Online store product availability

• US 20070174144A1
• Filed: 02/12/2007
• Published: 07/26/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: JUNE RAY LIMITED
• Original Assignee: IpVenture, Inc.
• Inventors: Bhargava, Sunil, Wijaya, Joyo, Lloyd, Margaret, Ham, Peter, Clossman, Gray, Relan, Arvind, Mayya, Ajit, Borders, Louis
• Granted Patent: US 8,170,915 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/27
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0637 Strategic management or analysis, e.g. setting a goal or target of an organisation; Planning actions based on goals; Analysis or evaluation of effectiveness of goals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0837 Return transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/101 Collaborative creation, e.g. joint development of products or services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/016 After-sales
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0206 Price or cost determination based on market factors
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0617 Representative agent
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers

Abstract

A technique for effecting electronic commerce using a data network is described. The data network includes a plurality of subsystems which, together, form an integrated system for receiving customer orders for selected items via a data network, fulfilling the customer orders, and delivering the ordered products to the customers. Moreover, according to a specific embodiment, the integrated nature of the system architecture of the present invention allows the on-line merchant to provide a guarantee to the customer that the ordered items will be available to be delivered to the customer at the specified delivery date, time, and location.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for assisting a customer in ordering a product from an online store via a computer network, the computer network including at least a customer interface system, the method comprising:

providing availability information regarding a product that can be purchased by the customer via the customer interface system, wherein the availability information informs the customer that the product can be pre-ordered when the product is not yet in stock;

receiving a customer order for the product from the customer via the customer interface system;

providing delivery-time information regarding the product to the customer via the customer interface system; and

automatically updating the availability information when the product is in stock,

wherein the delivery-time information depends on the availability information, and

wherein the customer is allowed to access information regarding the status of the order, including the updated availability information of the product via the customer interface system.

2. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1,

wherein the availability information being provided to the customer indicates when the product would be available, and

wherein when the product is in stock, the availability information would indicate that the product is in stock.

3. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1,

wherein the computer network includes a storage system for managing a storage location of a plurality of products of the online store,

wherein when the product is not yet available at the storage location, the availability information is related to the expected arrival date of the product at the storage location.

4. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 3, wherein when the product arrives at the storage location, information regarding its arrival is automatically transmitted to the customer interface system to change the availability information.

5. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1,

wherein the computer network includes a storage system for managing a storage location of a plurality of products of the online store, and

wherein the delivery-time information depends on the capacities related to the storage location to fulfill the order.

6. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 5,

wherein a plurality of times are presented to the customer for the customer to select regarding the time for the customer to receive the product, and

wherein the storage location is determined to have sufficient capacities to fulfill the order at the time selected by the customer to receive the product.

7. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 6, wherein after the customer has selected one of the times to receive the product, a corresponding amount of capacities related to the storage location are automatically reserved to fulfill the order at the selected time.

8. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1,

wherein the computer network includes a delivery system for managing the delivery of the product to the customer,

wherein the order includes a location specified by the customer to receive the product, and

wherein the delivery-time information depends on capacities related to delivering the product to the location.

9. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 8, wherein capacities related to delivering the product depend on delivery vehicle capacities.

10. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1,

wherein the computer network includes a purchasing system that is configured to purchase products from merchants, and

wherein availability information is not provided to the customer via the customer interface system before the product is purchased from a merchant.

11. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 10,

wherein the computer network includes a system for inventory that is configured to maintain inventory information of products of the online store,

wherein based on the purchase order to purchase the product from the merchant, information related to an expected arrival date of the product at a distribution center of the online store is provided to the system for inventory.

12. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 10,

herein the computer network includes a system for inventory that is configured to maintain inventory information of products of the online store,

wherein the product is related to a UPC code, and

wherein when the product arrives at a distribution center of the online store from the merchant, the system for inventory is configured to recognize the product via the UPC code.

13. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1,

wherein the computer network includes a merchant system that provides an interface for a merchant to directly input information regarding the product for customers interested in the product, and

wherein the merchant is not an employee of, or does not work for, the online store.

14. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 13, wherein the product is not made available to the customer to purchase before a purchase order has been issued by the online store to the merchant for the product, though the merchant has already input information regarding the product to the online store.

15. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein when the shipment of the product to the online store has been delayed, the availability information is automatically changed to a later date.

16. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein a product is a piece of merchandise.

17. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1,

wherein the product belongs to a type of goods,

wherein the delivery-time information is automatically changed in view of another customer returning another product to the online store, and

wherein the another product also belongs to the same type of goods.

18. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1,

wherein the product belongs to a type of goods,

wherein the delivery-time information is automatically changed in view of another customer deleting another product from the another customer'"'"'s order before checkout, and

wherein the another product also belongs to the same type of goods.

19. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1,

wherein the product belongs to a type of goods,

wherein the delivery-time information is automatically changed in view of another customer abandoning a shopping session that includes another product, and

wherein the another product also belongs to the same type of goods.

20. A computer-implemented method for assisting a customer in ordering a product from an online store via a computer network, the computer network including at least a customer interface system, the method comprising:

providing availability information regarding a product that can be ordered by the customer via the customer interface system;

receiving a customer order for the product from the customer via the customer interface system, wherein the product being ordered is currently not available to be delivered to the customer by the online store; and

providing timing information regarding when the online store expects to be able to get the product to the customer; and

subsequently shipping the customer the product when the product becomes available to be shipped.

21. A method as recited in claim 20, wherein the customer receives an estimated delivery date of the product when the customer interfaces with the customer interface system regarding the customer order for the product.

22. A method as recited in claim 20, wherein the customer is allowed to access status information regarding the customer order via the customer interface system, the status information including at least updated availability information of the product.