Abstract:
A local computer system that provides and records information to facilitate a purchase transaction across a network operates by first receiving a request for billing information relating to a purchase transaction from a remote computer system. The local system then retrieves the billing information from its local store, and sends the billing information to the remote system. After the remote system completes the purchase transaction, the local system receives a confirmation from the remote system. The local system then records this confirmation in its local store, which enables a user of the local system to subsequently look up the confirmation information based on a purchase transaction identifier. Before the local system retrieves and sends the billing information, a user of the local system is asked to confirm if the billing information can be released to the remote system.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/560,660, filed Apr. 27, 2000. This application is incorporated by reference herein. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to electronic commerce. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for providing information and recording information in order to facilitate a purchase transaction conducted across a network. 
     RELATED ART 
     The recent success of the electronic commerce over the Internet can largely be attributed to the ease with which consumers can make purchase transactions from the comfort and privacy of their homes at any hour of the day or night. 
     One of the problems in making such purchase transactions is that a consumer is required to input billing information, such as credit card information and a shipping address, in order to consummate the purchase transaction. The requirement to continually resubmit such information for each purchase transaction is an annoyance that can make the process of purchasing items across the Internet less attractive to a consumer. 
     In order to remedy this problem, some web sites store billing information for consumers that visit their web sites, so that the consumer does not have to re-enter the same billing information for subsequent purchase transactions on the web sites. Unfortunately, since the billing information is kept separately on each web site, the consumer must still re-enter the billing information in order to purchase items from new web sites. 
     What is needed is a method and an apparatus that provides billing information to a remote computer system in order to facilitate a purchase transaction from the remote computer system. 
     After a purchase transaction is complete, web sites often communicate confirmation information, such as a confirmation number, details of the purchase transaction and shipping information, to the consumer. This is typically accomplished by displaying the confirmation information on the consumer&#39;s browser. Unfortunately, in order to remember this confirmation information, the consumer typically scribbles the confirmation information on a scrap of paper, which can be easily lost. Confirmation information can additionally be sent to a consumer in an email message. However, this email message must be saved and cross-referenced with the purchase transaction, which involves extra work that can be annoying to the consumer. 
     Additionally, what is needed is a method and an apparatus that automatically receives and stores confirmation information related to the purchase transaction so that the confirmation information to be easily retrieved by the consumer. 
     SUMMARY 
     One embodiment of the present invention relates to a system that provides information and records information to facilitate a purchase transaction across a network. The system operates by receiving a request for billing information relating to a purchase transaction from a remote computer system. In response to the request, the system retrieves the billing information from a local store in the local computer system, and sends the billing information to the remote computer system. After the remote computer system completes the purchase transaction, the system receives confirmation information for the purchase transaction from the remote computer system. The system records this confirmation information in the local store in the local computer system. This enables a user of the local computer system to subsequently look up the confirmation information based on a purchase transaction identifier. 
     In one embodiment of the present invention, retrieving the billing information involves asking the user of the local computer system if the billing information can be released to the remote computer system. If the user confirms that the billing information can be released to the remote computer system, the local computer system sends the billing information to the remote computer system. In a variation on this embodiment, the system additionally asks the user of the local computer system for a password for the billing information, and uses this password to access the billing information from the local store. 
     In one embodiment of the present invention, the billing information includes credit card information for the purchase transaction, a billing address for the purchase transaction, and a shipping address for the purchase transaction. 
     In one embodiment of the present invention, the confirmation information includes a confirmation number for the purchase transaction, a list of the items involved in the purchase transaction, a total amount for the purchase transaction, a seller&#39;s name for the purchase transaction, a date of the purchase transaction, and shipping information related to the purchase transaction. 
     In one embodiment of the present invention, prior to receiving the request for the billing information, the system asks the user of the local computer system for the billing information, and records the billing information in the local store in the local computer system. 
     In one embodiment of the present invention, prior to receiving the request for the billing information, the system receives a request from the user of the local computer system to purchase at least one item from the remote computer system, and forwards the request to the remote computer system. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a distributed computer system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a record containing billing information in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a record containing confirmation information in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a flow chart illustrating the process of automatically providing billing information and automatically recording confirmation information in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The following description is presented to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the invention, and is provided in the context of a particular application and its requirements. Various modifications to the disclosed embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments and applications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features disclosed herein. 
     The data structures and code described in this detailed description are typically stored on a computer readable storage medium, which may be any device or medium that can store code and/or data for use by a computer system. This includes, but is not limited to, magnetic and optical storage devices such as disk drives, magnetic tape, CDs (compact discs) and DVDs (digital video discs), and computer instruction signals embodied in a transmission medium (with or without a carrier wave upon which the signals are modulated). For example, the transmission medium may include a communications network, such as the Internet. 
     Distributed Computing System 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a distributed computer system  100  in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Distributed computer system  100  includes client  102  coupled to servers  112  and  116  through network  110 . 
     Network  110  can include any type of wire or wireless communication channel capable of coupling together computing nodes. This includes, but is not limited to, a local area network, a wide area network, or a combination of networks. In one embodiment of the present invention, network  110  includes the Internet. 
     Client  102  can include any node on network  110  including computational capability and including a mechanism for communicating across network  110 . In the embodiment of the present invention illustrated in  FIG. 1 , client  102  includes browser  103 . Browser  103  can include any type of web browser capable of viewing a web site, such as the INTERNET EXPLORER™ browser distributed by the Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Wash. 
     Client  102  is also coupled to storage device  104 . Storage device  104  can include any type of non-volatile storage device that can be coupled to client  102 . This includes, but is not limited to, magnetic, optical, and magneto-optical storage devices, as well as storage devices based on semiconductor flash memory and/or battery-backed up semiconductor memory. Storage device  104  contains billing information  106  and confirmation information  108  which are described in more detail below with reference to  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 3 . 
     Servers  112  and  116  can include any nodes on network  110  including a mechanism for servicing requests from client  102  for computational and/or data storage resources. 
     Servers  112  and  116  contain web sites  114  and  118 , respectively. Web sites  114  and  118  each contain a collection of inter-linked web pages that can be navigated through by a user of browser  103  in order to view textual and/or graphical data. More specifically, web sites  114  and  118  present textual and graphical data to enable a user of browser  103  to purchase items from web sites  114  and  118 . 
     The system illustrated in  FIG. 1  operates generally as follows. A user of browser  103  navigates through web site  118  on server  116 . During the course of this navigation, the user makes a request to purchase one or more items from web site  118 . In order to process the purchase transaction, web site  118  requests billing information  106  from the user of browser  103 . This billing information is retrieved from storage device  104  and is sent to web site  118 . Web site  118  completes the purchase operation and sends confirmation information  108  to client  102 . This confirmation information is stored in storage device  104 . 
     Billing Information 
       FIG. 2  illustrates a record containing billing information  106  in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Billing information  106  includes credit card information, including credit card number  202 , credit card name  204  and credit card expiration date  206 . Note that any other type of payment instrument can be used instead of a credit card. For example, the billing information  106  can identify a debit card or digital cash. Billing information  106  can also include billing address  208  (and optionally shipping address  210  if the shipping address  210  is different from the billing address  208 ). Note that any other type of information that can be utilized by web site  118  to facilitate the purchase transaction can be included in billing information  106 . 
     Confirmation Information 
       FIG. 3  illustrates a record containing confirmation information  108  in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. In general, confirmation information  108  can include any type of information related to the purchase transaction that can be useful to a purchaser. For example, in the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 3 , confirmation information  108  includes confirmation number  302 , which can be used to reference the purchase transaction. Confirmation information  108  also includes details of the purchase transaction, including a list of the items purchased  304 , and a total amount  306  (in a currency of choice) for the purchase transaction. 
     Confirmation information  108  also includes the date and time of the purchase transaction  308 , as well as payment information  310  for the transaction. This payment information can include the credit card information from billing information  106 , as well as any type of transaction identifiers or other information provided by the credit card company. 
     Confirmation information  108  also includes shipping information  312  which may specify the shipping company, the date the item was shipped, a scheduled delivery time, shipping costs, and a tracking number for the item. 
     Providing Billing Information and Recording Confirmation Information 
       FIG. 4  is a flow chart illustrating the process of automatically providing billing information and automatically recording confirmation information in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
     The system starts by asking a user of a local computer system (client  102 ) for billing information (step  402 ). When the user provides the billing information, client  102  records it in storage device  104  (step  404 ). (Note that this process can take place during a preceding purchase transaction in which the user enters the billing information.) 
     While the user of client  102  is scanning through a web site, such as web site  118  on server  116 , client  102  receives a request from the user to purchase an item from the remote computer system (server  116 ) (step  406 ). Browser  103  forwards the request to server  116  (step  408 ). 
     Next, client  102  receives a query from server  116  asking if client  102  is able to provide billing information  106  automatically (step  410 ). Client  102  responds affirmatively to this query (step  412 ). 
     Next, client  102  receives a request for billing information  106  from server  116  (step  414 ). In response to this request, client  102  asks the user of client  102  if billing information  106  can be released to server  116  (step  416 ). If the user says no, the system sends an error message to server  116  (step  419 ) and terminates the process. 
     If the user responds that the billing information  106  can be released, the system asks the user of client  102  for a password (or some other form of authentication) in order to access billing information  106  (step  420 ). The system uses the password (or other form of authentication) to retrieve billing information  106  from storage device  104  (step  422 ). This may involve using the password to decrypt billing information  106 . Note that the steps of asking if the local computer system can provide billing information, and asking for a password are optional safeguards that are not used in some embodiments of the present invention. 
     Next, billing information  106  is sent to server  116  (step  424 ). This enables server  116  to process the purchase transaction (step  426 ). 
     After the purchase transaction is complete, client  102  receives confirmation information  108  from server  116  (step  428 ). Client  102  records confirmation information  108  in storage device  104  in a form that enables confirmation information  108  to be retrieved using a purchase transaction identifier (step  430 ). For example, confirmation information  108  can be stored so that it can be indexed by various attributes of the purchase transaction, such as the items purchased, the seller of the items, the date of the purchase, the confirmation number or the amount of the purchase. In one embodiment of the present invention, when the user of client  102  subsequently asks to view confirmation information, the user is presented with confirmation information from recent purchase transactions involving various web sites on network  110 . This enables the user to select the confirmation information for a particular purchase transaction. 
     The foregoing descriptions of embodiments of the invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description only. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present invention to the forms disclosed. Accordingly, many modifications and variations will be apparent to practitioners skilled in the art. Additionally, the above disclosure is not intended to limit the present invention. The scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims.