RULE-BASED TRANSFERABLE SHOPPING BASKET FOR ONLINE PURCHASES

• US 20140222617A1
• Filed: 11/06/2013
• Published: 08/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jiang Ling Du, Kingsum Chow
• Original Assignee: Jiang Ling Du, Kingsum Chow
• Inventors: Chow, Kingsum, Du, Jiang Ling
• Granted Patent: US 9,639,884 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26.8
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces

Abstract

An online shopping basket is acquired by a buyer from an online store and is customized according to rules specified by the buyer. The buyer places zero or more items in the online shopping basket(s) before they are given to at least one shopper by the online store. The shopper(s) may further customize the online shopping basket(s) with rules that do not conflict with those specified by the buyer. The shopper(s) then place zero or more items in the online shopping basket(s) and return the basket(s) to the online store. Multiple online shopping baskets are merged into a single basket, and the buyer reviews the items in the merged online shopping basket and adds or removes items as necessary. The buyer then purchases the remaining items from the online store.

Claims

1. A web server device for merging online shopping baskets, the web server device comprising:

a processor; and

a machine-readable storage medium comprising a plurality of instructions, that in response to being executed by the processor, cause the web server device to;

associate a primary online shopping basket with a first customer,

associate at least one secondary online shopping basket with a customer different from the first customer, wherein the at least one secondary online shopping basket is associated with corresponding pre-defined rules specified by the first customer and which define a total purchase price and an item category from which items within the at least one secondary shopping basket must comply,

allow entry into the at least one secondary shopping basket of the items which comply with the corresponding pre-defined rules specified by the first customer,

selectively merge items from the at least one secondary online shopping basket into the primary online shopping basket, the selection being based in part on the corresponding pre-defined rules specified by the first customer, to create a single merged online shopping basket, and

display the items merged into the single merged online shopping basket simultaneously with each other on a web page such that the items are simultaneously viewable on the web page before checkout of the selected items in the single merged online shopping basket during a single purchase transaction.

2. A machine-readable storage medium comprising a plurality of instructions, that in response to being executed by a web server device, result in the web server device:

associating a primary online shopping basket with a first customer;

associating at least one secondary online shopping basket with a customer different from the first customer, wherein the at least one secondary online shopping basket is associated with corresponding pre-defined rules specified by the first customer and which define a total purchase price and an item category from which items within the at least one secondary shopping basket must comply;

allowing entry into the at least one secondary shopping basket of the items which comply with the corresponding pre-defined rules specified by the first customer;

selectively merging items from the at least one secondary online shopping basket into the primary online shopping basket, the selection being based in part on the corresponding pre-defined rules specified by the first customer, to create a single merged online shopping basket; and

displaying the items merged into the single merged online shopping basket simultaneously with each other on a web page such that the items are simultaneously viewable on the web page before checkout of the selected items in the single merged online shopping basket during a single purchase transaction.

3. A web server device for merging online shopping baskets, the web server device comprising:

a processor; and

a machine-readable storage medium comprising a plurality of instructions, that in response to being executed by the processor, cause the web server device to;

associate a primary online shopping basket with a first customer,

associate at least one secondary online shopping basket with a second customer, wherein the second customer being different from the first customer, and wherein the at least one secondary online shopping basket is associated with (i) first corresponding pre-defined rules specified by the first customer and which define purchase preferences of the first customer for items within the at least one secondary shopping basket, and (ii) second corresponding pre-defined rules specified by the second customer and which define purchase preferences of the second customer for items within the at least one secondary shopping basket,

verify that the second corresponding pre-defined rules specified by the second customer do not conflict with the first corresponding pre-defined rules specified by the first customer,

allow entry into the at least one secondary shopping basket of the items which comply with the corresponding first and second pre-defined rules specified by the first and second customers,

selectively merge items from the at least one secondary online shopping basket into the primary online shopping basket, the selection being based in part on the corresponding first and second pre-defined rules, to create a single merged online shopping basket, and

display the items merged into the single merged online shopping basket simultaneously with each other on a web page such that the items are simultaneously viewable on the web page before checkout of the selected items in the single merged online shopping basket during a single purchase transaction.