U.S. patent application number 13/794566 was filed with the patent office on 2014-07-24 for recipient interface for a gift transaction system.
This patent application is currently assigned to Loop Commerce, Inc.. The applicant listed for this patent is LOOP COMMERCE, INC.. Invention is credited to Roy Erez, Alex Sirota.
Application Number | 20140207659 13/794566 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 51208472 |
Filed Date | 2014-07-24 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140207659 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Erez; Roy ; et al. |
July 24, 2014 |
RECIPIENT INTERFACE FOR A GIFT TRANSACTION SYSTEM
Abstract
A gift transaction system with a recipient interface in the form
of an interactive gift notification is disclosed. The interactive
gift notification facilitates customization of a gift package sent
from a buyer as well as providing an interface to exchange the
originally intended gift item. A method of operating the gift
transaction system includes: receiving a gift transaction to send a
gift item to a recipient from a buyer; generating an interactive
gift notification for the recipient based on the gift transaction;
receiving a shipping address for the gift transaction through the
interactive gift notification; and sending a notification to a
merchant store to ship a gift package including the gift item to
the shipping address.
Inventors: |
Erez; Roy; (Palo Alto,
CA) ; Sirota; Alex; (Los Altos, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
LOOP COMMERCE, INC. |
Mountain View |
CA |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Loop Commerce, Inc.
Mountain View
CA
|
Family ID: |
51208472 |
Appl. No.: |
13/794566 |
Filed: |
March 11, 2013 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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61754497 |
Jan 18, 2013 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
705/39 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 20/384 20200501;
G06Q 20/102 20130101; G06Q 20/12 20130101; G06Q 30/0633 20130101;
G06Q 30/0641 20130101; G07F 17/40 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
705/39 |
International
Class: |
G06Q 20/12 20060101
G06Q020/12 |
Claims
1. A processor-implemented method comprising: receiving a gift
transaction to send a gift item to a recipient from a buyer;
generating an interactive gift notification for the recipient based
on the gift transaction; receiving a shipping address for the gift
transaction through the interactive gift notification; and sending
a notification to a merchant store to ship a gift package including
the gift item to the shipping address.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the gift transaction
includes receiving a recipient email address; and further
comprising sending the interactive gift notification to the
recipient email address.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein sending the interactive gift
notification to the recipient email address includes customizing an
email including a link to the interactive gift notification and a
gift greeting page personalized by the buyer.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the gift transaction
includes receiving a recipient social media account identifier; and
further comprising sending the interactive gift notification to a
recipient social media account associated with the recipient social
media account identifier, the recipient social media account
accessible through a social media website.
5. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a web link
to the interactive gift notification.
6. The method of claim 5, further comprising printing a
merchant-branded gift card with the web link for distribution.
7. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a unique
identifier associated with the interactive gift notification for
the gift transaction.
8. The method of claim 1, further comprising recording a
customization of the gift item through the interactive gift
notification, wherein the gift package includes a customized
version of the gift item.
9. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing to the
recipient, via the interactive gift notification, a recipient
interface to select an additional item to add to the gift
package.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein a multimedia object selected by
the buyer related to the gift item, the merchant, or the buyer
account is provided via the interactive gift notification.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein a marketing multimedia object
associated with the gift item or the merchant store is provided via
the interactive gift notification.
12. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the interactive gift
notification is based on a plurality of gift transactions from a
plurality of buyers.
13. The method of claim 1, wherein the interactive gift
notification links to a recipient interface embedded within a
digital store front of the merchant store.
14. The method of claim 1, further comprising, in response to
receiving the shipping address, providing a gift recipient
suggestion to the interactive gift notification for the recipient
to initiate another gift transaction.
15. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving an item
selection to be stored in a wish list of the recipient via the
interactive gift notification.
16. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a recipient
interface for the recipient to customize a multimedia thank you
note to the buyer.
17. A processor-implemented method comprising: receiving a gift
transaction to send a gift item to a recipient; generating an
interactive gift notification for the recipient based on the gift
transaction; detecting an indication of exchange intent to elect an
exchange item instead of the gift item via the interactive gift
notification; receiving a shipping address for the gift transaction
through the interactive gift notification; and sending a
notification to a merchant store to ship a gift package including
the exchange item to the shipping address.
18. The method of claim 17, further comprising receiving an
alternative item at the buyer gift interface, wherein the exchange
item elected is the alternative item.
19. The method of claim 17, further comprising generating a payment
invoice on the interactive gift notification for a price difference
between an exchange item price of the exchange item and a gift item
price of the gift item when the exchange item price is greater than
the gift item price.
20. The method of claim 17, further comprising generating a stored
credit identifier for a price difference between an exchange item
price of the exchange item and a gift item price of the gift item
when the exchange item price is less than the gift item price.
21. The method of claim 20, wherein the stored credit identifier is
a gift card available to be used across a network of merchant
stores.
22. The method of claim 17, wherein the exchange item is selected
from a different merchant store from an original merchant store of
gift item selected by the buyer account.
23. A gift transaction system comprising: a gift transaction server
including a processor and a non-transitory storage medium having
modules executable by the processor, the modules including: a
recipient interface module configured to: receive a gift
transaction to send a gift item to a recipient; generate an
interactive gift notification for the recipient; receive a shipping
address for the gift transaction through the interactive gift
notification; and a merchant back-end interface module configured
to send a notification to a merchant store to ship a gift package
to the shipping address.
24. The gift transaction system of claim 23, wherein the recipient
interface module is further configured to receive an indication to
elect an exchange item instead of the gift item via the interactive
gift notification; and wherein the merchant-back-end interface
module is further configured to send the notification to the
merchant store to ship the gift package including the exchange
item.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Patent Application Ser. No. 61/754,497 filed Jan. 18, 2013, and the
subject matter thereof is incorporated herein by reference
thereto.
FIELD OF INVENTION
[0002] This invention relates generally to an electronic commerce
system, and in particular to an electronic commerce system with
gift transaction management capability.
BACKGROUND
[0003] There are several ways to purchase and send gifts to friends
and family, including purchasing an item directly in a store,
purchasing the item online and delivering it to the gift recipient,
reimbursing someone for purchasing a gift for him/herself,
purchasing an item on a gift registry, or purchasing a gift card.
Gift buying is a personal gesture. One where much thought and
creativity goes into. When a buyer puts in the thought of selecting
a gift on her/his own, the buyer cares about the perceived effort
and thoughtfulness put into selecting the gift. The buyer wants the
recipient to know that effort and thoughtfulness existed in the
process and the buyer has specifically thought about the recipient
when making the purchase.
[0004] In many cases, buyers wanting to purchase a gift online and
send a personal and thoughtful gift are unable to do so due to
constraints. For example, the constraints can include: not knowing
exactly what to get and the social awkwardness of asking the
recipient; not getting enough support at the time of purchase to
find the `right gift`; not knowing personal attributes such as size
or color of a product; not knowing the physical address required to
ship to the gift to; inability to get the gift they want delivered
on time; etc. An alternative stemming from these constraints on a
gift purchase could be purchasing a gift card. However, the gift
card leaves the gift buyer unsatisfied and frustrated because the
buyer could not convey the thoughtfulness in choosing a personal
and unique gift and because the buyer is forced to highlight the
amount given for the gift instead of the thoughtfulness of the
gift. The recipient is sometimes also left unsatisfied with the
gift or gift card, as there is a disappointment in the lack of
effort and thoughtfulness put into the gift buying process on
behalf of the buyer. When a buyer uses a gift registry or allows a
recipient to select a gift on his/her own, the element of surprise
is ruined.
[0005] In addition, recipients getting the wrong gift are left with
the hassle of returning or exchanging the gifts, which is
unpleasant. The thought of a return or an exchange may also
frustrate the buyer knowing that they are purchasing a gift that
most likely would be returned or exchanged.
[0006] Aside of the consumer, online merchants have high
operational costs due to excess returns and exchanges. The online
merchants further lose sales due to inability to complete
transactions online due to the situations described above ending in
shopping cart abandonment. Many merchants further lack brand
awareness for being a gift destination as they carry items that are
hard to gift, such as clothing or cosmetics. Even with the
multitude of online gift cards and gift registry services, buyers
and recipients are still left unsatisfied with the balance between
personalization and ease of gift transactions.
SUMMARY
[0007] Methods of operating a gift transaction system for
facilitating gift transactions are disclosed. Gift transactions can
be initiated based on identification of an electronic account of
the recipient, such as an email address, a social network account,
or a virtual group association. The identification can include
electronic contact information. Transaction is sealed based on a
recipient interaction with the gift transaction system.
[0008] A recipient interface of the gift transaction in the form of
an interactive gift notification is discussed below. The
interactive gift notification facilitates customization of a gift
package sent from a buyer as well as providing an interface to
exchange the originally intended gift item if the recipient so
chooses. Customization can include selecting a variant of the
originally intended gift item, adding additional products to the
gift package, selecting an alternative gift item suggested by the
buyer, or any combination thereof. The exchange interface allows
the exchange process to occur prior to shipping of the gift
package. The exchange interface also allows items of different
pricing from the originally intended gift item to be added to the
gift package. At the recipient interface or the exchange interface,
the recipient can be prompted to purchase other/additional products
(upselling), which is a unique opportunity and benefit for both the
merchant and the recipient.
[0009] A gift transaction for a gift recipient can be initiated on
an online merchant store. The gift recipient can be directed to the
online merchant's website via the interactive gift notification.
The online merchant store provides much value to the merchant in
the form of qualified incremental traffic to the online store. The
gift recipient can be prompted with a personal greeting, elevating
the thoughtfulness and personal gesture from the buyer as perceived
by the recipient. The recipient can then customize the attributes
of the specific gift (such as color and size), which significantly
reduces the need and cost of exchanges and returns
[0010] The gift transaction system disclosed enables a combination
of flexibility and ease previously only available to gift cards
with the thoughtfulness and gratitude of the gift selection
process. Hence, the gift transaction system can have the benefits
of both offline and online shopping capabilities and experience.
The disclosed gift transaction system reduces shipping and exchange
costs for retailers. Specifically, the gift transaction system
enables savings for merchant that frequently deal with returns and
exchanges by giving a gift recipient an opportunity to exchange,
customize, or reject a gift prior to delivery. The gift recipient
thus enjoys a surprising and immediate gratification of receiving a
gift along with a guiltless ability to customize or exchange the
gift without the need to go in-store or needing a gift-receipt. The
gift transaction system also reduces shopping cart abandonment
problem by reducing steps needed to send a gift and increases
payment realization by leveraging social obligation. The gift
recipient can get a personalized greeting from the gift buyer
regarding why the buyer has selected the specific gift or what the
gift buyer thought about during the buying process. The
personalized greeting has been discovered to add to the emotional
factor and make the gift transactions more thoughtful and
personal.
[0011] Retailers also benefit from the incremental traffic to their
online stores, as the recipient is guided to the online store to
view and retrieve the gift. Profile information about the
recipients is collected and analyzed by the gift transaction system
and can be used in ways that can be beneficial to the customers as
well as the retailers. The gift transaction system further enables
the recipient to get offers and promotions for additional products
via upselling, providing an opportunity that did not exist with
conventional gift services where a gift transaction is customized
only on the buyer end. Recipients are prompted to buy and send
gifts to their friends via the recipient interface in the same way
they have received the gift. Yet further the recipient interface
provides details of the products before accepting or exchanging the
gift in a gift transaction. The details include product
specification details, existing product recommendations, various
external marketing materials about the product, or any combination
thereof.
[0012] Some embodiments have other aspects, elements, features, and
steps in addition to or in place of what is described above. These
potential additions and replacements are described throughout the
rest of the specification.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] FIG. 1 illustrates a system environment of a gift
transaction system.
[0014] FIG. 2 illustrates a control flow of a gift transaction
system.
[0015] FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a method of facilitating a
gift sending transaction via a gift transaction system.
[0016] FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a method of facilitating a
gift acceptance via a gift transaction system.
[0017] FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a method of facilitating a
gift exchange via a gift transaction system.
[0018] FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a buyer interface embedded
in a merchant website in a gift customization page.
[0019] FIG. 7 illustrates an example of the buyer interface
embedded in the merchant website in a buyer information page.
[0020] FIG. 8 illustrates an example of the buyer interface
embedded in the merchant website in a gift confirmation page.
[0021] FIG. 9 illustrates an example of a recipient interface
embedded in the merchant website in a gift alert page.
[0022] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of the recipient interface
embedded in the merchant website in a gift shipment page.
[0023] FIG. 11 illustrates an example of the recipient interface
embedded in the merchant website in a note page.
[0024] FIG. 12 illustrates an example of the recipient interface
embedded in the merchant website in an acceptance confirmation
page.
[0025] FIG. 13 illustrates an example of an up-sale interface
embedded in the merchant website.
[0026] FIG. 14 is an illustration of a method of sending a gift via
a buyer device and a recipient device.
[0027] FIG. 15 is a diagrammatic representation of a machine in the
example form of a computer system within which a set of
instructions, for causing the machine to perform any one or more of
the methodologies or modules discussed herein, may be executed.
[0028] The figures depict various embodiments for purposes of
illustration only. One skilled in the art will readily recognize
from the following discussion that alternative embodiments of the
structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without
departing from the principles described herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0029] FIG. 1 illustrates a system environment 100 of a gift
transaction system 102. The gift transaction system 102 is a
computer system configured to provide a gift sending platform
between two or more consumers via one or more merchant systems,
such as a merchant system 104. The gift transaction system 102 can
be a computer system or an electronic system with computer
functionalities as described in FIG. 15. The merchant system 104 is
a computer system configured to provide an interface for buyers to
make and process transactions for properties, products, or services
provided from a merchant. The merchant system 104 can be a computer
system or an electronic system with computer functionalities as
described in FIG. 15.
[0030] A buyer via one of the client devices 106 can access a store
front 108 of the merchant system 104. The store front 108 is a
merchant interface generated by the merchant system 104 for buyers
to make transactions for properties, virtual goods, products, or
services of the merchant. The buyer can initiate a gift transaction
via the store front 108. The store front 108 can add flags to the
item pages to make the item eligible or ineligible for gifting. The
store front 108 can have a default of no gifting available, and
only flagged items are eligible for gifting. Alternatively, the
store front 108 can have a default of gifting capability, and only
flagged items are not eligible for gifting. The flags can be
determined based on a set of logic defined by product type, user
profile, user interaction with the store front 108, or any
combination thereof.
[0031] In this disclosure, a buyer of a gift transaction is
presumed to be the gift sender and the person attributed to be
responsible for sending the gift. However, it is understood that
the gift transaction system 102 can handle a situation where those
three entities are related but not the same. For example, an actual
gift sender operating with the gift transaction system 102 may be
an assistant of a buyer, who is paying for the gift item, and the
gift notice may attribute the gift source as the husband of the
actual buyer. The recipient in this disclosure can be the person
the gift is intended for or an agent of the person the gift is
intended for, such as a parent or a husband.
[0032] The buyer can access a buyer interface generated by the gift
transaction system 102 and shown on one of the client devices 106.
The buyer interface can be embedded on the store front 108 to
facilitate a gift transaction. The gift transaction can be a close
loop transaction that only allows the buyer to send a gift item
from a single store and the recipient to exchange the gift within
the single store. The gift transaction can also be an open loop
transaction that allows the buyer to purchase from multiple store
fronts and the recipient can exchange through multiple store
fronts.
[0033] Upon confirming sending a gift, a recipient can accept the
gift item via a recipient interface generated by the gift
transaction system 102. The recipient interface including an
exchange interface can be shown on a recipient device. The
recipient device can be one of the client devices 106. The client
devices 106 are electronic devices capable of communicating with
the store front 108 and the gift transaction system 102. The client
devices 106 can include tablets, laptop computers, desktop
computers, mobile phones, smart phones, electronic kiosks,
electronic accessories, smart vehicles, smart appliances, smart TV,
point of sale terminals, game consoles, or any combination
thereof.
[0034] The merchant system 104 can also include a backend engine
110. The backend engine 110 is configured to process the
transactions made via the store front 108. The backend engine 110
can track inventories, track orders, authorize payments, and
perform other transaction related processes.
[0035] The merchant system 104, the gift transaction system 102,
and the client devices 106 can communicate with each other through
a network channel 112. The network channel 112 can include one or
more communication networks that can be linked together, including
any combination of local area and/or wide area networks, using both
wired and wireless communication systems. The network channel 112
can include point-of-sale networks, TV cables, Ethernet cables,
phone lines, local area networks, cellular networks including SMS
network, or any combination thereof. In one embodiment, the network
channel 112 uses standard communications technologies and/or
protocols. Thus, the network channel 112 may include links using
technologies such as Ethernet, 802.11, worldwide interoperability
for microwave access (WiMAX), 3G, 4G, CDMA, digital subscriber line
(DSL), etc. Similarly, the networking protocols used on the network
channel 112 may include multiprotocol label switching (MPLS),
transmission control protocol/Internet protocol (TCP/IP), User
Datagram Protocol (UDP), hypertext transport protocol (HTTP),
simple mail transfer protocol (SMTP) and file transfer protocol
(FTP). Data exchanged over the network channel 112 may be
represented using technologies and/or formats including hypertext
markup language (HTML) or extensible markup language (XML). In
addition, all or some of links can be encrypted using conventional
encryption technologies such as secure sockets layer (SSL),
transport layer security (TLS), and Internet Protocol security
(IPsec).
[0036] Multiple buyers and/or multiple recipients and/or multiple
gift items can belong to a single gift transaction. For example, a
buyer can initiate a gift transaction. Other buyers can then add
their contribution to the gift transaction for the same recipient
or recipients. In another example, a buyer can purchase a gift item
for a family of recipients, where the gift transaction is not
completed without approval from all of the recipients. In yet
another example, a buyer can purchase a bundle of gifts for a
recipient. The bundle of gifts can be configured by either the
buyer or the merchant. The bundle of gifts can include different
items and services from different merchants. Multiple buyers can
also add to the original gift transaction for the recipient,
whether adding money or adding products to the bundle of gifts. A
gift "item" in this disclosure is defined as a property, a service,
a product, an option, or other derivatives sold by a merchant. For
example, gift items can include movies, music files, digital rights
management licenses, spa/massage services, coffee shop coupons,
vacation vouchers, vacation home rentals, proof of charity
donation, flight tickets, sports game tickets, physical items,
vehicles, or any combination thereof. The gift item can have a
single monetary value for exchange purposes or have a range of
values for exchange purposes. A "buyer" in this disclosure is
defined as one or more persons or entities responsible for
purchasing a gift. However, it is understood that the buyer can
specify in the gift transaction that the gift-giving person(s) is
intended to be someone else. A "recipient" in this disclosure is
defined as one or more persons or entities receiving the gift,
including a charity entity.
[0037] FIG. 2 illustrates a control flow of a gift transaction
system 200. The gift transaction system 200 can be the gift
transaction system 102 of FIG. 1. The gift transaction system 200
can include one or more methods of facilitating a gift transaction.
The one or more methods can be implemented by components, storages,
and modules described below. The modules can be implemented as
hardware components, software modules, or any combination thereof.
For example, the modules described can be software modules
implemented as instructions on a non-transitory memory capable of
being executed by a processor or a controller on a machine
described in FIG. 15.
[0038] Each of the modules can operate individually and
independently of other modules. Some or all of the modules can be
combined as one module. A single module can also be divided into
sub-modules, each performing separate method step or method steps
of the single module. The modules can share access to a memory
space. One module can access data accessed by or transformed by
another module. The modules can be considered "coupled" to one
another. The modules can share a physical connection or a virtual
connection, directly or indirectly, allowing data accessed or
modified from one module to be accessed in another module, as
illustrated by the line or arrow connections in FIG. 2.
[0039] The storages or "stores", described in this disclosure are
hardware components or portions of hardware components for storing
digital data. Each of the storage can be a single physical entity
or distributed through multiple physical devices. Each of the
storage can be on separate physical device or share the same
physical device or devices. Each of the stores can allocate
specific storage spaces for run-time applications.
[0040] The gift transaction system 200 can include additional,
fewer, or different modules for various applications. Conventional
components such as network interfaces, security functions, load
balancers, failover servers, management and network operations
consoles, and the like are not shown so as to not obscure the
details of the system.
[0041] The gift transaction system 200 includes a buyer interface
module 202 and a recipient interface module 204. The buyer
interface module 202 is configured to generate an interface on the
client devices 206 for a buyer of a gift. The client devices 206
can be the client devices 106 of FIG. 1. The buyer interface module
202 can be presented as a mobile phone application, a webpage, an
embedded widget within a webpage, a POS terminal interface, a kiosk
interface, a gaming console interface, or any combination
thereof.
[0042] The gift transaction system 200 includes a store front
interface 210. The store front interface 210 is configured to embed
access to the buyer interface module 202 in a store front of a
merchant system 212. In some embodiments, the merchant store front
can define where a link to the buyer interface can appear. In other
embodiments, the buyer interface module 202 has logics defining
where in the webpage structure of the merchant store front, such as
DOM structure, to place the buyer interface. The store front
interface 210 can access an Application Programming Interface (API)
of the merchant system 212, and provide access to the gift
transaction system 200 via an API. The store front interface 210
can provide access to the buyer interface from the merchant store
front with minimal modification to the merchant store front, such
as the store front 108 of FIG. 1. For example, the store front
interface 210 can facilitate access to the buyer interface via
browser-side script on the website of the merchant. The gift
transaction system 200 can modify the merchant store front via the
store front interface 210. The merchant system 212 can also modify
the buyer interface module 202 via the store front interface 210.
The store front interface 210 can perform gift intent analysis to
determine when to activate the buyer interface module 202 for the
buyer. The gift intent analysis can be based on navigation to gift
section pages of the store front, searching for products that do
not fit the buyer profile, interest in gift related user interface
(UI) elements, or signals from other social media services. The
level of gift intent can be used to modify the buyer interface,
such as making gift suggestions, customizing website messages,
making gift-related UI elements more prominent, or suggesting a
gift section of the merchant store front.
[0043] The buyer interface can be integrated within a merchant
store front via the store front interface 210. The store front
interface 210 can add, change, or remove user interface elements,
gift buttons, and display the buyer interface overlay over or
embedded within the store front interface 210. The store front
interface 210 can modify the checkout process of the merchant
system 212, such as removing shipping address and payment
information questions from the checkout flow.
[0044] The gift transaction system 200 also includes a media
plug-in interface module 214. The media plug-in interface module
214 can be an API for a third-party website, such as a social media
service or a destination website. For example, the media plug-in
interface module 214 can link third-party websites and services to
the buyer interface module 202. Further, the media plug-in
interface module 214 can also access the social media service to
download social graph information related to either the buyer or
the recipient from the social media service. For another example,
the media plug-in interface module 214 can link the buyer interface
module 202 to the destination websites, such as a link or an
embedded widget of the buyer interface on social blogging websites,
the Pinterest.TM. website, social media websites, auction websites,
ancestry history websites, dating websites, or other websites. The
buyer interface module 202 can provide a script to embed access to
the buyer interface as a gifting widget within the third party
websites.
[0045] The media plug-in interface module 214 can further
facilitate followers of celebrities to send real gifts to the
celebrities via social media websites. The followers need not to
have the actual shipping address of the celebrities. The followers
(i.e., buyers) can initiate a gift transaction via the buyer
interface. The buyer interface can provide to the follower a link
to a gift notification page. The link can be manually or
automatically posted on social media networks such as
Facebook/Twitter. While links to the gift transactions can be
broadcasted publicly, only the intended recipient can claim the
gift item and receive it after authentication using an underlying
social network connected to the gift transaction system 200 via the
media plug-in interface module 214. The public can either only view
the gift item or the link would show nothing to a viewer who is not
the intended recipient, where preference of such would be set by
the buyer or be pre-set by a system-wide setting. The inverse can
also apply to the gift transaction system 200 where gifts from a
celebrity can be sent out to the followers of the celebrity on a
social media network without the need for a shipping address or a
contact email. The celebrity can share a link generated from the
buyer interface, and restrict claiming of the gifts to followers of
the celebrity account on a social media network, such as
Twitter.TM. or Facebook Pages. In another example, an organization
can authorize the human resource department or management to send
employee gifts in an electronic way, or for employees to send to
other employees gifts (such as a manager-employee relationship
within an organization) without knowing the recipient's physical
address.
[0046] The buyer interface module 202 can be activated when gift
intent is detected in the store front interface 210. Once the gift
intent is detected, the store front interface 210 can be set to a
gift mode. In the gift mode, the buyer interface module 202 can
readily generate the buyer interface to select items to send to
potential recipients. The buyer interface module 202 can enable
immediate sending off of gifts by reducing the steps needed for the
gift sending process. A gift can be send by receiving a selection
of at least one gift and receiving a contact point for the
recipient. The contact point can be an email address of the
recipient or a social media account. Hence the buyer interface
module 202 enables a way to send real gifts without knowing the
shipping address of the recipient. The buyer interface module 202
can also initiate sending of a gift item prior to payment.
[0047] The buyer interface module 202 through the buyer interface
enables the buyer to define the gift, including bundled gift items.
The buyer interface module 202 allows the buyer to specify an
overall exchange budget aside from selecting a gift item. The buyer
interface module 202 allows the buyer to select the gift item
without fully customizing the gift item. For example, the gift item
can be sent without knowing the color preference or size of the
gift item. The full customization can be left to the recipient
interface module 204.
[0048] If the buyer interface module 202 provides the buyer
interface to a device with a camera, the buyer interface module 202
can facilitate snapping a picture of an item at a store to initiate
a gift transaction. The picture can be part of a gift greeting
page/card to be sent together with the gift item notice. The buyer
interface module 202 can also facilitate snapping a picture of a
product identifier, such as UPC code, to be used to select the gift
item via a merchant backend interface module 216. The gift item
notice can then be generated from the gift item identified by the
product identifier.
[0049] The gift greeting page/card can be personalized by a buyer,
including personalized message, background, multimedia effects,
pictures, photographs, animations, video clips, sound bites, or any
combination thereof. The gift greeting page/card can also be
generated based on templates pre-determined on the buyer interface
module 202. For example, the gift greeting page/card by default can
include a photo of the gift item from either the buyer's device or
from the merchant store front. For another example, the gift
greeting page/card can include an advertisement from the
manufacturer or reseller of the product. Because advertisements of
products and services are well thought out messages appealing to
consumers on an emotional level, a connection between a
pre-existing advertisement multimedia and gifts broadens the
reaches of market branding of such products or services.
[0050] Once a gift greeting page/card along with a gift notice has
been sent, the buyer interface module 202 can store the pending
gift transaction on a pending transaction store 218. The gift
greeting page/card along with the gift notice generated can be sent
over to a recipient contact point including an email account, a
social media/network account, a cellular phone message center
(e.g., SMS or WhatsApp.TM.), or any combination thereof. The gift
greeting page/card can also be printed out via a printer coupled to
the client devices 206. A website link to the recipient interface
module 204 can be provided on the gift card.
[0051] The recipient interface module 204 is configured to generate
an interface for a gift recipient, where the interface is
accessible from the client devices 206. The recipient interface
module 204 can generate a gift recipient interface as a mobile
phone application, a webpage, an embedded widget within a webpage,
a POS terminal interface, a kiosk interface, a gaming console
interface, or any combination thereof.
[0052] The recipient interface module 204 can provide to the gift
recipient an interactive gift notification sent to the contact
point (e.g., email address) of the recipient. For example, the
recipient interface module 204 can render the gift notification and
any multimedia attachment. For example, the gift notification can
include greeting text, audio message, or video message from the
buyer. The gift notification can also include marketing material
associated with the gift item or tutorial information associated
with the gift item. This content can come from the online store, a
database storage of the gift transaction system 200, or a third
party content provider that has access to the gift transaction
system 200 through various APIs or other means. The recipient
interface module 204 can receive and store a gift list from the
gift recipients.
[0053] The buyer interface module 202 and the recipient interface
module 204 can provide post-gift-transaction management, such as a
list of previously received gifts and from who the gift was sent.
Either the buyer or the recipient can review this information to
determine whether they should be returning a social favor, and
whether it is socially appropriate to send or re-send a gift item.
Suggestions to return the social favor can also be generated on the
buyer interface or the recipient interface.
[0054] The buyer interface module 202 and the recipient interface
module 204 can iteratively optimize up-sale items and UI elements
in the gift transaction process by reconfiguring the up-sale items
and the UI elements for different buyers and recipients to maximize
transactions.
[0055] The gift transaction system 200 includes a transaction store
220. The transaction store 220 is a database containing completed
gift transactions that has passed through the gift transaction
system 200. The transaction store 220 can be accessed by the
merchant system 212 or other third-party services via an API.
[0056] The gift transaction system 200 includes the merchant
backend interface module 216. The merchant backend interface module
216 is configured to access databases of the merchant system 212,
such as the merchant system 104 of FIG. 1. Specifically, the
merchant backend interface module 216 can provide access to the
backend engine 110 of FIG. 1. The merchant backend interface module
216 can also be configured to provide an application programming
interface (API) for the backend engine 110 to provide access to the
gift transaction system 200. For example, the merchant system 212
can push updates regarding delivery of gift items to the gift
transaction system 200 and the gift transaction system 200 can
request inventory information of particular items from the merchant
system 212. The merchant backend interface module 216 enables
extraction of product information, photographs, pricing,
availability, dimensions, and colors from the merchant system 212
in run-time. The merchant backend interface module 216 can
facilitate generation gift cards compatible with the merchant
system 212 and/or with other stored value providers
programmatically.
[0057] The gift transaction system 200 includes a reminder module
222. The reminder module 222 is configured to generate a reminder
message to potential buyers to purchase gifts. The reminder message
can be generated for specific recipients, for specific occasions,
with specific gifts, or any combination thereof. The reminder
message can be sent via email, cellular message, mobile application
notification, social media services, physical delivery, browser
pop-up, or any combination thereof. The reminder module 222 can be
coupled to the media plug-in interface module 214 to access social
graph information of a potential buyer from a social media service,
such as Facebook.TM..
[0058] For example, the reminder module 222 can determine whether
to generate a reminder message based on relationship strength
between a buyer and a recipient, urgency of a special occasion,
profile information of the buyer or the recipient, privacy setting
of the buyer or the recipient, gift-related configuration of the
buyer or recipient account, or any combination thereof. The
relationship strength can be provided by the social graph, can be
based on the number of mutual friends, the number of gift
transactions between the buyer and the recipient, or other
heuristic related to the transaction store 220 and/or the social
graph. The reminder module 222 can provide a discount to a gift
transaction initiated from the reminder message.
[0059] The reminder module 222 can also be configured to re-connect
with a gift recipient to manage any pending gift transactions or
recently completed gift transactions. For example, the reminder
module 222 can send reminders to the recipient of a gift item to
open the gift alert to accept or exchange the gift item. The
reminder module 222 can also inform the recipient and/or the buyer
when the price of the item is about to change, such as within 16
hours.
[0060] The reminder module 222 can be configured to avoid spam
filters and improve readability. For example, the buyer or gift
sender name can be place in every message to the recipient and vice
versa. Personal languages and greetings input should be encouraged
in the buyer interface module 202 and the recipient interface
module 204 to personalize reminder messages. Consecutive messages
can be differentiated by different phrasing and/or language
structure and size. The reminder module 222 can allow the buyer or
the recipient to personalize each message sent prior to sending.
For completed gift transactions, the reminder module 222 can
provide tutorials or product branding videos to the recipients to
enhance the user experience of the gift transaction system 200.
[0061] The gift transaction system 200 includes a curation module
224. The curation module 224 is configured to provide item
recommendations to the buyer through the buyer interface module 202
or to the recipient through the recipient interface module 204. The
item recommendations can be based on business intelligence and user
taste profiling generated by the gift transaction system 200 as
described below. The item recommendations can also be based on
proprietary information from the merchant system 212.
[0062] The gift transaction system 200 includes a gift card module
228. The gift card module 228 can be coupled to a stored value
provider 232. The gift card module 228 is configured to generate a
gift card with stored value for a recipient. The gift card module
228 can generate the gift card in response to the recipient
interface module 204 detecting a positive balance after an exchange
of a gift item has occurred. The gift card module 228 can include
specific gift associated with the gift card. The gift card can
include one or several gift item alternatives. The gift card module
228 can also include videos, photos, tutorials, interactive
greetings, or any combination thereof. A physical version of the
gift card can be printed with a link to access the electronic
contents for the gift card.
[0063] In one embodiment, the gift card generated can have three
states: clean, registered, or paid for. In the clean state, the
gift card has a barcode and a product or store information, but
there is no sender/recipient information, no custom greeting, and
no payment balance. In the registered mode, the gift card has
sender/recipient information in addition to the other information
in the clean mode, but the gift card has no payment balance. In the
paid for mode, the gift card has a payment balance and has all of
the information in the registered mode. Either a buyer or a
recipient of the gift card can register the gift card in clean mode
and convert it to the registered mode. The buyer then can be
contacted by the gift transaction system 200 to make payment for
the payment balance of the gift card. Once payment is received, the
gift card is changed to the pay-for mode.
[0064] The gift transaction system 200 includes an analytics module
234. The analytics module 234 is configured to analyze user
interactions through the gift transaction system 200, including
social media systems and merchant systems connected to the gift
transaction system 200. The analytics module 234 can also be
configured to calculate relevant behavioral trends regarding each
recipient and each buyer relative to each merchant. The analytics
module 234 can record both the interaction analysis and behavioral
trends, such as recording the analysis and trends in an analytics
database store 238.
[0065] The analytics module 234 can generate user-based analytics
databases as well as gift-item-based (product based or service
based) analytics databases in the analytics database store 238.
These databases can be based on an analysis of the transaction
store 220 combined with social graph information from a social
media service via the media plug-in interface module 214. The
databases in the analytics database store 238 can also be combined
with proprietary information from a specific merchant via the
merchant backend interface module 216. For example, the interaction
analysis can include strength of relationships between the buyer
and the recipient. For example, the behavioral trends can include
the most likely product for the recipient and the buyer to
purchase. The behavioral trends can also include the likelihood
that a social event (e.g., birthdays) associated with a buyer
account stored on a social media website accessed through the media
plug-in interface module 214 is likely to generate a gift
transaction.
[0066] Gift item related analysis can include preferred products
per specific users or profiles, end to end product cycle, upselling
analysis including amount, type of events, and type of products
that maximizes up-sales, or any combination thereof. The product
related analysis can be used to generate recommendation feeds on
the buyer interface module 202 or the recipient interface module
204. Product related analysis can also include exchange rates of
each product, such as which products are being exchanged by
recipients more frequently, as well as analyzing attributes of
products or links between type of products that are being exchanged
to and from other type of products.
[0067] Gift item related analysis includes calculation of a
giftability score. The giftability score is used by the gift
transaction system 200 to sort products and services by their fit
for being a good gift. The giftability score serves to better
predict whether a certain gift item would make a good gift in the
eyes of consumers. The analytics module 234 can record which gift
items are the most popular for being sent as gifts. The analytics
module 234 can also record which gift items are more likely to be
accepted by the recipient versus being exchanged. The analytics
module 234 can further record which gift items are frequently
selected as a replacement item in a gift exchange. The analytics
module 234 can calculate a weighted average of the above metrics.
Other gift-related signals can also be added to the weighted
average, such as time to gift acceptance, time to exchange, and
etc.
[0068] User-based analytics can be used to modify the giftability
score. For example, a modified giftability score can be calculated
based on user-specific demographics. User-specific demographics can
includes geographical regions of the buyer or recipient, age range
of the buyer or recipient, taste profiles of the buyer or
recipient, social networks of the buyer or recipient, profile
information of the buyer or recipient, other buyer or recipient
profile information, or any combination thereof. The specific taste
profile can be determined based on past purchases, past exchanges,
social network explicit or implicit connections (e.g., Facebook.TM.
likes), website broadcasts (e.g., tweets via Twitter.TM. and pins
via Pinterest.TM.), personal attributes entered and/or known by
either the buyer or the recipient, or any combination thereof. The
modified giftability score can also be calculated based on a
personalized behavior trend. The user-specific demographics and the
user-specific behavior trend can include adjustments to the general
giftability score of the gift-item. This user-specific demographic
or personalization adjustment can be calculated in real-time as a
buyer interface is generated, or pre-calculated asynchronously from
the real-time purchase. Sorting by gift item centric giftability
score, demographic-specific giftability score, or personalized
giftability score would allow progressively better gift
recommendation and curation to occur.
[0069] The giftability score can be used by the buyer interface
module 202 to present products and services as potential options as
a gift item. The giftability score can be used by the recipient
interface module 204 to present products and services as potential
options for gift exchanges. The giftability score can be used by
the curation module 224 to sort the item recommendation list
generated by the curation module 224. The giftability score can
further be used by the reminder module 222 to determine gift item
recommendations for specific gifting reminders.
[0070] The analytics module 234 can generate valuable business
intelligence including conversion rate of reminder messages from
the reminder module 222, up-sale rates from recommendation feeds of
the curation module 224, buyer purchasing profile, recipient
purchasing profile, recipient gift exchange rate and preference,
social graphs of the buyer or the recipient, other monetization
metrics from the merchant system 212, or any combination
thereof.
[0071] The analytics module 234 can generate a gift social graph
amongst user accounts. The gift social graph can be a modification
of a social graph retrieved from a social media service. The gift
social graph can define relationships and interactions between user
accounts. The strength of the relationship can be calculated as
described above, further including amount and price of gift items
in gift transactions. The gift social graph can include a profile
of each user account.
[0072] The analytics module 234 can generate a taste profile for
different user types, such as gender, age, or geographical
location. The analytics module 234 can identify user types based on
grouping of gift transaction data. Each taste profile is then
associated with preferred brands and/or product categories.
Personal information is aggregated into the taste profiles that
drive the recommendation feed of the curation module 224. The
merchant system 212 can have access to the analytics database store
238 to utilize the business intelligence to improve monetization of
the merchant sales.
[0073] The analytics database store 238 can further include a
shipping address database that associates shipping addresses with
email addresses, social media accounts, phone numbers, or any
combination thereof. The shipping address database can be used to
pre-fill recipient shipping address on the recipient interface
module 204. The shipping address database can be used for tax or
shipping cost estimations. The analytics module 234 can determine a
certainty level of each shipping address. The aggressiveness of
using the stored shipping addresses in the buyer and recipient
interfaces can be adjusted based on the certainty level.
[0074] The gift transaction system 200 includes a security module
240. The security module 240 is configured to prevent fraud
associated with the gift transaction. The security module 240 can
be coupled to the recipient interface module 204 to authenticate
the recipient by email account access or social media service
sign-in. The buyer and/or the recipient can also authenticate in
other explicit or implicit manners, such as passphrase, secret
questions or shared experience questions. The security module 240
can also limit frequency of receiving or sending of gifts. The
security module 240 can also cross check gift transaction
geolocations to ensure that the gift transactions occur
consistently geographically. When an inconsistency is detected, the
gift transaction is halted pending an investigation.
[0075] Other fraud prevention mechanisms can include: (a)
detecting, rejecting, or flagging internet protocol (IP) addresses
that belong to proxies and anonymizers; (b) verifying geographical
location via IP address of the recipient is within the same region
as the shipping address; (c) ensuring that all requests around a
gift transaction come from the same physical region, such as via
IP-based geographical location; (d) cross-referencing billing
address with the buyer's IP-based geographical location; (e)
verifying contact points, such as email addresses or social media
accounts, to ensure that they are not newly created; (f) ranking
generic email addresses (e.g., free accounts like @yahoo.com and
@gmail.com) lower than corporate addresses in terms of security
risk; (g) cross-referencing the buyer account and the recipient
account on social media systems and verifying that the social media
accounts are filled with real-life content; (h) verifying via phone
call or SMS message; (i) detecting patterns across all gift
transactions including situations where many different gift
transactions correspond to the same credit card, same physical
address, same recipient, same sender, or same email
address/credentials; (j) generating gift-based social network based
connections made via gift transactions between buyer and recipient
and flagging new corners to the gift-based social network as
potential fraudulent buyer or recipient, or any combination
thereof.
[0076] In some embodiments of the gift transaction system 200, gift
transactions can occur based on unverified mailing addresses and
unverified credit card information. This may expose the system to
fraud and abuse. The fraud prevention mechanisms provided by the
security module 240 can minimize the possibility of abuses and
fraudulent transactions. Based on various fraud prevention
mechanisms, a gift transaction could be approved, flagged for
additional automatic verification (e.g., additional email required
or phone number verification), flagged for manual verification, or
rejected.
[0077] The gift transaction system 200 includes a payment module
242. The payment module 242 is configured to charge fees associated
with gift transactions. The payment module 242 can charge a premium
fee per package sent from the buyer. The payment module 242 can
charge a fee per gift transaction or up-sale transaction from the
merchants via the merchant backend interface module 216. The
payment module 242 can charge a fee from a payment processor
service per gift transaction. The payment module 242 can charge a
fee from the shipping provider. The payment module 242 can also
charge a one-time fee to integrate the gift transaction system 200
to a third-party service.
[0078] The payment module 242 can be coupled to third-party
e-commerce platforms for payment processing and accounting amongst
the buyer, the merchant, the payment processors, and the gift
transaction system 200. The payment module 242 can be link the
final payment of the gift items to the merchant account for ease of
integration.
[0079] The gift transaction system 200 can include a gift list
store 244. The gift list store 244 is configured to store
wish-lists of users and gift-lists of users. The gift-lists allow
the buyer to keep track of ideas for gifts. The wish-lists allow
the curation module 224 to make accurate recommendations to the
buyers for things on the recipient wish list. The wish list can
also serve to replace the traditional use of gift registries. The
recipient can publish a wish list. All gift buyers can obligate
themselves to gift items on the list. When the gift items are sent,
the recipient can review the sent gifts and make any exchanges on
the sent gift list. Once all gifts are accepted or exchanged, then
the gift buyers can make the payments. The wish lists and the gift
lists can be merchant specific or across multiple merchants.
[0080] The techniques introduced in the modules herein can be
implemented by programmable circuitry programmed or configured by
software and/or firmware, or they can be implemented by entirely by
special-purpose "hardwired" circuitry, or in a combination of such
forms. Such special-purpose circuitry (if any) can be in the form
of, for example, one or more application-specific integrated
circuits (ASICs), programmable logic devices (PLDs),
field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), etc.
[0081] FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a method 300 of
facilitating a gift sending transaction via a gift transaction
system, such as the gift transaction system 102 of FIG. 1. The
method 300 can begin with determining gift intent based on a buyer
input at a step 302. The gift intent can be determined by
registering a click of a link in an email reminder, registering a
click on a mobile phone application, shopping at a merchant store
front in a gift mode, or any combination thereof. The buyer is
allowed access to one or more merchant store to review items
provided by the merchant. The gift intent can include a buyer
contact entry indicating how the buyer can be contacted, such as an
email address or an account identifier. A link or button to send
gifts can be integrated on specific product pages of the merchant
store front. A link or button to send gifts can be integrated with
the checkout process of the merchant store front to send contents
of shopping cart as gifts. The buyer interface can detect
approaching shopping cart abandonment by calculating delay in
purchase process as well as comparing buyer behavior trends. Once
approaching shopping cart abandonment is detected, the gift
transaction system can be offered as a solution to complete a
transaction without shipping address or payment or actual inventory
of the gift item. However, the buyer can still have the option of
putting in the shipping address and making the payment via the
buyer interface.
[0082] At a step 304 of the method 300, the gift transaction system
can receive a gift selection indication. The gift selection
indication can be a product identifier, such as a UPC code,
together with a merchant identifier. The gift selection indication
can also be a set of product identifiers from the same merchant
indicating a same-store gift bundle. The gift selection indication
can further be a set of product identifiers from different partner
merchants indicating a global gift bundle. The buyer interface can
facilitate the gift selection process by making recommendations,
gift suggestions, and gift bundle suggestions. These
recommendations can be provided by the curation module 224 of FIG.
2.
[0083] When multiple gift selections are indicated, the gift
selections can be organized in a gift basket, similar to a shopping
cart that assembles gifts for sending. Alternatively, the gift
selections can be organized in a shopping cart where the multiple
gifts can be paid as a group.
[0084] As part of the gift selection process, the buyer can select
one or more gift alternatives. The gift alternatives can be
selected by the recipient instead of the originally selected gift
item made by the buyer. The buyer can be charged for the gift
alternatives when accepted. The stored credit for the exchange
process can be based on the price of the originally selected gift.
The buyer may be prompted to select alternative or additional gifts
from sources outside the original online merchant.
[0085] Once the gift is selected, the buyer can be prompted to
input a recipient contact on a buyer interface, such as the buyer
interface generated by the buyer interface module 202 of FIG. 2. At
a step 306 of the method 300, the gift transaction system can
receive a recipient contact identifier. The recipient contact
identifier can include an email address, a social media account, an
alias name in a social media network or virtual game, or any
combination thereof. Then, the method 300 includes generating a
gift alert of a gift transaction based on the recipient contact
identifier and the gift selection indication at a step 308. The
gift alert can be or provide access to an interactive gift
notification in the form of a recipient interface generated by the
recipient interface module 204 of FIG. 2.
[0086] The gift alert can be generated as a confirmation of the
gift transaction being created. Alternatively, a separate
confirmation page can be generated on the buyer interface. Photos,
videos, stories, interactive multimedia applications of the
merchant or of the gift item can be included in the gift alert. The
product tutorial and user guide can also be included in the gift
alert.
[0087] The gift alert can include sending an email, generating a
printable page depicting the gift selection, sending a SMS message,
sending a social network message, or any combination thereof. The
gift alert can also be sent from one mobile device to another
mobile device using a mobile application such as Bump.TM..
[0088] The printable instance of the gift alert can be printed at
home or printed professionally and shipping to the recipient.
Pre-made gift pages can be used as the gift alert. For example, a
barcode of the pre-made gift page can be registered with the gift
transaction system 102. For another example, a bar code of a
particular gift transaction can be filled in on the pre-made gift
page. The gift alert can include greeting card templates, animation
templates, audio templates, personal videos, personal photos,
personal audio, or any combination thereof. After the gift alert
has been sent, the merchant backend interface module 216 of FIG. 2
can place a soft hold on the gift item. The soft hold can have an
expiration time after which the gift item from the merchant can be
purchased by someone else.
[0089] Optionally, after the gift alert is sent, the method 300 can
include generating an item suggestion based on the gift transaction
at a step 310. The item suggestion can be based on an account
identity of the buyer, such as a preference profile associated with
the buyer account identify. The item suggestion can be based on the
gift selection indication. The item suggestion can be based on the
recipient contact identifier, such as a preference profile
associated with the recipient contact identifier. The item
suggestion can be a suggestion to create a further gift transaction
with the same recipient or to create a further gift transaction
with a different recipient. The item suggestion can also be an
up-sale advertisement to suggest an item for the buyer himself or
herself.
[0090] Optionally, in response to generating the gift alert, the
method 300 can also include generating a recipient suggestion. The
recipient suggestion can be based on the buyer account identity.
The recipient suggestion can be coupled together with the item
suggestion. The recipient suggestion can be based on a social media
network associated with the buyer account identity.
[0091] FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a method of facilitating a
gift acceptance via a gift transaction system, such as the gift
transaction system 102 of FIG. 1. The method 400 can begin with a
step 402 of generating a recipient interface to affirm an
acceptance of a gift on a client device. The recipient interface
can include a multimedia representation of the gift, a buyer
identifier, a gift note, or any combination thereof. The recipient
interface can be triggered via a link accessible through a client
device with networked capability to access the gift transaction
system 102. The link can be stored in an electronic message or can
be entered manually on an Internet browser. Optionally, the method
400 can include a step 404 of generating an up-sale item set. The
up-sale item set can be generated based on the recipient identity.
The up-sale item set can be based on the gift. The up-sale item set
can be based on a buyer identity of the gift. The up-sale item set
can be drawn from the originating merchant store, from one of the
merchant store providers/suppliers, or other merchant stores
compatible with the gift transaction system 102.
[0092] Upon reviewing the recipient interface, the recipient can
either choose to accept the gift, exchange the gift, or reject the
gift. For example, in a step 406, the method 400 can include
receiving an affirmation of gift acceptance via the recipient
interface. Receiving the affirmation can include receiving the
affirmation with customization of the gift, such as specified size,
color, engravement, other customizations, or any combination
thereof.
[0093] Following the affirmation, the method 400 includes receiving
a shipping address via the buyer interface in a step 408. The
shipping address can be pre-filled from a previous transaction,
from a social media service account, or from a browser cookie.
Following the affirmation, the method 400 can also include
generating a thank you note for the buyer in a step 410. In
response to receiving the shipping address, the method 400 can
follow with a step 412 of adjusting the inventory at a merchant
system. The actual gift items can be shipped after the buyer has
confirmed payment. When a gift bundle has been accepted, the gift
transaction system 102 can coordinate delivery of the gift items
from various merchants such that the gift items arrive together in
a bundle. A soft hold on the gift item can be place on a merchant
system via the merchant backend interface module 216 of FIG. 2 once
the shipping address has been provided.
[0094] Also in response to receiving the shipping address, the
method 400 can follow with a step 414 of generating a buyer
feedback alert to the buyer based on a buyer contact entry stored
on the gift transaction system. The feedback alert can include the
thank you note generated in the step 410. The feedback alert can
include a link for the buyer to make payment for the accepted gift.
In at least one embodiment, the step 412 can be in response to
receiving payment for the gift instead of in response to receiving
the shipping address. At any point throughout the steps of the
method 400, the method 400 can include generating an item
suggestions set. The item suggestions set can include a list of
potential people that the current recipient can send a gift to. The
item suggestions set can include a list of potential items to
purchase from the merchant that the gift is purchased from. The
items suggestions set can include a calendar of social events
recorded on a social media network where a gift giving opportunity
is relevant.
[0095] FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a method of facilitating a
gift exchange via a gift transaction system, such as the gift
transaction system 102 of FIG. 1. The method 500 can begin with a
step 502 of determining an exchange intent to exchange an original
gift selection. The exchange intent can be determined by receiving
an interaction with the recipient interface generated in the step
402 of FIG. 4, such as the interface generated by the recipient
interface module 204 of FIG. 2. For example, the exchange intent
can be determined based on the recipient clicking an exchange mode
button on the recipient interface. For another example, the
exchange intent can be determined based on the recipient browsing a
merchant website and clicking on an exchange button indicating the
newly selected item is to be traded with a pending gift.
[0096] The method 500 then follows with a step 504 of receiving an
exchange item selection via the recipient interface. The recipient
may be prompted to select additional or alternative gifts from
sources outside the original online merchant. The exchange item
selection can be a set of multiple items, from either the same
merchant as the original gift or from different merchants. If the
original gift was a set of multiple items, the exchange item
selection does not have to be the same number of items (i.e., can
be less or more items). The original price of the gift serves as
stored credit, where the exchange items can be selected without
further payment if the price of the exchange item is lower than the
original price. The recipient interface over the merchant store
front can modify the merchant store front such that the original
price of the gift is not revealed even during exchange. The price
of potential exchange items can also be redacted from the merchant
store front, and only an indication of whether a charge-free
exchange can be made is revealed on the recipient interface.
[0097] The gift transaction system 200 can provide an interface for
a merchant store to define an exchange network with other merchant
stores, where gift items from one merchant within the exchange
network can be exchanged with gift items from another merchant on
the exchange network. Other merchant stores can opt into the
exchange network after the exchange network is created. The gift
items from the exchange network can be prioritized by the curation
module 224 such that a number of gift items from alternative
merchants on the exchange network are presented to a recipient
seeking to exchange an originally received gift item. The merchant
store closing the gift transaction (i.e., the merchant store paid
by the gift transaction) can be debited a referral fee to be
credited to the referring merchant store of the original gift item
that was exchanged for a gift item of the closing merchant
store.
[0098] Upon receiving the exchange item selection, the method 500
also includes a step 506 of receiving a shipping address for the
delivery of the exchange item selection. Upon confirming the
exchange item selection and receiving the shipping address, the
method 500 follows with notifying the buyer based on a buyer
contact entry stored on the gift transaction system in a step 508.
Depending on the price of the exchange item selection and the price
of the original gift selection, the method 500 can also include a
step 510 of generating a gift balance credit or a step 512 of
generating a balance invoice payment request. The step 510 is
executed by the gift transaction system when the price of the
exchange item selection is smaller than the price of the original
gift selection. The gift balance can be stored as a merchant store
credit, a gift card, or a multi-merchant store credit for merchants
compatible with the gift transaction system 102. A gift card
identifier can be generated and stored on the gift transaction
system. The step 512 is executed by the gift transaction system
when the price of the exchange item selection is greater than the
price of the original gift selection.
[0099] FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a buyer interface 600
embedded in a merchant website 602 in a gift customization page
604. The buyer interface 600 can be activated via a browser-side
script, such as JavaScript, that is part of the merchant website
602. The buyer interface 600 can include one or more pages each
with different elements and functionalities to facilitate the buyer
from sending a gift to at least a recipient. It has been
illustrated that the buyer interface 600 is divided into different
pages. However, it is understood that different elements of the
buyer interface 600 can be divided differently into other pages, or
elements of the existing pages can be combined into a single
page.
[0100] In this example, the gift customization page 604 includes a
recipient contact entry 608, a greeting note 610, a delivery
constraint 612, a gift card section 614 including a gift icon 616,
or any combination thereof. The recipient contact entry 608 is
where the buyer can input the recipient name and the recipient
contact information, such as email address, social network message,
or cellular text message. The recipient contact entry 608 can be
just the recipient name if the buyer selects the option to print
out a gift card notifying the recipient of the gift. The greeting
note 610 is where the buyer can input a message to be sent to the
recipient along with a notification of the gift. The delivery
constraint 612 is where the buyer can input a delivery constraint
on the gift transaction. The delivery constraint 612 may include an
expiration date of the gift, where past the expiration date the
recipient would not be able to accept the gift. The delivery
constraint 612 may also include a delivery date of the notification
of the gift to the recipient.
[0101] The gift card section 614 is generated by the gift
transaction system 102 of FIG. 1 as a decorated printable card to
send to the recipient. The gift card section 614 can include the
gift icon 616. The gift icon 616 is a representation of the gift or
set of gifts to be sent by the buyer. The gift icon 616 can be an
image, an animation, or an interactive multimedia object, such as
an interactive image capable of being zoomed or rotated. The
location of elements in the gift card section 614, the text within
the gift card section 614, font size and style of various texts in
the gift card section 614 are all customizable via the buyer
interface 600. The buyer interface 600 can include templates to
customize the gift card section 614. The gift card section 614 can
be formatted to be printable into various standard gift card
sizes.
[0102] FIG. 7 illustrates an example of the buyer interface 600
embedded in the merchant website 602 in a buyer information page
702. The buyer information page 702 includes a buyer contact entry
704. The buyer contact entry 704 is where the buyer can input his
own name and contact information. The buyer name can be used to
generate the gift card section 614 of FIG. 6. The buyer contact
information is used to close the gift transaction when the
recipient accepts the gift. Optionally, the buyer information page
702 can include a shipping information section 706 and a payment
information section 708. The shipping information section 706 can
alert the buyer that the recipient will provide the shipping
address. Alternatively, the buyer has the option of providing the
shipping address at the shipping information section 706. The
payment information section 708 can alert the buyer that the
payment transfer would be completed after the recipient accepts the
gift. Alternatively, the buyer has the option of providing the
payment information to complete the gift transaction.
[0103] The buyer information page 702 can also include an
estimation section 710. The estimation section 710 estimates the
cost of the gift for the buyer. For example, the buyer interface
module 202 can determine an estimation of shipping cost and an
estimation of tax. The estimation of shipping cost and tax can be
facilitated by the merchant backend interface module 216 of FIG. 2
where the merchant system 212 of FIG. 2 can provide the cost
estimations based on destination regions. The buyer has the option
of putting down the resident state of the recipient to help aid in
the cost estimation. Cost estimation can also be based on
geo-targeting, social graph data, explicit hints from the buyer or
the recipient, previous addresses, or any combination thereof. Once
the buyer information page 702 is completed, the buyer can click on
a send gift button to either immediately deliver the gift
notification to the recipient or deliver the gift notification at a
scheduled time based on the delivery constraint 612 of FIG. 6.
[0104] FIG. 8 illustrates an example of the buyer interface 600
embedded in the merchant website 602 in a gift confirmation page
802. The gift confirmation page 802 includes a confirmation message
804 indicating that the gift has been sent or has been scheduled to
be sent. The gift confirmation page 802 can also include an up-sale
section 806. The up-sale section 806 can remind the buyer of
upcoming social events that may warrant a gift giving occasion,
such as birthdays, anniversaries, religious holidays, national
holidays, other social events registered on a social media website,
or any combination thereof.
[0105] FIG. 9 illustrates an example of a recipient interface 900
embedded in the merchant website 602 in a gift alert page 902. The
recipient interface 900 can be activated via a browser-side script,
such as JavaScript, that is part of the merchant website 602. The
recipient interface 900 can include one or more pages each with
different elements and functionalities to facilitate the recipient
from responding to a gift sent from at least one buyer. It has been
illustrated that the recipient interface 900 is divided into
different pages. However, it is understood that different elements
of the recipient interface 900 can be divided differently into
other pages, or elements of the existing pages can be combined into
a single page.
[0106] In the gift alert page 902, a recipient is notified of a
gift from a buyer. The gift alert page 902 includes a gift
description section 904. The gift description section 904 can
include a text or a multimedia description of the gift or bundle of
gifts being sent. The multimedia description can include a
graphical icon, a photograph, an interactive image, a video, or any
combination thereof. The gift alert page 902 can also include a
gift variant selection section 906. The gift variant selection
section 906 can include an interactive element to allow the
recipient to select different variants of the gift. For example,
the variants can be customization of color and size.
[0107] The recipient via the gift alert page 902 of the recipient
interface 900 can accept the gift via an acceptance button 908. The
recipient can also exchange the gift via an exchange button 910.
The gift alert page 902 can further include an item addition
section 912. The item addition section 912 is generated by the
recipient interface 900 based on a profile of the recipient
facilitated by the merchant backend interface module 216 of FIG. 2.
The item addition section 912 can present other items for the
recipient to purchase from the merchant in addition to accepting
the gift from the same merchant.
[0108] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of the recipient interface
900 embedded in the merchant website 602 in a gift shipment page
1002. The gift shipment page 1002 includes an interface to input
shipping address for the gift. The gift shipment page 1002 allows
the recipient to change the shipping/delivery address even if the
buyer has specified a shipping address already.
[0109] FIG. 11 illustrates an example of the recipient interface
900 embedded in the merchant website 602 in a note page 1102. The
note page 1102 can receive inputs from the recipient to denote a
thank you note to the buyer for the gift. The recipient can
customize the thank you note including responding with a gift
transaction of his/her own. The thank you note can include text,
video, photo, audio, formatted greeting card, or any combination
thereof.
[0110] FIG. 12 illustrates an example of the recipient interface
900 embedded in the merchant website 602 in an acceptance
confirmation page 1202. The acceptance confirmation page 1202
notifies the recipient that the gift from the buyer has been
accepted. Once the gift has been accepted, the gift transaction
system 102 can notify the merchant system 104 to place a reserve
hold on the gift item via the merchant back end interface. Also in
response to the gift being accepted, the gift transaction system
102 can notify the buyer to authorize payment based on the buyer
contact entry 704 of FIG. 7.
[0111] The acceptance confirmation page 1202 can include a gift
suggestion section 1204. The gift suggestion section 1204 can
include links to send gifts to a list of friends (i.e., user
accounts socially connected to the recipient) of the recipient
through the gift transaction system 200 of FIG. 1.
[0112] FIG. 13 illustrates an example of an up-sale interface 1300
embedded in the merchant website 602. The up-sale interface 1300
can be used to suggest potential gifts to a buyer. The up-sale
interface 1300 can be curated by the curation module 224 of FIG. 2,
where a recommendation feed is generated via the curation module
224 and assisted by profiling information from the analytics module
234 of FIG. 2.
[0113] The up-sale interface 1300 can include a gift list 1302,
such as the gift lists stored on the gift list store 244 of FIG. 2.
The gift list 1302 enables a potential buyer of a gift to keep
track of gift ideas. The up-sale interface 1300 can also include a
gift guide 1304. The gift guide 1304 includes different lists of
gift recommended by either the merchant system 212 of FIG. 2 or the
curation module 224.
[0114] FIG. 14 is an illustration of a method of sending a gift via
a buyer device 1402 and a recipient device 1404. The buyer device
1402 can identify a target gift 1406 by a camera, such as taking a
picture of the UPC code. Through the gift transaction system 102 of
FIG. 1, the buyer device 1402 can instantly generate a gift card to
send to the recipient device 1404. The recipient device 1404,
having received the gift card, can then accept, exchange, or
customize the target gift 1406.
[0115] FIG. 15 illustrates an example of a computer system 1500.
The computer system 1500 includes a processor, memory, non-volatile
memory, and an interface device. Various common components (e.g.,
cache memory) are omitted for illustrative simplicity. The computer
system 1500 is intended to illustrate a hardware device on which
any of the components depicted in the example of FIGS. 1 and 2 (and
any other components described in this specification) can be
implemented. The computer system 1500 can be of any applicable
known or convenient type. The components of the computer system
1500 can be coupled together via a bus or through some other known
or convenient device.
[0116] This disclosure contemplates the computer system 1500 taking
any suitable physical form. As example and not by way of
limitation, computer system 1500 may be an embedded computer
system, a system-on-chip (SOC), a single-board computer system
(SBC) (such as, for example, a computer-on-module (COM) or
system-on-module (SOM)), a desktop computer system, a laptop or
notebook computer system, an interactive kiosk, a mainframe, a mesh
of computer systems, a mobile telephone, a personal digital
assistant (PDA), a server, or a combination of two or more of
these. Where appropriate, computer system 1500 may include one or
more computer systems 1500; be unitary or distributed; span
multiple locations; span multiple machines; or reside in a cloud,
which may include one or more cloud components in one or more
networks. Where appropriate, one or more computer systems 1500 may
perform without substantial spatial or temporal limitation one or
more steps of one or more methods described or illustrated herein.
As an example and not by way of limitation, one or more computer
systems 1500 may perform in real time or in batch mode one or more
steps of one or more methods described or illustrated herein. One
or more computer systems 1500 may perform at different times or at
different locations one or more steps of one or more methods
described or illustrated herein, where appropriate.
[0117] The processor may be, for example, a conventional
microprocessor such as an Intel Pentium microprocessor or Motorola
power PC microprocessor. One of skill in the relevant art will
recognize that the terms "machine-readable (storage) medium" or
"computer-readable (storage) medium" include any type of device
that is accessible by the processor.
[0118] The memory is coupled to the processor by, for example, a
bus. The memory can include, by way of example but not limitation,
random access memory (RAM), such as dynamic RAM (DRAM) and static
RAM (SRAM). The memory can be local, remote, or distributed.
[0119] The bus also couples the processor to the non-volatile
memory and drive unit. The non-volatile memory is often a magnetic
floppy or hard disk, a magnetic-optical disk, an optical disk, a
read-only memory (ROM), such as a CD-ROM, EPROM, or EEPROM, a
magnetic or optical card, or another form of storage for large
amounts of data. Some of this data is often written, by a direct
memory access process, into memory during execution of software in
the computer 1500. The non-volatile storage can be local, remote,
or distributed. The non-volatile memory is optional because systems
can be created with all applicable data available in memory. A
typical computer system will usually include at least a processor,
memory, and a device (e.g., a bus) coupling the memory to the
processor.
[0120] Software is typically stored in the non-volatile memory
and/or the drive unit. Indeed, for large programs, it may not even
be possible to store the entire program in the memory.
Nevertheless, it should be understood that for software to run, if
necessary, it is moved to a computer readable location appropriate
for processing, and for illustrative purposes, that location is
referred to as the memory in this paper. Even when software is
moved to the memory for execution, the processor will typically
make use of hardware registers to store values associated with the
software, and local cache that, ideally, serves to speed up
execution. As used herein, a software program is assumed to be
stored at any known or convenient location (from non-volatile
storage to hardware registers) when the software program is
referred to as "implemented in a computer-readable medium." A
processor is considered to be "configured to execute a program"
when at least one value associated with the program is stored in a
register readable by the processor.
[0121] The bus also couples the processor to the network interface
device. The interface can include one or more of a modem or network
interface. It will be appreciated that a modem or network interface
can be considered to be part of the computer system 1500. The
interface can include an analog modem, ISDN modem, cable modem,
token ring interface, satellite transmission interface (e.g.,
"direct PC"), or other interfaces for coupling a computer system to
other computer systems. The interface can include one or more input
and/or output devices. The I/O devices can include, by way of
example but not limitation, a keyboard, a mouse or other pointing
device, disk drives, printers, a scanner, and other input and/or
output devices, including a display device. The display device can
include, by way of example but not limitation, a cathode ray tube
(CRT), liquid crystal display (LCD), or some other applicable known
or convenient display device. For simplicity, it is assumed that
controllers of any devices not depicted in the example of FIG. 15
reside in the interface.
[0122] In operation, the computer system 1500 can be controlled by
operating system software that includes a file management system,
such as a disk operating system. One example of operating system
software with associated file management system software is the
family of operating systems known as Windows.RTM. from Microsoft
Corporation of Redmond, Wash., and their associated file management
systems. Another example of operating system software with its
associated file management system software is the Linux.TM.
operating system and its associated file management system. The
file management system is typically stored in the non-volatile
memory and/or drive unit and causes the processor to execute the
various acts required by the operating system to input and output
data and to store data in the memory, including storing files on
the non-volatile memory and/or drive unit.
[0123] Some portions of the detailed description may be presented
in terms of algorithms and symbolic representations of operations
on data bits within a computer memory. These algorithmic
descriptions and representations are the means used by those
skilled in the data processing arts to most effectively convey the
substance of their work to others skilled in the art. An algorithm
is here, and generally, conceived to be a self-consistent sequence
of operations leading to a desired result. The operations are those
requiring physical manipulations of physical quantities. Usually,
though not necessarily, these quantities take the form of
electrical or magnetic signals capable of being stored,
transferred, combined, compared, and otherwise manipulated. It has
proven convenient at times, principally for reasons of common
usage, to refer to these signals as bits, values, elements,
symbols, characters, terms, numbers, or the like.
[0124] It should be borne in mind, however, that all of these and
similar terms are to be associated with the appropriate physical
quantities and are merely convenient labels applied to these
quantities. Unless specifically stated otherwise as apparent from
the following discussion, it is appreciated that throughout the
description, discussions utilizing terms such as "processing" or
"computing" or "calculating" or "determining" or "displaying" or
"generating" or the like, refer to the action and processes of a
computer system, or similar electronic computing device, that
manipulates and transforms data represented as physical
(electronic) quantities within registers and memories of the
computer system into other data similarly represented as physical
quantities within the computer system memories or registers or
other such information storage, transmission or display
devices.
[0125] The algorithms and displays presented herein are not
inherently related to any particular computer or other apparatus.
Various general purpose systems may be used with programs in
accordance with the teachings herein, or it may prove convenient to
construct more specialized apparatus to perform the methods of some
embodiments. The required structure for a variety of these systems
will appear from the description below. In addition, the techniques
are not described with reference to any particular programming
language, and various embodiments may thus be implemented using a
variety of programming languages.
[0126] In alternative embodiments, the machine operates as a
standalone device or may be connected (e.g., networked) to other
machines. In a networked deployment, the machine may operate in the
capacity of a server or a client machine in a client-server network
environment, or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (or
distributed) network environment.
[0127] The machine may be a server computer, a client computer, a
personal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a laptop computer, a set-top
box (STB), a personal digital assistant (PDA), a cellular
telephone, an iPhone, a Blackberry, a processor, a telephone, a web
appliance, a network router, switch or bridge, or any machine
capable of executing a set of instructions (sequential or
otherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that machine.
[0128] While the machine-readable medium or machine-readable
storage medium is shown in an exemplary embodiment to be a single
medium, the term "machine-readable medium" and "machine-readable
storage medium" should be taken to include a single medium or
multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database, and/or
associated caches and servers) that store the one or more sets of
instructions. The term "machine-readable medium" and
"machine-readable storage medium" shall also be taken to include
any medium that is capable of storing, encoding or carrying a set
of instructions for execution by the machine and that cause the
machine to perform any one or more of the methodologies or modules
of the presently disclosed technique and innovation.
[0129] In general, the routines executed to implement the
embodiments of the disclosure, may be implemented as part of an
operating system or a specific application, component, program,
object, module or sequence of instructions referred to as "computer
programs." The computer programs typically comprise one or more
instructions set at various times in various memory and storage
devices in a computer, and that, when read and executed by one or
more processing units or processors in a computer, cause the
computer to perform operations to execute elements involving the
various aspects of the disclosure.
[0130] Moreover, while embodiments have been described in the
context of fully functioning computers and computer systems, those
skilled in the art will appreciate that the various embodiments are
capable of being distributed as a program product in a variety of
forms, and that the disclosure applies equally regardless of the
particular type of machine or computer-readable media used to
actually effect the distribution.
[0131] Further examples of machine-readable storage media,
machine-readable media, or computer-readable (storage) media
include but are not limited to recordable type media such as
volatile and non-volatile memory devices, floppy and other
removable disks, hard disk drives, optical disks (e.g., Compact
Disk Read-Only Memory (CD ROMS), Digital Versatile Disks, (DVDs),
etc.), among others, and transmission type media such as digital
and analog communication links.
[0132] In some circumstances, operation of a memory device, such as
a change in state from a binary one to a binary zero or vice-versa,
for example, may comprise a transformation, such as a physical
transformation. With particular types of memory devices, such a
physical transformation may comprise a physical transformation of
an article to a different state or thing. For example, but without
limitation, for some types of memory devices, a change in state may
involve an accumulation and storage of charge or a release of
stored charge. Likewise, in other memory devices, a change of state
may comprise a physical change or transformation in magnetic
orientation or a physical change or transformation in molecular
structure, such as from crystalline to amorphous or vice versa. The
foregoing is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all examples
in which a change in state for a binary one to a binary zero or
vice-versa in a memory device may comprise a transformation, such
as a physical transformation. Rather, the foregoing is intended as
illustrative examples.
[0133] A storage medium typically may be non-transitory or comprise
a non-transitory device. In this context, a non-transitory storage
medium may include a device that is tangible, meaning that the
device has a concrete physical form, although the device may change
its physical state. Thus, for example, non-transitory refers to a
device remaining tangible despite this change in state.
[0134] The above description and drawings are illustrative and are
not to be construed as limiting the invention to the precise forms
disclosed. Persons skilled in the relevant art can appreciate that
many modifications and variations are possible in light of the
above disclosure. Numerous specific details are described to
provide a thorough understanding of the disclosure. However, in
certain instances, well-known or conventional details are not
described in order to avoid obscuring the description.
[0135] Reference in this specification to "one embodiment" or "an
embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or
characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is
included in at least one embodiment of the disclosure. The
appearances of the phrase "in one embodiment" in various places in
the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same
embodiment, nor are separate or alternative embodiments mutually
exclusive of other embodiments. Moreover, various features are
described which may be exhibited by some embodiments and not by
others. Similarly, various requirements are described which may be
requirements for some embodiments but not other embodiments.
[0136] As used herein, the terms "connected," "coupled," or any
variant thereof when applying to modules of a system, means any
connection or coupling, either direct or indirect, between two or
more elements; the coupling of connection between the elements can
be physical, logical, or any combination thereof. Additionally, the
words "herein," "above," "below," and words of similar import, when
used in this application, shall refer to this application as a
whole and not to any particular portions of this application. Where
the context permits, words in the above Detailed Description using
the singular or plural number may also include the plural or
singular number respectively. The word "or," in reference to a list
of two or more items, covers all of the following interpretations
of the word: any of the items in the list, all of the items in the
list, or any combination of the items in the list.
[0137] Those of skill in the art will appreciate that the invention
may be embodied in other forms and manners not shown below. It is
understood that the use of relational terms, if any, such as first,
second, top and bottom, and the like are used solely for
distinguishing one entity or action from another, without
necessarily requiring or implying any such actual relationship or
order between such entities or actions.
[0138] While processes or blocks are presented in a given order,
alternative embodiments may perform routines having steps, or
employ systems having blocks, in a different order, and some
processes or blocks may be deleted, moved, added, subdivided,
substituted, combined, and/or modified to provide alternative or
sub combinations. Each of these processes or blocks may be
implemented in a variety of different ways. Also, while processes
or blocks are at times shown as being performed in series, these
processes or blocks may instead be performed in parallel, or may be
performed at different times. Further any specific numbers noted
herein are only examples: alternative implementations may employ
differing values or ranges.
[0139] The teachings of the disclosure provided herein can be
applied to other systems, not necessarily the system described
above. The elements and acts of the various embodiments described
above can be combined to provide further embodiments.
[0140] Any patents and applications and other references noted
above, including any that may be listed in accompanying filing
papers, are incorporated herein by reference. Aspects of the
disclosure can be modified, if necessary, to employ the systems,
functions, and concepts of the various references described above
to provide yet further embodiments of the disclosure.
[0141] These and other changes can be made to the disclosure in
light of the above Detailed Description. While the above
description describes certain embodiments of the disclosure, and
describes the best mode contemplated, no matter how detailed the
above appears in text, the teachings can be practiced in many ways.
Details of the system may vary considerably in its implementation
details, while still being encompassed by the subject matter
disclosed herein. As noted above, particular terminology used when
describing certain features or aspects of the disclosure should not
be taken to imply that the terminology is being redefined herein to
be restricted to any specific characteristics, features, or aspects
of the disclosure with which that terminology is associated. In
general, the terms used in the following claims should not be
construed to limit the disclosure to the specific embodiments
disclosed in the specification, unless the above Detailed
Description section explicitly defines such terms. Accordingly, the
actual scope of the disclosure encompasses not only the disclosed
embodiments, but also all equivalent ways of practicing or
implementing the disclosure under the claims.
[0142] While certain aspects of the disclosure are presented below
in certain claim forms, the inventors contemplate the various
aspects of the disclosure in any number of claim forms. Any claims
intended to be treated under 35 U.S.C. .sctn.112, 6 will begin with
the words "means for". Accordingly, the applicant reserves the
right to add additional claims after filing the application to
pursue such additional claim forms for other aspects of the
disclosure.
[0143] The terms used in this specification generally have their
ordinary meanings in the art, within the context of the disclosure,
and in the specific context where each term is used. Certain terms
that are used to describe the disclosure are discussed above, or
elsewhere in the specification, to provide additional guidance to
the practitioner regarding the description of the disclosure. For
convenience, certain terms may be highlighted, for example using
capitalization, italics and/or quotation marks. The use of
highlighting has no influence on the scope and meaning of a term;
the scope and meaning of a term is the same, in the same context,
whether or not it is highlighted. It will be appreciated that same
element can be described in more than one way.
[0144] Consequently, alternative language and synonyms may be used
for any one or more of the terms discussed herein, nor is any
special significance to be placed upon whether or not a term is
elaborated or discussed herein. Synonyms for certain terms are
provided. A recital of one or more synonyms does not exclude the
use of other synonyms. The use of examples anywhere in this
specification including examples of any terms discussed herein is
illustrative only, and is not intended to further limit the scope
and meaning of the disclosure or of any exemplified term. Likewise,
the disclosure is not limited to various embodiments given in this
specification.
[0145] Without intent to further limit the scope of the disclosure,
examples of instruments, apparatus, methods and their related
results according to the embodiments of the present disclosure are
given below. Note that titles or subtitles may be used in the
examples for convenience of a reader, which in no way should limit
the scope of the disclosure. Unless otherwise defined, all
technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as
commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which
this disclosure pertains. In the case of conflict, the present
document, including definitions will control.
[0146] Some portions of this description describe the embodiments
of the invention in terms of algorithms and symbolic
representations of operations on information. These algorithmic
descriptions and representations are commonly used by those skilled
in the data processing arts to convey the substance of their work
effectively to others skilled in the art. These operations, while
described functionally, computationally, or logically, are
understood to be implemented by computer programs or equivalent
electrical circuits, microcode, or the like. Furthermore, it has
also proven convenient at times, to refer to these arrangements of
operations as modules, without loss of generality. The described
operations and their associated modules may be embodied in
software, firmware, hardware, or any combinations thereof.
[0147] Any of the steps, operations, or processes described herein
may be performed or implemented with one or more hardware or
software modules, alone or in combination with other devices. In
one embodiment, a software module is implemented with a computer
program product comprising a computer-readable medium containing
computer program code, which can be executed by a computer
processor for performing any or all of the steps, operations, or
processes described.
[0148] Embodiments of the invention may also relate to an apparatus
for performing the operations herein. This apparatus may be
specially constructed for the required purposes, and/or it may
comprise a general-purpose computing device selectively activated
or reconfigured by a computer program stored in the computer. Such
a computer program may be stored in a non transitory, tangible
computer readable storage medium, or any type of media suitable for
storing electronic instructions, which may be coupled to a computer
system bus. Furthermore, any computing systems referred to in the
specification may include a single processor or may be
architectures employing multiple processor designs for increased
computing capability.
[0149] Embodiments of the invention may also relate to a product
that is produced by a computing process described herein. Such a
product may comprise information resulting from a computing
process, where the information is stored on a non transitory,
tangible computer readable storage medium and may include any
embodiment of a computer program product or other data combination
described herein.
[0150] The language used in the specification has been principally
selected for readability and instructional purposes, and it may not
have been selected to delineate or circumscribe the inventive
subject matter. It is therefore intended that the scope of the
invention be limited not by this detailed description, but rather
by any claims that issue on an application based hereon.
Accordingly, the disclosure of the embodiments of the invention is
intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, of the scope of the
invention, which is set forth in the following claims.
* * * * *