Data processing: financial – business practice – management – or co – Automated electrical financial or business practice or... – Electronic shopping
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-28
2003-04-29
Coggins, Wynn (Department: 3625)
Data processing: financial, business practice, management, or co
Automated electrical financial or business practice or...
Electronic shopping
C705S027200, C705S014270
Reexamination Certificate
active
06556975
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The field of the invention relates to providing an on-line mall. More particularly, the invention relates to providing a one stop-shopping environment where the customer can make purchases at a variety of merchants at the mall.
BACKGROUND
For many years customers frequented large department stores, such as J.C. Penney or Macy's to purchase the desired merchandise. If the customer desired merchandise not carried by that large retailer, then the customer was required to visit another retailer located at a different site. Entrepreneurs, seeing this phenomenon, proposed that several retailers of both large and small size be contained within one large connected area so that customers could still visit their respective merchants to purchase the merchandise they desired; however, they need only make one trip to purchase their merchandise from multiple retailers. The mall concept has spread throughout the world and malls are now located within virtually all large to medium sized cities or towns. The idea of going to the mall to purchase one's goods still remains one of the most productive ways in which a retailer can place his merchandise in front of the customer.
However, with the creation of the Internet and the increasing customer access to the Internet, merchants have begun to place stores on-line in which a customer may access the retailers store from the comfort of his own home and view and purchase the merchant's merchandise. Therefore, the customer's travel from his home to the merchant's store has been replaced by electronic travel, using the customer's computer to access the merchant's computer system in which the consumer may visit the merchant's store.
As was required prior to the creation of malls, however, the customer must be aware of each retailer's location and must be aware that the retailer exists so that the customer may access the retailer's specific store. Therefore, any advancement in the ability to place multiple retailers in front of a customer in one location would be advantageous.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A computer system and method for providing an on-line mall. The on-line mall environment is partitioned into at least one community and having at least one store in each community. Each store is made available to a merchant to occupy. The merchant may customize the store by storing on the on-line mall site both design data and merchandise data. Customers access the on-line mall through a remote location. The customers may connect with the on-line mall website through direct connection to the on-line mall or through links provided by other websites. Customer specific data is stored on the on-line mall allowing the customer to enter purchasing data one time for the many stores in each community. Customer purchasing selections are stored and submitted to the merchant on standard intervals.
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) Press Release, Free Wedding Planning Products Guide Through the Process High-Tech Help for Those Saying ‘I Do’, PR Newswire, Denver, Dec. 9, 1997, extracted on Internet from Dialog File 813 on 04.01/2002.*
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Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld & LLP
Coggins Wynn
Garg Y. C.
Rourk Christopher J.
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