| Marketplace system in which users generate user-to-user preorder listings via a definitive product catalog -> Monitor Keywords |
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Marketplace system in which users generate user-to-user preorder listings via a definitive product catalogRelated Patent Categories: Data Processing: Financial, Business Practice, Management, Or Cost/price Determination, Automated Electrical Financial Or Business Practice Or Management Arrangement, Electronic Shopping (e.g., Remote Ordering), Presentation Of Image Or Description Of Sales Item (e.g., Electronic Catalog Browsing)Marketplace system in which users generate user-to-user preorder listings via a definitive product catalog description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20080077508, Marketplace system in which users generate user-to-user preorder listings via a definitive product catalog. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] The present application is a division of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/142,657, filed May 9, 2002, which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. .sctn.119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/336,409, filed Oct. 31, 2001, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/351,207, filed Jan. 22, 2002. The disclosures of the aforesaid applications are hereby incorporated by reference. FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates to electronic marketplaces through which users buy and sell items over a computer network. More specifically, the invention relates to user interfaces and methods through which users may place items for sale, locate items offered by others, and perform related actions within an electronic marketplace. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] As the popularity and accessibility of computer networks continue to increase, it has become common for retail merchants to set up online "stores" for marketing and selling products. Typically, an online store includes a web-based or other electronic catalog of products that are available for purchase. Users browse the catalog using well known navigational tools to locate and purchase products of interest. [0004] Electronic systems that support user-to-user sales of products have also become popular. These user-to-user sales systems typically include an electronic server system, such as a web site or an online services network, that provides services for users to list products for sale to, and purchase products from, other users. Sellers in such systems typically include both small merchants and non-merchant individuals. Existing user-to-user sales systems typically support fixed-price sales, auctions, or both. Product listings can typically be located using a search engine. In some cases, the user-to-user sales system is operated in association with an online retail store such that a customer can search a retail catalog, as well as a database of product listings from users, via a single search query. [0005] User-to-user sales systems have the potential to attract large numbers of users, thereby potentially generating large and varied product listings of both new and used products. However, such systems commonly suffer from a number of deficiencies. For example, existing systems typically rely on sellers to supply descriptions of the products they are selling. The task of creating marketplace listings can therefore be cumbersome--particularly for small sellers. For example, to create an effective listing, the seller typically must obtain and upload a detailed product description and image. [0006] In addition, different sellers in an online marketplace will often use very different terminology to describe identical products. As a result, buyers seeking certain products often fail to find relevant listings, and sometimes become overwhelmed in less-relevant listings. Further, small sellers sometimes fail to fully and accurately describe their products, resulting in lost sales and/or erroneous purchases. Further, unlike the retail listings in some online stores, marketplace listings typically do not include customer ratings, customer and professional reviews, sales rank data, and other types of product-related data provided by sources other than the sellers. [0007] Some user-to-user sales systems seek to address the above problems by allowing a seller to specify a UPC (Universal Product Code) or other product identifier of a product being listed. This allows the system to associate all of the seller listings for a particular product. Typically, however, the seller must know or look up the correct product identifier in order to create such a listing. [0008] Embodiments of the present invention seek to overcome some or all of the above and other problems. SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE [0009] Various inventive features are disclosed for facilitating user-to-user and other sales in an electronic marketplace, including features for assisting users in efficiently creating and locating marketplace listings. These features may be embodied individually or in an appropriate combination within a particular system. [0010] In a preferred embodiment, the marketplace system includes a database of information about products that may be listed by users within an online marketplace. This information typically includes product IDs, and descriptions and product images provided by manufacturers or distributors of the products. The product information in this database is viewable by end users through a browsable electronic catalog in which each product is preferably fully identified within a corresponding product detail page. Each product detail page typically includes a product image and description, and may include customer ratings, customer and professional reviews, sales rank data, lists of related products, and/or other types of supplemental data that may assist consumers in making informed purchase decisions. This supplemental data may be maintained or generated by the operator of the marketplace system as a service to its customers. Users of the system can preferably locate specific product detail pages within the catalog by executing search queries, navigating a browse tree, or using any other navigation method supported by the particular system. [0011] To add a listing for selling a particular product within the marketplace, a seller may browse to the detail page for that product and then select a link for adding a listing. Because the seller fully identifies the product to be listed by browsing to the corresponding detail page, the listing may be accurately associated with a particular product ID (UPC, ISBN, etc.) without the need for the seller to supply the product ID. [0012] In addition, because detailed information already exists within the database for that product, there is no need for the seller to supply a complete description of the item. For example, in one embodiment, the seller can simply specify the condition and selling price of the particular unit of the product. Because the seller need not supply a detailed product description, listings may be added more rapidly and efficiently. The newly added product listing (referred to generally as a "marketplace listing" or "marketplace product listing") may, for example, be in the form of a fixed-price listing or an auction listing. [0013] To assist potential buyers in efficiently locating the marketplace listings for a particular product, each product detail page preferably displays or summarizes the existing marketplace listings for the corresponding product. These listings may be associated with a variety of different sellers (including individuals and small merchants), and may be for both new and used units of the product. Thus, by accessing the detail page for a particular product, a buyer can efficiently and accurately locate all of the current marketplace listings (if any) for that product, as well as view detailed product information from the product database (typically including product images, third party product reviews, etc). The user can also preferably compare the prices, product conditions, and other parameters of the various listings, and can initiate purchasing of the product from a particular seller. [0014] Because each marketplace listing is displayed in conjunction with the corresponding product's description within the database/catalog, there is a significantly reduced need for buyers to rely on the accuracy and completeness of product information supplied by the seller. Thus, the risk of buyers misidentifying the listed products (e.g., buying product A with the belief that it is product B), or of being unable to determine the identity or characteristics of a listed product, is significantly reduced. [0015] In one embodiment, some or all of the detail pages may also provide an option to purchase the product from a preferred retailer or "provider seller," which may be the operator of the marketplace system or a business partner of the operator. The system may thus serve as both an online store and an online marketplace, with the marketplace sellers being permitted to list their items for sale on the product detail pages or other catalog "real estate" of the store. This feature provides a cross-selling benefit by effectively driving retail customers to non-retail listings and vice versa. Further, because catalogs used by online stores tend to have detailed and accurate product descriptions of consistent format, the task of evaluating marketplace listings is made easier for buyers. [0016] A detail page may also be configured to display any existing marketplace listings for products that are similar or related to the product featured in the product detail page. For instance, a detail page for a particular laptop computer may, in addition to displaying any existing marketplace listings for the laptop computer itself, display any listings that exist for (a) accessories for the laptop computer, and/or (b) similar laptop computers. A table of similar or related products may be used to implement this feature. [0017] When a particular product is currently unavailable within the online marketplace, the product's detail page may provide an option for buyers to pre-order the corresponding product from an unspecified marketplace seller. These preorder requests may be displayed within the corresponding product detail pages to entice possessors of such products to list the same within the marketplace. In one embodiment, the creator of a preorder listing is prompted to specify a minimum product condition desired and a maximum price to be paid. These parameters are preferably used by the system to automatically match preorder listings with suitable marketplace listings. [0018] To accommodate volume sellers, the marketplace system may also provide a bulk uploading service that permits sellers to add multiple listings at a time without first browsing to the associated product detail pages. When a bulk-uploaded listing record does not specify a standard-format product ID, the bulk uploading service preferably executes a search routine to attempt to match the listing record to a corresponding product record of a product represented in the electronic catalog. When such a match is found, the listing record may be associated with the corresponding product ID, and the resulting record displayed on the product's detail page. When no match is found, the system may, in one embodiment, create a non-catalog-based product listing that is displayed separately from the products catalog. [0019] The various pages of the electronic catalog may be in the form of web pages, display screens of an online services network or interactive television system, or any other type of suitable electronic display. Although the marketplace system preferably employs product detail pages, the above and other features may be implemented without the use of product detail pages. For instance, the electronic catalog may list multiple products per page without an option to drill down to product detail pages. In such cases, the option to add a listing for a product, the existing listings for that product, and/or the option to preorder the product, may simply be displayed in conjunction with the corresponding product description on the multi-product page. [0020] Another feature of the invention, which may be implemented alone or in combination with the features set forth above, involves providing an option for users to add marketplace listings from their respective purchase histories. In a preferred embodiment, the marketplace system maintains a purchase history for each buyer within the system. The purchase histories may reflect purchases made from a variety of different sellers (including both merchants and non-merchants), and may include gift purchases made by others for the subject user. To add a marketplace listing in one embodiment, a user may browse his or her purchase history and select one or more items therefrom to sell within the marketplace. Because each product is accurately identified by virtue of its selection from the purchase history, the listing may be accurately associated with a particular product ID or product record within a product database (as with listings created from product detail pages). In addition, because a preexisting description of the product preferably exists within the database/catalog, there is no need for the seller to supply a detailed product description. The seller may be able to list a product to sale by merely specifying a selling price and the product's condition. Continue reading about Marketplace system in which users generate user-to-user preorder listings via a definitive product catalog... Full patent description for Marketplace system in which users generate user-to-user preorder listings via a definitive product catalog Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Marketplace system in which users generate user-to-user preorder listings via a definitive product catalog patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. 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