selectively merging, by the webserver device, items from the first and second secondary online shopping baskets into the primary online shopping basket, the selection being based in part on the first and second rules specified by the first and second customers, to create a single merged online shopping basket, and

displaying, by the webserver device, the items merged into the single merged online shopping basket simultaneously with each other on a web page such that the items are simultaneously viewable on the web page before checkout of the selected items in the single merged online shopping basket during a single purchase transaction.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

associating, by the webserver device, the first customer with a first customer identifier;

associating, by the web server device, the second customer with a second customer identifier, wherein the second customer identifier is different from the first customer identifier;

grouping, by the webserver device, the items merged into the single merged online shopping basket according to first and second customer identifiers associated with the first and second customers; and

wherein displaying the items on the single web page comprises displaying the items grouped on the single web page according to the first and second customer identifiers.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the first rules specified by the first customer further define checkout approval preferences of the first customer for items within the first and second secondary online shopping baskets.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the first rules specified by the first customer further define a total purchase price and an item category from which items within the first and second secondary online shopping baskets must comply.