Systems and methods for viewing product information, and methods for generating web pages

• US 6,484,149 B1
• Filed: 10/10/1997
• Issued: 11/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Jammes, Pierre J., Remington, Darren B., Franklin, D. Chase
• Primary Examiner(s): Smithers, Matthew
• Application Number:
  US08/948,453
• Time in Patent Office: 1,866 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/27, 705/28
• US Class Current: 705/26.62
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0625 Directed, with specific intent or strategy
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces

Abstract

A system and method for designing and operating an electronic store (1) permit a merchant to organize and advertise descriptions of product inventory over the Internet, (2) permit Web page information to be extracted on-demand from a product inventory database, and (3) permit Web pages to be automatically customized to fit shopping behaviors of individual consumers. A graphical store design user interface of a Web browser displays a hierarchical representation of products and, product groups of an electronic store. A user manipulates icons of the Web browser store design user interface to cause a Web server to modify relationships between products and product groups stored in a product information database. A store designer creates HTML template files, embeds database and customize references within the template files, and assigns template files to groups or products of the electronic store.

The Web server receives requests to access Web pages from consumers using standard Web browsers. The Web server opens a template file related to the requested Web page, creates hyperlinks and other information content by executing database references embedded within the template file, and merges the hyperlinks and content with the template file to generate an HTML Web page to send to the Web browser. The Web server automatically creates additional hyperlinks to any Web pages or products preferred by the consumer by executing customize instructions associated with customize references in a template file. To determine whether any products or Web pages are preferred by a consumer, the Web server examines a traffic analysis database and extracts the consumer'"'"'s history of accesses to Web pages and orders of products. For each Web page the consumer has accessed, the Web server uses preferred page rules to determine whether the page was accessed with sufficient frequency to generate a hyperlink to the page. For each product the consumer ordered, the Web server uses preferred product rules to determine whether the product was ordered with sufficient frequency to generate a hyperlink to a page offering the product.

Claims

1. A system for viewing product information, comprising:

a web server configured to run on a first computer;

a product information database including information describing a hierarchical relationship between groups of products, said product information database stored on a computer storage media, said web server having access to said product information database;

a web browser configured to run on a second computer, said web browser configured to generate a user interface, said user interface displaying icons representing said groups of products, said icons arranged to visually represent said relationship between said groups of products, said web browser configured to send a network message over a network to said web server in response to selection by a user of the second computer of one of said icons representing a first of said groups of products, said network message including a database query command that specifies a query of said product information database for related groups of products having said relationship to said first group of products; and

said web server configured to submit said query to said product information database, and to return to said web browser a web page including results of said query, said web page including information describing said related groups of products, said web browser configured to extract said information describing said related groups of products and to display second icons representing said related groups of products.

2. The system as described in claim 1 wherein said network message complies with an Internet protocol and said network is the Internet.

3. The system as described in claim 1 wherein an arrangement of said additional icons displayed by said user interface represents said relationship between said first group and said related groups.

4. A system for viewing product information, comprising:

a web server configured to run on a first computer;

a product information database including information describing a hierarchical relationship between a product and a group of products, said product information database stored on a computer storage media, said web server having access to said product information database;

a web browser configured to run on a second computer, said web browser configured to generate a user interface, said user interface displaying an icon representing said groups of products, said web browser responsive to user input such that a user, by selecting said icon, queries said product information database for any products having said relationship to said group of products and, in response to said selection, said user interface displays information representing said product;

a network message including a database query command, said message sent over a network by said web browser to said web server, said web server extracting said database query command from said network message to query said product information database; and

a web page including information representing said product, said web page sent over said network by said web server to said web browser, said web browser extracting said information representing said product to display a product icon representing said product, wherein an arrangement of said information displayed on said user interface represents said hierarchical relationship between said product and said group of products.

5. The system as described in claim 4 wherein said network message complies with an Internet protocol and said network is the Internet.

6. A system for generating web pages of an electronic store, comprising:

a web browser configured to run on a first computer;

a web server configured to run on a second computer;

a product information database including information describing a relationship between a group of products, said product information database comprising a relationship table that describes a relationship among a group of products, and a group table that is referenced by the relationship table, the group table containing data records that are identifiable by an ID value and further containing a product name and a template file name, said product information database stored on a computer storage media, said web server having access to said product information database;

a first web page including a first hyperlink identifying a template file stored on said computer storage media, said template file including content data complying with an Internet protocol and a database query command;

an Internet message including information identifying said template file, said Internet message generated by said web browser and sent over the Internet to said web server in response to a user selecting said first hyperlink; and

a second web page generated by said web server in response to receipt of said Internet message, said web page including said content data and also including result data generated by querying said product information database using said database query command, said result data containing at least one product name and at least one corresponding template file name.

7. The system as described in claim 6 wherein said content data include a hyperlink identifying a second template.

8. The system as described in claim 6 wherein said result data describe products or groups of products.

9. A method for automatically generating a web page wherein variable content data included in said web page are extracted from a database, said method comprising the steps of:

embedding a database reference within a template web page at a server, said database reference representing a database query, said template web page including fixed content data compatible with a network protocol;

monitoring web page requests;

responding to a request for a web page by scanning said template web page for said database reference;

extracting variable content data from said database by querying said database using said database query;

combining said variable content data with said fixed content data to create a web page; and

transmitting said web page to said network.

10. The method as described in claim 9 wherein said network in the Internet and wherein said web page complies with an Internet protocol.

11. The method as described in claim 10 wherein said fixed content data and said variable content data describe inventory of an electronic store.

12. A method for viewing product inventory information, said method comprising the steps of:

displaying, on a user interface of a web browser running on a first computer, a first group icon representing a first group of products of an electronic store;

monitoring user input for selection of said first group icon;

responding to said selection of said first group icon by embedding a database query command in a network message, said database query command designed to query a product inventory database for information describing groups of products related to said first group of products, the database query command containing at least one HTML template file request;

processing said network message with a second computer to extract from said network message said database query command including the one HTML template file request;

opening a template file corresponding to the one HTML template file request;

searching the opened template file for any query scripts;

querying a product inventory database using a query script to generate query result data including information describing a second group of products related to said first group of products;

embedding said query result data in a web page, the query result data including at least one name and template file;

processing said web page with said first computer to extract said query result data; and

displaying a second group icon on said user interface at a location indicating that said second group icon is subordinate to said first group icon, said second group icon representing said second group products.

13. The method as described in claim 12 wherein said network message and said web page comply with respective Internet protocols and said network is the Internet.

14. The method as described in claim 12 further comprising the steps of:

monitoring user input for selection of said second group icon; and

responding to said selection of said second group icon by displaying on said user interface said information describing said second group of products.

15. The method as described in claim 14 further comprising the steps of:

monitoring user input for selection of a contract icon associated with said first group icon;

responding to selection of said contract icon by hiding said second group icon from view on said user interface;

monitoring user input for selection of an expand icon associated with said first group icon; and

responding to selection of said expand icon by displaying said second group icon on said user interface at a location indicating that said second group icon is subordinate to said first group icon.

16. The method as described in claim 12 wherein said database query command is designed to query a product inventory database for information describing a product related to said first group of products, wherein aid query result data include information describing a product related to said first group of products, and wherein said step of displaying comprises displaying a product icon on said user interface at a location indicating that said product icon is subordinate to said first group icon, said product icon representing said product.

17. The method as described in claim 16 further comprising the steps of:

monitoring user input for selection of a contract icon associated with said first group icon;

responding to selection of said contract icon by hiding said product icon from view on said user interface;

monitoring user input for selection of an expand icon associated with said first group icon; and

responding to selection of said expand icon by displaying said product icon on said user interface at a location indicating that said product icon is subordinate to said first group icon.