Sharing information about purchases
View Patent ↗A facility for notifying a first user about a purchase made by a second user is described. The facility detects that the second user has purchased an item. The facility further determines that the first user has a purchase notification relationship with the second user. The facility then provides to the first user a notification that the second user has purchased the item.
1. A method for notifying a notified customer about a purchase made by a purchasing customer, comprising:
in a computing system, detecting that the purchasing customer has purchased an item for a person other than the notified customer, wherein the notified customer is not a party to the purchase transaction;
in the computing system, determining that the notified customer has a purchase notification relationship with the purchasing customer; and
via the computing system, providing to the notified customer a notification that the purchasing customer has purchased the item, the notification identifying the purchasing customer and including a link to additional information regarding the purchasing customer's purchase.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein a notification that the purchasing customer has purchased the item is provided to the notified customer by displaying a visual indication of the purchase on a Web page requested by the notified customer.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein a notification that the purchasing customer has purchased the item is provided to the notified customer by sending a message to the notified customer.
4. The method of claim 3 wherein the sent message is an electronic mail message.
5. The method of claim 3 wherein the sent message is an instant message.
6. The method of claim 3 wherein the sent message is a pager message.
7. The method of claim 3 wherein the sent message is a snail mail message.
8. The method of claim 3 wherein the sent message is a voice mail message.
9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising establishing for the notified customer a purchase notification relationship with the purchasing customer in response to an instruction from the purchasing customer.
10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising establishing for the notified customer a purchase notification relationship with the purchasing customer in response to an instruction from the notified customer.
11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising establishing for the notified customer a purchase notification relationship with the purchasing customer in response to a comparison of characteristics of the notified and purchasing customers.
12. The method of claim 1 wherein the notification is only provided in response to authorization from the purchasing customer with respect to the item.
13. The method of claim 1 wherein the notification includes a control for obtaining additional information about the product.
14. The method of claim 1 wherein the notification includes a control for purchasing the product.
15. The method of claim 1 wherein the detecting comprises receiving an order from the purchasing customer for the item.
16. The method of claim 1 wherein the detecting comprises receiving an order from a third customer ordering the item as a gift for the purchasing customer.
17. The method of claim 1 wherein the detecting comprises receiving input from the purchasing customer indicating that the purchasing customer owns the item.
18. A computer-readable medium whose contents cause a computing system to notify a notified customer about a purchase made by a purchasing customer, by a method comprising:
in the computing system, detecting that the purchasing customer has purchased an item for a recipient other than the notified customer, wherein the notified customer is not a party to the purchase transaction;
in the computing system, determining that the notified customer has a purchase notification relationship with the purchasing customer; and
via the computing system, providing to the notified customer a notification that the purchasing customer has purchased the item, the notification identifying the purchasing customer and including a link to additional information regarding the purchasing customer's purchase.
19. A computing system for notifying a notified customer about a purchase made by a purchasing customer, comprising:
a processor and memory together comprising:
a purchase detection subsystem that detects that the purchasing customer has purchased an item for a recipient other than the notified customer, wherein the notified customer is not a party to the purchase transaction;
a purchase notification relationship subsystem that determines that the notified customer has a purchase notification relationship with the purchasing customer; and
a notification subsystem that provides to the notified customer a notification that the purchasing customer has purchased the item, the notification identifying the purchasing customer and including a link to additional information regarding the purchasing customer's purchase.
20. The computing system of claim 19 wherein the recipient is the purchasing customer.