Method and system for placing a purchase order via a communications network

• US 7,792,705 B2
• Filed: 05/21/2007
• Issued: 09/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Amazon.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Amazon.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Pope, Gene, Mohit, Maryam, Bezos, Jeffrey P., Kaphan, Sheldon J., McQueen, Colleen, Prudente, James
• Primary Examiner(s): Rosen; Nicholas D
• Application Number:
  US11/751,483
• Publication Number:
  US 20080004982A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,205 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/500
• US Class Current: 705/26.81
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/002 Vending machines being part of a centrally controlled network of vending machines

Abstract

Coordinating delivery of a gift from a gift giver to a recipient when sufficient information to deliver the gift is not provided in the gift order is disclosed. The gift order is placed by a purchaser at a client system and received by a server system. The server system receives purchaser information including identification of the purchaser, payment information, as well as recipient information. In response to the recipient information not including sufficient information so that the gift can be delivered to the recipient, the server system obtains delivery information for the gift order from one or more sources other than the gift giver and recipient. The server system directs the gift to be delivered to the recipient as indicated by the delivery information in response to sufficient delivery information being obtained.

Claims

1. A method in a computer system for coordinating delivery of a gift from a gift giver to a recipient, the method comprising:

receiving at a server computer a gift order specifying the gift from the gift giver to the recipient;

determining by the server computer whether the gift order includes sufficient information so that the gift can be delivered to the recipient;

in response to sufficient information not being provided in the gift order, the server computer obtaining delivery information for the gift order from one or more information sources other than the gift giver and recipient; and

in response to sufficient delivery information being obtained from the additional information sources so that the gift specified by the gift order can be delivered to the recipient, directing the gift to be delivered to the recipient as indicated by the delivery information.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein when the gift order contains information such that the recipient can be contacted, obtaining the delivery information by contacting the recipient directly.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the recipient is contacted directly by sending an electronic mail message.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the gift order includes an electronic mail address of the recipient.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein the recipient is contacted directly by a voice telephone call.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the obtaining of delivery information includes collecting information from one or more information sources selected from among an Internet-based telephone database, an Internet-based electronic mail database, a local telephone database, a local electronic mail database, a database of previous recipients and gift givers, an Internet-based search engine, and a database of information relating to the domain name registration of an electronic mail address of the recipient.

7. The method of claim 1 including receiving an indication of the gift order from a computer system of the gift giver.

8. The method of claim 1 including assigning an order tracking number to the gift order.

9. The method of claim 8 including sending an electronic mail message to the recipient that includes the order tracking number.

10. The method of claim 1 including sending an electronic mail message to the recipient to notify the recipient of the gift.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the gift order has an associated status with a value selected from the group comprising received, response pending, collecting additional contact information, verifying delivery information, on hold, and schedule for delivery.

12. A computer system for coordinating delivery of a gift from a gift giver to a recipient, comprising:

a processor;

a component that receives at a server computer a gift order specifying the gift from the gift giver to the recipient;

an order database with information describing the gift order received from the gift giver;

a component that determines by the server computer whether the gift order of the order database includes sufficient information so that the gift can be delivered to the recipient;

a component that, in response to sufficient information not being provided in the gift order, causes the server computer to obtain delivery information for the gift order from one or more information sources other than the gift giver and the recipient; and

a component that, in response to sufficient delivery information being obtained from the additional information sources so that the gift specified by the gift order can be delivered to the recipient, directs the gift to be delivered to the recipient as indicated by the delivery information.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the gift order includes an electronic mail address of the recipient.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein the obtaining of delivery information includes collecting information from one or more information sources selected from among an Internet-based telephone database, an Internet-based electronic mail database, a local telephone database, a local electronic mail database, a database of previous recipients and gift givers, an Internet-based search engine, and a database of information relating to the domain name registration of an electronic mail address of the recipient.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the component that receives at the server computer a gift order is configured to receive an indication of the gift order from a computer system of the gift giver.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the component that receives at the server computer a gift order is configured to send an electronic mail message to the recipient to notify the recipient of the gift.

17. A computer-readable medium containing instructions for controlling a computer system to coordinate delivery of a gift from a gift giver to a recipient, by a method comprising:

receiving at a server computer a gift order specifying the gift from the gift giver to the recipient;

determining by the server computer whether the gift order includes sufficient information so that the gift can be delivered to the recipient;

in response to sufficient information not being provided in the gift order, the server computer automatically obtaining delivery information for the gift order from one or more information sources other than the gift giver and the recipient; and

in response to sufficient delivery information being obtained from the additional information sources so that the gift specified by the gift order can be delivered to the recipient, directing the gift to be delivered to the recipient as indicated by the delivery information.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17 wherein the gift order includes an electronic mail address of the recipient.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the method further comprises sending an electronic mail message to the electronic mail address to notify the recipient of the gift.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 17 wherein the obtaining of delivery information includes collecting information from one or more information sources selected from among an Internet-based telephone database, an Internet-based electronic mail database, a local telephone database, a local electronic mail database, a database of previous recipients and gift givers, an Internet-based search engine, and a database of information relating to the domain name registration of an electronic mail address of the recipient.