Virtual sales person for electronic catalog

Claim 3

The method of claim 1 wherein the means for presenting and advising an actual customer on specific suggested product choices, is by an audio technique.

Claim 4

The method of claim 1 wherein the means for presenting and advising an actual customer on specific suggested product choices, is by a graphics display device.

Claim 5

The method as defined in claim 1, wherein said computer logic inference engine incorporates specific Sales Agent's constraints and then advises and presents for said actual customer, the most likely recommended product candidate to consider for purchase.

Claim 6

The method of claim 1, wherein said computer logic inference engine also incorporates catalog content product constraints and then advise and present for said actual customer, the most likely recommended product candidate to consider for purchase.

Claim 7

The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the method can display a plurality of said product candidates for said actual customer to consider for purchase.

Claim 8

The method as defined in claim 2, wherein said system can ask a plurality of questions and provide answers based on a Sales Agent's constraints and catalog content product constraints in order to refine the product presentation to specific candidates.

Claim 9

An electronic catalog system comprising: means for a Sales Agent to provide data base information on generic customer product interests and probable buying habits; means for providing questions for a customer to answer, which questions are based on said generic customer product interests and supplying anticipated probable answers to said questions, which are based on a Sales Agent's prior sales experience and storing said probable answers to said product questions, in said data base; and computer logic inference means to present and advise an actual customer on specific suggested product choices based on said probable answers to said probable questions provided for said generic customer.

Claim 10

An electronic catalog system comprising: means for a Sales Agent to provide data base information on generic customer product interests and probable buying habits; means for providing questions for a customer to answer, which questions are based on said generic customer product interests and supplying anticipated probable answers to said questions, which are based on a Sales Agent's prior sales experience and storing said probable answers to said product questions, in said data base; and computer logic inference means to present and advise an actual customer on specific suggested product choices based on said probable answers to said probable questions provided for said generic customer.

Claim 11

The electronic catalog system of claim 8, wherein said computer logic inference means incorporates specific Sales Agent's constraints and then advises and presents for said actual customer, the most likely recommended product candidate.

Claim 12

The electronic catalog system of claim 8, wherein said computer logic inference means also incorporates catalog content product constraints and then advises arid presents for said actual customer, the most likely recommended product candidate to consider for purchase.

Claim 13

The electronic catalog system of claim 10, wherein the system presents a plurality of product candidates for said actual customer to consider for purchase.

Claim 14

The electronic catalog system of claim 10, wherein said system asks a plurality of questions and provides answers based on a set of Sales Agents constraints and said catalog content product constraints in order to refine the product presentation to specific candidates.

Claim 17

The method of claim 13, wherein the step of providing the questions is an audible step.

Claim 18

The method of claim 13, including the step of limiting the questions asked to those that leave at least one available product for the customer to select by one or more possible answers.

Claim 19

The method of claim 15, including the step of using an inference engine in limiting the selection of goods in response to the answers of a customer to the questions provided.

Claim 20

An computer program product supplied on a medium for use in connection with a graphics display device to provide an electronic catalog comprising: software for providing in the electronic catalog products contained in a rational data base; software for providing in the electronic catalog questions relating to the catalog products to be presented to a customer using the electronic catalog; software for supplying in the electronic catalog likely answers of the customer linked by feature constraints relative to the products contained in the data base; software providing the questions and likely answers to the customer using the electronic catalog; software for limiting the questions asked to those that leave at least one available product for the customer to select by each of one or more likely answers; and limiting product choices presented to the customer using the constraints associated with the likely answers selected by the customer.

Claim 21

An computer program product supplied on a medium for use in connection with a graphics display device to provide an electronic catalog comprising: software for providing in the electronic catalog products contained in a rational data base; software for providing in the electronic catalog questions relating to the catalog products to be presented to a customer using the electronic catalog; software for supplying in the electronic catalog likely answers of the customer linked by feature constraints relative to the products contained in the data base; software providing the questions and likely answers to the customer using the electronic catalog; software for limiting the questions asked to those that leave at least one available product for the customer to select by each of one or more likely answers; and limiting product choices presented to the customer using the constraints associated with the likely answers selected by the customer.

Claim 22

The software product of claim 17, including software for enabling the customer to stop the progress of the questions at the customer's discretion; and software for providing products selected by the constraint associated with the answered questions.

Claim 23

An electronic catalog comprising: means providing in the electronic catalog products contained in a rational data base; means providing in the electronic catalog questions to a customer using the electronic catalog as to the products; means supplying in the electronic catalog likely answers of the customer linked by constraints to the products contained in the data base; means for arranging the questions and answers to the questions in a tree structure where answers to the questions link to further questions; means for providing the questions to the customer using the electronic catalog; and means for responding to the answers provided by the customer to the questions by limiting product choices presented to the customer based on the constraints associated with the answers given by the customer.

Claim 24

An electronic catalog comprising: means providing in the electronic catalog products contained in a rational data base; means providing in the electronic catalog questions to a customer using the electronic catalog as to the products; means supplying in the electronic catalog likely answers of the customer linked by constraints to the products contained in the data base; means for arranging the questions and answers to the questions in a tree structure where answers to the questions link to further questions; means for providing the questions to the customer using the electronic catalog; and means for responding to the answers provided by the customer to the questions by limiting product choices presented to the customer based on the constraints associated with the answers given by the customer.

Claim 25

The electronic catalog of claim 19, including limiting the questions asked to those that leave an available product for the customer to select after answering one of more of the possible answers.

Claim 28

An computer program product supplied on a medium for use in connection with a graphics display device to provide an electronic catalog comprising: software for providing in the electronic catalog products contained in a rational data base; software for providing in the electronic catalog questions relating to the catalog products to be presented to a customer using the electronic catalog; software for supplying in the electronic catalog likely answers of the customer linked by feature constraints relative to the products contained in the data base; software providing the questions and likely answers to the customer using the electronic catalog; software for arranging the questions and likely answers to the questions in a tree structure where the likely answers to the questions link to further questions; and software for limiting product choices presented to the customer based on the constraints associated with the likely answers selected by the customer.

Claim 29

An computer program product supplied on a medium for use in connection with a graphics display device to provide an electronic catalog comprising: software for providing in the electronic catalog products contained in a rational data base; software for providing in the electronic catalog questions relating to the catalog products to be presented to a customer using the electronic catalog; software for supplying in the electronic catalog likely answers of the customer linked by feature constraints relative to the products contained in the data base; software providing the questions and likely answers to the customer using the electronic catalog; software for arranging the questions and likely answers to the questions in a tree structure where the likely answers to the questions link to further questions; and software for limiting product choices presented to the customer based on the constraints associated with the likely answers selected by the customer.