System and Method for locating product data within an electronic catalog

• US 20070185783A1
• Filed: 02/03/2006
• Published: 08/09/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: WW Grainger Incorporated
• Original Assignee: WW Grainger Incorporated
• Inventors: Westphal, Geoffry
• Application Number:
  US11/347,348
• Publication Number:
  US 20070185783A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/27
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces

Abstract

A hierarchical menu structure having a plurality of submenus is navigable to a node selectable to request retrieval of a data file containing data related to a product within an electronic catalog. The plurality of submenus includes a plurality of levels of stock number submenus which are to be navigated using the stock keeping unit number for the product, a plurality of levels of product descriptor submenus which are to be navigated using a descriptor associated with the product, and a plurality of levels of brand name submenus which are to be navigated using a brand name of the product. The nodes within navigated to submenus function to indicate at least one alphanumeric character within a sequence of alphanumeric characters which forms stock keeping unit numbers for products, product descriptors associated with products, or brand names of products. The hierarchical menu structure is advantageously used to locate information for products within an electronic catalog stored within the memory of a device that fails to include a physical “qwerty” keyboard, such as an iPod brand portable media player.

Claims

1. A system for locating information relevant to a product within an electronic catalog, comprising:

a device having a display and a means for accepting user input; and

programming for displaying a hierarchical menu structure within the display and for accepting user input received via the means for accepting user input provided to navigate the hierarchical menu structure and to request retrieval of one or more data files containing data related to the product;

wherein the hierarchical menu structure comprises a plurality of submenus navigable to one or more nodes selectable to request retrieval of the one or more data files containing data related to the product wherein the plurality of submenus include a plurality of levels of stock number submenus which are to be navigated using the stock keeping unit number for the product, a plurality of levels of product descriptor submenus which are to be navigated using a descriptor associated with the product, and a plurality of levels of brand name submenus which are to be navigated using a brand name of the product and wherein nodes within the plurality of levels of stock number submenus function to indicate an alphanumeric character within a sequence of alphanumeric characters which forms stock keeping unit numbers for products within the electronic catalog, nodes within the plurality of levels of product descriptor submenus function to indicate an alphanumeric character within a sequence of alphanumeric characters which forms product descriptors associated with products with the electronic catalog, and nodes within the plurality of levels of brand name submenus function to indicate an alphanumeric character within a sequence of alphanumeric characters which forms brand names of products with the electronic catalog.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the device comprises a portable media player.

3. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more data files containing data related to the product are locally stored on the device.

4. A method for locating information relevant to a product within an electronic catalog, comprising:

displaying in a display of a device having a means for accepting user input a hierarchical menu structure comprised of a plurality of submenus navigable to one or more nodes selectable to request retrieval of the one or more data files containing data related to the product wherein the plurality of submenus include a plurality of levels of stock number submenus which are to be navigated using the stock keeping unit number for the product, a plurality of levels of product descriptor submenus which are to be navigated using a descriptor associated with the product, and a plurality of levels of brand name submenus which are to be navigated using a brand name of the product and wherein nodes within the plurality of levels of stock number submenus function to indicate an alphanumeric character within a sequence of alphanumeric characters which forms stock keeping unit numbers for products within the electronic catalog, nodes within the plurality of levels of product descriptor submenus function to indicate an alphanumeric character within a sequence of alphanumeric characters which forms product descriptors associated with products with the electronic catalog, and nodes within the plurality of levels of brand name submenus function to indicate an alphanumeric character within a sequence of alphanumeric characters which forms brand names of products with the electronic catalog;

accepting input via the means for accepting user input while changing which submenus of the hierarchical menu structure are displayed within the display as the means for accepting user input is used to navigate the hierarchical menu structure to the one or more nodes selectable to request retrieval of the one or more data files containing data related to the product; and

causing the one or more data files containing data related to the product to be retrieved in response to the means for accepting user input being used to select the one or more nodes.

5. The method as recited in claim 4, comprising displaying the hierarchical menu in the display of a portable media player.

6. The method as recited in claim 4, comprising displaying within at least one of the plurality of submenus at least one node selectable for further navigation within the hierarchical menu structure and at least one node selectable to request retrieval of one or more data files containing data related to a further product within the electronic catalog.

7. The method as recited in claim 4, comprising displaying within at least one of the plurality of submenus an indication of a page within a printed version of the electronic catalog at which the product may be found.

8. The method as recited in claim 4, comprising displaying within at least one of the plurality of submenus a selectable node which includes each alphanumeric character which was selected in a previously displayed submenu whereby at least a portion of the alphanumeric characters with the sequence of alphanumeric characters of the stock keeping unit number, product descriptor, or brand name of the product forms at least a part of the selectable node.

9. A computer readable media having computer readable instructions for use in locating information relevant to a product within an electronic catalog, the computer readable instructions being used to display within a display of a device a hierarchical menu structure comprised of a plurality of submenus navigable to one or more nodes selectable to request retrieval of the one or more data files containing data related to the product wherein the plurality of submenus include a plurality of levels of stock number submenus which are to be navigated using the stock keeping unit number for the product, a plurality of levels of product descriptor submenus which are to be navigated using a descriptor associated with the product, and a plurality of levels of brand name submenus which are to be navigated using a brand name of the product and wherein nodes within the plurality of levels of stock number submenus function to indicate an alphanumeric character within a sequence of alphanumeric characters which forms stock keeping unit numbers for products within the electronic catalog, nodes within the plurality of levels of product descriptor submenus function to indicate an alphanumeric character within a sequence of alphanumeric characters which forms product descriptors associated with products with the electronic catalog, and nodes within the plurality of levels of brand name submenus function to indicate an alphanumeric character within a sequence of alphanumeric characters which forms brand names of products with the electronic catalog.

10. The computer readable media as recited in claim 9, wherein the instructions cause a displaying within at least one of the plurality of submenus at least one node selectable for further navigation within the hierarchical menu structure and at least one node selectable to request retrieval of one or more data files containing data related to a further product within the electronic catalog.

11. The computer readable media as recited in claim 9, wherein the instructions cause a displaying within at least one of the plurality of submenus an indication of a page within a printed version of the electronic catalog at which the product may be found.

12. The computer readable media as recited in claim 9, wherein the instructions cause a displaying within at least one of the plurality of submenus a selectable node which includes each alphanumeric character which was selected in a previously displayed submenu such that a reminder is provided as to which previously displayed submenus were selected.

13. A method for locating information relevant to a product within an electronic catalog, comprising:

displaying in a display of a device having a means for accepting user input a hierarchical menu structure comprised of a plurality of submenus navigable to one or more nodes selectable to request retrieval of the one or more data files containing data related to the product wherein the plurality of submenus include a plurality of levels of stock number submenus which are to be navigated using the stock keeping unit number for the product, a plurality of levels of product descriptor submenus which are to be navigated using a descriptor associated with the product, and a plurality of levels of brand name submenus which are to be navigated using a brand name of the product and wherein nodes within the plurality of levels of stock number submenus function to indicate an alphanumeric character within a sequence of alphanumeric characters which forms stock keeping unit numbers for products within the electronic catalog, nodes within the plurality of levels of product descriptor submenus function to indicate an alphanumeric character within a sequence of alphanumeric characters which forms product descriptors associated with products with the electronic catalog, and nodes within the plurality of levels of brand name submenus function to indicate an alphanumeric character within a sequence of alphanumeric characters which forms brand names of products with the electronic catalog;

accepting input via the means for accepting user input while changing which submenus of the hierarchical menu structure are displayed within the display as the means for accepting user input is used to navigate the hierarchical menu structure to the one or more nodes selectable to request retrieval of the one or more data files containing data related to the product;

causing the one or more data files to be retrieved from a remotely located database server in response to the means for accepting user input being used to select the one or more nodes; and

causing the data related to product in the retrieved one or more data files to be displayed in the display of the device.

14. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein the one or more data files are retrieved from the database server by establishing an Internet connection with the database server.

15. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein the one or more data files are retrieved from the database server by placing the device into communication with a personal computer having internet connectivity to the database server.

16. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein the one or more data files retrieved comprises data related to product availability and the method comprises causing the data related to product availability in the retrieved one or more data files to be displayed in the display of the device.

17. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein the one or more data files retrieved comprises data related to product pricing and the method comprises causing the data related to product pricing in the retrieved one or more data files to be displayed in the display of the device.