System and method for facilitating electronic commerce transactions
View Patent ↗A global content directory ( 42 ) includes a directory structure ( 44 ) that includes a plurality of product classes organized in a hierarchy. Each product class categorizes a plurality of products and defines one or more attributes of the products categorized in the product class. The directory ( 42 ) also includes one or more pointers that are associated with each product class. Each pointer identifies a seller database ( 32 ) in which product data enabling a product transaction is stored for products that are associated with the product class. The directory ( 42 ) also includes a search interface ( 45 ) that communicates, in response to a selection of a product class by a user ( 20 ) of the global content directory ( 42 ), a search query for product data to one or more seller databases ( 32 ) identified by the one or more pointers associated with the selected product class.
1. An electronic commerce system for facilitating an electronic commerce transaction, the electronic commerce system comprising:
a plurality of seller databases, wherein each seller database is associated with a corresponding seller and different from other seller databases in the plurality of seller databases, including product data for one or more products;
a global content directory server coupled with the plurality of seller databases, the global content directory server providing a plurality of buyer computers access to the plurality of seller databases, the global content directory server comprising:
a storage medium stored therein a directory structure comprising a plurality of hierarchically organized product classes, each product class categorizing a plurality of products and defining one or more attributes of the products categorized in the product class, wherein one or more pointers are associated with each product class, each pointer identifying the seller database in the plurality of seller databases in which product data enabling a product transaction is stored for products categorized in the product class; and
a server search interface configured to communicate, in response to a selection of a product class by one of the plurality of buyer computers, a search query for product data to the plurality of seller databases identified by one or more pointers associated with the selected product class; and
in response to communicating the search query for product data to the plurality of seller databases identified by one or more pointers associated with the selected product class, receive address information associated with a seller database associated with a seller of the selected product, the seller database including product data for the selected product, wherein one of the plurality of buyer computers is configured to communicate with the seller associated with the seller database to conduct a commerce transaction relating to the selected product using the received address information.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the directory structure comprises a lightweight directory access protocol (LDAP) directory.
3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the directory structure is distributed between a plurality of computers.
4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the global content directory server is coupled to the plurality of seller databases using the Internet.
5. The system of claim 1 , further comprising one or more additional directory structures, each directory structure comprising the same classes but organized using different hierarchies.
6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the search query comprises a structured query language (SQL) query.
7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the search query includes one or more attributes of the class selected by one of the plurality of buyer computers.
8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the search query includes values for one or more desired product features specified by one of the plurality of buyer computers.
9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the server search interface is further configured to receive search results from the one or more seller databases each associated with its corresponding seller and distinct from the other seller databases in the plurality of seller databases in response to the search query, the search results including product data associated with one or more products satisfying the search query, the directory configured to communicate the search results to one of the plurality of buyer computers.
10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the electronic commerce system is configured to:
receive a selection from one of the plurality of buyer computers of a product for which product data is included in the search results; and
communicate address information associated with a seller database associated with a seller of the selected product, the seller database including product data for the selected product, the address information enabling one of the plurality of buyer computers to communicate with the seller associated with the seller database to conduct a commerce transaction relating to the selected product.
11. A computer-implemented method for facilitating an electronic commerce transaction, the method comprising:
providing, by a server, a plurality of buyer computers access to a global content directory server for a plurality of seller databases, each seller database associated with a corresponding seller and different from other seller databases in the plurality of seller databases;
providing, by the server, a directory structure comprising a plurality of hierarchically organized product classes, each product class categorizing a plurality of products and defining one or more attributes of the products categorized in the product class;
providing, by the server, one or more pointers for each product class, each pointer identifying the seller database in the plurality of seller databases in which product data enabling a product transaction is stored for products categorized in the product class;
providing, by the server, a search interface configured to communicate, in response to a selection of a product class by one of the plurality of buyer computers, a search query for product data to the plurality of seller databases identified by one or more pointers associated with the selected product class; and
in response to communicating the search query for product data to the plurality of seller databases identified by one or more pointers associated with the selected product class, receiving address information associated with a seller database associated with a seller of the selected product, the seller database including product data for the selected product, wherein one of the plurality of buyer computers is configured to communicate with the seller associated with the seller database to conduct a commerce transaction relating to the selected product using the received address information.
12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the directory structure comprises a lightweight directory access protocol (LDAP) directory.
13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the directory structure is distributed between a plurality of computers.
14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the search interface communicates with the plurality of seller databases using the Internet.
15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the search query comprises a structured query language (SQL) query.
16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the search query includes one or more attributes of the class selected by one of the plurality of buyer computers.
17. The method of claim 11 , wherein the search query includes values for one or more desired product features specified from one of the plurality of buyer computers.
18. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
receiving search results from the one or more seller databases each associated with its corresponding seller and distinct from the other seller databases in the plurality of seller databases in response to the search query, the search results including product data associated with one or more products satisfying the search query; and
communicating the search results to one of the plurality of buyer computers.
19. The method of claim 18 , further comprising:
receiving a selection from one of the plurality of buyer computers of a product for which product data is included in the search results; and
communicating address information associated with a seller database associated with a seller of the selected product, the seller database including product data for the selected product, the address information enabling one of the plurality of buyer computers to communicate with the seller associated with the seller database to conduct a commerce transaction relating to the selected product.
20. Software for facilitating an electronic commerce transaction, the software embodied in a computer-readable medium and when executed using one or more computers is configured to:
provide a plurality of buyer computers access to a global content directory server for a plurality of seller databases, each seller database associated with a corresponding seller and different from other seller databases in the plurality of seller databases;
provide a directory structure comprising a plurality of hierarchically organized product classes, each product class categorizing a plurality of products and defining one or more attributes of the products categorized in the product class;
provide one or more pointers for each product class, each pointer identifying the seller database in the plurality of seller databases in which product data enabling a product transaction is stored for products categorized in the product class;
provide a search interface configured to communicate, in response to a selection of a product class by one of the plurality of buyer computers, a search query for product data to the plurality of seller databases identified by one or more pointers associated with the selected product class; and
in response to communicating the search query for product data to the plurality of seller databases identified by one or more pointers associated with the selected product class, receive address information associated with a seller database associated with a seller of the selected product, the seller database including product data for the selected product, wherein one of the plurality of buyer computers is configured to communicate with the seller associated with the seller database to conduct a commerce transaction relating to the selected product using the received address information.
21. The software of claim 20 , wherein the directory structure comprises a lightweight directory access protocol (LDAP) directory.
22. The software of claim 20 , wherein the directory structure is distributed between a plurality of computers.
23. The software of claim 20 , wherein the software communicates with the plurality of seller databases using the Internet.
24. The software of claim 20 , wherein the search query comprises a structured query language (SQL) query.
25. The software of claim 20 , wherein the search query includes one or more attributes of the class selected by one of the plurality of buyer computers.
26. The software of claim 20 , wherein the search query includes values for one or more desired product features specified by one of the plurality of buyer computers.
27. The software of claim 20 , further configured to:
receive search results from the one or more seller databases each associated with its corresponding seller and distinct from the other seller databases in the plurality of seller databases in response to the search query, the search results including product data associated with one or more products satisfying the search query; and
communicate the search results to one of the plurality of buyer computers.
28. The software of claim 27 , further configured to:
receive a selection from one of the plurality of buyer computers of a product for which product data is included in the search results; and
communicate, to the one or more buyers, address information associated with a seller database associated with a seller of the selected product, the seller database including product data for the selected product, the address information enabling one of the plurality of buyer computers to communicate with the seller associated with the seller database to conduct a commerce transaction relating to the selected product.