U.S. patent application number 14/257818 was filed with the patent office on 2014-10-23 for providing gift clustering functionality to assist a user in ordering multiple items for a recipient.
This patent application is currently assigned to Amazon Technologies, Inc.. The applicant listed for this patent is Amazon Technologies, Inc.. Invention is credited to Amit D. Agarwal.
Application Number | 20140316945 14/257818 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 26911845 |
Filed Date | 2014-10-23 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140316945 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Agarwal; Amit D. |
October 23, 2014 |
PROVIDING GIFT CLUSTERING FUNCTIONALITY TO ASSIST A USER IN
ORDERING MULTIPLE ITEMS FOR A RECIPIENT
Abstract
A method and system for creating of gift clusters of multiple
items in a client/server environment by users, and for the ordering
of such user-defined gift clusters of multiple items. In
particular, a user can specify multiple items to be associated
together as a gift cluster, and can also specify a variety of
descriptive information about the gift cluster. That user or
another user can then order the gift cluster as a gift for
themselves or for another recipient, and may also order the gift
cluster for the same or different recipients multiple times. The
descriptive information can provide various information about how
the gift cluster is to be used, and can also assist the user or
others in identifying when the gift cluster is appropriate for a
recipient. When customers are later searching for appropriate gift
clusters, the various categorization or other descriptive
information can then assist is identifying appropriate gift
clusters. The gift clustering functionality may be provided by and
work in conjunction with a particular item ordering service, or
instead may work independently from any particular item ordering
service.
Inventors: |
Agarwal; Amit D.; (Seattle,
WA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Amazon Technologies, Inc. |
Reno |
NV |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Amazon Technologies, Inc.
Reno
NV
|
Family ID: |
26911845 |
Appl. No.: |
14/257818 |
Filed: |
April 21, 2014 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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11298985 |
Dec 9, 2005 |
8738470 |
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14257818 |
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09699244 |
Oct 27, 2000 |
6999941 |
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11298985 |
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60217333 |
Jul 11, 2000 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
705/26.62 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 30/06 20130101;
G06Q 30/0625 20130101; G06Q 30/0633 20130101; G06Q 30/0635
20130101; G06Q 30/0605 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
705/26.62 |
International
Class: |
G06Q 30/06 20060101
G06Q030/06 |
Claims
1-74. (canceled)
75. A computer-implemented method, comprising: receiving, by a
configured computing system of an item ordering service,
information from a user indicating a search criterion that includes
a specified characteristic of an intended recipient other than the
user; based at least in part on the specified characteristic of the
indicated search criterion, identifying, by the configured
computing system, a group of multiple items available from the item
ordering service that is determined to be appropriate for the
intended recipient, the group of multiple items having been defined
by a customer of the item ordering service distinct from the user;
and providing, by the configured computing system, information for
display to the user indicating that the group of multiple items is
determined to be appropriate for the intended recipient.
76. The method of claim 75 wherein the specified characteristic
includes an interest of the intended recipient.
77. The method of claim 75 wherein the specified characteristic
includes demographic information associated with the intended
recipient.
78. The method of claim 75 wherein the specified characteristic
includes information identifying the intended recipient, wherein
the intended recipient is a second customer of the item ordering
service that is distinct from the user and from the customer who
defined the group, and wherein the identifying of the group is
based at least in part on information tracked by the item ordering
service and associated with the second customer.
79. The method of claim 75 wherein the indicated search criterion
further includes an indication of a specified occasion, and wherein
the identifying of the group includes determining that the group is
appropriate for the specified occasion.
80. The method of claim 75 wherein the group of multiple items is
an individual group of a plurality of groups of multiple items,
each group of the plurality of groups being available from the item
ordering service, and wherein the identifying of the group is based
at least in part on a category associated with the group.
81. The method of claim 80 wherein the category associated with the
group is determined in an automated manner by the configured
computing system.
82. The method of claim 75 wherein the identifying of the group is
based at least in part on information associated with the group
that is received from the customer who defined the group.
83. The method of claim 75 wherein the information provided for
display to the user identifies an action that is to be performed to
order the group of multiple items from the item ordering service as
a single item, and wherein the method further comprises, after
performance by the user of the identified action, initiating an
order for the group of multiple items.
84. The method of claim 83 wherein the initiating of the order is
performed to cause delivery to the intended recipient of the
multiple items of the group together as a group.
85. The method of claim 75 further comprising, before the providing
of the information, creating the group of multiple items based at
least in part on an indication received from the customer.
86. The method of claim 85 wherein the information received from
the customer includes categorization information related to the
group of multiple items.
87. The method of claim 86 wherein the categorization information
reflects a categorization type from a group of categorization
types, the group of categorization types including at least one of
an occasion for which the group of multiple items is appropriate, a
mnemonic moniker associated with the group of multiple items, or a
type of recipient for which the group of multiple items is
appropriate.
88. The method of claim 75 further comprising, before the providing
of the information for display to the user, receiving an
instruction from the customer to make the group of multiple items
available for ordering by other customers of the item ordering
service, and wherein the user is one of a plurality of customers of
the item ordering service.
89. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing
specific computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a
computing device, causes the computing device to at least: receive
information from a first user defining a group of multiple items
available from an item ordering service; receive a search criterion
from a second user distinct from the first user, the search
criterion including a characteristic of a recipient that is
distinct from the first and second users; and based at least in
part on receiving the search criterion, determine that the group of
multiple items is appropriate for the recipient having the
characteristic; and provide information for display to the second
user identifying the group of multiple items as a single item that
is available to be ordered for the recipient.
90. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 89
wherein the characteristic includes at least one of an interest of
the recipient or demographic information associated with the
recipient.
91. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 89
wherein the first and second users are customers of the item
ordering service, wherein the received search criterion identifies
the recipient as a distinct third user of the item ordering
service, and wherein the determining that the group of multiple
items is appropriate for the recipient is based at least in part on
information tracked by the item ordering service with respect to
the third user.
92. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 89
wherein the received search criteria further include an indication
of a specified occasion.
93. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 89
wherein the determining that the group of multiple items is
appropriate for the recipient is based at least in part on a
category associated with the group of multiple items.
94. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 89
wherein the determining that the group of multiple items is
appropriate for the recipient is based at least in part on
information associated with the group of multiple items by the
first user.
95. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim
89, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by
the computing device, further cause the computing device to at
least: before the providing of the information for display to the
second user, receive an indication from the first user that the
group of multiple items is to be made available for ordering by
users other than the first user.
96. A system comprising: an electronic data store configured to at
least store specific computer-executable instructions; and a
processor in communication with the electronic data store, the
processor configured to execute the specific computer-executable
instructions to at least: receive information defining a group of
multiple items, the information being received from a first user of
multiple users of an item acquisition service, the multiple items
being available to the multiple users from the item acquisition
service; select the group of multiple items as being appropriate
for an intended recipient based at least in part on categorization
information associated with the group of multiple items; and
provide information for display to a second user of the multiple
users that is distinct from the first user, the provided
information indicating that the group of multiple items is
appropriate for the intended recipient and identifying the group of
multiple items as a single item that is available to be acquired
from the item acquisition service.
97. The configured computer system of claim 96 wherein the
categorization information associated with the group of multiple
items identifies an occasion.
98. The configured computer system of claim 96 wherein the
categorization information associated with the group of multiple
items identifies a type of intended recipient.
99. The configured computer system of claim 96 wherein the
selecting of the group as appropriate for the intended recipient is
further based in part on a search criterion received from the
second user, the search criterion specifying a characteristic of
the intended recipient.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of co-pending U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 11/298,985, filed Dec. 9, 2005, and entitled
"Providing Gift Clustering Functionality To Assist A User In
Ordering Multiple Items For A Recipient." which is hereby
incorporated by reference in its entirety. U.S. patent application
Ser. No. 11/298,985 is a continuation of U.S. patent application
Ser. No. 09/699,244 filed Oct. 27, 2000, which claims the benefit
of provisional U.S. Patent Application No. 60/217,333 filed Jul.
11, 2000, and which is hereby incorporated by reference in its
entirety.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present invention relates to a computer method and
system for placing orders, and more particularly to a method and
system for ordering user-defined groups of multiple items.
BACKGROUND
[0003] The Internet comprises a vast number of computers and
computer networks that are interconnected through communication
links. The interconnected computers exchange information using
various services, such as electronic mail, Gopher, and the World
Wide Web ("WWW"). The WWW service allows a server computer system
(i.e., Web server or Web site) to send graphical Web pages of
information to a remote client computer system. The remote client
computer system can then display the Web pages. Each resource
(e.g., computer or Web page) of the WWW is uniquely identifiable by
a Uniform Resource Locator ("URL"). To view a specific Web page, a
client computer system specifies the URL for that Web page in a
request (e.g., a HyperText Transfer Protocol ("HTTP") request). The
request is forwarded to the Web server that supports that Web page.
When that Web server receives the request, it sends that Web page
to the client computer system. When the client computer system
receives that Web page, it typically displays the Web page using a
browser (i.e., a special-purpose application program that effects
the requesting of Web pages and the displaying of Web pages).
[0004] Currently, Web pages are typically defined using HyperText
Markup Language ("HTML"). HTML provides a standard set of tags that
define how a Web page is to be displayed. When a user indicates to
the browser to display a Web page, the browser sends a request to
the server computer system to transfer to the client computer
system an HTML document that defines the Web page. When the
requested HTML document is received by the client computer system,
the browser displays the Web page as defined by the HTML document.
The HTML document contains various tags that control the displaying
of text, graphics, controls, and other features. The HTML document
may contain URLs of other Web pages available on that server
computer system or other server computer systems.
[0005] The World Wide Web is especially conducive to conducting
electronic commerce. Many Web servers have been developed through
which vendors can advertise and provide items. The item can be
products that are delivered electronically to the purchaser over
the Internet (e.g., music) and products that are delivered through
conventional distribution channels (e.g., books delivered by a
common carrier). Similarly, the items can be services that are
provided either electronically (e.g., providing email service) or
physically (e.g., performing cleaning services at the purchaser's
house). While an orderer or purchaser of an item typically obtains
full ownership of the item, other types of purchase transactions
include renting, leasing, trying an evaluation copy of an item for
free for a limited time, licensing, bartering, and exchanging.
[0006] A server computer system that is providing a item ordering
or purchasing service may provide information about the available
items using an electronic version of a catalog. A user (or
"customer") may then use a browser to view and select various items
in the catalog that are to be purchased. When the user has
completed selecting the items to be purchased, the server computer
system then prompts the user for information to complete the
ordering of the items. This purchaser-specific order information
may include the purchaser's name, the purchaser's credit card
number, and a shipping address for the order. The server computer
system then typically confirms the order by sending a confirming
Web page to the client computer system and schedules shipment of
the items.
[0007] The selection of the various items from the electronic
catalogs is generally based on the "shopping cart"
ordering/purchasing model. When the purchaser selects an item from
the electronic catalog, the server computer system metaphorically
adds that item to a shopping cart. When the purchaser is done
selecting items, then all the items in the shopping cart can be
"checked out" (i.e., ordered) when the purchaser provides billing
and shipment information. In some models, when a purchaser selects
any one item, then that item is "checked out" by automatically
prompting the user for the billing and shipment information.
Although the shopping cart model is very flexible and intuitive, it
has a downside in that it requires many interactions by the
purchaser. Thus, if a purchaser is ordering only one item, the
overhead of confirming the various steps of the ordering process
and waiting for, viewing, and updating the purchaser-specific order
information can be significant. Also, sensitive information is
transmitted over the Internet each time an order is placed using
the shopping cart model, and thus is susceptible to being
intercepted and decrypted.
[0008] Some Web sites also provide Web-based gift registry
functionality (e.g., www.wishclick.com and www.netgift.com) in
which a user can manually specify indications of items which they
are interested in receiving, such as a "wish list" of desired
items. Other users that desire to give a gift to that user can view
the user's wish list, and then order or purchase an item from the
list for the user. When using such wish lists, the gift recipient
is more likely to receive appropriate gifts that they desire, and a
gift giver is more likely to be able to provide such gifts to the
recipient. Moreover, some Web sites may additionally track the
items that gift givers purchase for the recipient, and
automatically remove those items from the wish list when they are
purchased.
[0009] Unfortunately, item ordering or purchasing services can be
difficult to operate in certain circumstances. For example, if a
user of such a service desires to send multiple items to a
recipient, the user can manually specify the multiple items
one-by-one (e.g., by placing all of the items in a shopping cart)
and then order those items. However, item purchasing services will
not typically treat the multiple items as a group--for example,
some of the items may be shipped at different times if they have
different availability or shipping needs. Even if an item
purchasing service allows the user to indicate to ship all of the
items together, the multiple items will not typically be treated as
a group for other purposes such as pricing and availability (i.e.,
pricing and availability information will be presented separately
for each individual item rather than for the group). In addition,
if the user later desires to order the same multiple items (e.g.,
for a different recipient), the user will have to manually
re-specify all of the items. This process can be time-consuming and
frustrating.
[0010] Other problems with current item ordering or purchasing
services relate to situations in which a user desires to order
items for a recipient, but has difficulty in identifying
appropriate items to order. For example, the user may be attempting
to order items for a particular occasion (e.g., the birthday of the
user's mother, or Easter), but have difficulty identifying items
that would be of interest for the recipient on the occasion.
Alternately, the user may know specific interests of the recipient
(e.g., wine tasting, rock climbing, 18.sup.th century French
literature, etc.), but have difficulty identifying items that would
be of interest to people with such interests. In other situations,
the user may know only limited information about a potential
recipient (e.g., only a username or an actual name) that does not
include any information about the interests of the recipient.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] FIGS. 1A-1D illustrate an embodiment of creating
user-defined gift clusters of multiple items to be later used for
ordering.
[0012] FIGS. 2A-2B illustrate an embodiment of ordering
user-defined gift clusters of multiple items.
[0013] FIG. 3A illustrates an embodiment of searching for
user-defined gift clusters of multiple items that satisfy specified
search criteria.
[0014] FIG. 3B illustrates an embodiment of categorizing customers
in a manner that can be used to identify user-defined gift clusters
of multiple items that are appropriate for the customers.
[0015] FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of a
system for creating and ordering user-defined gift clusters of
multiple items.
[0016] FIGS. 5A-5B depict a flow diagram of an embodiment of the
Create Gift Cluster routine.
[0017] FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of an embodiment of the Categorize
Gift Cluster routine.
[0018] FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of an embodiment of the Search Gift
Clusters routine.
[0019] FIG. 8 is a flow diagram of an embodiment of the View Gift
Cluster routine.
[0020] FIG. 9 is a flow diagram of an embodiment of the Order Gift
Cluster routine.
[0021] FIG. 10 is a flow diagram of an embodiment of the Determine
Delivery Information For The Gift Cluster subroutine.
[0022] FIG. 11 is a flow diagram of an embodiment of the Determine
Payment Information For The Gift Cluster subroutine.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0023] A software facility is described below for the creation (or
"definition") of gift clusters of multiple items in a client/server
environment, and for the ordering of such user-defined gift
clusters of multiple items. In particular, a Gift Clustering system
software facility allows a user to specify multiple items to be
associated together as a gift cluster, and then to order the gift
cluster as if it were a single item. In some embodiments the Gift
Clustering system is provided by and works in conjunction with a
particular item ordering service, while in other embodiments the
system works independently from any particular item ordering
service.
[0024] When creating or defining a gift cluster, the items added to
the gift cluster can differ in various ways, such as having both
items representing goods and items representing services, or having
items of various product types (e.g., a book, a CD, a food product,
etc.). In some embodiments, a gift cluster can even have an item
that represents another gift cluster. Specific mechanisms for
creating gift clusters are discussed in greater detail below.
[0025] After a user has created a gift cluster, the user can then
order the gift cluster as if it were a single item (e.g.,
information about the ordering such as an availability or delivery
date will be displayed for the gift cluster as a whole rather than
for the individual items), and all of the multiple items associated
with the gift cluster will be delivered as a group to the recipient
of the order (e.g., the items will be shipped so as to arrive
together). The user may order the gift cluster as a gift for
themselves or for another recipient, and may also order the gift
cluster for the same or different recipients multiple times.
[0026] When creating a gift cluster, a user can also specify a
variety of descriptive information about the gift cluster. For
example, the user may specify shipping instructions (e.g., next-day
shipping) or wrapping instructions (e.g., a particular type of
wrapping paper) that are appropriate for the items of the gift
cluster. In addition, in some embodiments the user could specify a
particular recipient or delivery address if the items are
sufficiently specific to an intended recipient. Similarly, the user
can in some embodiments specify information related to the user
(e.g., if only the user will order the gift cluster), such as
payment information associated with the user. When a gift cluster
is ordered, such associated descriptive information will be used as
part of the ordering unless overridden.
[0027] The user can also specify other descriptive information
about a created gift cluster, such as whether the gift cluster is
available only to the user for ordering or instead is also
available to other customers. In some embodiments the user may
indicate specific other customers to whom the created gift cluster
will be available, while in other embodiments the created gift
cluster will be available to any customer. In addition, in order to
encourage users to create useful gift clusters and to make them
available to others, the creators of gift clusters may in some
embodiments be compensated for supplying gift clusters that are
available to other users or for use of their supplied gift clusters
by other customers. Other types of descriptive information that the
user may specify about a gift cluster include an expiration date
(e.g., after Christmas) or other criteria (e.g., a number of times
of the gift cluster being ordered, such as 1) that when satisfied
indicate that the gift cluster should be removed. When the
expiration criteria are satisfied, the Gift Clustering system can
remove (or make inaccessible) the gift cluster.
[0028] The user in some embodiments can also specify various
descriptive information that categorizes the gift cluster so as to
assist the user or others in identifying when the gift cluster is
appropriate for a recipient. For example, the user may associate a
mnemonic moniker with the gift cluster that will be used for
display. In addition, the user may specify other categorization
information for the gift cluster that indicates recipients or
situations for which the gift cluster is appropriate. Such
categorization could include identifying occasions for which the
gift cluster is appropriate and/or identifying types of recipients
for whom the gift cluster is appropriate. Types of recipients could
be identified in a variety of ways, such as by interests of the
recipients or by demographic information about the recipients.
[0029] The various categorization or other descriptive information
can assist customers that are searching for appropriate gift
clusters. In some embodiments, customers can specify an occasion
and/or can identify various information about the intended
recipient, and will then receive indications of various gift
clusters that satisfy the specified criteria. In other embodiments,
customers can use other criteria to search for gift clusters, such
as popularity of the gift cluster (e.g., as defined by the number
of orders that have been received for the gift cluster) or price,
either alone or in combination with other criteria. If criteria
such as popularity is to be used, the system can also track the use
of the various created gift clusters in order to be able to
determine such information.
[0030] In addition to the user-specified categorization discussed
above, the system can in some embodiments automatically categorize
user-defined gift clusters. This automatic categorization can occur
in a variety of ways. For example, in some embodiments some or all
individual items may have categorization information associated
with them (e.g., a toy with a suggested age range or a
gender-specific health product), and if so the categorization
information for the items in a gift cluster could be combined to
create an aggregate categorization for the gift cluster.
Alternately, in other embodiments the system could track
information over time about the recipients of a gift cluster (e.g.,
from information specified during searches or from user profiles
for recipients), and could aggregate the information about the
various past recipients in order to determine a categorization for
the gift cluster to assist in identifying future recipients.
[0031] Similarly, the system can in some embodiments automatically
search for appropriate user-defined gift clusters. For example,
even if a customer does not know demographic information or
interests of a possible recipient, the system may be able to access
such information (e.g., from a user profile for the recipient, from
past ordering patterns of the recipient, or from publicly
accessible databases). If so, the system could receive an
indication of a recipient, access relevant identifying or
categorization information about the recipient, and automatically
search for gift clusters that match the accessed information.
[0032] In other embodiments, the system may even be able to
automatically create gift clusters. For example, the system could
monitor groups of items that are ordered together by various
customers. If enough customers order a group of items together, the
system could automatically create a gift cluster containing those
items.
[0033] Thus, gift clusters of multiple items can be created in a
variety of ways, and can have a variety of types of associated
information. In addition, the ability to create and order gift
clusters provides a variety of benefits over current item ordering
services.
[0034] Gift clusters can also be identified and ordered by
customers in a variety of ways. In particular, gift clusters can be
added to shopping carts and to wish lists in the same manner as any
other item. In addition, in some embodiments a single-action
ordering system is provided in which purchaser-specific order
information is stored for a user and then used to complete an order
for an item. Similarly, in some embodiments multi-procurement
option ordering is provided in which multiple pre-defined
alternatives with differing purchaser-specific order information
are available for completing the ordering of the item. If
single-action or multiple procurement option ordering systems are
available, customers can use such systems to order gift clusters
for themselves or for others in the same manner as for other items.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that other mechanisms for
ordering or purchasing items can similarly be used to order or
purchase gift clusters.
[0035] In one embodiment, the single-action ordering system
involves the server system storing purchaser-specific order
information for various potential purchasers. When a purchaser
requests information describing an item, the server system can send
the requested information (e.g., via a Web page) to the client
computer system along with an indication of a single action to
perform to place the order for the item. When single-action
ordering is enabled, the purchaser need only perform a single
action (e.g., click a mouse button) to order the item, and the
server system then completes the order by adding the
purchaser-specific order information for the purchaser to the item
order information (e.g., product identifier and quantity).
[0036] In other embodiments, a mechanism for giving an item
(including a gift cluster) as a gift to an identified recipient(s)
using a single action is provided. When information is displayed
describing the item, the system displays an instruction to identify
the recipient(s) and then select a "give" button to order the item
for the recipient(s). If the user is giving the gift to only one
recipient, then the user enters identifying information, such as
the email address, of the recipient. If the user is giving the gift
to more than one recipient, the user could enter the identifying
information of each recipient, or alternatively, the user could
enter a group name that is associated with the identifying
information for each member (i.e., recipient) of the group. The
system then uses the identifying information to identify a delivery
address for the gift, such as by searching accessible databases.
Single-action ordering is discussed in greater detail in U.S.
patent application Ser. No. 09/151,617, filed Sep. 11, 1998, which
is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety and which is a
continuation-in-part of U.S. patent Ser. No. 09/046,503, filed on
Mar. 23, 1998, now abandoned, and of U.S. patent application Ser.
No. 08/928,951, filed on Sep. 12, 1997, U.S. Pat. No.
5,960,411.
[0037] In yet other embodiments, the multi-procurement option
ordering system involves each user having multiple defined
procurement options such that a selection or indication of one of
those procurement options can be sufficient to complete the
ordering of the item without further action by the user. Each
procurement option can have a unique set of purchaser-specific
order information (e.g., payment information, delivery address,
delivery instructions, shipping instructions, wrapping
instructions, etc.), can have a unique moniker (e.g., a short name
such as "home," partial payment information, partial delivery
address information, recipient name, etc.), and can have a variety
of types of recipients (e.g., the user, an individual other than
the user, a group of recipients, etc.) to whom an ordered item will
be delivered. In some embodiments, each user can have one of their
procurement options designated as their primary or default
procurement option. Multi-procurement option ordering is discussed
in greater detail in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/547,540,
filed Apr. 12, 2000, which is hereby incorporated by reference in
its entirety and which claims the benefit of provisional U.S.
Patent Application No. 60/171,947, filed Dec. 23, 1999 and of U.S.
Patent Application No. 60/190,264, filed Mar. 17, 2000.
[0038] FIGS. 1A-1D illustrate various example embodiments of
creating user-defined gift clusters of multiple items that can be
later used for ordering. In particular, FIG. 1A illustrates the
display of an example Web page describing an available item,
including a mechanism for adding the item to one or more gift
clusters. This example Web page may be sent from a server system to
a client system when a user of the client system requests to review
detailed information about the item.
[0039] The example Web page contains a summary description section
101, a shopping cart section 103, an ordering section 105, a wish
list addition section 107, and a detailed description section 109.
These various sections 101-109 allow a user to take a variety of
actions with respect to the described item. In particular, the
summary and detailed description sections provide information that
identifies and describes the item. The shopping cart section allows
the user to add the described item to one or more shopping carts.
In particular, the shopping cart section includes a shopping cart
option display 103a that indicates a currently selected shopping
cart as well as a drop-down shopping cart selection button to
select other shopping carts. The shopping cart section also
contains a button 103e to use to add the described item to the
currently selected shopping cart. In a similar manner, the wish
list addition section allows the user to add the described item to
one or more wish lists by using a wish list option display 107a
that allows a current wish list to be selected and a button 107e
that adds the described item to the currently selected wish list.
The ordering section can be used for single-action ordering and
multi-procurement option ordering of the described item. In
particular, the user can select a current procurement option using
the procurement option display 105a (if multiple procurement
options are available for the user), and can order the described
item using the information of the current procurement option with a
single-action by selecting the button 105e (e.g., with a single
click of the mouse button over the displayed indication of the
button). The procurement option display may initially show a
default procurement option, or may instead show only a single
procurement option if only one is available. The ordering section
also contains a gift indication selection option 105g that, if
selected when the button 105e is selected, causes the system to
gather additional information from the user such as whether a gift
message will accompany (or precede) the item and whether to
gift-wrap the item.
[0040] In addition to the sections 101-109, the example Web page
also contains a gift cluster creation section 110 with which the
user can add the described item to one or more gift clusters. In
particular, the gift cluster creation section contains a gift
cluster display 112, which includes a current gift cluster 114 and
a gift cluster option selection button 116. The gift cluster
creation section also contains an item addition button 118 that
when selected will add the described item to the current gift
cluster. In the illustrated embodiment, if there is more than one
available gift cluster, a default gift cluster is initially
selected as the current gift cluster when the Web page is first
displayed. In other embodiments the system may allow only a single
gift cluster to be created at a time. As is shown, a gift cluster
with the moniker "Mom's Birthday Present" is the current gift
cluster. When the item addition button is selected (e.g., by
clicking the mouse when the cursor is over section 118), the client
system sends a message to the server system requesting that the
described item be added to the current gift cluster.
[0041] After the server system receives a message from the client
system to add the item to the current gift cluster, the server
system can then associate information about the item (e.g., a
unique item ID) with the current gift cluster. In addition, in some
embodiments the user may be able to specify quantity information
for the item being added, either as part of the item description
Web page or via an additional Web page (not shown) sent to the
client system in response to the message. The server system may
also send a new Web page (not shown) to the client system that
confirms that the item has been added. The information about the
gift clusters and their associated items can also be stored in a
variety of ways. In some embodiments, the gift cluster information
is stored by the server system and available to the client system
only when the server system provides it to the client system, while
in other embodiments the client system stores the gift cluster
information and provides it to the server system.
[0042] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the example
Web page can be modified in a variety of ways. For example, Web
pages on the server system may contain only the sections 101-109,
and the gift cluster creation section may be selectively included
or excluded before sending the Web page to the client system.
Alternately, in some embodiments only a single shopping cart, wish
list, procurement option, and gift cluster may be available or
displayed on the Web page. Those skilled in the art will also
appreciate that these various sections can be omitted or rearranged
or adapted in various ways. The user need only be aware of the item
to be added to a gift cluster and of an action (e.g., a single
action) needed to add the item to the gift cluster.
[0043] FIG. 1B illustrates the display of multiple gift cluster
options available for selection by the current user. In the
illustrated embodiment, a dropdown list of the available gift
clusters is displayed after the receipt of a user indication (e.g.,
a left-click of the mouse while the cursor is over button 116). In
addition to previously created gift clusters 120, 122, 124, and 126
that are displayed in the list, an option 130 to create a new gift
cluster is also displayed. As is shown, some of the information on
the Web page may be obscured by the dropdown list, such as the
button 118. In alternate embodiments, available gift clusters may
be displayed in a manner other than with a dropdown list. For
example, the available gift clusters may instead be added to the
Web page when it is initially generated, and thus be displayed
without user indication. Alternately, available gift clusters can
be displayed by cycling through and displaying a single entry at a
time from a list of available gift clusters.
[0044] The gift clusters to be displayed can be determined in a
variety of ways. In some embodiments, any gift cluster that the
user has previously created may be displayed, while in other
embodiments only certain gift clusters (e.g., those whose creation
has not been completed) may be displayed. Alternately, some gift
clusters (e.g., completed gift clusters) can be displayed in a
manner that indicates that they are not available for selection
(e.g., displayed in a dimmed manner or with an identifying
mark).
[0045] The appearance of the displayed gift clusters can also vary
in different ways. For example, the order and format in which the
gift clusters are displayed can vary. In the illustrated
embodiment, the list of gift clusters begins with the currently
selected gift cluster (shown in highlighted form). In addition to
order and format, the appearance of each individual gift cluster
can also vary. For example, rather than displaying a moniker to
represent a gift cluster, it is also possible to represent a gift
cluster in other manners (e.g., when no moniker is defined) such as
by displaying descriptive information about the gift cluster or
information about some or all of the items in the gift cluster.
[0046] In the illustrated embodiment, the selection of an indicated
displayed gift cluster causes that gift cluster to become the
current gift cluster, but does not cause the item to be added to
that gift cluster. Thus, for example, if gift cluster 122 with the
moniker "Dog Owners" is selected, then that gift cluster will
become the current gift cluster and the "Dog Owners" moniker will
replace the moniker "Mom's Birthday Present" in the gift cluster
display 112. If the user decides to then add the described item to
the current gift cluster by selecting the button 118, the item will
be added to the gift cluster 122.
[0047] If the user instead selects the "add new gift cluster"
option 130, a new gift cluster will be created and selected as the
current gift cluster. To begin the creation of the new gift
cluster, the user may be presented with an additional Web page as
illustrated in FIG. 1D for gathering information about the new gift
cluster, such as a moniker, shipping instructions, whether to make
the gift cluster available to others, and descriptive information
such as categorization information. In such an embodiment, the new
gift cluster would be available for having items added to it after
the gift cluster information is specified. Alternately, some or all
of this information may be gathered later, such as after the
creation of the new gift cluster is complete, and thus the new gift
cluster may be available for having items added to it immediately
after option 130 is selected.
[0048] In other embodiments, gift clusters can be created in other
ways. For example, FIG. 1C illustrates an Item Categorization
Information table 140 that contains various information about a
wide variety of items. Each item has an entry 140a-140ae in the
table, with the entry containing various information about the item
in some or all of the fields. For example, entry 140a represents an
item with an Item Name of "Book ABC" and a unique Item ID of
"0001342." The book is categorized as a "Product" with a Product
Type of "Book," and has no value for the Service Type field since
it is not categorized as a service. The item is categorized as
being appropriate for any occasion (indicated in the illustrative
example with a "*" in the Occasion field), and similarly is
appropriate for recipients of any Gender, Age Range, and Interests.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that a variety of other
types of information about the items (e.g., price and availability)
and about appropriate recipients for the items (e.g., religion and
race) could also be displayed.
[0049] In addition to item "Book ABC," a variety of other available
items are similarly displayed, including various food products
(both packaged and prepared), flowers, music CDs, DVD and VHS
movies, TVs, software, toys, video games, health products,
medicine, beauty products, art and other collectibles, housewares
and kitchenware, furniture and other home furnishings, tools and
various lawn products, automobiles for purchase or rental, cleaning
services, computers and associated services, gift certificates, and
previously created gift clusters. Those skilled in the art will
appreciate that a variety of other types of items could be
displayed.
[0050] In addition to the fields containing item information, each
item also has a selection box at the left end of its entry which
may be selected by the user as part of a gift cluster being
created. In particular, the selected items will be added to the
Current Gift Cluster 151 displayed below the table, and in the
illustrated embodiment the user can change the currently selected
gift cluster by selecting the Change Gift Cluster button 153. After
the current gift cluster and each of the items of interest are
selected, the user can add the selected items to the gift cluster
by selecting the Add Selected Items To Gift Cluster button 155.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that items can be
displayed and selected for gift clusters in a variety of other
ways.
[0051] FIG. 1D illustrates one method of supplying a variety of
descriptive information about a gift cluster being created,
regardless of whether it is created by selecting option 130 in FIG.
1B or in some other manner. In the illustrated embodiment, the user
is required to select a name moniker 162 for the gift cluster, and
can optionally select a variety of types of other information. The
other information includes a Description 164, an indication of
whether the gift cluster is to be Available To Others 166,
Expiration criteria 168, and one or more Recipients 170, Categories
172, Occasions 174, Education Levels 176, Genders 178, Income
Levels 180, Ages (or age ranges) 182, geographic Locations 184,
Interests 186, Races 188, Ethnicities 190, Religions 191,
Occupations 192, Sexual Orientations 193, Gift Wraps 195, Shipping
Instructions 196, and Accompanying Cards 197. For some types of
information the user may select from a dropdown list (e.g.,
Available To Others), while for other types of information the user
may enter freeform text (e.g., Description). After all of the
information of interest has been specified, the user can associate
the specified information with the gift cluster being created by
selecting the Create New Gift Cluster As Indicated button 160.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that any type of
information describing an item or how an item can be appropriately
used (including appropriate occasions and recipients for the item)
could similarly be specified for the gift cluster, and that in some
embodiments a Name moniker may not be required.
[0052] After one of more gift clusters have been created, such
gifts clusters can be used for purchasing multiple items for a
recipient as a group. FIGS. 2A-3B illustrate various embodiments of
identifying and purchasing appropriate user-defined gift clusters
of multiple items. In particular, FIG. 2A illustrates one method in
which a user can view gift clusters which they have previously
created and can order one or more of those gift clusters for a
recipient. The previously created gift clusters are displayed
(e.g., in response to a user request) in a My Gift Clusters table
220 that contains various information about the gift cluster. Each
gift cluster has an entry in the table that contains information
about the gift cluster, and also has a sub-entry in the table for
each item in the gift cluster.
[0053] Thus, for example, the gift cluster with the moniker "Mom's
Birthday Present" is represented by entry 220a in the table, and
the three items selected in FIG. 1C to be added to the gift cluster
are represented by sub-entries 220b-220d. These sub-entries contain
the item information illustrated in FIG. 1C, whether copied from or
linked to the Item Categorization Information table. This gift
cluster is indicated to be Accessible To Others (e.g., whether
specifically indicated by the user or as a default for newly
created gift clusters), to currently have no Expiration Date or
other expiration criteria, and to have a price of $150 for all of
the items in the gift cluster. No description information is
available for the gift cluster, but it does have a unique cluster
ID. In addition, the gift cluster has a variety of categorization
information associated with it. In the illustrated embodiment, the
categorization information of the various items in the gift cluster
is automatically combined to create a set of categorization
information for the gift cluster that is consistent with the items.
In some embodiments, the user may be able to manually modify some
or all of the automatically generated descriptive information
associated with the gift clusters, while in other embodiments all
descriptive information about the gift clusters may instead be
manually supplied. Gift cluster ABC, represented by entry 220e and
sub-entries 220f-220g similarly has various associated information
in the table.
[0054] In addition to the other fields, each gift cluster entry in
the table also has a selection box at the left end of its entry
which may be selected by the user. In addition, a Current Recipient
231 is displayed below the table, as well as a Change Recipient
button 233. After a current recipient and one or more gift clusters
of interest are selected, the user can order the selected gift
clusters for the selected recipient by selecting the Buy Selected
Gift Clusters For Recipient Now button 235. Those skilled in the
art will appreciate that gift clusters can be displayed and
selected for ordering for a recipient in a variety of other
ways.
[0055] Rather than ordering gift clusters from a display of
multiple gift clusters such as in table 220, a user may instead be
able to order an available gift cluster from an Web page describing
the gift cluster, an example of which is illustrated in FIG. 2B.
This example Web page may be sent from a server system to a client
system when a user of the client system requests to review detailed
information about a gift cluster.
[0056] The example Web page contains a summary description section
201, a shopping cart section 203, an ordering section 205, a wish
list addition section 207, and a detailed description section 209.
These various sections 201-209 allow a user to take a variety of
actions with respect to the described gift cluster. In particular,
similarly to the item description Web page illustrated in FIG. 1A,
the summary and detailed description sections provide information
that identifies and describes the gift cluster (e.g., information
about the various items in the gift cluster and/or various
categorization information about the gift cluster). The shopping
cart section allows the user to add the described gift cluster to
one or more shopping carts by selecting a current shopping cart
with the shopping cart option display 203a and adding the gift
cluster to the current shopping cart with button 203e. In a similar
manner, the wish list addition section allows the user to add the
described gift cluster to one or more wish lists by using a wish
list option display 207a that allows a current wish list to be
selected and a button 207e that adds the described gift cluster to
the currently selected wish list. The ordering section can also be
used in a manner similar to that described with respect to FIG. 1A
for single-action ordering and multi-procurement option ordering of
the described gift cluster for a specified recipient. In addition
to the sections 201-209, the example Web page also contains a gift
cluster creation section 210 with which the user can add the
described gift cluster to one or more other gift clusters.
[0057] After the server system receives a message from the client
system to perform one of the indicated actions for the described
gift cluster (e.g., order the gift cluster for a specified
recipient), the server system can then perform the requested
action. The server system may also send a new Web page (not shown)
to the client system that confirms that the action has been
taken.
[0058] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that this example
Web page can be modified in a variety of ways. For example, in some
embodiments only a single shopping cart, wish list, procurement
option, and gift cluster may be available or displayed on the Web
page. Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that the
various displayed sections can be omitted or rearranged or adapted
in various ways. The user need only be aware of the gift cluster
and of the recipient, and of an action (e.g., a single action)
needed to order the gift cluster for the recipient.
[0059] In addition to a user being able to display the various gift
clusters that the user has previously created, the user may also be
able to identify various gift clusters which match specified
criteria, whether they were created by the user or by others. In
particular, FIG. 3A illustrates one embodiment in which a user can
specify various criteria, and can search for and retrieve various
gift clusters which match the specified criteria.
[0060] In the illustrated embodiment, the user can specify search
criteria for one or more categorization information types 302-322,
and can also specify logical connectors (e.g., AND, OR, NOT, etc.)
352-368 which determine how multiple search criteria are combined
when searching. The categorization information types include a gift
cluster Name 302, user Creator 304, Category 306 (e.g., any
service, or a particular product such as a book), Occasion 308,
Gender 310, Age 312, Interests 314, Maximum Price 316, and
Expiration criteria 318, and for each of these categories the user
can select an appropriate value. The categorization information
types also include category type 320 which allows the user to
select any of a number of gift cluster properties, and to specify a
value for the property in field 322. For some types of information
the user may select from a dropdown list, while for other types of
information the user may enter freeform text. After all of the
search criteria of interest has been specified, the user can search
for gift clusters that match the search criteria by selecting the
Search Now button 370. If the user had specified criteria
indicating, for example, an Occasion of "Christmas," a Gender of
"Male," and an Age of 17, both of the gift clusters illustrated in
FIG. 2A would match the specified criteria. However, unless the
user performing the search was the same user that created the two
gift clusters, only the gift cluster represented by entry 220a will
be presented to the searching user since the other gift cluster is
not Accessible To Others.
[0061] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that any type of
information describing a gift cluster or how a gift cluster can be
appropriately used (including appropriate occasions and recipients
for the gift cluster) could be specified as search criteria. In
addition, gift clusters that are identified as matching the
specified search criteria can be displayed to the user performing
the search in a variety of ways, such as in a table similar to
table 220 illustrated in FIG. 2A or in multiple descriptive gift
cluster Web pages such as is illustrated in FIG. 2B.
[0062] In an alternate embodiment, a user may be able to identify
various gift clusters which are appropriate for a particular
recipient, even if the user does not have other relevant
information about the user. For example, the system may maintain or
have access to various information about the recipient which can be
automatically identified and used as search criteria. In some
embodiments the information will be displayed to the user, and the
user can then use the customer information to perform a search. In
other embodiments, such information about the user may not itself
be displayed to the user, but the information can be automatically
used to perform a search, and the results of the search will be
displayed to the user.
[0063] FIG. 3B illustrates an embodiment in which various
information about multiple customers is stored and can be used as
search criteria. In particular, FIG. 3B illustrates a Customer
Categorization Information table 390 that contains various
information about customers. Each customer has an entry 390a-390d
in the table, with the entry containing various information about
the customer in some or all of the fields. For example, entry 390a
represents customer John Doe who has a unique Customer ID of
"2749328." Mr. Doe is Male and has an age of 37, but other
information about Mr. Doe such as his Birthday, Interests,
Occupation, Education Level, Income Level, Location, Race,
Ethnicity, Religion and Sexual Orientation is not available. For
other customers such as the person represented by entry 390c, the
actual name of the user may not even be available, with only a
username or screenname instead being used. Those skilled in the art
will appreciate that a variety of other types of information about
the customers could also be stored and displayed.
[0064] In addition to being able to use the information in the
table as search criteria (whether automatically or manually), the
table in the illustrated embodiment can also be displayed to the
user and used for specifying recipients of a gift cluster being
ordered. In particular, each customer entry in the table has a
selection box at the left end of its entry which may be selected by
the user. A Current Gift Cluster 381 is also displayed below the
table, as well as a Change Gift Cluster button 383. After a current
gift cluster and one or more recipients of interest are selected,
the user can order the current gift cluster for the selected
recipients by selecting the Buy Gift Cluster For Selected Recipient
Now button 385.
[0065] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the
embodiments shown in FIGS. 1A-3B are for illustrative purposes
only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. A
user can perform a creation of a gift cluster of multiple items in
a variety of ways, and can similarly perform an identification of
an appropriate gift cluster or an ordering of a gift cluster in a
variety of ways.
[0066] FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a server computer
system 400 suitable for executing an embodiment of the Gift
Clustering system, and client computer systems 450 from which users
can access functionality related to gift clusters. The server
computer system includes a CPU 405, various I/O devices 410,
storage 420, and memory 430. The I/O devices include a display 411,
a network connection 412, a computer-readable media drive 413, and
other I/O devices 415.
[0067] An embodiment of the Gift Clustering system 440 is executing
in memory, and it includes a Gift Cluster Creator component 441, a
Gift Cluster Categorizer component 443, a Gift Cluster Searcher
component 445, a Gift Cluster Viewer component 447, and a Gift
Cluster Purchaser component 449. In some embodiments, the Gift
Clustering system will operate in conjunction with an optional item
purchasing or ordering service 432 that can be executing on another
computer system or on the server system 400.
[0068] Users can access the Gift Clustering system in a variety of
ways. For example, some users may have physical access to the
server computer system. Alternately, other users can use client
computer systems to remotely access the system (e.g., via the
Internet and/or the World Wide Web). Such users can use software or
other functionality provided on the client computer systems, such
as a browser 462 executing in memory 460, to interact with the Gift
Clustering system. In addition, some or all of the Gift Clustering
components may provide various feedback or other general types of
information to users (e.g., in response to user requests), and this
information can be presented to the user on the display 411 of the
server system or on one of the I/O devices 465 on a client
system.
[0069] As the Gift Clustering system executes, the Gift Cluster
Creator component receives requests from users to create gift
clusters of multiple items and in response creates the gift
clusters. In particular, the Gift Cluster Creator component may
receive an indication to create a new gift cluster, and optionally
may obtain various categorization information to be associated with
the new gift cluster and/or various other descriptive information
about the gift cluster. After a new cluster is initially created,
various items can be added to the gift cluster by indicating the
items (and the gift cluster if more than one is being created) to
the Gift Cluster Creator component. After the new gift cluster is
created, the gift cluster and its associated information (including
the items added to the gift cluster and the other descriptive
information) are stored in the Gift Cluster database 421 on storage
420.
[0070] The Gift Cluster Categorizer component categorizes created
gift clusters to assist in later identification of appropriate gift
clusters, such as when searches are conducted. If the Gift Cluster
Creator component received categorization information for a newly
created gift cluster from the user, the Gift Cluster Creator
component supplies the categorization information to the Gift
Cluster Categorizer component. In some embodiments the Gift Cluster
Categorizer component will categorize the created gift cluster
using manually specified information, whether received from the
Gift Cluster Creator component or directly from the user. To assist
the user in manually categorizing the created gift cluster, the
Gift Cluster Categorizer component can supply information to the
user that identifies possible categorization types and/or possible
values for categorization types, and in return receive
categorization information.
[0071] In other embodiments, the Gift Cluster Categorizer component
will automatically categorize the created gift cluster. As
described previously, this can be done in a variety of ways, such
as by aggregating item categorization information for the items in
the gift cluster (e.g., from the Item database 425 on storage 420)
or by tracking recipients of the gift cluster and aggregating
customer categorization information (e.g., from the Customer
database 423 on storage 420) for the recipients. After the gift
cluster is categorized, its associated categorization information
is stored in the Gift Cluster database and is associated with the
gift cluster.
[0072] The Gift Cluster Searcher component assists users in
searching for appropriate gift clusters. For example, the Gift
Cluster Searcher component can allow a user to specify various
categorization criteria (e.g., an occasion and/or various
information about the intended recipient), and will then determine
various gift clusters that satisfy the specified criteria (e.g., by
using information in the Gift Cluster database) and indicate them
to the user.
[0073] The Gift Cluster Viewer component displays one or more
indicated gift clusters to a user in a variety of ways. The
component can retrieve a variety of information about the gift
clusters from the gift cluster database, and send the retrieved
information (e.g., as part of a Web page) to the user for
display.
[0074] The Gift Cluster Purchaser component allows a user to order
one or more gift clusters as if they were a single item for one or
more recipients. The user may order the gift cluster as a gift for
themselves or for another recipient, and may also order the gift
cluster for the same or different recipients multiple times. The
user can indicate the gift clusters and recipients in a variety of
ways.
[0075] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that computer
systems 400 and 450 are merely illustrative and are not intended to
limit the scope of the present invention. For example, the
functionality provided by the illustrated components may in some
embodiments be combined in fewer components or distributed in
additional components, such as having separate components that
determine pricing and/or availability information for a gift
cluster rather than including this functionality in another
component such as the Gift Cluster Purchaser. In addition, while
items 440-449 and 432 are illustrated as being stored in memory
while being used, those skilled in the art will appreciate that
these items, or portions of them, can be transferred between memory
and other storage devices for purposes of memory management and
data integrity. Similarly, while items 421-425 are illustrated as
being present on storage while being used, those skilled in the art
will appreciate that these items, or portions of them, can instead
be present in memory and transferred between storage and memory.
Alternately, in other embodiments some or all of the software
components or systems may execute in memory on another device, and
communicate with the Gift Clustering system via inter-computer
communication. The Gift Clustering system may be stored as
instructions on a computer-readable medium, such as a hard disk, a
memory, or a portable article to be read by an appropriate drive.
Similarly, the data structures of the Gift Clustering system may
also be stored on a computer-readable medium. Moreover, the Gift
Clustering system instructions and data structures can also be
transmitted as generated data signals on a variety of
computer-readable transmission mediums, including wireless-based
and wired/cable-based mediums. In addition, the computer systems
may contain additional components not shown (e.g., various standard
I/O devices) or may lack some illustrated components, and the
computer system 400 may be connected to other devices, including
through a network, through the Internet, or via the World Wide Web
(WWW). Accordingly, the present invention may be practiced with
other computer system configurations.
[0076] In some embodiments, a client system communicates with the
server system in order to send HTTP requests and receive Web pages
from the server. The client system can use a browser to send and
receive HTTP messages and to display Web pages. One skilled in the
art will appreciate that the techniques of the Gift Clustering
system can be used in various environments other than the Internet.
For example, the techniques can also be used in an electronic mail
environment in which a gift cluster is described in an electronic
mail message along with an indication of a recipient so as to
ordering the gift cluster for the recipient. Also, various
communication channels may be used, such as a local area network, a
wide area network, or a point-to-point dialup connection. In
addition, a server system may comprise any combination of hardware
or software that can generate orders in response to selection of a
gift cluster and a recipient. Similarly, a client system may
comprise any combination of hardware or software that can interact
with the server system. These systems may include television-based
systems or various other consumer products through which orders may
be placed. In addition, while Web pages are often constructed using
HTML, other methods can be used to create such pages, such as Java,
XML, HDML, WML, CGI scripts, etc. Similarly, communication
protocols other than HTTP can be used, such as WAP, TCP/IP, or FTP,
as well as a variety of inter-device communication mechanisms,
including CDPD, CDMA, GSM, PDC, PHS, TDMA, FLEX, ReFLEX, iDEN,
TETRA, DECT, DataTAC, Mobitex, etc. Both the client and the server
system can also operate on a wide variety of operating system types
(e.g., Windows, Linux, Unix, MacOS, BEOS, PalmOS, EPOC, Windows CE,
FLEXOS, OS/9, JavaOS, etc.), and need not share the same operating
system.
[0077] FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of an embodiment of the Create Gift
Cluster routine 500. The routine receives an indication of a gift
cluster to be created, adds various items to the gift cluster, and
optionally receives various descriptive information about the gift
cluster and associates that information with the gift cluster. The
routine begins in step 505 where an indication of the gift cluster
to be created is received. The routine then continues to step 510
to determine if the indicated gift cluster is a new gift cluster or
an existing gift cluster. If new, the routine continues to step 515
to create a new empty gift cluster, and if not the routine
continues to step 520 to retrieve information about the existing
gift cluster (e.g., from the Gift Cluster database).
[0078] After steps 515 or 520, the routine continues to step 525 to
determine if available items that can be added to the gift cluster
are to be displayed, and if so continues to step 530 to display the
available items. After step 530, or if available items are not to
be displayed, the routine continues to step 535 to receive an
indication of an item to be added to the gift cluster. In step 540,
the routine then optionally receives an indication of a quantity of
the item, which in some embodiments may default to a specified
quantity such as 1 if another quantity is not indicated. The
routine then continues to step 545 to add the indicated item in the
indicated quantity to the gift cluster. After step 545, the routine
continues to step 550 to determine if more items are to be added to
the gift cluster, and if so returns to step 535.
[0079] If additional items are not to be added to the gift cluster,
the routine continues to step 555 to determine if descriptive
delivery-related information is to be specified for the gift
cluster. If so, the routine continues to step 560 to optionally
receive shipping instructions. In step 565, the routine then
optionally receives a delivery address, and in step 570 optionally
receives gift wrap instructions. The routine next optionally
receives accompanying card instructions in step 575, and in step
580 associates the various received information with the gift
cluster. After step 580, or if it was determined in step 555 that
information was not to be specified, the routine continues to step
582 to determine if descriptive categorization information about
the gift cluster is to be specified. If so, the routine continues
to step 585 to execute the Categorize Gift Cluster routine. After
step 585, or if it was instead determined in step 582 that other
information was not to be specified, the routine continues to step
587 to determine if more gift clusters are to be created. If so,
the routine returns to step 505, and if not the routine continues
to step 595 and ends.
[0080] FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of an embodiment of the Categorize
Gift Cluster routine 600. The routine receives various
categorization information about an indicated gift cluster, and
associates the information with the gift cluster. The routine
begins in step 605 where an indication of a gift cluster is
received. The routine next continues to step 610 to retrieve
various information about the gift cluster, such as from the Gift
Cluster database. In step 615, the routine next determines if the
gift cluster is to be automatically or manually categorized. If
automatic categorization is to occur, the routine continues to step
620 to retrieve categorization information about items in the gift
cluster. The routine then continues to step 625 where it creates
aggregate categorization information that is consistent with the
retrieved categorization information. In step 630, the created
aggregate categorization information is then associated with the
gift cluster. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that other
types of automatic generation of categorization information can
occur.
[0081] If it was instead determined in step 615 that manual
categorization was to occur, the routine instead continues to step
635 where it displays the information about the gift cluster that
was retrieved in step 610. The routine next continues to step 640
where a receives an indication of a type of categorization
information from the user, and in step 645 receives an indication
of a value for the categorization type. In step 650 the routine
then associates the categorization type and value with the gift
cluster, and then continues to step 655 to determine if more manual
categorization is to occur for the gift cluster. If so, the routine
returns to step 635, and if not or after step 630, the routine
continues to step 660 to determine if more gift clusters are to be
categorized. If so, the routine returns to step 605, and if not the
routine continues to step 695 and ends.
[0082] FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of an embodiment of the Search Gift
Clusters routine 700. The routine receives indications of various
search criteria from a user, determines gift clusters that match
the search criteria, and display indications of the gift clusters
to the user. The routine begins in step 705 where a list of
available search categories is displayed to a user. The routine
then continues to step 710 where it receives an indication from the
user of the search category, and in step 715 receives an indication
of a search term value for the search category. In step 720, the
routine then determines if more search categories are to be
specified, and if so continues to step 725 to receive an indication
of a term connector for the previous and next search terms, and
then returns to step 710. If it was instead determined that no more
categories are to be specified, the routine continues to step 730
to determine accessible gift clusters that match the search
criteria, and then continues to step 735 to display a list of those
gift clusters to the user. In step 740, the routine next determines
if more searches are to occur, and if so returns to step 705, and
if not continues to step 795 and ends.
[0083] FIG. 8 is a flow diagram of an embodiment of the View Gift
Cluster routine 800. The routine receives an indication of a gift
cluster from a user, and displays information about the gift
cluster to the user. The routine begins in step 805 where an
indication related to a gift cluster is received. The routine
continues to step 810 to determine if a particular gift cluster is
indicated. If so, the routine continues to step 815 to retrieve
information about the gift cluster (e.g., from the Gift Cluster
database), and then continues to step 820 to display the retrieved
information to the user. If it was instead determined in step 810
that the indication was not a particular gift cluster, the routine
continues to step 825 to determine if a particular user was
indicated. If so, the routine continues to step 830 to determine
gift clusters created by that user, and in step 835 displays a list
of those gift clusters to the user who supplied the indication. If
it was instead determined in step 825 that a particular user was
not indicated, the routine continues to step 840 to determine if a
particular item was indicated. If so, the routine continues to step
845 to determine various gift clusters that include the item, and
then continues to step 850 to display a list of the determined gift
clusters to the user. After steps 820, 835, 850, or if it was
instead determined in step 840 that a particular item was not
indicated, the routine continues to step 855 to determine if more
gift clusters are to be displayed. If so, the routine returns to
step 805, and if not the routine continues to step 895 and
ends.
[0084] FIG. 9 is a flow diagram of an embodiment of the Order Gift
Cluster routine 900. The routine receives an indication of a gift
cluster, of a recipient, and of payment information, and then
orders the gift cluster for the recipient using the payment
information. The routine begins in step 905 where an indication of
the gift cluster is received. The routine continues to step 910
where an indication of a procurement option is received, with the
procurement option optionally containing recipient information,
payment information, and other delivery information. Those skilled
in the art will appreciate that recipient, payment, and delivery
information can be received in a fashion other than via a specified
procurement option. The routine next continues to step 915 to
optionally receive an indication of one or more recipients that are
different from the recipients specified by the procurement option,
and if so selects the newly indicated recipients to be the order
recipients. The routine next retrieves information about the gift
cluster, such as from the Gift Cluster database, and then continues
to step 922 to determine if each of the items in the gift cluster
are currently available (e.g., from the Item database). If not, the
routine continues to step 924 to indicate to the user that the gift
cluster is not currently available for delivery, and can optionally
indicate the particular items which are not currently
available.
[0085] If the gift cluster items are available, the routine
continues to step 925 to execute the Determine Delivery Information
For The Gift Cluster subroutine to gather delivery information, and
then to step 930 to execute the Determine Payment Information For
The Gift Cluster subroutine to gather payment information. The
routine next continues to step 935 to optionally display a summary
of the various current ordering information for the gift cluster,
and continues to step 940 to determine if the user wishes to make
changes to the information or to cancel the order. If the user
wishes to make changes, the routine continues to step 945 to
receive an indication of a change to be made, then continues to
step 950 to change the information as indicated, and then returns
back to step 935. If the user instead indicates in step 940 to
complete the order using the current order information, the routine
continues to step 955 to place an order for the items in the gift
cluster as a group using the order information, and then continues
to step 960 to display an order confirmation to the user. After
steps 924 or 960, the routine continues to step 965 to determine if
more orders are to be placed. If so, the routine returns to step
905, and if not the routine continues to step 995 and ends.
[0086] FIG. 10 is a flow diagram of an embodiment of the Determine
Delivery Information For The Gift Cluster subroutine 925. The
subroutine receives an indication of a gift cluster, and determines
delivery information for an order of the gift cluster. In the
illustrated embodiment, the subroutine determines delivery
information for the gift cluster without requesting manually
specified information, while in other embodiments such information
may be manually requested and supplied. The subroutine begins in
step 1005 where an indication of a gift cluster is received, and
then continues to step 1010 where an indication of a procurement
option to be used for the ordering is received. In step 1015, the
subroutine selects any delivery information associated with the
procurement option, and then continues to step 1020 to determine if
the gift cluster has associated delivery information of a different
type in the procurement option. If so, the subroutine continues to
step 1025 to select the associated delivery information associated
with the gift cluster. In the illustrated embodiment, delivery
information associated with a gift cluster will override delivery
information associated with the procurement option, because aspects
of the gift cluster may necessitate special delivery (e.g.,
overnight delivery may be needed for perishable items).
[0087] After step 1025, or if it was determined that the gift
cluster did not have different associated delivery information, the
subroutine continues to step 1030 to determine if additional
delivery information is needed (e.g., when neither the procurement
option nor the gift cluster has associated delivery information).
If so, the subroutine continues to step 1035 where delivery
information associated with items in the gift cluster is retrieved.
The subroutine then continues to step 1040 to determine aggregate
delivery information that is consistent with the retrieved item
delivery information, and in step 1045 selects any determined
delivery information of a type that is needed. Thus, in the
illustrated embodiment, delivery information associated with either
the procurement option or the gift cluster overrides item-specific
delivery information. The subroutine then continues to step 1050 to
determine if additional delivery information is needed, and if so
selects default delivery information for the types additionally
needed. After step 1055, or if it was instead determined in steps
1030 or 1050 that additional delivery information is not needed,
the subroutine continues to step 1060 to return the selected
delivery information. The subroutine then continues to step 1095
and returns.
[0088] FIG. 11 is a flow diagram of an embodiment of the Determine
Payment Information For The Gift Cluster subroutine 930. The
subroutine receives an indication of a gift cluster, and determines
payment information for an order of the gift cluster. In the
illustrated embodiment, payment information for the gift cluster is
determined automatically if possible, and manually if not. The
subroutine begins in step 1105 where an indication of the gift
cluster is received, and in step 1110 then receives an indication
of a procurement option to be used for the ordering. The subroutine
next continues to step 1115 to determine if the procurement option
has sufficient associated payment information. If so, the
subroutine continues to step 1120 to select the associated payment
information. If not, the subroutine instead continues to step 1125
to receive manually specified payment information, and in step 1130
then selects the received information. After steps 1120 or 1130,
the subroutine continues to step 1135 where it returns the selected
payment information. The subroutine then continues to step 1195 and
returns.
[0089] Although the present invention has been described in terms
of various embodiments, it is not intended that the invention be
limited to these embodiments. Modification within the spirit of the
invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art. For
example, various different single actions can be used to effect the
placement of an order, such as a voice command spoken by the
purchaser, a key depressed by the purchaser, a button on a
television remote control device depressed by the purchaser, or a
selection effected using any pointing device. Although a single
action may be preceded by multiple physical movements of the
purchaser (e.g., moving a mouse so that a mouse pointer is over a
button, displaying a list of possible procurement options), the
single action generally refers to a single event received by a
client system that indicates to place the order. The scope of the
present invention is defined by the claims that follow.
* * * * *
References