Data processing: database and file management or data structures – Database design – Data structure types
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-03
2001-11-13
Alam, Hosain T. (Department: 2172)
Data processing: database and file management or data structures
Database design
Data structure types
C707S793000, C707S793000, C707S793000, C707S793000, C345S215000, C345S215000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06317734
ABSTRACT:
REFERENCES
5,630,125
5/13/97
Zellweger
09/080,100
5/16/98
Zellweger, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,243,700
09/080,102
5/16/98
Zellweger
09/277,015
3/26/99
Zellweger
5,864,856
4/95
Young et al.
5,537,590
8/93
Amado
5,241,671
10/89
Reed
OTHER REFERENCES
Hoffman Donna and T. P. Novak. “A New Marketing Paradigm for Electronic Commerce.” The Information Society, Special Issue on Electronic Commerce, 13, Jan-Mar, 1996.
McKenna, Regis. “Real-Time Marketing.” Boston, Mass.: Harvard Business Press, 1997.
Zellweger, Paul “Web-based Sales: Defining the Cognitive Buyer”.
International Journal of Electronic Markets
. Vol., Number 1997, pp. 14-22.
Zellweger Paul. The Knowledge Tree. unpublished paper, copyright ArborWay Electronic Publishing, Inc. Jan. 3, 1998
FIELD OF INVENTION
The present invention relates to computer software used to build and maintain an end-user menu system known as a content menu and, more specifically, it relates to an improvement of this menu that enables menu developers to integrate and fire real-time marketing triggers based on end-user profiles.
BACKGROUND
Traditional mass marketing activities have been transformed by the Internet. For example, broadcast marketing issues information from a single source to multiple receivers in a one-to-many relationship model. In contrast, marketing on the Web follows a different model, described by Hoffman (1996) as many-to-many where many sources broadcast to many different individuals. With the introduction of the content menu Zellweger (1997) observes another type of model, many-to-one where multiple access paths lead to the same unit of information. Yet, McKenna (1997) views the most significant difference in Web-based marketing is not in its relationship models but in its interactive capabilities and, in particular, its ability to process marketing data in real-time.
Zellweger (U.S. Pat. No. 5,630,125) disclosed the means to build a content menu using an open hierarchical data structure. Next, Zellweger disclosed how to implement the content menu using hypertext links optimized for traffic on the Web (09/080,100). A further disclosure by Zellweger teaches how to implement a content menu using an applet technology like Java that is optimized for client server communication (09/080,102).
More recently, Zellweger disclosed how to generate and manage end-user profiles (09/277,015) based on paths buyers select to locate products in an electronic catalog. End-user profiles include information like the level of help end-users needed to find information and differences in training and background as judged by their word usage. By looking at cognitive and linquistic differences amongst end-users, this prior invention introduces a new way to conduct end-user marketing research on a network, create profiles, and track these profiles over time. However, this prior disclosure does not teach how to apply this art to expand interactive marketing capabilities.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This present invention discloses how an online system can employ end-user profiles to invoke computer-initiated events that respond to their needs. These events are known as marketing triggers and are based on software routines that employ multimedia to engage end-users in a marketing dialog. The prior art of end-user profiles was helpful in identifying their needs by tracking the menu path they selected in a content menu. The present invention improves upon this prior art by disclosing how to manage a collection of trigger routines, integrate them into an end-user application, and use the prior art of end-user profiles to fire a specific trigger routine at runtime. By disclosing these capabilities the present invention paves the way for a new generation of interactive marketing tools that deliver real-time processing.
Developers are free to program any type of trigger routine. This enables them to employ a wide variety of technologies to respond to different situations and needs. This includes software routines or application scripts that generate and transmit e-mail messages, add names and addresses to marketing databases, link a buyer and salesperson together via a user interface that includes voice and or video communication, or pass control to another application.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5241671 (1993-08-01), Reed et al.
patent: 5537590 (1996-07-01), Amado
patent: 5630125 (1997-05-01), Zellweger
patent: 5864856 (1999-01-01), Young et al.
patent: 6212514 (2001-04-01), Eberhard et al.
Alam Hosain T.
Truong Cam-Y
Zellweger Paul
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