Methods and systems supporting online shopping as a shared and social activity
View Patent ↗Certain embodiments of the disclosure relate to methods and systems that enable a consumer to electronically shop for products using a conventional electronic shopping cart such as are typically provided by online merchants, and to also create and manage one or more additional “shared” electronic shopping carts through which the end-user may automatically share details of such shopping activities with others using electronic means such as online social networks, short message services, and email, thereby enabling others to participate and assist in various shopping activities.
1. A method of operating a first computer network to support shopping as a social activity of a plurality of end-users of the first computer network, the method comprising:
creating on the first computer network, for a first end-user of the plurality of end-users, a first social shopping cart for storing product information for each of a plurality of product items, wherein a second end-user of the plurality of end-users has permission to view the contents of the first social shopping cart;
creating on the first computer network, for the second end-user of the plurality of end-users, a second social shopping cart for storing product information for each of a plurality of product items, wherein a third end-user of the plurality of end-users has permission to view the contents of the second social shopping cart, and the second social shopping cart automatically includes the contents of the first social shopping cart;
in response to a request from the first end-user, performing a particular action upon the first social shopping cart; and
in response to performance of the particular action by the first computer network upon the first social shopping cart, automatically:
sending a notification of the particular action performed upon the first social shopping cart to a communication device of the second end-user;
performing the particular action upon the second social shopping cart;
sending a notification of the particular action performed upon the second social shopping cart to a communication device of the third end-user.
2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the particular action performed upon the first social shopping cart comprises one of adding to or removing from the first social shopping cart, information for a particular product.
3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first computer network manages access by the second end-user to the first social shopping cart according to permissions provided by the first end-user.
4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first computer network functions, at least in part, as an Internet web site of a merchant that supports online shopping by the plurality of end-users.
5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the notification of the particular action performed upon the first social shopping cart is transmitted from the first computer network to a user account of the second end-user via a second computer network separate from the first computer network.
6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the second computer network comprises a social networking web site that enables communication between members of an online community of family, friends, colleagues, and other personal contacts.
7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first computer network maintains one or more personal reviews of product items and information identifying a corresponding end-user of the plurality of end-users that submitted each of the one or more personal reviews of product items, and wherein the method further comprises:
in response to a request from the first end-user, providing to the first end-user by selecting from the one or more personal reviews of product items, a set of personal reviews of product items submitted by particular end-users of the plurality of end-users, wherein the particular end-users are members of a social networking group to which the first end-user belongs.
8. A system for a first computer network to support shopping as a social activity of a plurality of end-users of the first computer network, the system comprising:
at least one processor for communicatively coupling to communication devices of each of the plurality of end-users, the at least one processor operable to, at least:
create on the first computer network, for a first end-user of the plurality of end-users, a first social shopping cart for storing product information for each of a plurality of product items, wherein a second end-user of the plurality of end-users has permission to view the contents of the first social shopping cart;
create on the first computer network, for the second end-user of the plurality of end-users, a second social shopping cart for storing product information for each of a plurality of product items, wherein a third end-user of the plurality of end-users has permission to view the contents of the second social shopping cart, and the second social shopping cart automatically includes the contents of the first social shopping cart;
in response to a request from the first end-user, perform a particular action upon the first social shopping cart; and
in response to performance of the particular action by the first computer network upon the first social shopping cart, automatically:
send a notification of the particular action performed upon the first social shopping cart to a communication device of the second end-user;
perform the particular action upon the second social shopping cart;
send a notification of the particular action performed upon the second social shopping cart to a communication device of the third end-user.
9. The system according to claim 8 , wherein the particular action performed upon the first social shopping cart comprises one of adding to or removing from the first social shopping cart, information for a particular product.
10. The system according to claim 8 , wherein the first computer network manages access by the second end-user to the first social shopping cart according to permissions provided by the first end-user.
11. The system according to claim 8 , wherein the first computer network functions, at least in part, as an Internet web site of a merchant that supports online shopping by the plurality of end-users.
12. The system according to claim 8 , wherein the notification of the particular action performed upon the first social shopping cart is transmitted to from the first computer network to a user account of the second end-user via a second computer network separate from the first computer network.
13. The system according to claim 12 , wherein the second computer network comprises a social networking web site that enables communication between members of an online community of family, friends, colleagues, and other personal contacts.
14. The system according to claim 8 , wherein the first computer network maintains one or more personal reviews of product items and information identifying a corresponding end-user of the plurality of end-users that submitted each of the one or more personal reviews of product items, and wherein the method further comprises:
in response to a request from the first end-user, providing to the first end-user by selecting from the one or more personal reviews of product items, a set of personal reviews of product items submitted by particular end-users of the plurality of end-users, wherein the particular end-users are members of a social networking group to which the first end-user belongs.
15. A non-transitory computer readable medium having a plurality of code sections, each code section comprising a plurality of instructions executable by one or more processors, the executable instructions causing the one or more processors to perform the steps of a method of operating a first computer network to support shopping as a social activity of a plurality of end-users of the first computer network, the method comprising:
creating on the first computer network, for a first end-user of the plurality of end-users, a first social shopping cart for storing product information for each of a plurality of product items, wherein a second end-user of the plurality of end-users has permission to view the contents of the first social shopping cart;
creating on the first computer network, for the second end-user of the plurality of end-users, a second social shopping cart for storing product information for each of a plurality of product items, wherein a third end-user of the plurality of end-users has permission to view the contents of the second social shopping cart, and the second social shopping cart automatically includes the contents of the first social shopping cart;
in response to a request from the first end-user, performing a particular action upon the first social shopping cart; and
in response to performance of the particular action by the first computer network upon the first social shopping cart, automatically:
sending a notification of the particular action performed upon the first social shopping cart to a communication device of the second end-user;
performing the particular action upon the second social shopping cart;
sending a notification of the particular action performed upon the second social shopping cart to a communication device of the third end-user.
16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 15 , wherein the particular action performed upon the first social shopping cart comprises one of adding to or removing from the first social shopping cart, information for a particular product.
17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 15 , wherein the first computer network manages access by the second end-user to the first social shopping cart according to permissions provided by the first end-user.
18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 15 , wherein the first computer network functions, at least in part, as an Internet web site of a merchant that supports online shopping by the plurality of end-users.
19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 15 , wherein the notification of the particular action performed upon the first social shopping cart is transmitted from the first computer network to a user account of the second end-user via a second computer network separate from the first computer network.
20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 19 , wherein the second computer network comprises a social networking web site that enables communication between members of an online community of family, friends, colleagues, and other personal contacts.
21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 15 , wherein the first computer network maintains one or more personal reviews of product items and information identifying a corresponding end-user of the plurality of end-users that submitted each of the one or more personal reviews of product items, and wherein the method further comprises:
in response to a request from the first end-user, providing to the first end-user by selecting from the one or more personal reviews of product items, a set of personal reviews of product items submitted by particular end-users of the plurality of end-users, wherein the particular end-users are members of a social networking group to which the first end-user belongs.