User interface for product comparison

• US 8,863,014 B2
• Filed: 10/19/2011
• Issued: 10/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: New Commerce Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: New Commerce Solutions, Inc.
• Inventors: Legris, Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): Abdul-Ali, Omar
• Assistant Examiner(s): PAN, PHOEBE X
• Application Number:
  US13/276,998
• Publication Number:
  US 20130104063A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,091 Days
• Field of Search: 705 2661- 2664, 715/784
• US Class Current: 715/765
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2428 Query predicate definition using graphical user interfaces, including menus and forms G06F16/2423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces

Abstract

A novel search interface embedded in the specification sheet of a product. By manipulating the specification sheet of the product the user may filter and refine the search results without having to type search queries and without having to return to the main search result page. The user may select one (or more) of the product characteristics listed in the specification sheet to activate as a search criterion. For example, if the user is viewing monitors and activates the LED backlight product characteristic as a search criterion, the search interface would perform a search to filter out plasma monitors, LCD monitors etc. The user may manipulate other data in the specification sheet including the priority of the activated product characteristics, the order in which the product characteristics are displayed in the specification sheet. The user may also set search filters for the parameters of the product characteristics.

Claims

1. A computing device comprising a memory and a processor to execute one or more programs stored on the memory for implementing a graphical user interface, the graphical user interface comprising:

a first region for displaying a single product from a search result returning one or more products;

a second region for displaying a specification sheet of the product displayed in the first region, the specification sheet including a plurality of product characteristics specific to the product, each product characteristic being provided at a given location within the second region, at least one of the product characteristics in the second region being selectively activated and selectively ranked by the user as a search criterion, wherein each location represents a ranking of the associated product characteristic with respect to other product characteristics when the product characteristic is activated as a search criterion, and wherein the ranking of a selected product characteristic is changed by dragging the selected product characteristic and dropping it in a different location in the second region;

wherein upon detection of a change in the activation and/or ranking of a selected product characteristic in the second region, a search is performed using, as search criteria, all activated product characteristics and their associated ranking, wherein the products returned by the search are displayed in the first region one product at a given time.

2. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the search results returned by the search are sorted in accordance with the ranking associated with the activated product characteristics.

3. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface visually reorders the product characteristics in accordance with the ranking associated with each product characteristic.

4. The computing device of claim 1, further comprising a search filter for a parameter available on one or more of the product characteristics.

5. The computing device of claim 4, wherein the search filter comprises one of:

a search range and a selection of one or more options.

6. The computing device of claim 5, the graphical user interface is adapted to receive a user input prioritizing one or more options of the search filter, and sort the products in accordance with a priority associated with each search filter option.

7. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the first region is scrollable to illustrate different products one product at a time.

8. The computing device of claim 7, wherein the product characteristics in the second region are updated every time a different product is displayed in the first region.

9. The computing device of claim 7, wherein the user may personalize a visual appearance of the specification sheet by reordering activated and non-activated product characteristics in a specified order, wherein the specified order applies to currently and subsequently viewed products.

10. The computing device of claim 7, further comprising a visual indicator that indicates a number of products found in the search, and a visual indicator that indicates a position of the product displayed in the third region with respect to the first and last products found in the search.

11. The computing device of claim 7, wherein the graphical user interface switches between one product and the other in response to swiping the second region in a desired direction.

12. The computing device of claim 7, wherein the first region comprises a photo of the product.

13. The computing device of claim 1, wherein when more than one product characteristic are activated, the graphical user interface returns sorted search results which are based on a weighted ranking of the activated product characteristics.

14. The computing device of claim 1, wherein content of the first region and of the second region is received from a remote server over a communication network and/or loaded from at least one of:

a local database and data files.

15. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs comprising instructions which when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to implement a graphical user interface comprising:

a first region for displaying a single product from a search result returning one or more products;

a second region for displaying a specification sheet of the product displayed in the first region, the specification sheet including a plurality of product characteristics specific to the product, each product characteristic being provided at a given location within the second region, at least one of the product characteristics in the second region being selectively activated and selectively ranked by the user as a search criterion wherein each location represents a ranking of the associated product characteristic with respect to other product characteristics when the product characteristic is activated as a search criterion, wherein the ranking of a selected product characteristic is changed by dragging the selected product characteristic and dropping it in a different location in the second region;

wherein upon detection of a change in the activation and/or ranking of a selected product characteristic in the second region, a search is performed using, as search criteria, all activated product characteristics and their associated ranking wherein the products returned by the search are displayed in the first region one product at a given time.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the graphical user interface includes a search filter for a parameter available on one or more of the product characteristics, the graphical user interface being adapted to receive a user input prioritizing one or more options of the search filter, and sort the products in accordance with a priority associated with each search filter option.

16. A method for performing a search using a computing device, the method comprising:

loading one or more search results representative of products, and a specification sheet for each product, the specification sheet comprising a plurality of product characteristics specific to one product;

displaying a single product in a search result region on a display;

displaying the specification sheet of the single product in a product characteristic region on the display, wherein each product characteristic is provided at a given location within the product characteristic region; and

receiving a user input on the product characteristic region, the user input including one or more of;

activating, deactivating, and ranking one or more product characteristics as a search criterion;

wherein each location represents a ranking of the associated product characteristic with respect to other product characteristics when the product characteristic is activated as a search criterion, wherein changing a ranking of a selected product characteristic comprises dragging the selected product characteristic and dropping it in a different location in the product characteristic region;

initiating a new search using, as search criteria, all activated product characteristics and their associated ranking in response to detection of a change in the activation and/or ranking of a selected product characteristic in the characteristic region;

Displaying products returned by the new search in the search result region a single product at a given time.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the activating and the ranking exclude the typing of search queries.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein ranking comprises setting a new rank or modifying an existing rank.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the search results returned by the search are sorted in accordance with the ranking associated with the activated product characteristics.

21. The method of claim 16, further comprising setting a search filter for a parameter of the product characteristics prior to performing the search.

22. The method of the claim 21, wherein the search filter comprises one of:

search range and a selection of one or more options.

23. The method of claim 16, wherein initiating the new search comprises refining an existing search.

24. The method of claim 22, further comprising

receiving another user input prioritizing one or more options of the search filter;

and

sorting the products in accordance with a priority associated with each search filter option.

25. The method of claim 16, further comprising navigating through different products by swiping the search result region in a desired direction.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprises updating the product characteristics in the product characteristic region every time a different product is displayed in the search result region.

27. A computing device for performing product search comprising:

a processor;

a memory storing one or more programs, the one or more programs comprising instructions which, when executed by the processor of the computing device, cause the computing device to;

load one or more search results representative of products, and a specification sheet for each product, the specification sheet comprising a plurality of product characteristics for a single product;

display the single product in a search result region on a display device;

display the specification sheet of the single product in a product characteristic region on the display device, wherein each product characteristic is provided at a given location within the product characteristic region;

receive a user input on the product characteristic region including one or more of;

activating, deactivating, and ranking one or more product characteristics as a search criterion wherein each location represents a ranking of the associated product characteristic with respect to other product characteristics when the product characteristic is activated as a search criterion, wherein detecting a change of ranking of a selected product characteristic comprises detecting a user input dragging the selected product characteristic and dropping it in a different location in the product characteristic region;

initiate a new search using, as search criteria, the activated product characteristics in response to detection of a change in ranking of the selected product characteristics in the characteristic region; and

display products returned by the new search in the search result region one product at a time.

28. The computing device of claim 27, wherein the display device is embedded within the computing device, the display device being a touch-sensitive display.

29. The computing device of claim 27, further comprising a communication interface, the computing device is for receiving the specification sheet from a server over a communication network using the communication interface.

30. The computing device of claim 27, wherein the computing device displays the search results on the display device in a search result region distinct from the product characteristic region, the search result region being scrollable to display different products, one product at a time.