Abstract: A system for performing a method for managing a supplier for participation in trading networks. The method includes: receiving from each trading network a volume commitment consolidating volume commitments for offerings of commodities and services; negotiating with each trading network to supply to customer members of the trading network the commodity or service; storing, for each trading network for each supplier, attributes including start date, end date, services and products offered to the trading network, and payment flow for the commodities and services; offing a trading network package based on negotiations occurring before receiving purchase requests from the customer members, the trading network package including: (i) a value-add service offering to the customer members for a fee, and (ii) a managed package for which a customer member provides a volume commitment and actual purchases are tracked; and negotiating price discount levels for committed levels of demand from the trading networks.

Abstract: A method for multi-selection gifting, including maintaining, by at least one of a plurality of computers, a gift database including records for multi-selection gifts, each record including a plurality of product identifiers for items of merchandise, and at least one selection rule governing selection of at least two of the items of merchandise, and interactively enabling, by at least one of the plurality of computers, a gift giver to generate a multi-selection gift for at least one gift recipient, including presenting, to the gift giver, a group of selection rules for selection by the gift giver, the group including allowing a gift recipient to select up to a specified total number of items of merchandise in the multi-selection gift, allowing the gift recipient to select items of merchandise in the multi-selection gift up to a specified total cost, and allowing the gift recipient to select items of merchandise in the multi-selection gift up to a specified total measure.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a method for dynamic two-way auction, applicable for auctioning participating goods, comprising: (1) setting, by a server. The descriptive information, possible search conditions and the relations which associate each search condition with the descriptive information of all participating goods are set up and stored on the server side; (2) sending, by a buyer terminal and/or a seller terminal, a search request which includes a search condition to the server; (3) parsing, by the server, the search request to obtain the search condition, determining whether a definition of a relation which associates the search condition with the descriptive information has been recorded, and performing step (4) if the relation has not been recorded; (4) defining, by the server, a relation which associates the search condition with the descriptive information of some participating goods.

Abstract: A reproducing apparatus (2) of the present invention receives information of a WEB site from a service-providing server (3) that administrates the WEB site, and reproduces the information. The service-providing server (3) holds identification information (40) of a user of a portable communication apparatus (1) that is permitted to access the WEB site. The reproducing apparatus (2) includes: a data receiving section for receiving, from the portable communication apparatus (1), invitation information (51), identification information (40), and transmission time point information (50); a reproducing apparatus infrared communication section; a destination determination section that establishes a connection to the service-providing server (3) based on the received invitation information (51), and transmits the invitation information (51), the identification information (40), and transmission-instruction time (50); and a reproducing apparatus communication control section.

Abstract: A system and method in which a buyer registers for a buyer's shipping account and uses the shipping account to pay shipping costs associated with purchases made over the Internet. When a buyer purchases merchandise over the Internet from either a retailer's website or from an individual through an online auction, the buyer is capable of controlling the shipping process by logging on to their buyer's shipping account. Among other things, the buyer can use their shipping account to select the desired type of shipping service (overnight air or ground) and populate a shipping label with shipping information such as delivery address, return address, and preferred delivery time windows. Once the shipping label has been populated and verified, the shipping label is electronically transferred to the seller for use in shipping the package. The system and methods of the present invention allow the buyer greater control over the shipping process.

Abstract: Purchase phrases can be analyzed to infer user interests. A purchase phrase can include one or more user-defined textual words that a user employs to purchase items in an expedited manner. Many users' purchase phrases may include words that reflect the users' interests, such as “golf” or “rose.” Users with similar purchase phrases may therefore be interested in purchasing similar items. A recommendation system can therefore find items purchased with similar phrases to a target user's purchase phrase and then recommend these items to the target user.

Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments for providing dynamic item pricing to a customer during online shopping and/or purchasing of wireless devices. In a representative embodiment, a dynamic pricing system is executed in a computing device that generates a network page to send to a client device over a network, the network page including a price for a specified wireless device. The dynamic pricing system communicates with the client device over the network to obtain a selected service plan associated with the specified wireless device. The dynamic pricing system determines an updated price for the specified wireless device in response to the selected service plan for access by the customer.

Abstract: A computer-implemented system for monetizing internet content. The system includes an internet content provider providing online information on a web page and an online comment section associated with said online information, said online comment section capable of having posted thereto reader comments in a free default format. The system includes computer executable instructions for performing steps of displaying an offer associated with said online information to alter a reader comment from a free default format to a distinctive format for a fee, said fee being dynamically adjustable; receiving by the internet content provider; and displaying the reader comment in the distinctive format on the web page. The system also includes a processor for executing the computer executable instructions, and a memory for storing at least the computer executable instructions.

Abstract: A computer-implemented system for monetizing internet content, the computer comprising a processor for executing computer executable instructions. The system includes an internet content provider providing by the computer executable instructions online information and an online comment section associated with the online information. The online comment section is capable of having posted thereto reader comments in a free default format or a fee-paid distinctive format.

Abstract: Techniques described enable an entity, such as a company employing an e-commerce website, to leverage user-provided content, such as customer reviews of an item, to better customers' shopping experiences. To do so, customer reviews pertaining to an item may be examined to determine if the reviews contain links to other items. These links within the customer reviews may then be aggregated and sorted (e.g., ranked) according to certain criteria. The links may be sorted based on a number of times that the links are used in the reviews and/or on ratings of the items associated with the links. One or more of the links may then be displayed on the website. For instance, these links may appear on an item review page adjacent the customer reviews. Customers navigating to the item review page may then peruse the customer reviews as well as the displayed links that customers have used within the reviews.

Abstract: Mechanisms are provided to facilitate buying and selling products utilizing social pricing. Sellers initiate sale of a product with volume discounts for a limited time. In other words, the more people that buy a product, the lower the price for the group. Buyers have a real incentive to become prosumers that not only purchase a product but also promote purchase by others. A social pricing system brokers interaction between sellers and buyer groups, and provisions mechanisms to aid promotion of products by consumers utilizing social networks and other online activities.

Abstract: A dynamic, fully-integrated computer-server-based platform (platform) provides users with tools for making informed decisions about available energy upgrades and for implementing desired home energy upgrades. In various embodiments, the platform provides various combinations of: (i) a variety of educational and assessment tools, including a Virtual Home Energy Audit (VHEA), which provides users with a customized home energy-savings plan detailing the financial and/or environmental impact of each upgrade alternative on a relative and absolute basis, (ii) product selection and purchase, (iii) access to arrangement and scheduling of in-home services through a network of professionals, (iv) financing solutions, and (v) a data registry that verifies completed upgrades and associated savings. The platform takes a holistic view of energy solutions, and provides tools across a broad spectrum of energy-related products and/or services.

Abstract: A method of dynamically formulating value options that maximize customer satisfaction and company profitability includes identifying a set of demand segments for a company, each demand segment having a satisfaction value. The method further includes identifying a set of demand options falling under each of the demand segments for each product offered by the company, each demand option having a preference value. Whenever a customer demands a product, the method further includes interacting with the customer in a structured manner to determine advanced and ongoing preferences of the customer for the product. The method further includes setting the preference value of each demand option based on the advanced and ongoing preferences of the customer for the product demanded by the customer. The method further includes formulating a set of value options that satisfy the customer demand.

Abstract: Systems and methods for conducting multi-item auctions for complex goods that allows bidders to specify budget constraints is disclosed. The system includes a server, a network, a plurality of trader systems and a data store unit. The system allows bidders to work effectively with limited budgets. The server includes an allocation unit performs a sealed-bid auction that enables bidding without the risk of going over budget, and thus, the present invention encourages bidders to place more and higher bids. Sellers will therefore receive higher prices and goods are more likely to be efficiently assigned.

Abstract: Apparatus, systems, and methods may operate to monitor an activity level associated with queries made in an online marketplace over a monitoring time period to provide an activity rate, and to determine that the activity rate has crossed a merchandising threshold rate. In response, a cluster of items or item groups associated with the queries may be presented on a display, perhaps in conjunction with a landing page merchandising promotion. Additional apparatus, system, and methods are disclosed.

Abstract: A method of providing recommendations is disclosed and includes receiving a selection of an offering via an online site. The method also includes outputting a detail page related to the offering via the online site. The detail page includes a first selectable indicator corresponding to a social network of a visitor and a second selectable indicator corresponding to unfiltered content. The method also includes outputting at least one recommendation via the detail page. Each recommendation is associated with a member of the social network when input received via the online site indicates a selection of the first selectable indicator.

Abstract: The publishing system and method automates at least some portion of a publishing process. The system publishes content using metadata, rights templates and/or specifications, publishing profiles and business rules.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention include an apparatus used to present a participant with a virtual reality simulation of a shopping environment. For example, the system of the present invention may be used to simulate the environment of a retail store where consumer goods are purchased. In one embodiment, a virtual reality station may include a number of functional systems that collectively provide an apparatus for capturing test subject feedback. The systems may include a participant interface and/or simulation control system, a support structure interconnection system, and a computer system configured to generate and present an immersive virtual reality environment on one or more display screens connected to the support structure.

Abstract: A purchasing capability is provided for supporting purchasing by a customer from an establishment, which may include functions such as placement of orders, processing of orders, and like functions. An order is placed from a mobile node (MN) of the customer to an application server (AS) of the establishment to which the order is placed. The AS may process the order for determining whether or not to accept the order and, where accepted, for completing the order. A payment commitment verification process may be used for verifying the commitment of the customer to pay for the order. The placement and processing of the order may be performed using an ordering application supported by the MN and the AS. The communication in support of the purchasing capability may be facilitated using a cellular serving node (CSN) configured for communicating with both the MN and the AS wirelessly.

Abstract: Techniques for providing friction-free transactions using geolocation and user identifiers are described herein. These techniques may ascertain a user's location based on a location of a mobile device. A transaction between the user and a merchant may be completed with zero or minimal input from the user based on the geolocation of the mobile device and the user identifiers. In some implementations, a transaction initiated earlier is completed when the mobile device arrives at the merchant. Additionally, a parent-child or similar relationship may be established between multiple devices. Security on the mobile device based may be provided by biometric identification and calculation of variance from regular movement patterns. Advertisements may be sent to the mobile device based on bids from merchants near to the mobile device. Promotions may be sent to the mobile device when more than a threshold number of mobile devices are located at the same merchant.