Data processing: financial – business practice – management – or co – Automated electrical financial or business practice or... – Discount or incentive
Reexamination Certificate
1996-09-20
2001-06-26
Millin, Vincent (Department: 2164)
Data processing: financial, business practice, management, or co
Automated electrical financial or business practice or...
Discount or incentive
C705S001100, C705S026640, C705S027200, C705S028000, C705S029000, C705S034000, C705S037000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06253188
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF INVENTION
This invention concerns a computerized, interactive classified ad system and method of operation for use on the Internet, the system and method featuring simple access, rapid response, and automated updating. Particularly, the system and method include elements and steps for maintaining the ad system database during operation in predominantly numeric form disposed in RAM of a database server which an Internet, World Wide Web user can interrogate with a preparatory, category/subcategory, pre-selection designation, the pre-selection designation narrowing the range of records to be examined, and a subsequent ad record selection sequence undertaken with a user-initiated, simplified message-based query. Yet additionally, the system and method of operation further feature elements and steps for interrogating the originally placed classified ad text feed to automatically build database records that can be transported over the Internet to update the ad database.
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
Classified ads commonly appearing in local newspapers have long been the average person's first stop in attempting to satisfy just about any need that arises. Whether it be a matter of buying or selling, the “classifieds” not only provide a broad range of goods and services, but also, make the existence of the items they concern known to the public at ad costs which, typically, are at least reasonable. When looking to buy, classifieds with their broad range, enable one to find things as trivial as another putter to replace the one recently turned into a pretzel because of a triple bogey, or as important as a new house, job, or the right person to share them with. Additionally, in those situations where one wants to sell goods or services, classifieds can be the most economical and efficient way of letting others know what one has to offer.
Regrettably, however, conventional, newspaper, print classified ads can be difficult and time consuming to work with. Ads when published are often numerous, invariably in small print and commonly lacking in uniform descriptions. Accordingly, the ads become difficult to throughly search. Because of their small type, invariably items or their features are overlooked. Additionally, the newspapers, typically, are incapable of doing anything more than providing minimal classification for the items advertised. As a result, it becomes necessary to wade through many ads which, though in an appropriate category, lack one or more features required to make the thing advertised suitable for the desired purpose. Still, further, because of the need to maintain preparation cost low, classified ads tend to exhibit limited item-description standards, newspapers being unable to expend significant resources in preparing the ads in order to preserve narrow profit margins. As a result, item descriptions tend to vary depending on the particular person placing the ad and the newspaper representative taking it.
As yet another problem, if on looking for an item of interest, one is unable to find it on the first day of search, if the search is continued into the next day, all the ads for the second day, including those previously appearing, will likely be reviewed, thus duplicating a substantial portion of the prior days work, there typically being no way to distinguish one days ads from the next.
Still further, once ads of interest have been identified, it becomes necessary to either check or otherwise highlight them in the newspaper or prepare a list from which “follow-ups” can be undertaken to see if the items found appealing are still available and whether agreement on their sale can be reached.
These requirements and shortcomings affect not only the people who must wade through the ads to select those of interest, but also, the people who place the ads and who worry over whether they will be seen and responded to. Still further, these same requirements and shortcomings affect the newspapers that offer the classifieds, as the money newspapers are able to generate from them will depend on both the size and satisfaction of the audience that reads the classifieds and the audience that places them.
While in the recent past, a number of automated classified ad systems have been proposed to ease some of these requirements and problems, the systems recommend not only continue to exhibit difficulties previously known, but also, present entirely new problems not found with conventional, newspaper print classified ad systems.
As an illustration, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,283,731, issued to Lalonde et al., Lalonde et al. propose a hybrid, computer-telephone system that permits a would-be seller to call in a sell ad that will be loaded to a computer database and subsequently computer searched by the system; as for example, using Standard Query Language (SQL), against want ads previously loaded. In the event of one or more matches, the system subsequently performs a “call back” to the seller in which voice synthesis is used to relay the match information, the seller prompting playback of the match information with telephone keypad entries. Additionally, the system permits a would-be buyer to call in a want ad which, likewise, would be loaded in the computer database, but here, searched against sell ads. As in the case of sell ads, in the event of one or more matches, the system performs a call back to the buyer in which voice synthesis is used to relay the match information in response to the buyers prompts entered at the telephone keypad.
As proposed by Lalonde et al., in accord with their design, receipt of the sell or want ads is preferably undertaken with a human operator who loads the respective ad information to the computer database in accord with screen-driven database menus. Lalonde et al., however, suggest that the ads may also be taken with computerized voice-recognition equipment that may be optionally included in their system.
Regrettably, though the Lalonde et al. system addresses some of the shortcoming associated with print ads searching, a number of new problems are presented, and, certain of the old problems remain. Specifically, though Lalonde et al. would appear to reduce the burden of manual ad searching, it does so at the cost of a number of advantages associated with traditional print ad classifieds. By virtue of the reliance on automated telephone ad information entry and reporting equipment, the Lalonde et al. system has the tendency to be impersonal and restrictive. Further, the Lalonde et al. system discourages buyer browsing by compelling would-be buyers to be sufficiently certain about what they are looking for as to provide specifications. Additionally, because buyers do not see listings of ads, the opportunities for associated or alterative buyer selections are substantially reduced.
Yet further, by virtue of the Lalonde et al. system's use of operators for receiving and entering ad information, uncertainty is presented as to language standards and the subsequent relevance of reported match information. Yet further, though system call backs create the impression match information will lead to satisfaction of a placed ad, still follow-up calls are required with the attendant uncertainty of item availability. And, to the extent sellers are required to make calls to potential buyers, not only is the seller placed in an awkward bargaining position, but, the potentials for adding to the seller's costs with unsuccessful follow-up calls and associated disappointments are increased.
Additionally, because the Lalonde system relies on conventional database search techniques, the search process can be time consuming and expensive to perform, particularly as the size of the ad database is increased. And, still further, the Lalonde et al. system has the added disadvantage of requiring usage of sophisticated and expensive voice recognition and synthesis equipment, the convenience, reliability and public acceptability of which have yet to be confirmed in practice.
Yet another example of an automated classified ad system is presented in U.S. Pat. No. 4,429,385
Cristiani Elaine B.
Helbach Patrick C.
Wang Stanley J.
Witek Anthony L.
Millin Vincent
Patel Jagdish N
Scifo Paul C.
Thomson Newspapers, Inc.
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