Method and system to enhance web-based shopping collaborations

• US 20060122895A1
• Filed: 12/06/2004
• Published: 06/08/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Thomas, Mathews, Abraham, Subil M., Appleyard, James P., Gonzalez, Jason A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,647,247 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0605 Supply or demand aggregation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces

Abstract

A method for collaborating between Web-based shopping carts can include the step of identifying a Web-based shopping cart associated with an online store and a shopper of the online store. Access privileges can be established between the shopping cart and at least one other shopping cart, the other shopping carts being associated with shoppers different from the shopper. A linkage can be established between the Web-based shopping cart and the at least one other shopping cart in accordance with the access privileges. Through the linkage, the shopper can be permitted to access items in the another shopping cart.

Claims

1. A method for collaborating between Web-based containers comprising the steps of:

identifying a Web-based container associated with an online Web-site and a user of the online Web-site;

establishing access privileges between the container and at least one other container, said other container being associated with at least one other user;

establishing a linkage between the Web-based container and the at least one other container in accordance with the access privileges; and

through the linkage, permitting the user to access items in the other container.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said online Web-site is an online store, wherein said container is a shopping cart, wherein said other container is an other shopping cart, wherein said user is a shopper, and wherein said other user is an other shopper.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the shopper interfaces with the online store through an online store portal, which comprises a shopping cart portlet, wherein the Web-based shopping cart is contained within the shopping cart portlet.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the online store portal further comprises a messaging portlet for interactive communication between the shopper and the different shoppers.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the online store portal comprises a collaborating shopping cart portlet, wherein the shopper accesses the items in the another shopping cart through the collaborating shopping cart portlet, wherein items are selectively transferable from the collaborating shopping cart portlet to the shopping cart portlet.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the at least one other shopping cart comprises a plurality of shopping carts, and wherein the collaborating shopping cart portal contains a cart selection interface element for selecting which of the plurality of shopping carts is to be presented within the collaborating shopping cart portal.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the access privileges have been previously configured by a shopper associated with a shopping cart to which the access privileges apply, wherein configurable access privileges include a view permission and an add items permission.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the shopper and the different shoppers interact with the online store in different, shopper-specific interactive shopping sessions, each interactive shopping session having an associated session-specific shopping cart.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the permitting step operates when the interactive shopping sessions occur at the same time as well as when the interactive shopping sessions occur at different times.

10. A shopping cart for Web purchases comprising:

an item selection interface element through which a shopper logged onto an online store is able to selectively place items of the online store to the shopping cart;

a checkout interface element for checking out items contained within the shopping cart to permit the shopper to purchase the items contained within the shopping cart; and

a collaboration interface element permitting a collaboration between the shopping cart and at least one other shopping cart, wherein the other shopping cart is distinct from the shopping cart and is associated with another shopper of the online store.

11. The shopping cart of claim 10, wherein the collaboration occurs dynamically and in near real time when the shopper and the another shopper are simultaneously logged onto the online store.

12. The shopping cart of claim 10, wherein the collaboration occurs when a user associated with at least one of the shopping cart and the another shopping cart is not logged onto the online store.

13. The shopping cart of claim 10, further comprising:

a user configurable collaboration list configured to grant users on the list with collaborative access to the shopping cart, wherein the another shopper is a user on the collaboration list.

14. The shopping cart of claim 10, wherein the shopping cart is a portlet of an online shopping portal, the online portal further comprising:

an online store portlet within which the items available through the online store are presented for selection; and

a messaging portlet for interactive communications between the shopper and the another shopper.

15. The shopping cart of claim 14, wherein the at least one other shopping cart includes a plurality of shopping carts, and wherein the online portal includes a plurality of user selectable tabs, each tab associated with one of the shopping carts, wherein the collaboration occurs in accordance with the shopping cart associated with a selected tab.

16. A collaborative Web shopping framework comprising:

a first session memory space for recording interactions associated with a first interactive shopping session between a Web shopping portal and a first user, wherein recorded interactions include items placed within a first shopping cart associated with the first interactive shopping session and state information for the first interactive shopping session;

a second session memory space for recording interactions associated with a second interactive shopping session between the Web shopping portal and a second user, wherein recorded interactions include items placed within a second shopping cart associated with the second interactive shopping session and state information for the second interactive shopping session; and

a hub connecting the first shopping cart with the second shopping cart, said hub permitting the first user to view items placed in the second shopping cart and permitting the second user to view items placed in the first shopping cart.

17. The framework of claim 16, further comprising:

a third session memory space for recording interactions associated with a third interactive shopping session between the Web shopping portal and a third user, wherein recorded interactions include items placed within a third shopping cart associated with the third interactive shopping session and state information for the third interactive shopping session, wherein the hub further connects the third shopping cart with the first shopping cart and the second shopping cart.

18. The framework of claim 16, further comprising:

wherein the hub further permits the first user to add and delete items placed in the second shopping cart and permits the second user to add and delete items placed in the first shopping cart.

19. The framework of claim 16, wherein the first session memory space and the second session memory space are volatile memory spaces located on a server, and wherein shopping cart items are conveyed from the volatile memory to a database for persistent storage, and wherein the first shopping cart and the second shopping cart interface with the database using entity beans.

20. The framework of claim 19, wherein the hub maintains connections between the first shopping cart and the second shopping cart using stateless session beans.

21. The framework of claim 19, wherein the connections between the hub and first shopping cart and the second shopping cart utilize a Remote Method Invocation technique.