US6556975B1
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Computer system and method for providing an on-line mall
Assignee: eBay Inc
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Filing: 1999-10-28
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Granted: 2003-04-29
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Expires: 2019-10-28
Abstract
Abstract A computer system and method for providing an on-line mall. An on-line mall environment is provided. The on-line mall environment is partitioned into at least one community and having at least one store in each community. Each store is made available to a merchant to occupy. The merchant may customize the store by providing for storage on the on-line mall sight design data and merchandise data. Customers access the on-line mall through a remote location. The customers may connect with the on-line mall website through direct connection to the on-line mall or through links provided by other websites. Customer specific data is stored on the on-line mall allowing the customer to enter purchasing data one time for the many stores in each community. Customer purchasing selections are stored and submitted to the mechant on standard intervals.
Inventors
- 👤 L. William Wittsche
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-29 18:00
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06Q; G06Q30/00; G06Q30/06; G06Q30/02; G06Q30/0241; G06Q30/0251; G06Q30/0255; G06Q30/0256; G06Q30/0277; G06Q30/0601; G06Q30/0633; G06Q30/06331; G06Q30/06332; G06Q30/0641
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 25
Claim 1
Independent Claim
157 words
A method for providing an on-line mall to two or more customers, the method comprising the steps of: providing a mall environment on-line, the mall environment including a data storage device; providing two or more stores within the mall environment, where each store is associated with one of two or more communities; providing customer access to the two or more stores; providing a discussion forum for the customers; providing a plurality of gift registries, where each gift registry is associated with at least one of any store of any community within the on-line mall; providing access to each gift registry o one or more registrants, so that the registrant can select one or more gifts for We gift registry; receiving purchase data from the customer for each of the two or more stores based on data received by the customers from the discussion forum and the gift registry; and processing the purchase data through a single system.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
157 words
A method for providing an on-line mall to two or more customers, the method comprising the steps of: providing a mall environment on-line, the mall environment including a data storage device; providing two or more stores within the mall environment, where each store is associated with one of two or more communities; providing customer access to the two or more stores; providing a discussion forum for the customers; providing a plurality of gift registries, where each gift registry is associated with at least one of any store of any community within the on-line mall; providing access to each gift registry o one or more registrants, so that the registrant can select one or more gifts for We gift registry; receiving purchase data from the customer for each of the two or more stores based on data received by the customers from the discussion forum and the gift registry; and processing the purchase data through a single system.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the step of providing a mall environment includes partitioning the mall into at least one community.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 2 wherein the step of partitioning the mall into at least one community includes at least one store in each community.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 3 wherein the step of providing at least one store in each community includes providing a common facade for each store within a community.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the step of providing a discussion forum includes providing a merchant discussion forum.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the step of providing a store includes providing a store for use by a merchant.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method of claim 6 wherein the step of providing a store for use by a merchant includes providing storage area to place store design data and merchandise data.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the step of providing a store includes providing a communication link to a merchant.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the step of providing a store includes providing merchant specific data collection.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the step of providing customer access includes providing access from a remote location.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the step of providing customer access includes providing advertisement of the on-line mall.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 11 wherein the step of providing advertisement of the on-line mall includes advertising in publications.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 11 wherein the step of providing advertisement of the on-line mall includes advertising in audio media.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the step of providing customer access includes providing links to the on-line mall from a website.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the step of storing customer data includes storing customer's purchase selections.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 15 , wherein the step of storing customer's purchase selections include storing customer's purchase selections from multiple stores.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method of claim 16 , wherein the step of storing customer's purchase selections from multiple stores includes storing customer credit information once for the selections from multiple stores.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the step of storing customer data includes storing customer's movements within the on-line mall.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 18 wherein the step of sending the merchant specific purchase requests includes sending all purchase requests for the specific merchant.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the step of storing customer data includes storing merchant specific points of interest.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the step of sending the customer data to a merchant includes sending the merchant specific purchase requests.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method of claim 21 wherein the step of sending the customer data to a merchant on a stated interval includes sending the customer data on a daily interval.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the step of sending the customer data to a merchant includes sending the customer data to a merchant on a stated interval.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the step of sending the customer data to a merchant includes sending the merchant specific historical data.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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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) | 2006-04-28 | 2006-10-28 | 2007-04-29 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2010-04-28 | 2010-10-28 | 2011-04-29 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2014-04-28 | 2014-10-28 | 2015-04-29 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |