Abstract: A method and system is provided that in a fully automated manner notifies users of price conditions, including both conditions set by the user and conditions determined to be of interest to the user. An exemplary method according to the invention is a method for online consumer price alerts in which a request is received from the user to notify the user when the price of a product reaches a specific price threshold. The price of the product is monitored on a plurality of merchant web sites, and a notification is provided to the user when the price of the product is at or below the specific price threshold.

Abstract: A method and system is provided that in a fully automated manner improves the results of online or network-based search. An exemplary method according to the invention is a method for improving search results by first receiving a search query containing one or more query terms from a user, and comparing the query terms to a database system program on a first computer-readable medium on a first computer containing product titles for products available on merchant web sites. One or more product titles that most closely match the query terms are retrieved from the database system program, and information about the browsing behavior of the user is obtained from a program on a second computer-readable medium on a second computer configured to track the browsing behavior of the user. The relevance of the product titles or other results of the search query are ranked based in part on the available information about the browsing behavior of the user.

Abstract: A method and system is provided that in a fully automated manner updates a database system containing product-related information in an automated comparative shopping system. An exemplary method according to the invention is a method that updates a database by extracting first product-related information about a product from a merchant web page, normalizing the first product-related information into first records, and storing the first records in a database system on a recording-medium on a server. Second product-related information about the product from the merchant web page is then extracted and transferred to the server. The second product-related information is normalized into second record. The second records are compared with the first records to determine which are most current, and the first records are updated to reflect the product-related information in the second records if the second records are more current than the first records.

Abstract: A method and system is provided that in a fully automated manner generates and stores records regarding online product offerings from a variety of merchants, obtains records relating to a product displayed on a merchant web page, then normalizes and compares the two records to determine whether or not the products they represent are a match. An exemplary method according to the invention is a method for comparing and validating product data. First records that describe a plurality of first products are generated and stored in a database system. Second records that describe a second product are obtained from a web site, and normalized into the same format as the first records. The second records are then compared to the first records to determine whether or not they relate to the same product.

Abstract: A method and system is provided that in a fully automated manner identifies a product on a web page as it is displayed on a user's computer, retrieves information regarding the availability of discounts or promotions for that product and notifies the user. An exemplary method according to the invention is a method for identifying and delivering online sales promotions to a user. A product on a web page being displayed on a user's computer is identified, and then information about that available promotions relevant to that product is retrieved from a database system. A notification is then displayed on the user's computer indicating the availability of one or more promotions relevant to the product.

Abstract: A method and system is provided that in a fully automated manner crawls web sites and identifies specific types of web pages, then extracts targeted data from those web pages. One or more text nodes containing product-related information on a first web page are first identified, and the locations of those text nodes are described using one or more vectors. The vectors are then analyzed to identify one or more patterns and to generate a model from those patterns that discriminates between text nodes that contain product-related information and text nodes that do not contain product-related information on a second web page. The model can then be used to crawl web sites to identify and extract targeted data, or the model can be installed on a user's computer to identify and extract targeted information from web sites as the user is browsing.

Abstract: A method and system is provided that in a fully automated manner facilitates comparison shopping retail products online. An exemplary method according to the invention is a method for automated comparative shopping. A product for sale by a first merchant that is displayed to a user on a web page is first identified and first records relating to the product are extracted from the web site, including the price of the product and the name of the first merchant. Second records from a database system are retrieved, including the price of the product and the name of the one or more second merchants selling the product, and are formatted into one or more merchant listings, each merchant listing including at least the name of the merchant and the price of the product. The merchant listings are then provided for display to the user.

Abstract: A shielded pressure-actuated circuit in which two parts of a circuit may be selectively brought into contact. In one embodiment, the circuit is formed as a touch-controlled potentiometer. A shielding layer permits operation in environments of greater than 50 degrees Celsius above ambient temperatures. The shielding layer also extends the useful life of the device by increasing its durability. In one embodiment, the shielding layer comprises borosilicate or fiberglass affixed to the apparatus at the place where a force is applied to actuate the device.