Abstract: A system and method for use in presenting information relevant to a product catalog. The system receives a search request and presents to a user in a two-dimensional format a plurality of iconic images each representative of a page of a product catalog. Each of the iconic images is activatable to cause a display of an image of the page of the product catalog represented by the iconic image. One or more of the presented plurality of iconic images that are linked to a page of the product catalog having a product responsive to the search request are highlighted to the user.

Abstract: A system and method for providing a reference collection that is personalized for a consumer. The system includes a server computer having an associated data repository. Stored in the data repository is an aggregation of links to sources of on-line information and each link within the aggregation is mapped to one or more consumer communities and/or products. Programming resident on the server computer acts to provide to a client computer a webpage that includes a reference collection that is personalized for the consumer, the reference collection being provided as a listing of those links within the aggregation of links to sources of on-line information that have been mapped within the data repository to a one or more consumer communities to which the consumer belongs and/or products of interest to the consumer.

Abstract: A buying community is established by discerning customers having the same or similar business types. The business type of a customer may be discerned from a keyword within a corporate, business, or other entity name that is associated with the customer or from purchasing interests commonly shared by customers. Once a buying community is established, behaviors of customers within that buying community are discerned. These behaviors may include product purchasing behaviors, on-line navigation behaviors, on-line searching behaviors, etc. The discerned behaviors of the customers within the buying community may then be used to provide catalogs customized for those members and/or on-line services customized for those members.

Abstract: A computer input device, such as a mouse, has a processing circuit, a memory having instructions for controlling operations of the processing circuit, a surface movement sensor in communication with the processing circuit providing to the processing circuit first signals indicative of sensed movement of the computer input device upon a surface, and one or more touchless sensor subsystems in communication with the processing circuit providing to the processing circuit second signals indicative of sensed surface movements relative to the computer input device occurring in spaced proximity to the computer input device. A transmission circuit under control of the processing circuit issues transmissions to a computer representative of the first and second signals to cause regions or locations on a computer display screen to be pointed to, to cause information which is represented on the computer display screen to be moved and/or selected, to cause locations on the computer display screen to be designated, etc.

Abstract: A system for providing identifiers for use in connection with a catalog of products functions by providing an identifier as a query term to a search engine associated with an Internet server. The results obtained from the Internet server as a result of providing the identifier as the search engine query term are parsed to discern a number of search hits included within the results. If the number of search hits included within the results is within a predefined threshold, the identifier is selected to be used in a catalog to indentify one or more products listed within the catalog of products.

Abstract: Prior ordering history of a product is examined to determine an historical ordering quantity distribution for a product. A customer specified, to-be-purchased quantity of a product is then compared against the determined historical ordering-quantity frequency distribution for the product. When the customer specified, to-be-purchased quantity of the product falls below a certain probability threshold determined using the historical ordering-quantity frequency distribution, or is otherwise suspicious, the customer is notified of a suspected error in the provided product order quantity and/or asked to verify if the provided product quantity is correct.

Abstract: An aggregation of functionality related to a product within an electronic catalog hosted by a wholesaler web system is provided by presenting on a client computing device a webpage in which a single product is directly associated with a single access point. The single access point provides a means by which plural wholesaler web system functions related to the single product are made available to a consumer. A listing of the plural wholesaler web system functions related to the single product is displayed within the webpage in response to an activation of the single access point by the consumer. In response to a selection by the consumer from the displayed listing the wholesaler web system initiates a performance of the one of the plural wholesaler web system functions so selected.

Abstract: A print catalog has a plurality of pages that are bound together with a binding. Each page of the print catalog has a listing of one or more products that are being offered for sale and at least one non-textual image that is representative of a category of product for products within the listing of products on that page. The non-textual image on each of the plurality of pages is positioned on a side of its respective page that is spaced furthest from the binding.

Abstract: A buying community is established by discerning customers having the same or similar business types. The business type of a customer may be discerned from a keyword within a corporate, business, or other entity name that is associated with the customer or from purchasing interests commonly shared by customers. Once a buying community is established, behaviors of customers within that buying community are discerned. These behaviors may include product purchasing behaviors, on-line navigation behaviors, on-line searching behaviors, etc. The discerned behaviors of the customers within the buying community may then be used to provide catalogs customized for those members and/or on-line services customized for those members.

Abstract: A buying community is established by discerning customers having the same or similar business types. The business type of a customer may be discerned from a corporate, business, or other entity name that is associated with the customer. Once a buying community is established, behaviors of customers within that buying community are discerned. These behaviors may include product purchasing behaviors, on-line navigation behaviors, on-line searching behaviors, etc. The discerned behaviors of the customers within the buying community may then be used to provide catalogs customized for those members and/or on-line services customized for those members.

Abstract: A system receives a request to search an electronic catalog of a vendor which specifies a query term. The query term is used to search an electronic catalog of a third party. The results obtained by searching the electronic catalog of the third party are parsed to uncover a keyword recognized by a search engine associated with the electronic catalog of the vendor. The uncovered keyword is then used in the search engine associated with the electronic catalog of the vendor to locate one or more items in the electronic catalog of the vendor. Items located in this manner are the search results responsive to the query term.

Abstract: A system receives a request to search an electronic catalog of a vendor which specifies a query term. The query term is used to search an electronic catalog of a third party. The results obtained by searching the electronic catalog of the third party are parsed to uncover a keyword recognized by a search engine associated with the electronic catalog of the vendor. The uncovered keyword is then used in the search engine associated with the electronic catalog of the vendor to locate one or more items in the electronic catalog of the vendor. Items located in this manner are the search results responsive to the query term.

Abstract: Discerned relationships between products are utilized to generate product recommendation cards that are to be positioned throughout a merchant location. The product recommendation card contains information about one or more products that are likely to be purchased with a related-to product. The information carried on the product recommendation card may include one or more of the following for a recommended product: an image of the product; a brand for the product; a logo associated with the product; a textual description of the product; a bar code associated with the product; usage information for the product; and a location of the product within the merchant location.

Abstract: Buying patterns and/or characteristics of a target customer are used to discern a reference customer that is characteristically related to the reference customer. Once a reference customer for the target customer is discerned, the system and method uses information regarding the reference customer, alone or further considering information regarding the target customer, to select items and/or item pages from a large, general product catalog and/or items and/or item pages listing products/services of one or more vendors, which selected items and/or item pages may then be aggregated into a customized catalog that is to be made accessible to and/or distributed to the target customer.

Abstract: A system uses geo-location information associated with a user's interaction with a web site portal to deduce a context for the user's interaction and then uses the deduced context to influence the display of web site content that is provided in response to the user's interaction. The context is deduced by considering one or more of an industrial density for a locale indicated by the geo-location information associated with the user's interaction, a current time for a locale indicated by the geo-location information associated with the user's interaction, a weather condition for a locale the geo-location information associated with the user's interaction, and a regulation for a locale indicated by the geo-location information associated with the user's interaction.

Abstract: A dynamic merchandising system for presenting product recommendations to customers. The system and method generally creates for each of a plurality of products in a plurality of purchase orders a list of purchased-with products, i.e., products that were purchased with each of the plurality of products in each of the plurality of purchase orders. At the same time that the purchased-with product lists are created, or in another step, the same plurality of purchase orders are examined and, using the concept of “self organizing lists,” the lists of purchased-with products are ordered in a meaningful manner. The ordering of the products in a purchased-with list may then be considered when recommending products.

Abstract: A system and method for facilitating ease of use of a user interface which monitors usage of a Web page to discern usage patterns associated with the Web page. The discerned usage patterns associated with the Web page are then used to form a plurality of user interface types each functioning to provide to the Web page predetermined content. A user selects one of the plurality of user interface types whereupon, in response to a subsequent request from the user to view the Web page, the Web page is provided to the user with the select one of the plurality of user interface types.

Abstract: A dynamic merchandising system for presenting product recommendations to customers. The system and method generally creates for each of a plurality of products in a plurality of purchase orders a list of purchased-with products, i.e., products that were purchased with each of the plurality of products in each of the plurality of purchase orders. At the same time that the purchased-with product lists are created, or in another step, the same plurality of purchase orders are examined and, using the concept of “self organizing lists,” the lists of purchased-with products are ordered in a meaningful manner. The ordering of the products in a purchased-with list may then be considered when recommending products.

Abstract: A system determines if functionality offered via a Web site is being underutilizing by a user, e.g., not being using at all or not being using with some desired degree of regularity. When it is determined that the functionality offered via the Web site is being underutilized by the user, the system provides to content of the Web site a cue, e.g., audio and/or visual, for directing the attention of the user to the functionality offered via the Web site.

Abstract: Attention of a user is direct to content offered via a Web site by monitoring interactions of a user with a currently displayed Web site page to determine if the user has indicated a desire to exit from the currently displayed Web site page. When it is determined that the user has indicated a desire to exit from the currently displayed Web site page, the Web site page is automatically caused to be scrolled to thereby cause a display, for a predetermined period of time, of content that is located in a portion of the Web site page that is not currently being viewed by the user.