Video rental e-commerce solution

• US 7,324,961 B2
• Filed: 06/21/2001
• Issued: 01/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Al-Azzawe, Abdul Hamid
• Primary Examiner(s): Garg; Yogesh C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shah; Amee A.
• Application Number:
  US09/886,747
• Publication Number:
  US 20020169656A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,413 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/27
• US Class Current: 705/26.7
• 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 20/3829 involving key management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0203 Market surveys; Market polls
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0253 During e-commerce, i.e. online 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0645 Rental transactions; Leasing transactions

Abstract

A method and system for providing a business-to-business network service for applications used by service providers is disclosed. The method and system include providing a central application capable of communicating with at least two applications over a public network, such as the Internet, and providing a repository database for storing customer information that spans more than one of the service providers. The method and system further include allowing the applications to query the repository database through the central application, thereby making the customer information accessible to each of the applications.

Claims

1. A method for providing a business-to-business network service for applications used by service providers, the method comprising:

providing a central application capable of communicating with at least two rental applications over a public network;

providing a repository database for storing customer information that spans more than one of the service providers, wherein the service providers provide video rental services, wherein each service provider registers as clients with the central application through the at least two rental applications, and wherein the customer information comprises one or more of a list of business customers, a customer wish list, customer rental history, and customer evaluations;

receiving different customer information from each of the rental applications;

storing the customer information in XML format, and communicating between the rental applications and the network service using XML messages;

aggregating the customer information across the service providers;

allowing the rental applications to query the repository database through the central application, thereby making the customer information accessible to each of the rental applications, wherein the central application communicates via Hyptertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) servlets or in Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) envelopes;

analyzing the customer information in the repository database to uncover patterns and relationships relating to the customers'"'"' rental activities and histories, wherein the repository database includes a first component for storing information regarding each of the service providers, a second component for storing information regarding each of the rental customers, and a third component for storing data that describes movie titles;

returning, in response to the queries, one or more of a recommended list, an order list, a user rating list, and a list of user infractions based on the analyzed customer information;

storing movie title information in the repository database, wherein the movie title information comprises movie title information from movie distributors;

making the movie title information accessible by the rental applications, and wherein making the movie title information accessible by the rental applications eliminates a need to manually enter information at the rental stores; and

in response to a user accessing the repository database;

displaying a list of movie titles to a user based on the analyzed customer information;

displaying a combination of indicators from among a group comprising an in stock or out of stock indicator, an already rented/purchased indicator, an order command, an add to wish-list command, and an add to shopping cart command based on the analyzed customer information, and wherein the customer information includes customer historical data; and

displaying the combination of indicators adjacent to each movie title on the list to allow the user to take action with respect to a particular movie title, wherein a click on an indicator initiates a corresponding action, wherein the user is enabled to take the action on a same movie title page that displays the list of movie titles without having to navigate to a separate movie title page in order to take the action.

2. A system for providing a network service for applications used by service providers comprising:

a central computer having a central application capable of communicating with at least two rental applications over a public network;

at least two service provider computers;

a network that connects the central computer with the at least two server provider computers; and

a repository database residing at the central computer for storing customer information that spans more than one of the service providers, wherein the service providers provide video rental services, wherein each service provider registers as clients with the central application through the at least two rental applications, wherein the customer information comprises one or more of a list of business customers, a customer wish list, customer rental history, and customer evaluations, wherein the central application stores the customer information in XML format, and communicating between the rental applications and the network service using XML messages, and wherein the repository database receives different customer information from each of the rental applications, wherein the central application is operable to aggregate the customer information across the service providers, wherein the central application communicates via Hyptertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) servlets or in Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) envelopes, wherein the rental applications may query the repository database through the central application, thereby making the customer information accessible to each of the rental applications, wherein the central application analyzes the customer information in the repository database to uncover patterns and relationships relating to the customers'"'"' rental activities and histories, and wherein the central application returns, in response to the queries, one or more of a recommended list, an order list, a user rating list, and a list of user infractions based on the analyzed customer information, wherein the repository database includes a first component for storing information regarding each of the service providers, a second component for storing information regarding each of the rental customers, and a third component for storing data that describes movie titles, wherein the central application stores movie title information in the repository database, wherein the movie title information comprises movie title information from movie distributors, wherein the central application stores makes the movie title information accessible by the rental applications, wherein making the movie title information accessible by the rental applications eliminates a need to manually enter information at the rental stores, wherein in response to a user accessing the repository database, the central application displays a list of movie titles to a user based on the analyzed customer information, wherein, in further response to the user accessing the repository database, the central application displays a combination of indicators from among a group comprising an in stock or out of stock indicator, an already rented/purchased indicator, an order command, an add to wish-list command, and an add to shopping cart command based on the analyzed customer information, wherein the customer information includes customer historical data, and wherein, in further response to a user accessing the repository database, the central application displays the combination of indicators adjacent to each movie title on the list that allow the user to take action with respect to a particular movie title, wherein a click on an indicator initiates a corresponding action, wherein the user is enabled to take the action on a same movie title page that displays the list of movie titles without having to navigate to a separate movie title page in order to take the action.

3. A computer-readable medium containing executable program instructions for providing a business-to-business network service for rental applications used by rental chains, the program instructions for:

providing a central application capable of communicating with at least two rental applications over a public network;

providing a repository database for storing customer information that spans more than one of the rental chains, wherein each rental chain registers as clients with the central application through the at least two rental applications, and wherein the customer information comprises one or more of a list of business customers, a customer wish list, customer rental history, and customer evaluations;

storing the customer information in XML format, and communicating between the rental applications and the network service using XML messages;

receiving different customer information from each of the rental applications;

aggregating the customer information across the service providers;

allowing the rental applications to query the repository database through the central application, thereby making the customer information accessible to each of the rental applications, wherein the central application communicates via Hyptertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) servlets or in Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) envelopes;

analyzing the customer information in the repository database to uncover patterns and relationships relating to the customers'"'"' rental activities and histories, wherein the repository database includes a first component for storing information regarding each of the service providers, a second component for storing information regarding each of the rental customers, and a third component for storing data that describes movie titles;

returning, in response to the queries, one or more of a recommended list, an order list, a user rating list, and a list of user infractions based on the analyzed customer information;

storing movie title information in the repository database, wherein the movie title information comprises movie title information from movie distributors;

making the movie title information accessible by the rental applications, wherein making the movie title information accessible by the rental applications eliminates a need to manually enter information at the rental stores;

in response to a user accessing the repository database;

displaying a list of movie titles to a user based on the analyzed customer information;

displaying a combination of indicators from among a group comprising an in stock or out of stock indicator, an already rented/purchased indicator, an order command, an add to wish-list command, and an add to shopping cart command based on the analyzed customer information, wherein the customer information includes customer historical data; and

displaying the combination of indicators adjacent to each movie title on the list that allow the user to take action with respect to a particular movie title, wherein a click on an indicator initiates a corresponding action, wherein the user is enabled to take the action on a same movie title page that displays the list of movie titles without having to navigate to a separate movie title page in order to take the action.