Rule-based transferable shopping basket for online purchases
An online shopping basket is acquired by a buyer from an online store and is customized according to rules specified by the buyer. The buyer places zero or more items in the online shopping basket(s) before they are given to at least one shopper by the online store. The shopper(s) may further customize the online shopping basket(s) with rules that do not conflict with those specified by the buyer. The shopper(s) then place zero or more items in the online shopping basket(s) and return the basket(s) to the online store. Multiple online shopping baskets are merged into a single basket, and the buyer reviews the items in the merged online shopping basket and adds or removes items as necessary. The buyer then purchases the remaining items from the online store.
1. A web server device for merging online shopping baskets, the web server device comprising:
a processor; and
a machine-readable storage medium comprising a plurality of instructions, that in response to being executed by the processor, cause the web server device to:
associate a primary online shopping basket with a first customer;
associate at least one secondary online shopping basket with a second customer, wherein the second customer being different from the first customer, and wherein the at least one secondary online shopping basket is associated with (i) first corresponding pre-defined rules specified by the first customer and which define purchase preferences of the first customer for items within the at least one secondary online shopping basket, and (ii) second corresponding pre-defined rules specified by the second customer and which define purchase preferences of the second customer for items within the at least one secondary online shopping basket;
verify that the second corresponding pre-defined rules specified by the second customer do not conflict with the first corresponding pre-defined rules specified by the first customer;
allow entry into the at least one secondary online shopping basket of the items which comply with the corresponding first and second pre-defined rules specified by the first and second customers;
selectively merge items from the at least one secondary online shopping basket into the primary online shopping basket, the selection being based in part on the corresponding first and second pre-defined rules, to create a single merged online shopping basket; and
display the items merged into the single merged online shopping basket on a single web page such that the items are simultaneously viewable on the single web page before checkout of the selected items in the single merged online shopping basket during a single purchase transaction.
2. The web server device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of instructions further cause the web server device to:
associate the first customer with a first customer identifier;
associate the second customer with a second customer identifier, wherein the second customer identifier is different from the first customer identifier;
group the items merged into the single merged online shopping basket according to first and second customer identifiers associated with the first and second customers; and
wherein to display the items on the single web page comprises to display the items grouped on the single web page according to the first and second customer identifiers.
3. The web server device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of instructions further cause the web server device to:
associate the primary online shopping basket with a first basket identifier; and
associate the at least one secondary online shopping basket with a second basket identifier, wherein the second basket identifier is different from the first basket identifier.
4. The web server device of claim 1 , wherein the first corresponding pre-defined rules specified by the first customer further define checkout approval preferences of the first customer for items within the at least one secondary online shopping basket.
5. The web server device of claim 1 , wherein the first corresponding pre-defined rules specified by the first customer further define a total purchase price and an item category from which items within the at least one secondary online shopping basket must comply.
6. A web server device for merging online shopping baskets, the web server device comprising:
a processor; and
a machine-readable storage medium comprising a plurality of instructions, that in response to being executed by the processor, cause the web server device to:
associate a primary online shopping basket with a first customer;
associate at least one secondary online shopping basket with a second customer different from the first customer, wherein the at least one secondary online shopping basket is associated with corresponding pre-defined rules specified by the first customer and which define a total purchase price and an item category from which items within the at least one secondary online shopping basket must comply;
allow entry into the at least one secondary online shopping basket of the items which comply with the corresponding pre-defined rules specified by the first customer;
selectively merge items from the at least one secondary online shopping basket into the primary online shopping basket, the selection being based in part on the corresponding pre-defined rules specified by the first customer, to create a single merged online shopping basket; and
display the items merged into the single merged online shopping basket on a single web page such that the items are simultaneously viewable on the single web page before checkout of the selected items in the single merged online shopping basket during a single purchase transaction.
7. The web server device of claim 6 , wherein the plurality of instructions further cause the web server device to:
associate the first customer with a first customer identifier;
associate the second customer with a second customer identifier, wherein the second customer identifier is different from the first customer identifier;
group the items merged into the single merged online shopping basket according to first and second customer identifiers associated with the first and second customers; and
wherein to display the items on the single web page comprises to display the items grouped on the single web page according to the first and second customer identifiers.
8. The web server device of claim 6 , wherein the plurality of instructions further cause the web server device to:
associate the primary online shopping basket with a first basket identifier; and
associate the at least one secondary online shopping basket with a second basket identifier, wherein the second basket identifier is different from the first basket identifier.
9. The web server device of claim 6 , wherein the corresponding pre-defined rules specified by the first customer further define purchase preferences of the first customer for items within the at least one secondary online shopping basket.
10. The web server device of claim 6 , wherein the corresponding pre-defined rules specified by the first customer further define checkout approval preferences of the first customer for items within the at least one secondary online shopping basket.
11. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising a plurality of instructions, that in response to being executed by a web server device, result in the web server device:
associating a primary online shopping basket with a first customer; associating at least one secondary online shopping basket with a second customer, wherein the second customer being different from the first customer, and wherein the at least one secondary online shopping basket is associated with (i) first corresponding pre-defined rules specified by the first customer and which define purchase preferences of the first customer for items within the at least one secondary online shopping basket, and (ii) second corresponding pre-defined rules specified by the second customer and which define purchase preferences of the second customer for items within the at least one secondary online shopping basket;
verifying that the second corresponding pre-defined rules specified by the second customer do not conflict with the first corresponding pre-defined rules specified by the first customer;
allowing entry into the at least one secondary online shopping basket of the items which comply with the corresponding first and second pre-defined rules specified by the first and second customers;
selectively merging items from the at least one secondary online shopping basket into the primary online shopping basket, the selection being based in part on the corresponding first and second pre-defined rules, to create a single merged online shopping basket; and
displaying the items merged into the single merged online shopping basket on a single web page such that the items are simultaneously viewable on the single web page before checkout of the selected items in the single merged online shopping basket during a single purchase transaction.
12. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of instructions further result in the web server device:
associating the first customer with a first customer identifier;
associating the second customer with a second customer identifier, wherein the second customer identifier is different from the first customer identifier;
grouping the items merged into the single merged online shopping basket according to first and second customer identifiers associated with the first and second customers; and
wherein displaying the items on the single web page comprises displaying the items grouped on the single web page according to the first and second customer identifiers.
13. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of instructions further result in the web server device:
associating the primary online shopping basket with a first basket identifier; and
associating the at least one secondary online shopping basket with a second basket identifier, wherein the second basket identifier is different from the first basket identifier.
14. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein the first corresponding pre-defined rules specified by the first customer further define checkout approval preferences of the first customer for items within the at least one secondary online shopping basket.
15. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein the first corresponding pre-defined rules specified by the first customer further define a total purchase price and an item category from which items within the at least one secondary online shopping basket must comply.
16. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising a plurality of instructions, that in response to being executed by a web server device, result in the web server device:
associating a primary online shopping basket with a first customer; associating at least one secondary online shopping basket with a second customer different from the first customer, wherein the at least one secondary online shopping basket is associated with corresponding pre-defined rules specified by the first customer and which define a total purchase price and an item category from which items within the at least one secondary online shopping basket must comply;
allowing entry into the at least one secondary online shopping basket of the items which comply with the corresponding pre-defined rules specified by the first customer;
selectively merging items from the at least one secondary online shopping basket into the primary online shopping basket, the selection being based in part on the corresponding pre-defined rules specified by the first customer, to create a single merged online shopping basket; and
displaying the items merged into the single merged online shopping basket on a single web page such that the items are simultaneously viewable on the single web page before checkout of the selected items in the single merged online shopping basket during a single purchase transaction.
17. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the plurality of instructions further result in the web server device:
associating the first customer with a first customer identifier;
associating the second customer with a second customer identifier, wherein the second customer identifier is different from the first customer identifier;
grouping the items merged into the single merged online shopping basket according to first and second customer identifiers associated with the first and second customers; and
wherein displaying the items on the single web page comprises displaying the items grouped on the single web page according to the first and second customer identifiers.
18. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the plurality of instructions further result in the web server device:
associating the primary online shopping basket with a first basket identifier; and
associating the at least one secondary online shopping basket with a second basket identifier, wherein the second basket identifier is different from the first basket identifier.
19. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the corresponding pre-defined rules specified by the first customer further define purchase preferences of the first customer for items within the at least one secondary online shopping basket.
20. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the corresponding pre-defined rules specified by the first customer further define checkout approval preferences of the first customer for items within the at least one secondary online shopping basket.