Customer recipient list reorder feature for on-line transactions

• US 20040044588A1
• Filed: 08/27/2002
• Published: 03/04/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Bear Creek Corporation
• Original Assignee: Bear Creek Corporation
• Inventors: Chen, Baokang, Smith, Douglas David, Flenner, Heidi Irene, Derry, Julie Lynne, Bernard, Jeffrey Powning, Eagan, Susan Patricia, Mason, Tana Jean
• Application Number:
  US10/229,932
• Publication Number:
  US 20040044588A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/27
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces

Abstract

An on-line editable recipient list is provided to a customer to enhance a reorder process for a list of recipients. The recipient list contains a list of recipients who received products previously ordered by the customer and delivered to the recipients possibly in association with a periodic event (e.g., a holiday). An interactive feature is provided for reordering all the same products for all the same recipients as last year. The customer can start with this list and shop on-line for the customers on the list. In one case, the customer reorders the same products as last year for some recipients on the list, and shops-for new products for other recipients on the list. In one such case, the customer can add, delete and modify recipients from last year'"'"'s list.

Claims

1. A method for computerized recipient list oriented item selection and purchase, including editable recipient lists associated with customer identifications, and items for selection by customers in association with recipients on a recipient list, the method comprising:

receiving an editable recipient list associated with a customer;

presenting the editable recipient list listing,

plural recipients previously sent items selected by the customer, and

associated with each recipient,

a previous item, and

a shop-for-this-recipient interactive feature;

in response to receiving a selection of a shop-for-this-recipient interactive feature associated with a specific recipient, presenting items for selection and an item selection interactive feature;

in response to receiving a selection of the item selection interactive feature, presenting the editable recipient list, comprising the selected item associated with the specific recipient.

2. A network shopping site offering both product oriented and recipient oriented shopping modes, the system comprising:

a server for receiving requests from networked clients;

software executing on the server in response to receiving a network client request, the software responding to and completing network purchase order requests comprising,

product oriented shopping requests comprising, a product browsing and selection request followed by a request to ship a selected product to a recipient, comprising the recipient'"'"'s name and address; and

recipient list oriented shopping requests comprising,

a request for a recipient list containing one or more recipients previously sent products by a customer,

one or more product browsing requests, and

a returned recipient list transaction request comprising one or more associations, each association comprising a recipient from the recipient list associated with a product from a browsing request.

3. A method for computerized recipient list reorders comprising:

sending a request comprising an identifier;

receiving in response to the request, a recipient list associated with the identifier, the recipient list comprising a send as-is interactive feature and plural recipients sent products in response to a previous order made by a customer associated with the identifier, each recipient on the list having a name, an address, a previously-sent product identification, and a field for holding a send-next product identifier;

displaying the recipient list; and

in response to receiving an indication that the send as-is interactive feature was selected, displaying the recipient list wherein for each recipient, the field for holding a send-next product identifier contains the previously-sent product identification.

4. A computerized reorder method, comprising:

transmitting from a client, a request comprising an identifier;

receiving at the client in response to the request, a recipient list comprising a list of one or more recipients previously shipped one or more items selected by a customer in a prior transaction;

presenting on-screen at the client, the recipient list comprising,

a recipient list transaction acceptance interactive feature, and

for each recipient on the list,

a name and an address for that recipient,

an identification of an item previously shipped to that recipient,

a send the previously shipped item again interactive feature,

a browse items for this recipient interactive feature, and

a field for displaying items to be shipped to this recipient.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the identifier identifies the customer.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the identifier identifies at least one prior on-line transaction.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the identifier identifies the recipient list.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the recipient list is associated with a holiday.

9. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

transmitting from the client, a recipient list transaction acceptance request in response to a selection of the recipient list transaction acceptance interactive feature.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein one or more of the same one or more items shipped in response to the recipient list transaction acceptance request festively varies from what was previously shipped.

11. The method of claim 4, wherein upon receiving a selection of the send the previously shipped item again interactive feature for a given recipient, the same item is displayed in the field for displaying items to be shipped to this recipient.

12. The method of claim 4, wherein the on-screen presented recipient list further comprises for at least one recipient on the list, an indication that an item previously shipped to that recipient is an unavailable item.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the on-screen presented list further identifies a suggested item for sending in place of the unavailable item.

16. The computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the indication comprises a request to change the address of a recipient.

14. A computer readable storage medium containing instructions for a computerized reorder method, comprising:

transmitting from a client, a request comprising an identifier;

receiving at the client in response to the request, a recipient list comprising a list of one or more recipients, each previously shipped one or more items selected by a customer in a prior on-line transaction;

presenting on-screen at the client, the recipient list comprising,

a recipient list transaction acceptance interactive feature, and

for each recipient on the list,

a name and an address for that recipient,

an identification of an item previously shipped to that recipient,

a browse items for this recipient interactive feature, and

a field for displaying items to be shipped to this recipient;

receiving from an input device at the client, an indication requesting changes to the presented on-screen recipient list;

presenting on-screen at the client, the recipient list comprising changes made according to the indication;

transmitting a recipient list aggregate transaction acceptance comprising the changes made according to the indication, in response to a selection of the recipient list transaction acceptance interactive feature.

15. The computer readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the indication comprises a request to add a recipient to the recipient list.

17. The computer readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the recipient list comprises a greeting for at least on recipient, and the indication comprises a request to change the greeting.

18. The computer readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the recipient list comprises an item browsing interactive feature, and the indication comprises an identification of one or more browsed items.

19. The computer readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the indication of the browsed item is associated with more than one recipient on the recipient list.

20. The computer readable storage medium of claim 14 further comprising:

presenting on-screen at the client, a recipient list selection interactive feature for selecting from among plural recipient lists associated with the customer.

21. The computer readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein at least two of the recipient lists are gift lists associated with a holiday.

22. The computer readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the recipient list comprises an item number identification field, and a printed catalogue of items comprises an identification number associated with each item in the catalogue, and the indication comprises an identification number associated with the item number identification field.

23. The computer readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the recipient list comprises a quantity field signifying the number of a same item being sent to a specific recipient, and the indication comprises a number associated with the quantity field.

24. A computer system comprising:

a server for processing requests from networked client devices;

a database coupled to the server containing information about customers and transactions; and

server software for creating and returning web pages comprising recipient lists with plural recipients on each recipient list, and for each recipient on a list,

an interactive feature for selecting the same item as last year for the recipient, and

an interactive feature for shopping-for a new item this year for the recipient.

25. The system of claim 24, further comprising:

server software for,

receiving product browsing requests; and

receiving recipient list transaction requests.

26. The system of claim 24, further comprising:

server software for,

associating an identifier of a customer with a recipient list; and

adding an address book recipient to a recipient list.

27. The system of claim 24, further comprising:

server software for,

determining whether a requested delivery date is feasible for a given recipient; and

offering additional shipping choices.

28. A computer readable medium having source code describing a recipient list reorder page comprising:

a list of recipients previously sent products; and

for each recipient on the list,

a description of a product previously sent to the recipient;

a description of an interactive feature used to reorder the product previously sent to the recipient, and

a description of an interactive feature used to request browsing for a new product this year for the recipient.

29. A computer readable medium having a template describing a recipient list reorder web page comprising:

standard content for the web page;

a description indicating the location of customized content for the web page; and

a description of the per recipient layout with a product previously sent to the recipient, an interactive feature used to reorder the product previously sent to the recipient, and an interactive feature used to request browsing for a new product this year for the recipient.