(12) United States Patent
`US 7,328,176 B2
`(10) Patent No.:
`(45) Date of Patent:
`Feb. 5, 2008
`Tarvydas et al.
`
`USOO7328176B2
`
`UNIVERSAL SHOPPING CART AND ORDER
`INJECTION SYSTEM
`
`(56)
`
`References Cited
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`(54)
`
`(75)
`
`Inventors: Martin K Tarvydas, Bellevue, WA
`(US); Mark I Sandori, Bellevue, WA
`(US); Eric S Maple, Browns Point, WA
`(US); Timothy P Byerly, Mercer
`Island, WA (US); Matthew A Markus,
`LeGrange, IL (US)
`
`(73)
`
`Assignee: American Express Travel Related
`Services Company, Inc., New York,
`NY (US)
`
`(*)
`
`Notice:
`
`Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this
`patent is extended or adjusted under 35
`U.S.C. 154(b) by 0 days.
`
`(21)
`
`Appl. No.: 11/163,707
`
`(22)
`
`Filcd:
`
`Oct. 27, 2005
`
`(65)
`
`(62)
`
`(60)
`
`(51)
`
`(52)
`(58)
`
`Prior Publication Data
`
`US 2006/0041485 A1
`
`Feb. 23, 2006
`
`Related U.S. Application Data
`
`Division of application No. 09/880,723, filed on Jun.
`12, 2001.
`
`Provisional application No. 60/210,987, filed on Jun.
`12, 2000.
`
`Int. Cl.
`
`(2006.01)
`G06Q 30/00
`(2006.01)
`G06F 7/00
`U.S. Cl.
`.............................
`705/26; 705/27; 707/10
`Field of Classification Search
`705/26,
`705/27; 707/10; 709/203
`See application file for complete search history.
`
`5,537,586 A
`
`7/1996 Amram et al.
`
`(Continued)
`
`FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS
`WO 98/04976
`2/1998
`
`W0
`
`(Continued)
`OTHER PUBLICATIONS
`
`“SmartShop.com Simplifies the Online Shopping Experience; New
`Site Promises to Redefine Internet Shopping”; Business Editors;
`Business Wire; Nov. 29, 1999*
`
`(Continued)
`
`Primary ExamineriNicholas D. Rosen
`(74) Attorney, Agent, or FirmiSnell & Wilmer L.L.P.
`
`(57)
`
`ABSTRACT
`
`A universal shopping cart is provided that obtains and orders
`products and services from different merchants located on
`the Internet. The consumer completes all of their shopping
`on the shopping site and is not directed to another mer-
`chant’s site to complete an order. The universal shopping
`cart provides a monitoring service that allows the consumer
`to monitor a product for specified criteria. The order injec-
`tion system places orders for products contained within the
`universal shopping cart from affiliated and non-afiiliated
`merchants. Specific ordering details required from mer-
`chants external to the shopping site are hidden from the
`consumer. For external merchant sites that require a con-
`sumer account before allowing the product to be purchased,
`the shopping site creates a new consumer account without
`intervention from the consumer. Once the products are
`ordered, the consumer may keep track of the ordered prod-
`ucts from the shopping site.
`
`14 Claims, 28 Drawing Sheets
`
`
`
`
`Na
`PLACE ORDER DN
`NON-AFFILIATE 5175
`
`PLACE ORDER ON
`COMPLETE
`MERCHANI
`AFFILIATE SITE
`ORDERING
`PROCESS
`
`
`
`INIECT ORDER IN
`(EFF Fig 28.)
`AFFILIATE SITE
`
`
`DIRECTLY
`03mm ORDER
`
`
`NUMBER
`
`NUMBER
`
`REMOVE DRDER
`
`
`KI
`
`1'
`
`f 2500
`
`/
`
`1
`
`75
`K2 0
`
`/
`
`
`
`Q”:
`
`,2799
`
`[
`N0
`—/
`
`Two Tap
`Exhibit 1003
`Page 001
`
`

`

`>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
`
`5,710,884
`5,754,981
`5,774,874
`5,799,157
`5,862,223
`5,878,141
`5,960,411
`5,966,697
`5,970,474
`5,987,440
`6,023,683
`6,029,141
`6,055,516
`6,064,382
`6,101,482
`6,125,353
`6,182,127
`6,192,380
`6,199,079
`6,256,623
`6,320,952
`6,327,598
`6,334,114
`6,345,278
`6,490,602
`6,496,855
`6,499,042
`6,499,052
`6,505,172
`6,510,459
`6,535,880
`6,578,011
`6,594,644
`6,629,135
`6,643,624
`6,725,222
`6,772,139
`6,785,671
`6,856,963
`6,892,185
`6,895,388
`
`1/1998
`5/1998
`6/1998
`8/1998
`1/1999
`3/1999
`9/1999
`10/1999
`10/1999
`11/1999
`00
`2/2
`00
`2/2
`00
`4/2
`00
`5/2
`00
`8/2
`00
`9/2
`01
`1/2
`01
`2/2
`01
`3/2
`01
`7/2
`01
`11/2
`01
`12/2
`01
`12/2
`02
`2/2
`02
`12/2
`02
`12/2
`12/2002
`02
`12/2
`03
`1/2
`03
`1/2
`03
`3/2
`6/2003
`03
`7/2
`9/2
`03
`03
`11/2
`04
`4/2
`04
`8/2
`04
`8/2
`2/2005
`5/2
`5/2
`
` 05
`
`05
`
`............ 715/700
`
`
`
`...... 705/27
`
`Dedrick
`Veeneman et a1.
`Veeneman et a1.
`Escallon
`...... 705/50
`Walker et a1.
`..... 705/78
`Daly et a1. ...........
`Hartman et a1.
`Fergerson et a1.
`LeRoy et al.
`O’Neil et a1.
`Johnson et a1.
`Bezos et a1.
`.........
`Johnson et a1.
`Diedrich et a1.
`DiAngelo et a1.
`Yagasaki
`Cronin, 111 et al.
`Light et a1.
`Gupta et a1.
`Jones
`Bruno et a1.
`Kelley et a1.
`Jacobs et a1.
`Hitchcock et a1.
`Kraemer
`Hunt et a1.
`Markus
`Hoang et a1.
`Johnson et a1.
`Cronin, 111 et al.
`Musgrove et a1.
`Forward
`Van Dusen
`709/218
`Ross et a1. ...........
`705/26
`Philippe et a1.
`707/10
`Musgrove et a1.
`
`Smith, 111 ......
`. 707/3
`
`Bailey et a1.
`707/3
`Hurwitz ....................... 705/10
`Van Etten et a1.
`Smith
`
`US 7,328,176 132
`
`Page 2
`
`US. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`5/2006 Van Etten et a1.
`7,047,211 B1
`6/2006 Chen et a1.
`7,058,598 B1*
`2/2007 Costin et al.
`7,185,069 B2
`8/2001 Paltenghe et a1.
`2001/0011250 A1
`1/2002 Miller et al.
`2002/0002496 A1
`11/2002 Bunger et a1.
`2002/0174018 A1
`2002/0194125 A1* 12/2002 Shimada ...................... 705/40
`
`705/26
`
`W0
`
`FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`W0 0/31657
`6/2000
`OTHER PUBLICATIONS
`
`Anonymous, “BuyerZonecom Announces Most Advanced eCom-
`merce System for Small to Mid-Sized Buisnesses,” Business Wire,
`Dec. 13, 1999.
`Lemay, Laura; Java 1.1: Interactive Course, 1997, The Waite Group.
`Cozzens, Lisa;
`JavaScript Tutorial, http://Www.cs.brown.edu/
`courses/bridge/ 199 8/res/j avascript-tutorial .html, 199 8.
`Printout ofWebsite for About eWallet, http://www.ewa11et.com, Jan.
`11, 1999, 4 pages.
`Printout of Website for Transactor Networks (CitiWallet), http://
`www.transactor.net.com, Jan. 11, 1999, 4 pages.
`alexa.com screen captures via the WayBackMachine (archieve.org)
`and dated Feb. 29, 2000.
`Sirbu, Marvin, et al., “NetBill: An Internet Commerce System
`Optimized for Network-Delivered Services,” IEEE Personal Com-
`munications, 34-39, Aug. 1995.
`Unknown: “Gator offers one—click shopping at over 5,000 e—com—
`merce sites today," Internet Publication, origin unknown, Jan. 14,
`1999.
`Unknown: “E-Commerce Leaders Announce Universal Formats for
`Simplified Online Payments,” Internet Publication, origin unknown,
`Jun. 14, 1999.
`Cingil, “Supporting Global User Profiles Through Trusted Authori-
`ties,” Data Management Issues in Electronic Commerce, vol. 31,
`issue 1, Mar. 200, pp. 11-17.
`Anonymous, “CDW Computer Centers: CDW Computer Centers
`Takes Online Shopping to the Next Level,” Business Wire, May 18,
`1998.
`Bonisteel, 8., “Company Sees One Shoping ‘Basket’ for Entire Web
`Oct. 28, 1999,” Newsbytes, Oct. 28, 1999.
`
`* cited by examiner
`
`Two Tap
`Exhibit 1003
`Page 002
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Feb. 5, 2008
`
`Sheet 1 of 28
`
`US 7,328,176 B2
`
`140
`
`f 100
`
`110
`
`
`
`110
`
`
`”/7424
`
`120
`
`130
`
`110
`
`130
`
`140
`
`
`
`
`
`fl—l—zi
`r 120
`
`120
`
`
`
`140
`
`
`
`Fig.1. (Prior Art)
`
`Two Tap
`Exhibit 1003
`Page 003
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Feb. 5, 2008
`
`Sheet 2 of 28
`
`US 7,328,176 B2
`
`
` MERCHANT
`SERVER
`
`INTERNET
`
`REPUTA HON
`SERVER
`
`400
`
`
`
`
`CONSUMER
`COMPUTER
`
`flllflflfll
`flllflflflllfl
`
`E-COMMERCE
`SERVER
`
`1313.2.
`
`Two Tap
`Exhibit 1003
`Page 004
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Feb. 5, 2008
`
`Sheet 3 of 28
`
`US 7,328,176 B2
`
`330
`
`W
`
`NETWORK
`INTERFACE
`
`
`DISPLAY
`
`
`PROCESSING
`UNIT
`
`
`
`355
`
`OPERATING
`
`SYSTEM
`
`
`
`
`
`360
`
`WEB BROWSER
`
`Fig.3.
`
`Two Tap
`Exhibit 1003
`Page 005
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Feb. 5, 2008
`
`Sheet 4 of 28
`
`US 7,328,176 B2
`
`400
`
`\
`
`430
`
`NETWORK
`
`
`INTERTACE
`
`410
`
`PROCESSING
`
`
`
`UNIT
`
`DISPLAY
`
`420
`
`MEMORY
`OPERATING SYSTEM
`
`WEB SERVER
`
`CONSUMER DATABASE
`
`,
`
`450
`
`PRODUCT DATABASE
`
`MERCHANT DATABASE
`
`AFFILIATE DATABASE
`
`USC SERVICE
`
`USC DATABASE
`
`_
`
`ORDER INJECTION SERVICE
`
`DATA WAREHOUSE
`
`Fig.4.
`
`440
`
`455
`
`460
`
`455
`
`470
`
`475
`
`430
`
`485
`
`490
`
`495
`
`499
`
`Two Tap
`Exhibit 1003
`Page 006
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Feb. 5, 2008
`
`Sheet 5 of 28
`
`US 7,328,176 B2
`
`530
`
`500
`
`
`
`
`
`NETWORK
`INTERFACE
`
`
`
`DISPLAY
`
`
`PROCESSING
`UNIT
`
`\
`
`
`
`555
`
`55”
`
`555
`
`550
`
`OPERATING
`SYSTEM
`
`REPUTATION
`
`SERVICE
`
`REPUTATION
`DATABASE
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`Fig.5.
`
`Two Tap
`Exhibit 1003
`Page 007
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Feb. 5, 2008
`
`Sheet 6 of 28
`
`US 7,328,176 B2
`
`630
`
`
`
`
`
`NETWORK
`INTERFACE
`
`
`
`600 -\
`
`
`DISPLAY
`
`
`PROCESSING
`UNIT
`
`
`
`OPERATING
`3 Y5 TEM
`
`650
`
`MEMORY
`
`
`
`
`WEB SERVER
`
`
`
`
`555
`
`660
`
`665
`
`PURCHASE
`
`SERVICE
`
`Fig.6.
`
`Two Tap
`Exhibit 1003
`Page 008
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Feb. 5, 2008
`
`Sheet 7 of 28
`
`US 7,328,176 B2
`
`300
`
`400
`
`600
`
`500
`
`CONSUMER
`COMPUTER
`
`E-COMMERCE
`SERVER
`
`MERCHANT
`SERVERIS)
`
`REPUTATION
`SERVER
`
`ACCESS
`SHOPPING SITE
`
`
`
`
`
`DISPLAY
`
`712
`
`7m
`
`708
`
`CRETE
`U' C
`
`REQUEST
`PRODUCTS
`INFORMATION
`RETURN
`PRODUCTS
`INFORMATION
`
`
`
`
`To _ SC
`
`
`
`
`
`704
`
`720
`
`724
`
`732
`
`736
`
`740
`
`744
`
`760
`
`764
`
`DH
`
`9
`
`RE UEST
`
`SHOW usc
`
`- UTHENTICATING
`INFORMATION
`PROVIDE
`ALITHENTICATIN
`INFORMATION
`
`
`
`
`PROVIDE
`;- UTHENTICATION
`CONFIRMATION
`
`
`
`
`APPROVE
`PURCHASE
`780
`
`RET'I
`ACCT
`NFOR
`
`
`
`
`
`UNT
`ATION
`RE I HEST R PUTATION
`INEOR ATION
`PROVIDE R PUTATIDN
`
`INEOR ATION
`
`
`768
`
`
`
`REIUEST ORDER
`
`
`
`CREATE ORDER
`
`ORDER STATUS
`
`LOG ORDER
`
`
`INFORMATION
`
`788
`792
`UPDATED
`
`lUERY STATUS
`ORDER STATUS
`UPDATED
` 784
`
`STATUS
`Pig 7.
`
`752
`
`756
`
`776
`
`Two Tap
`Exhibit 1003
`Page 009
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Feb. 5, 2008
`
`Sheet 8 of 28
`
`US 7,328,176 B2
`
`801
`
`
`
`
`
`800 \
`
`850
`
`Yes
`
`855
`
`Yes
`
`,
`
`RETRIEVE EXISTING
`usc
`
`START SHOPPING
`
`
`
`
`ACCESS SHOPPING
`SITE
`
`805
`
`810
`
`CONSUMER
`
`:LITHENTICATED’
`
`
`No
`
`CREATE NEW USC
`
`315
`
`820
`
`1300
`
`830
`
`BROWSE PRODUCTS
`
`I SELECT PRODUCT I
`
`(SEE Fig.13.)
`
`ADD PRODUCT
`TO use
`
`DISPLAY AND/OR
`MODIFY use
`
`Nlo
`
`7
`
`835 '@
`
`
`
`
`CONSUMER
`
`‘ UTHENTICA TED?
`
`
`
`AUTHENTICA TE
`(3 ONS UMER
`
`{SEE H315.)
`
`
`CHECK OUT AND
`
`
`SEND ORDER(S)
`
`(SEE Fig.21.)
`
`
`Fig.8.
`
`Two Tap
`Exhibit 1003
`Page 010
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Feb. 5, 2008
`
`Sheet 9 of 28
`
`US 7,328,176 B2
`
`lniaSpace.cnm — Helscap
`
`. (10 "I
`
`- InfoSpace in Every Space“"
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`l {min
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`Two Tap
`Exhibit 1003
`Page 011
`
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`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Feb. 5, 2008
`
`Sheet 10 of 28
`
`US 7,328,176 B2
`
`Aclivc Shopper- lnqup acacom - Neiscapn
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`US 7,328,176 B2
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`it? Adiue Shopper - |nioSpace.cum — Netscape
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`U.S. Patent
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`Feb. 5, 2008
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`Sheet 12 of 28
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`US 7,328,176 B2
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`

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`U.S. Patent
`
`Feb. 5, 2008
`
`Sheet 13 of 28
`
`US 7,328,176 B2
`
`1301
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`Exhibit 1003
`Page 015
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Feb. 5, 2008
`
`Sheet 14 of 28
`
`US 7,328,176 B2
`
`1401
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`Fig.14.
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`Tonap
`Exhibit 1003
`Page016
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Feb. 5, 2008
`
`Sheet 15 of 28
`
`US 7,328,176 B2
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`Exhibit 1003
`Page 017
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Feb. 5, 2008
`
`Sheet 16 of 28
`
`US 7,328,176 B2
`
`1601
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`Exhibit 1003
`Page 018
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Feb. 5, 2008
`
`Sheet 17 of 28
`
`US 7,328,176 B2
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`Exhibit 1003
`Page 019
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Feb. 5, 2008
`
`Sheet 18 of 28
`
`US 7,328,176 B2
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`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Feb. 5, 2008
`
`Sheet 19 of 28
`
`US 7,328,176 B2
`
`31““ng Sfiupper —ln_fq§pucu.cq_m - I'llcrnsrdfi'lnlurnuLfiifinilurur
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`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Feb. 5, 2008
`
`Sheet 20 of 28
`
`US 7,328,176 B2
`
`5-] Active Shopper_ InluSpuce. cum: Microsoft Internal Explarer
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`1353 Upper Sherman Ave
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`Exhibit 1003
`Page 022
`
`

`

`(SEE Fig.25.)
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`RETRIEVE BILLING
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`{SEE Fig.2“
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`PROCESS ORDER 0N
`SERVER
`
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`FAILURE
`
`““1199
`
`U.S. Patent
`
`Feb. 5, 2008
`
`Sheet 21 0f 28
`
`US 7,328,176 B2
`
`DETERMINE SHIPPING
`INFO RMATIDN
`(SEE Fig.22.)
`
`'ROMOTIDNfS
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`Exhibit 1003
`Page 023
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Feb. 5, 2008
`
`Sheet 22 of 28
`
`US 7,328,176 B2
`
`2201
`
`
`
`CONS UMER ..
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`
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`1313.22.
`
`Two Tap
`Exhibit 1003
`Page 024
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Feb. 5, 2008
`
`Sheet 23 of 28
`
`US 7,328,176 B2
`
`2300 \
`
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`START CREATING ORDER
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`2301
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`2305
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`DATABASE
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`Fig.23.
`
`Two Tap
`Exhibit 1003
`Page 025
`
`

`

`
`SAME
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`PAYMENT METHOD
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`
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` 2420
`FOR MERCHANNS)
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`
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`FILTER FOR COMMON
`
`INFORMATION
`
`2440
`
`2425
`
`U.S. Patent
`
`Feb. 5, 2008
`
`Sheet 24 of 28
`
`US 7,328,176 B2
`
`2400
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`
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`
`Fig.24.
`
`Two Tap
`Exhibit 1003
`Page 026
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Feb. 5, 2008
`
`Sheet 25 of 28
`
`US 7,328,176 B2
`
`2500 ——\\\N
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`DATABASE
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`
`2501
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`FAILURE
`
`Fig.25.
`
`Tonap
`Exmbfl1003
`Page027
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Feb. 5, 2008
`
`Sheet 26 of 28
`
`US 7,328,176 B2
`
`I>/‘2600
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`2601
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`
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`
`RETURN
`
`Fig.26.
`
`Two Tap
`Exhibit 1003
`Page 028
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Feb. 5, 2008
`
`Sheet 27 of 28
`
`US 7,328,176 B2
`
`2701
`
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`
`
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`IN ECTION
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`RECEIVE ORDERIS) FROM
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`2705
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`
`OBTAIN ORDER
`
`NUMBER
`
`STORE ORDER
`NUMBER
`
`REMOVE ORDER
`
`2725
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`2800
`
`2735
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`2750
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`Fig.27.
`
`Two Tap
`Exhibit 1003
`Page 029
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Feb. 5, 2008
`
`Sheet 28 of 28
`
`US 7,328,176 B2
`
`2801
`
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`INJECTION GATEWAY
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`
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`2305 f
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`2810
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`2320
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`PARAMETERIZED
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`Fig.28.
`
`Two Tap
`Exhibit 1003
`Page 030
`
`

`

`US 7,328,176 B2
`
`1
`UNIVERSAL SHOPPING CART AND ORDER
`INJECTION SYSTEM
`
`
`CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED
`APPLICATIONS
`
`This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application
`Ser. No. 09/880,723 filed on Jun. 12, 2001 and entitled
`“Universal Shopping Cart And Order Injection System,”
`which itself claims priority to Provisional Application No.
`60/210,987, filed Jun. 12, 2000. The entire disclosure ofthe
`prior applications is considered as being part of the disclo-
`sure of this application and is hereby incorporated by
`reference herein.
`
`FIELD OF INVENTION
`
`The present invention relates to electronic commerce, and
`more specifically, to a method and system for providing an
`aggregated interface for purchasing products and/or services
`from disparate merchants.
`
`BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
`
`Over the last several years, the Internet has seen expan-
`sive growth in the area of electronic commerce (“e-com-
`merce”). Today, many consumers shop over the Internet
`from electronic retailers (“merchants”) in the privacy of
`their home instead of shopping from catalogs or physically
`going to a store. While a consumer may not be able to
`physically handle the products while shopping on the Inter-
`net, the consumer may be able to view pictures of the
`products, have textual, graphical and audio descriptions of
`the products, as well as read reviews of the products. For
`example, a merchant may create an e-commerce site on the
`World Wide Web (the “Web” or “WWW”) that is devoted to
`products carried in a physical store. This product infonna-
`tion is typically made accessible to a consumer over the
`Internet through Web pages created by the merchant. A
`problem with this approach is that consumers have to learn
`how to navigate through all of the different e-commerce sites
`where they are interested in shopping. It would therefore be
`desirable to have an e-commerce site where the consumer
`navigates in the same manner whether shopping from Mer-
`chant A or Merchant B.
`
`Typically, merchants provide the consumer with a search
`engine to find products on their Web site. While this makes
`navigation somewhat easier than the consumer manually
`navigating through each Web page, there are still problems.
`For example, each merchant may use a different search
`engine having different input requirements and/or the mer-
`chant may return matches to the search made by the con-
`sumer in a diiferent manner. What is needed is a consistent
`
`manner of inputting and returning matches to the consumer.
`If the consumer locates a product in which he or she is
`interested, the consumer is typically allowed to purchase the
`product(s) at that time. For example, if the consumer is
`interested in purchasing Product A from the merchant, the
`consumer will provide appropriate information to the mer-
`chant over a secure connection in order to process the order.
`This information typically includes name, shipping address,
`billing address, payment information and desired shipping
`method. This information is typically entered through an
`input form on a Web page designed and provided by the
`merchant. It is also common for the merchant to require the
`consumer to create an account on the site of said merchant
`before purchasing products. If a consumer purchases items
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`from many different sites he or she will have to keep track
`of many diiferent accounts. It is desirable, therefore, to have
`a shopping site that enables a consumer to order products
`from many diiferent merchants without requiring the con-
`sumer to keep track of all the diiferent accounts required to
`purchase goods from the many different merchants.
`Another e-commerce problem is that
`it
`is becoming
`harder for a consumer to locate products and comparison
`shop over the Internet. This is due to the sheer volume of
`merchants, products and services available to the consumer
`over the Internet. Today, a consumer may also use one of the
`commonly available search engines on the Internet to locate
`products. However, search engines generally return so many
`matches to a query that it is unrealistic for a consumer to
`manually inquire on each returned match. In addition, these
`matches also include both merchant and non—merchant Web
`
`sites making it even more difficult for a consumer to actually
`review all of the returned merchant sites. Further, either the
`Web shopping sites direct the consumer to another merchant
`Web site, or they place the merchant’s Web site within a
`frame on one of their main pages. However, this approach
`does not provide the consumer with a consistent look and
`feel.
`
`In an attempt to solve the above-mentioned problems of
`comparison shopping and locating products on the Internet,
`many difierent methods have been created that provide the
`consumer with access to many diiferent merchant sites
`through one central site. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,895,
`454 to Harrington purports to describe a shopping system
`allowing the consumer to connect
`to remote Web sites
`whereupon the consumer interacts with the remote merchant
`Web site using the commands and structure hierarchy as
`originally established by the merchant. As the consumer
`navigates through the remote merchant’s Web site,
`the
`consumer may return to the database interface to launch into
`a different remote merchant Web site. The problem with this
`approach is that the consumer still has to learn how to
`navigate and place orders through many dilTerent merchants.
`For example, if a consumer desires to purchase a product
`from Merchant A and Merchant B, the consumer will have
`to navigate each merchant’s site. Today, either the Web
`shopping sites direct the consumer to another merchant Web
`site, or they place the merchant’s Web site within a frame on
`one of their main pages. A problem with this approach is that
`the consumer does not have a consistent look and feel. What
`
`is needed is a shopping site that provides a uniform ordering
`and navigation from multiple merchants.
`As e-commerce has developed, the term “shopping bas-
`ket” or “shopping cart” has become commonly known on
`the Internet to refer to a virtual shopping cart where the
`consumer stores the products and/or services he/she is
`interested in purchasing while browsing a particular mer-
`chant’s Web site. A shopping cart typically allows a con-
`sumer to add or delete products, specify attributes, such as
`color, quantity, size, and the like, and purchase products
`contained within the cart. Once the consumer has completed
`his/her selections of the products he or she is interested in
`purchasing, the consumer typically clicks on a link on one
`of the merchant’s Web pages to purchase the contents of the
`shopping basket. A problem with the shopping carts, how-
`ever, is that they are specific to each merchant. Another
`problem is that the shopping carts do not allow a consumer
`to keep products from different merchants not purchased in
`their shopping cart from one visit to the next shopping site.
`It would be desirable, therefore, to have a shopping cart that
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`Two Tap
`Exhibit 1003
`Page 031
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`US 7,328,176 B2
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`3
`would maintain the items in the cart persistently until the
`consumer decides to delete the product or purchase the
`product.
`Another problem is that the shopping site may “lose” the
`consumer after the consumer becomes interested in a prod-
`uct. For example, assume the shopping site returned two
`products from two diiferent merchants based on the con-
`sumer’s criteria. If the consumer clicks on the link for the
`first product the shopping site may either direct the con-
`sumer to Merchant A or may provide the merchant’s site
`within a frame of the shopping site Nevertheless,
`the
`consumer at this point is able to go directly to the merchant’ s
`site and bypass the shopping site when purchasing the
`products. It would be desirable,
`therefore,
`to provide a
`method and system by which consumers would not be
`directed to other merchants even though products they
`purchase may come from other merchants.
`Accordingly, a method and system are needed that pro-
`vide a consumer with a uniform ordering and navigation tool
`through multiple merchants. The method and system should
`enable the consumer to order products from multiple mer-
`chants using a single shopping cart. In addition, the method
`and system should provide the consumer with a consistent
`look and feel regardless of the merchant from whom the
`consumer is ordering products. Further,
`the method and
`system should provide a consistent matter of inputting and
`returning matches to a consumer searching a merchant’s
`Web site. The present invention solves these problems as
`well as others presented by the prior art.
`
`
`
`SUMMARY OF INVENTION
`
`The present invention is directed to providing a method,
`apparatus and system for a universal shopping cart (“USC”)
`and order injection system In particular, the present inven-
`tion is directed to providing a shopping