Shipping address population using online address book
View Patent ↗A method for automatically generating a custom name list for use in an order form which can be submitted to an Internet shopping site to complete an order. The method utilizes address book data, stored primarily online utilizing a third party service. In one method according to the invention, names and addresses are read from an address book database and incorporated into a form which enables the user to easily select recipients for one or more gifts.
1. A method for facilitating purchases of items comprising:
retrieving at least a set of names of potential item recipients from an address book resident on a third party server;
displaying, in a selection form at a client station, the set of names combined with one or more items available through a host server;
enabling interaction with the selection form, via selectable areas, effective to associate the one or more items available through a host server with at least one or more names in the set of names of potential item recipients; and
submitting, to the host server, associations between the one or more items available through a host server and the at least one or more names in the set of names of potential item recipients.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
reading, at the client station, client station address book data; and
responsive to the reading, causing the client station address book data to be populated on the third party server.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the client station address book data is read responsive to a grant of permission to access an associated client station address book.
4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
displaying, on the client station, a shipping information form that includes addresses associated with the names of potential item recipients that are associated with the one or more items.
5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the shipping information form is configured to enable editing of the addresses associated with the names of potential item recipients that are associated with the one or more items.
6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the shipping information form is configured to include addresses retrieved from the address book on the third party server.
7. The method of claim 4 , wherein the shipping information form is configured to enable manual entry of addresses in the shipping information form.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein enabling interaction with the selection form via selectable areas effective to associate the one or more items with at least one or more names in the set of names of potential item recipients further comprises enabling interaction effective to associate only one item with a name in the at least one or more names in the set of names of potential item recipients.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the selection form at the client station is configured to display an indication associated with each name of the at least one or more names that an address associated with a corresponding name has been found.
10. One or more tangible computer readable storage media embodying instructions which, responsive to execution by a computing device, are configured to perform operations comprising:
retrieving at least a set of names of potential item recipients from an address book resident on a third party server;
displaying, in a selection form at a client station, the set of names combined with one or more items available through a host server;
enabling interaction with the selection form, via selectable areas, effective to associate the one or more items available through a host server with at least one or more names in the set of names of potential item recipients; and
submitting, to the host server, associations between the one or more items available through a host server and the at least one or more names in the set of names of potential item recipients.
11. The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 10 , wherein the operations further comprise:
reading, at the client station, client station address book data; and
responsive to the reading client station address book data, causing the client station address book data to be populated on the third party server.
12. The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 11 , wherein the client station address book data is read responsive to a grant of permission to access an associated client station address book.
13. The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 10 , wherein the operations further comprise:
displaying, on the client station, a shipping information form that includes addresses associated with the names of potential item recipients that are associated with the one or more items.
14. The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 13 , wherein the shipping information form is configured to enable editing of the addresses associated with the names of potential item recipients that are associated with the one or more items.
15. The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 13 , wherein the shipping information form is configured to include addresses retrieved from the address book on the third party server.
16. The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 13 , wherein the shipping information form is configured to enable manual entry of addresses in the shipping information form.
17. The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 10 , wherein the enabling interaction with the selection form via selectable areas effective to associate the one or more items with at least one or more names in the set of names of potential item recipients further comprises enabling interaction effective to associate only one item with a name in the at least one or more names in the set of names of potential item recipients.
18. The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 10 , wherein the selection form at the client station is configured to display an indication associated with each name of the at least one or more names that an address associated with a corresponding name has been found.
19. A method for facilitating purchases of items comprising:
retrieving at least a set of names of potential item recipients from an address book resident on a third party server;
receiving, at a client station, a selection form template;
displaying, at the client station, a selection form based, at least in part, on the selection form template, wherein the selection form includes at least one name in the set of names of potential item recipients from the address book on the third party server combined with one or more items that are available through a host server;
enabling interaction with the selection form, via selectable areas, effective to associate the one or more items available through a host server with at least one or more names in a set of names of potential item recipients displayed in the selection form; and
submitting, to the host server, associations between the one or more items available through a host server and the at least one or more names in the set of names of potential item recipients.
20. The method of claim 19 , further comprising:
reading, at the client station, client station address book data; and
responsive to the reading, causing the client station address book data to be populated on the third party server.
21. The method of claim 20 , wherein the client station address book data is read responsive to a grant of permission to access an associated client station address book.
22. The method of claim 19 , wherein addresses associated with names of the set of names of potential item recipients from the address book on a third party server are not displayed at the client station.
23. The method of claim 19 , further comprising:
displaying, on the client station, a shipping information form that includes addresses associated with the names of potential item recipients that are associated with the one or more items.
24. The method of claim 23 , wherein the shipping information form is configured to enable editing of the addresses associated with the names of potential item recipients that are associated with the one or more items.
25. The method of claim 23 , further comprising:
receiving a shipping information form template; and
basing the shipping information form, at least in part, on the shipping information form template.
26. The method of claim 23 , wherein the shipping information form is configured to enable manual entry of addresses in the shipping information form.
27. The method of claim 19 , wherein enabling interaction with the selection form via selectable areas effective to associate the one or more items with at least one or more names in the set of names of potential item recipients further comprises enabling interaction effective to associate only one item with a name in the at least one or more names in the set of names of potential item recipients.
28. The method of claim 19 , wherein the selection form includes a custom message section that is configurable to associate a custom message with at least one of the associations between the one or more items available through a host server and the at least one or more names in the set of names of potential item recipients.
29. One or more tangible computer readable storage media embodying instructions which, responsive to execution by a computing device, are configured to perform operations comprising:
retrieving at least a set of names of potential item recipients from an address book resident on a third party server;
receiving, at a client station, a selection form template;
displaying, at the client station, a selection form based, at least in part, on the selection form template, wherein the selection form includes at least one name in the set of names of potential item recipients from the address book on the third party server combined with one or more items that are available through the host server;
enabling interaction with the selection form, via selectable areas, effective to associate the one or more items available through a host server with at least one or more names in a set of names of potential item recipients displayed in the selection form; and
submitting, to the host server, associations between the one or more items available through a host server and the at least one or more names in the set of names of potential item recipients.
30. The one or more media of claim 29 , the operations further comprising:
reading, at the client station, client station address book data; and
responsive to the reading, causing the client station address book data to be populated on the third party server.
31. The one or more media of claim 30 , wherein the client station address book data is read responsive to a grant of permission to access an associated client station address book.
32. The one or more media of claim 29 , wherein addresses associated with names of the set of names of potential item recipients from the address book on a third party server are not displayed at the client station.
33. The one or more media of claim 29 , the operations further comprising:
displaying, on the client station, a shipping information form that includes addresses associated with the names of potential item recipients that are associated with the one or more items.
34. The one or more media of claim 33 , wherein the shipping information form is configured to enable editing of the addresses associated with the names of potential item recipients that are associated with the one or more items.
35. The one or more media of claim 33 , the operations further comprising:
receiving a shipping information form template; and
basing the displayed shipping information form, at least in part, on the shipping information form template.
36. The one or more media of claim 33 , wherein the shipping information form is configured to enable manual entry of addresses in the shipping information form.
37. The one or more media of claim 29 , wherein enabling interaction with the selection form via selectable areas effective to associate the one or more items with at least one or more names in the set of names of potential item recipients further comprises enabling interaction effective to associate only one item with a name in the at least one or more names in the set of names of potential item recipients.
38. The one or more media of claim 29 , wherein the selection form includes a custom message section that is configured to associate the custom message with at least one of the associations between the one or more items available through a host server and the at least one or more names in the set of names of potential item recipients.