Method for managing an electronic-commerce shopping cart

• US 7,110,968 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2001
• Issued: 09/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Jaffe, Stephen Eric, Priester, Dellena Wyman, Haynes, Dennis Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): Garg, Yogesh C.
• Application Number:
  US09/845,362
• Publication Number:
  US 20020161661A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,968 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/27, 379/88.17, 709/229
• US Class Current: 705/26.8
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing

Abstract

The invention helps an on-line shopper maintain the proper relationship between primary items in a shopping cart and secondary items in the shopping cart, where secondary items are items that normally accompany the purchase of primary items. The server that provides the on-line shopping service awaits a shopper'"'"'s commands. When a command is detected that indicates a change in an attribute of a primary item, the server checks the shopper'"'"'s shopping cart to identify secondary items linked to the primary item whose attribute was changed. If a secondary item linked to the primary item is identified, the server then solicits the shopper'"'"'s authorization to change a corresponding attribute of the secondary item. If the shopper grants authorization, the server changes the corresponding attribute of the secondary item accordingly. An item'"'"'s attribute may be the quantity of the item in a shopping cart, the size of the item, the color of the item, the texture of the item, and so forth.

Claims

1. A method for managing an electronic commerce (e-commerce) shopping cart relating to communication between a shopper and a server over a communication network, said method comprising the steps of:

determining by the server whether a shopping command of the shopper has changed an attribute of a primary item in the shopping cart;

after the server has determined that the shopping command has changed the attribute of the primary item in the shopping cart, identifying by the server a secondary item in the shopping cart linked to the primary item; and

changing by the server a corresponding attribute of the secondary item in response to the change in the attribute of the primary item.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein after said identifying step and before said changing step, said method further comprising the steps of:

soliciting and receiving by the server authorization from the shopper to change the corresponding attribute of the secondary item in response to the change in the attribute of the primary item.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said authorization is explicit.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein said authorization is implicit.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein before said determining step, said method further comprising the step of:

waiting by the server for said shopping command and continuing to wait by the server for said shopping command so long as said shopping command has not been received by the server.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein after said determining step has determined that the shopping command has changed the attribute of said primary item and before said identifying step, said method further comprising the steps of:

ascertaining whether the primary item is a new primary item; and

after said ascertaining has ascertained that no primary item is not said new primary item, then performing said identifying step.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the attribute of the primary item and the corresponding attribute of the secondary item are a same attribute.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the attribute of the primary item and the corresponding attribute of the secondary item are different attributes.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication network comprises the Internet.

10. The method of claim 1, said determining, identifying, and changing steps being performed for a merchant of the primary item.

11. A system, comprising a server adapted to implement a method for managing an electronic commerce (e-commerce) shopping cart relating to communication between a shopper and a server over a communication network, said method comprising the steps of:

determining by the server whether a shopping command of the shopper has changed an attribute of a primary item in the shopping cart;

after the server has determined that the shopping command has changed the attribute of the primary item in the shopping cart, identifying by the server a secondary item in the shopping cart linked to the primary item; and

changing by the server a corresponding attribute of the secondary item in response to the change in the attribute of the primary item.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein after said identifying step and before said changing step, said method further comprising the step of:

soliciting and receiving by the server authorization from the shopper to change the corresponding attribute of the secondary item in response to the change in the attribute of the primary item.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein said authorization is explicit.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein said authorization is explicit.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein before said determining step, said method further comprising the step of:

waiting by the server for said shopping command and continuing to wait by the server for said shopping command so long as said shopping command has not been received by the server.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein after said determining step has determined that the shopping command has changed the attribute of said primary item and before said identifying step, said method further comprising the steps of:

ascertaining whether the primary item is a new primary item; and

after said ascertaining has ascertained that the primary item is not said new primary item, then performing said identifying step.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the attribute of the primary item and the corresponding attribute of the secondary item are a same attribute.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the attribute of the primary item and the corresponding attribute of the secondary item are different attributes.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the communication network comprises the Internet.

20. The system of claim 11, said determining, identifying, and changing steps being performed for a merchant of the primary item.