Abstract:
An interactive system for conducting electronic commerce. The system provides multiple electronic shopping baskets for each user. Each electronic shopping basket has an indication of items 128 currently within the electronic shopping basket, billing 114 and shipment information 112. The system further provides the user means for conducting electronic commerce when the user is not authenticated.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0001]    The present invention relates generally to electronic commerce systems, and more particularly to shopping baskets implemented through an electronic commerce website for business-to-business transaction environments. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    Consumers are growing increasingly comfortable with the concept of shopping and purchasing goods online, i.e., over the Internet, with many well known websites displaying various offerings ranging from books and toys to music and countless other consumer goods. Typically, at electronic commerce websites, a number of goods can be selected by the user and added to an electronic shopping basket which stores the selected items for purchase by the user. The items stored in the electronic shopping basket can subsequently be checked out (i.e., purchased) by the user. 
         [0003]    Typically, the items can be saved in the user&#39;s electronic shopping basket when the user signs off from the electronic commerce website, allowing the user to purchase the items during a subsequent visit to the website. When the user returns to the electronic commerce website, the saved items in the electronic shopping basket are made available for purchase. The above features are made possible only when the user has logged onto the electronic commerce website. To log on to the website, the user is identified by some combination of cookies stored in the user&#39;s computer, as well as password authentication. 
         [0004]    U.S. Pat. No. 6,629,079, titled “Method and System For Electronic Commerce Using Multiple Roles” issued 30 Sep. 2003, discloses a computer system for conducting electronic commerce. The system provides multiple electronic shopping carts for each user and each electronic shopping cart has an indication of items currently within the electronic cart and billing and shipment information. However, the system only provides the above features when the user has successfully logged in to the electronic commerce website. The system does not provide similar means when the user is not logged in to the electronic commerce website. 
         [0005]    U.S. Pat. No. 6,876,977 titled “Shared Shopping Basket Management System” issued 5 Apr. 2005, discloses a computer implemented method for conducting business-to-business electronic commerce over the internet. The method includes the step of providing a website that enables electronic communication with users and including on the website an electronic shopping basket which is selectively actuatable into various states. The website however does not provide such means when the user is not logged in to the website. 
         [0006]    Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an electronic shopping model that is adaptable enough to allow users to electronically capture and save items which they wish to purchase even when they are not authenticated by the electronic commerce system. This will provide users the convenience to access the means to electronically saved items for later purchase. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background of the disclosure. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    In one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method in an interactive medium for conducting electronic commerce. The method includes the steps of providing a website which is adapted to communicate electronically with a plurality of remote users; enabling one of the plurality of users to access the website and add items to a non-authenticated electronic shopping basket when the user is not authenticated on the website; and providing on the website a plurality of authenticated electronic shopping baskets which are accessible by the plurality of users after successful authentication. The plurality of users can log on to the website using predefined usernames and passwords. The plurality of users will be allowed access into the website once the usernames and passwords have been authenticated. 
         [0008]    In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method in an interactive medium for conducting commerce. The method comprising the steps of a user accessing a website for conducting electronic commerce, the user adding items into a non-authenticated electronic shopping basket before he authenticates himself on the website; the user adding items to a plurality of authenticated electronic shopping baskets when he has successfully authenticated himself, whereby the user can select each of the plurality of electronic shopping baskets for adding items. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]    The accompanying figures, where like reference numerals refer to identical or functionally similar elements throughout the separate views and which together with the detailed description below are incorporated in and form part of the specification, serve to illustrate various embodiments and to explain various principles and advantages in accordance with a present embodiment. 
           [0010]      FIG. 1  illustrates a view of a screenshot of an electronic shopping basket window in accordance with the present embodiment. 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  is a flowchart that illustrates the steps of operation of the present embodiment concerning items stored in a non-authenticated electronic shopping basket. 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  is a flowchart that illustrates the steps of operation of the present embodiment when there are no items stored in a non-authenticated electronic shopping basket. 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  is a flowchart that illustrates the steps of operation of a further embodiment with regards to affecting the status of the items in the authenticated electronic shopping baskets, checking out items and storing items for future use. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0014]    The following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the invention or the application and uses of the invention. Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by any theory presented in the preceding background or the following detailed description. 
         [0015]    The present embodiment defines providing of electronic shopping baskets for online shopping in an electronic commerce website. The user can store items for a defined period, or manage different electronic shopping baskets when he is logged on to the website. Alternatively he can store items that he will like to purchase for a defined period in a non-authenticated electronic shopping basket provided when he is not logged on to the website. 
         [0016]    As used herein, the term “electronic shopping basket” refers generally to an electronic place holder that indicates selections made in an electronic commerce website of goods and services for purchase. Further, an electronic commerce website refers generally to an interface enabling business communication and/or transactions over a publicly accessible communication network such as the internet. Internet-related electronic commerce websites provide mechanisms for buying and selling over the worldwide web. 
         [0017]      FIG. 1  shows a screenshot  102  of an electronic shopping basket window in accordance with the present embodiment after an authenticated user has added items to be purchased into the electronic shopping basket. The electronic shopping basket window  102  employed consists of a standard buttons tool bar  124 . A shopping basket button  104  is provided on the standard buttons tool bar  124  which, when selected, displays the items currently stored in the basket and the total cost required to purchase the items. Other information may be provided by the following buttons which may also be available on the standard buttons tool bar  124 : a purchase history button  106  which, when selected, displays items the user previously purchased; a download button  108  which, when selected, displays history of downloaded product information; a profile button  110  which, when selected, displays the identity and contact information of the user; a delivery address button  112  which, when selected, displays the purchased item delivery address; a wallet button  114  which, when selected, displays the amount of credit that is available to the user for making purchase on the electronic commerce website; and a news button  116  which, when selected, displays news on the latest product which is available for purchase on the electronic commerce website. The present embodiment allows a user to select items of interest from the product catalogue, and drag and drop the items of interest into a shopping basket icon in the main electronic commerce website window, automatically adding the details of the item to a user&#39;s shopping basket product list  128  in the shopping basket window  102 . Further the electronic commerce website includes a mechanism  120  that allows a visitor to complete a sales transaction, for example, by submitting a credit card number, debit card number or the like. Additionally, the shopping basket window  102  provides an entry point  118  for promotion code, if it is available to the user. Each of the buttons can be selected by a single action (e.g. a mouse click). The use of single action to activate the buttons provides ease of use and greatly enhances the experience of conducting the electronic commerce. 
         [0018]      FIG. 2  is a flowchart illustrating the steps of deployment of electronic shopping baskets in an electronic commerce website. When there are stored items in a non-authenticated electronic shopping basket, in step  204 , of the electronic commerce website, the present embodiment allows a user to temporarily store items prior to purchasing these items electronically. When a user prior to authenticating himself in an electronic commerce website, found items he would like to purchase, he may store the items in a non-authenticated electronic shopping basket, in step  204 , for future purchase. Once the user has successfully logged in to the electronic commerce website, in step  202 , by means of a username and password, a first authenticated active electronic shopping basket will be created, in step  210 , and items from the non-authenticated basket, in step  204 , will be automatically transferred into the active electronic shopping basket, in step  212 . Once items are present in the first electronic shopping basket, in step  212 , a second authenticated electronic shopping basket will be created, in step  214 , for the user. If the authenticated user wants to add further items to the electronic shopping basket, in step  216 , the authenticated user will select the active electronic shopping basket, in step  217 , and place the desired items into the active electronic shopping basket, in step  222  or step  224 . 
         [0019]      FIG. 3  is a flowchart illustrating the steps of deployment of electronic shopping baskets in an electronic commerce website. There are no stored items in the non-authenticated electronic shopping basket, in step  304 , of the electronic commerce website prior to the user logging in to the electronic shopping website. When the authenticated user decides to add items to the electronic shopping basket, in step  310 , a first active electronic shopping basket will be made available, in step  312 , and the items are added into the active electronic shopping basket, in step  314 , while a second electronic shopping basket will be made available to the user, in step  316 . At step  318 , when there are two electronic shopping baskets available to the authenticated user and the authenticated user wishes to add store more items for future purchase, he may, at step  317 , decide which should be his active basket for storing the items in step  324  or  326 . Referring to the screenshot  102  of  FIG. 1 , the authenticated user may choose the active basket by clicking on it  122  or by clicking on the “Previous” or “Next” button  126  using a single action (e.g. a mouse click). 
         [0020]      FIG. 4  is a flowchart illustrating the steps of editing the content of an authenticated electronic shopping basket. When the authenticated user does not wish to add more items into the electronic shopping baskets in step  216  of  FIG. 2  or step  318  of  FIG. 3 , the authenticated user can decide, in step  402 , if he would like to merge items from the non-active electronic shopping basket or wish list to the active electronic shopping basket, in step  404 . Further, the authenticated user can decide, in step  406 , if he would like to remove product or change the quantity of the items in the electronic shopping basket, in step  408 . The authenticated user, in step  410 , can then decide if he wants to check out the items in the electronic basket for purchase, in step  412 . Subsequently, in step  416 , any remaining items in the electronic shopping basket can be stored for future use, in step  414  or deleted in step  418  before the user log out of the electronic commerce website at step  420 . 
         [0021]    Embodiments of the present invention allow non-authenticated users in electronic commerce website to store items for later purchase when the users have been successfully authenticated. The embodiments offer the following advantages over conventional electronic commerce websites. For example, a family member of a website user who might not know a password to access the website can first select the items they want to purchase, and once all the items have been selected, the authenticated user can make a consolidated purchase. This is especially useful when the website offers more attractive purchase rates for bulk purchase of products. Also bulk purchase can save on shipping costs. Further, parents who do not want their kids to make unnecessary purchases can make use of the non-authenticated item storing means to allow their children to select the products they wanted, at their own convenience without their parents presence and then later the parents can log in to the website and select the necessary items to purchase, and make the purchase. The embodiments of the invention also allow first-time users of the website to view and store items which can help to attract more users to the website, therefore more advertisers will be willing to put up their products for sale at the website which accordingly can result in generating more sales and income for the website. The embodiments of this invention also can help to attract impulse buyers to the website. 
         [0022]    The present disclosure describes patentable subject matter with reference to certain illustrative embodiments. The drawings are provided to facilitate understanding of the disclosure, and may depict a limited number of elements for ease of explanation. Except as may be otherwise noted in this disclosure, no limits on the scope of patentable subject matter are intended to be implied by the drawings or the description herein. Variations, alternatives, and modifications to the illustrated embodiments may be included in the scope of protection available for the patentable subject matter which scope is only limited by the language in the appended claims.