US6415320B1
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Information presentation and management in an online trading environment
Assignee: eBay Inc
•
Filing: 2000-04-04
•
Granted: 2002-07-02
•
Expires: 2020-04-04
Abstract
Abstract A method and apparatus for information presentation and management in an online trading environment are provided. According to one aspect of the present invention, person-to-person commerce over the Internet is facilitated by providing prospective buyers the ability to quickly preview items for sale. Images are harvested from a plurality of sites based upon user-supplied information. The user-supplied information includes descriptions of items for sale and locations from which images that are to be associated with the items can be retrieved. Thumbnail images are created corresponding to the harvested images and are aggregated onto a web page for presentation at a remote site. According to another aspect of the present invention, a user may submit a query to preview items for sale. After receiving the query, thumbnail images corresponding to items that satisfy the user query are displayed, each of the thumbnail images previously having been created based upon a user-specified image.
Inventors
- 👤 Martin L. Hess
- 👤 Michael K. Wilson
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-28 02:05
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06Q; G06Q30/00; G06Q30/06; G06Q30/0601; G06Q30/0623; G06Q40/00; G06Q40/04; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S707/00; Y10S707/99941; Y10S707/99944; Y10S707/99945; Y10S707/99948
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim
262 words
A method performed by a marketplace computer for facilitating electronic commerce over a network between a plurality of seller and buyer computers, the method comprising the steps of: presenting a registration web page to a remote first seller computer over the network; receiving a first registration for a first product from the first seller computer over the network, the first registration including a first product description and a first image location of the first product, the first image location referencing the first seller computer or a third computer on the network, and the first image being in one of a plurality of predetermined source image formats; presenting a registration web page to a remote second seller computer over the network; receiving a second registration for a second product from the second seller computer over the network, the second registration including a second product description and a second image location of the second product, the second image location referencing the second seller computer or a fourth computer on the network, and the second image being in one of a plurality of predetermined source image formats; retrieving the first image based on the received first image location; manipulating the first image to produce a first thumbnail image of a first predetermined size and format; retrieving the second image based on the received second image location; manipulating the second image to produce a second thumbnail image of a second predetermined size and format; creating a customized web page including the first and second thumbnail images; and presenting the customized web page to a buyer computer.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
262 words
A method performed by a marketplace computer for facilitating electronic commerce over a network between a plurality of seller and buyer computers, the method comprising the steps of: presenting a registration web page to a remote first seller computer over the network; receiving a first registration for a first product from the first seller computer over the network, the first registration including a first product description and a first image location of the first product, the first image location referencing the first seller computer or a third computer on the network, and the first image being in one of a plurality of predetermined source image formats; presenting a registration web page to a remote second seller computer over the network; receiving a second registration for a second product from the second seller computer over the network, the second registration including a second product description and a second image location of the second product, the second image location referencing the second seller computer or a fourth computer on the network, and the second image being in one of a plurality of predetermined source image formats; retrieving the first image based on the received first image location; manipulating the first image to produce a first thumbnail image of a first predetermined size and format; retrieving the second image based on the received second image location; manipulating the second image to produce a second thumbnail image of a second predetermined size and format; creating a customized web page including the first and second thumbnail images; and presenting the customized web page to a buyer computer.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method of claim 1 , wherein the first and second predetermined sizes are the same, and the first and second predetermined formats are the same.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 1 , wherein the customized web page further includes the first and second product descriptions.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first image location and the second image location comprises a directory path.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
265 words
A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing steps in a computer system for facilitating electronic commerce over a network between a plurality of seller and buyer computers, the steps comprising presenting a registration web page to a remote first seller computer over the network; receiving a first registration for a first product from the first seller computer over the network, the first registration including a first product description and a first image location of the first product, the first image location referencing the first seller computer or a third computer on the network, and the first image being in one of a plurality of predetermined source image formats; presenting a registration web page to a remote second seller computer over the network; receiving a second registration for a second product from the second seller computer over the network, the second registration including a second product description and a second image location of the second product, the second image location referencing the second seller computer or a fourth computer on the network, and the second image being in one of a plurality of predetermined source image formats; retrieving the first image based on the received first image location; manipulating the first image to produce a first thumbnail image of a first predetermined size and format; retrieving the second image based on the received second image location; manipulating the second image to produce a second thumbnail image of a second predetermined size and format; creating a customized web page including the first and second thumbnail images; and presenting the customized web page to a buyer computer.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
265 words
A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing steps in a computer system for facilitating electronic commerce over a network between a plurality of seller and buyer computers, the steps comprising presenting a registration web page to a remote first seller computer over the network; receiving a first registration for a first product from the first seller computer over the network, the first registration including a first product description and a first image location of the first product, the first image location referencing the first seller computer or a third computer on the network, and the first image being in one of a plurality of predetermined source image formats; presenting a registration web page to a remote second seller computer over the network; receiving a second registration for a second product from the second seller computer over the network, the second registration including a second product description and a second image location of the second product, the second image location referencing the second seller computer or a fourth computer on the network, and the second image being in one of a plurality of predetermined source image formats; retrieving the first image based on the received first image location; manipulating the first image to produce a first thumbnail image of a first predetermined size and format; retrieving the second image based on the received second image location; manipulating the second image to produce a second thumbnail image of a second predetermined size and format; creating a customized web page including the first and second thumbnail images; and presenting the customized web page to a buyer computer.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
27 words
The computer-readable medium of claim 5 , wherein the first and second predetermined sizes are the same, and the first and second predetermined formats are the same.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 5 , wherein the customized web page further includes the first and second product descriptions.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 5 , wherein at least one of the first image location and the second image location comprises a directory path.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2005-07-01 | 2005-12-31 | 2006-07-02 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2009-07-01 | 2009-12-31 | 2010-07-02 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2013-07-01 | 2013-12-31 | 2014-07-02 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |