Method and system for marketplace social proxies

• US 20020032729A1
• Filed: 11/30/2000
• Published: 03/14/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Malkin, Peter K., Erickson, Thomas D.
• Granted Patent: US 7,249,180 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for providing an electronic environment for facilitating user interaction with a business. The method displays an abstract graphical proxy for the environment, displays an abstract graphical proxy for at least one consumer within the environment, and provides the consumer with interactive business facilities. The environment is a marketplace structured by the business. The environment includes a chat application. The chat application includes one of private chat and public chat. The environment comprises interactive applets. Each consumer proxy is individualized according to consumer input or each consumer proxy is individualized according to consumer activity.

Claims

1. A method of providing an electronic environment for facilitating user interaction with a business comprising the steps of:

displaying an abstract graphical proxy for the environment;

displaying an abstract graphical proxy for at least one consumer within the environment; and

providing the consumer with interactive business facilities.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the environment is a marketplace structured by the business.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the environment includes a chat application.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the chat application includes one of private chat and public chat.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the environment comprises interactive applets.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein each consumer proxy is individualized according to consumer input.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein each consumer proxy is individualized according to consumer activity.

8. A method comprising the steps of:

representing a social proxy in an abstract graphical display of a marketplace for facilitating consumer interaction;

p1 defining a consumer proxy of a consumer, the consumer proxy having updatable variables;

displaying the consumer proxy within the abstract graphical display of the marketplace; and

updating the consumer proxy variables periodically.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the social proxy is defined by a provider.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the social proxy is extensible.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the social proxy is used interactively by the consumer with an application, wherein the application is an extension of the social proxy.

12. The method of claim 8, further includes the step of displaying a link to a second social proxy.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the social proxy is one of a plurality of social proxies within a hierarchical system of proxies.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of displaying the consumer proxy, further comprises limiting data displayed based on a consumer'"'"'s access credentials.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein the abstract graphical display of the marketplace is an auction proxy including concentric circles, an inner-most circle for displaying auction information, an inner circle for indicating bidding activity, and an outer circle for indicating user interest.

16. The method of claim 8, wherein the abstract graphical display of the marketplace is a line including at least two consumer proxies, the line indicating the consumer proxies priority with respect to a service provided by a business.

17. The method of claim 8, further comprising the steps of:

defining a business proxy of a business, the business proxy having updatable variables;

displaying the business proxy within the abstract graphical display of the marketplace; and

updating the business proxy variables periodically.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the business proxy interacts with the consumer proxy.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the environment is a marketplace structured by the business.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the abstract graphical proxy for the environment is extensible.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein each consumer proxy is individualized according to consumer input.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein each consumer proxy is individualized according to consumer activity.

19. A program storage device readable by machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable be the machine to perform method steps for facilitating the presentation of an marketplace environment in graphical form the method steps comprising:

displaying an abstract graphical proxy for the environment;

displaying an abstract graphical proxy for at least one consumer within the environment; and

providing the consumer with interactive business facilities.