Patent ID: 6959286
Filing Date: 2005-10-25
Classification: G06Q

Abstract:
1. A method of enabling communication of consumer product information between a vendor and a consumer in a stream of commerce supported by the Internet, said method comprising steps of: (a) in an Internet-enabled database server operably connected to the Internet, creating and managing a plurality of UPN/TM/PD/URL data links for each consumer product registered with said Internet-enabled database server and being offered for sale by the vendor in said stream of commerce, wherein the term UPN designates the Universal Product Number identifying a particular consumer product of the vendor, the term TM designates the Trademark assigned to the particular consumer product, the term PD designates the Product Descriptor assigned to the particular consumer product, and the term URL designates the Universal Resource Locator specifying the location of a particular information resource on the Internet related to the identified consumer product; said method including means for automatically soliciting registration of vendors whose data links have been accessed but were not available in said Internet-enabled database server, and means for vendors and/or their agents to dynamically update and manage data links associated with the vendor, (b) operably connecting a http-enabled information server to the infrastructure of the Internet; (c) publishing from said http-enabled information server, an HTML-encoded graphical user interface (GUI) which functions as a consumer product information (CPI) search screen and enables the consumer situated in said stream of commerce to search for and access one or more URLs associated with one or more UPN/TM/PD/URL data links stored in said Internet-enabled database server, wherein said search and access operation involves using, as search keys, the UPN, TM and/or PD data elements associated with said one or more UPN/TM/PD/URL data links; (d) operably connecting a Web-enabled computer to the infrastructure of the Internet; (e) the consumer using said Web-enabled computer to access and display said published HTML-encoded GUI; (f) the consumer providing one or more UPN, TM and/or PD data elements to said Internet-enabled database server, by way of said published HTML-encoded GUI, and accessing and displaying on said Web-enabled computer, a plurality of URLs associated with said one or more UPN, TM and/or PD data elements entered as search keys, and arranged in the form of a menu of categorized consumer product information resources relating to a particular consumer product; whereby the consumer can access and display one or more information resources on the Internet specified by the one or more displayed URLs, and thereby enabling communication of consumer product information between the vendor and the consumer in said stream of commerce using said vendor created and managed UPN/TM/PD/URL data links.