Abstract:
A method and apparatus are disclosed for facilitating category selection by a user in a computerized auction. A category field is provided, containing a plurality of category entries used to categorize an item in the auction. One category entry is selected in the category field and at least one subcategory field is provided, containing a plurality of subcategory entries also used to categorize the item in the auction, the subcategory entries corresponding to the one selected category entry of the plurality of category entries. At least one subcategory entry corresponding to the one selected category entry is further selected in the at least one subcategory field for further processing.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention relates generally to electronic commerce, and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for facilitating user selection of item categories in an online auction environment.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE ART  
         [0002]    The fundamental changes brought by the Internet and its subset, the World Wide Web (“Web”), have created a new electronic environment that is changing the way business is transacted. The ongoing revolution in the field of information delivery is driving the progress in various areas of everyday life. One area that has benefited from this technological development is the electronic auction area, which reflects the ability of individuals to sell items within an Internet marketplace environment.  
           [0003]    Historically, auctions for sale of various items have proven to be very popular. Electronic auctions are also becoming increasingly popular due to their lack of complexity and ease of access. In an electronic auction environment, users connect to servers supporting the auctions and buy and/or sell items over one or more networks, for example including the Internet. Typically, in order to list the items in an efficient manner and to attract buyers, the seller has to specify the name of the item to be auctioned, a short description of the item, and a listing category. Since electronic auctions support an ever-increasing number of users selling a wide array of items, attempts have been made to design efficient interfaces between the users and the companies operating the auctions.  
           [0004]    With respect to the category selection process, one previous approach uses a field, which includes all categories, and separate fields for respective subcategories. The user selects an appropriate category and then browses through subcategories until he or she finds the subcategory corresponding to the item to be auctioned. However, the process of browsing through subcategories is time-consuming. Also, the user has to repeat the process for every item that the user intends to auction. Another approach prompts the user to select a category from a listing displayed on a Web page, then a subcategory from a second listing displayed on a subsequent Web page, then a further subcategory, if available, from a third listing displayed in yet another Web page, until the final selection accurately characterizes the item to be auctioned. This approach is also time-consuming and requires a certain amount of effort to be completed.  
           [0005]    What is needed is a method for facilitating user selection of an item category that is efficient and easy to use.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0006]    A method and apparatus are disclosed for facilitating category selection by a user in a computerized auction. A category field is provided, containing a plurality of category entries used to categorize an item in the auction. One category entry is selected in the category field and at least one subcategory field is provided, containing a plurality of subcategory entries also used to categorize the item in the auction, the subcategory entries corresponding to the one selected category entry of the plurality of category entries. At least one subcategory entry corresponding to the one selected category entry is further selected in the at least one subcategory field for further processing.  
           [0007]    Other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the accompanying drawings, and from the detailed description, which follow below.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0008]    The present invention is illustrated by way of example and not limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which like references indicate similar elements and in which:  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 1 illustrates a prior art computer network topology.  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 2 illustrates the prior art architecture of a conventional computer system.  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 3 illustrates the computer network architecture of one embodiment.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 4 is a flowchart representing the process of selecting an item category in an online auction from a user&#39;s perspective.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 5 is a flowchart representing the process of selecting an item category in an online auction from a server&#39;s perspective.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 6 a  illustrates an exemplary table in the auction database, which stores item categories and subcategories.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 6 b  illustrates an exemplary table in the auction database, which stores identification parameters for each category or subcategory.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 7 illustrates one embodiment of a user interface used in the process of selecting a item category in an online auction.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0017]    A method and apparatus for facilitating user selection of an item category for an online auction is described. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be evident, however, to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details.  
         [0018]    Referring now to FIG. 1, a diagram illustrates the network environment in which the present invention operates. In this conventional network architecture, a server computer system  100  is coupled to a network  110 , preferably a wide-area network. Wide-area network  110  includes the Internet, or other proprietary networks, such as America On-Line™, CompuServe™, Microsoft Network™, and Prodigy™, each of which are well known to those of ordinary skill in the art. Wide-area network  110  may also include conventional network backbones, long-haul telephone lines, Internet service providers, various levels of network routers, and other conventional means for routing data between computers. Using conventional network protocols, server  100  may communicate through wide-area network  110  to a plurality of client computer systems  120 ,  130 ,  140 ,  150 , possibly connected through wide-area network  110  in various ways or directly connected to server  100 . For example, as shown in FIG. 1, client  140  is connected directly to wide-area network  110  through direct or dial-up telephone or other network transmission line. Alternatively, client  130  may be connected to wide-area network  110  through a conventional modem pool  114 . The modem pool  114  allows a plurality of client systems to connect with a smaller set of modems in modem pool  114  for connection through wide-area network  110 . Those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that a plurality of clients, similar to client  130 , may be connected to network  110  using the modem pool  114 . Client  150  may also be connected directly to server  100 , as shown in FIG. 1, or through a modem (not shown) in a conventional way. In another alternative network typology, wide-area network  110  is connected to a gateway computer  112 . Gateway computer  112  is used to route data to client  120  through a local area network (LAN)  116 . In this manner, client  120  can communicate with other clients (not shown) through LAN  116  or with server  100  through gateway  112  and wide-area network  110 . Alternatively, LAN  116  may be directly connected to server  100 .  
         [0019]    Using one of a variety of network connection devices, server computer  100  can also communicate directly with client  150 . In a particular implementation of this network configuration, a server computer  100  may operate as a web server if the World Wide Web (Web) portion of the Internet is used as wide-area network  110 . Using the HTTP protocol and the, HTML coding language across a network, web server  100  may communicate across the Web with client  150 . In this configuration, client  150  uses a client application program known as a web browser, such as the Netscape™ Navigator™ browser, published by Netscape Corporation of Mountain View, Calif., the Internet Explorer™ browser, published by Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Washington, the user interface of America On-Line™, or the web browser or HTML translator of any other conventional supplier. Using such conventional browsers and the Web, client  150  may access graphical and textual data or video, audio, or tactile data provided by server  100 . Conventional means exist by which client  150  may supply information to web server  100  through the Web  110  and the web server  100  may return processed data to client  150 .  
         [0020]    Having briefly described one embodiment of the network environment in which the present invention operates, FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a computer system  200  illustrating an exemplary client  150  or server  100  computer system in which the features of the present invention may be implemented. Computer system  200  is comprised of a system bus  201 , or other communications module similar to the system bus, for communicating information, and a processing module, such as processor  202 , coupled with bus  201  for processing information. Computer system  200  further comprises a main memory  204 , such as a random access memory (RAM) or other dynamic storage device, coupled to bus  201 , for storing information and instructions to be executed by processor  202 . Main memory  204  may also be used for storing temporary variables or other intermediate information during execution of instructions by processor  202 . Computer system  200  also comprises a read only memory (ROM)  206 , and/or other similar static storage device, coupled to bus  201 , for storing static information and instructions for processor  202 .  
         [0021]    An optional data storage device  207 , such as a magnetic disk or optical disk, and its corresponding drive may also be coupled to computer system  200  for storing information and instructions. System bus  201  is coupled to an external bus  210 , which connects computer system  200  to other devices. Computer system  200  can also be coupled via bus  210  to a display device  221 , such as a cathode ray tube (CRT) or a liquid crystal display (LCD), for displaying information to a computer user. For example, graphical or textual information may be presented to the user on display device  221 . Typically, an alphanumeric input device  222 , such as a keyboard including alphanumeric and other keys, is coupled to bus  210  for communicating information and/or command selections to processor  202 . Another type of user input device is cursor control device  223 , such as a conventional mouse, touch mouse, trackball, or other type of cursor direction keys, for communicating direction information and command selection to processor  202  and for controlling cursor movement on display  221 . A fully loaded computer system may optionally include video, camera, speakers, sound card, and many other similar conventional options.  
         [0022]    Alternatively, the client  150  can be implemented as a network computer or thin client device, such as the WebTV Networks™ Internet terminal or the Orade™ NC. Client  150  may also be a laptop or palm-top computing device, such as the Palm Pilot™. Such a network computer or thin client device does not necessarily include all of the devices and features of the above-described exemplary computer system. However, the functionality of the present invention may nevertheless be implemented with such devices.  
         [0023]    A communication device  224  is also coupled to bus  210  for accessing remote computers or servers, such as web server  100 , or other servers via the Internet, for example. The communication device  224  may include a modem, a network interface card, or other well known interface devices, such as those used for interfacing with Ethernet, Token-ring, or other types of networks. In any event, in this manner, the computer system  200  may be coupled to a number of servers  100  via a conventional network infrastructure such as the infrastructure illustrated in FIG. 1 and described above.  
         [0024]    The present invention includes various processing steps, which will be described below. The steps of the present invention may be embodied in machine or computer executable instructions. The instructions can be used to cause a general purpose or special purpose processor, which is programmed with the instructions to perform the steps of the present invention. Alternatively, the steps of the present invention may be performed by specific hardware components that contain hardwired logic for performing the steps, or by any combination of programmed computer components and custom hardware components. While embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the Web, the method and apparatus described herein is equally applicable to other network infrastructures or other data communications systems.  
         [0025]    Referring now to FIG. 3, one embodiment of the network configuration of the present invention is illustrated. In one embodiment, a web server  310  is coupled with web client  330  through the wide-area network  320 , such as the Internet. As described above, web server  310  and web client  330  may be implemented as conventional computer systems. Software application programs for implementing the present invention run on web server  310  and web client  330 . As shown in FIG. 3, the server portion of the application software of the present invention is shown as server application  312 . Also 
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
 
         [0026]    field  720 , a page mark-up language document similar to the category field, is adjacent to category field  710  and contains subcategories of each category displayed in field  710 . In one embodiment, the number of subcategories is different for each displayed category. A second subcategory field  730  contains subcategories of each subcategory displayed in field  720 . A third subcategory field  740  contains subcategories of each subcategory displayed in field  730 . A category number associated with each category and its respective subcategories is also displayed by the browser  336 . The category number enables the user to select the associated category and subcategories without going through the entire selection process as shown in detail below.  
         [0027]    The category selection process is implemented using the client browser  336  and the server application  312 . In one embodiment, the client browser  336  and the server application  312  operate for facilitating category selection by the user as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 and described in further detail below.  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 4 shows a flowchart representing the process of selecting an item category in an online auction from a user&#39;s perspective. Referring to FIG. 4, in one embodiment, the client browser  336  within the client application  332  receives category hierarchy data from the server application  312  at step  405 . The category hierarchy data includes category and subcategory information. Using the category data, the client browser  336  performs the category selection process as follows. Once the user is ready to select an item category, at step  410 , a decision is made whether a category number is available to the user. If the user has previously selected the same category and subcategories and has stored the category number associated with the category and the respective subcategories, the user enters the category number at step  420 . As a result, based on the category number, the respective category and related subcategories are selected and displayed by the client browser  336  in the respective fields.  
         [0029]    If the category number or numeric I.D. is not available, then, at step  430 , the user selects a category from a list of available categories displayed in an interactive category area. Next, the client browser  336  performs a test whether the selected category has related subcategories at step  440 . If the selected category has no related subcategories, then the user has the option to record the category number of the selected category at step  445  and may proceed further with the item registration process. Alternatively, if related subcategories exist, the user selects a subcategory from a list of available subcategories related to the selected category at step  450 . The list of available subcategories is displayed in an interactive area adjacent to the category area. A test whether the subcategory has no further related subcategories is performed by the client browser at step  460 . If no further related subcategories exist, then the user may record the category number of the selected combination of category and subcategory at step  470  and proceed further with the item registration process. Otherwise, if further subcategories related to the selected subcategory are still available, the user goes back to step  450  and repeats the subcategory selection process. The embodiment described above allows the client browser  336  to perform the category selection process using category data and Javascript code supplied by the server application  312 . Alternatively, the server application  312  may interact with the user during the selection process and may perform other functions as described in further detail below.  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 5 shows a flowchart representing an alternate embodiment of the process of selecting an item category in an online auction from the server&#39;s perspective. Referring to FIG. 5, a decision is made at step  510  whether a category number is available to the user. If the user has previously accessed the auction and has selected the same item category and subcategories, and a category number is available, then the server application  312  receives the category number at step  520 . The server application  312  accesses the user database  318  and retrieves at step  530  the category information corresponding to the category number, as well as any related subcategories. The server application  312  subsequently forwards the information to the client application  332  and the category and subcategories are displayed for the user at step  535 .  
         [0031]    If the category number is not available, then the server application  312  receives a category selection from the client application  332  at step  540 . At step  550 , a test whether the category has any subcategories is performed. The server application  312  accesses the database  318  and determines if related subcategories exist. If no subcategories exist for the selected category, the server application  312  retrieves and returns the category number to the client application  332 , the category number being displayed to the user at step  555 . If the selected category has related subcategories, the server application  312  retrieves the subcategories from database  318  and forwards the information to the client application  332 . The subcategories are then displayed at step  560 . Once the user selects a subcategory, the server application  312  receives the subcategory selection at step  570 , and subsequently accesses the database  318  at step  580  to determine if the selected subcategory has any further subcategories. If no further subcategories exist, the server application  312  retrieves and returns the category number to the client application  332 , the category number being displayed to the user at step  585 . Alternatively, if the selected subcategory has a new set of subcategories, steps  560  and  570  are repeated for the new set of subcategories.  
         [0032]    Thus, a method and apparatus for facilitating user selection of item categories in an online auction has been described. Although the present invention has been described with reference to specific exemplary embodiments, it will be evident that various modifications and changes may be made to these embodiments without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.  
       APPENDIX A  
       [0033]    William E. Alford, Reg. No. 37,764; Farzad E. Amini, Reg. No. P42,261; Aloysius T. C. AuYeung, Reg. No. 35,432; William Thomas Babbitt, Reg. No. 39,591; Carol F. Barry, Reg. No. 41,600; Jordan Michael Becker, Reg. No. 39,602; Bradley J. Bereznak, Reg. No. 33,474; Michael A. Bernadicou, Reg. No. 35,934; Roger W. Blakely, Jr., Reg. No. 25,831; Gregory D. Caldwell, Reg. No. 39,926; Ronald C. Card, Reg. No. P44,587; Thomas M. Coester, Reg. No. 39,637; Stephen M. De Klerk, under 37 C.F.R. § 10.9(b); Michael Anthony DeSanctis, Reg. No. 39,957; Daniel M. De Vos, Reg. No. 37,813; Robert Andrew Diehl, Reg. No. 40,992; Matthew C. Fagan, Reg. No. 37,542; Tarek N. Fahmi, Reg. No. 41,402; Florin Alin Corie, Reg. No. P-46,244, James Y. Go, Reg. No. 40,621; James A. Henry, Reg. No. 41,064; Willmore F. Holbrow III, Reg. No. P41,845; Sheryl Sue Holloway, Reg. No. 37,850; George W Hoover II, Reg. No. 32,992; Eric S. Hyman, Reg. No. 30,139; Dag H. Johansen, Reg. No. 36,172; William W. Kidd, Reg. No. 31,772; Erica W. Kuo, Reg. No. 42,775; Michael J. Mallie, Reg. No. 36,591; Andre L. Marais, under 37 C.F.R. § 10.9(b); Paul A. Mendonsa, Reg. No. 42,879; Darren J. Milliken, Reg. 42,004; Lisa A. Norris, Reg. No. P44,976; Chun M. Ng, Reg. No. 36,878; Thien T. Nguyen, Reg. No. 43,835; Thinh V. Nguyen, Reg. No. 42,034; Dennis A. Nicholls, Reg. No. 42,036; Kimberley G. Nobles, Reg. No. 38,255; Daniel E. Ovanezian, Reg. No. 41,236; Babak Redjaian, Reg. No. 42,096; William F. Ryann, Reg. 44,313; James H. Salter, Reg. No. 35,668; William W. Schaal, Reg. No. 39,018; James C. Scheller, Reg. No. 31,195; Jeffrey Sam Smith, Reg. No. 39,377; Maria McCormack Sobrino, Reg. No. 31,639; Stanley W. Sokoloff, Reg. No. 25,128; Judith A. Szepesi, Reg. No. 39,393; Vincent P. Tassinari, Reg. No. 42,179; Edwin H. Taylor, Reg. No. 25,129; John F. Travis, Reg. No. 43,203; George G. C. Tseng, Reg. No. 41,355; Joseph A. Twarowski, Reg. No. 42,191; Lester J. Vincent, Reg. No. 31,460; Glenn E. Von Tersch, Reg. No. 41,364; John Patrick Ward, Reg. No. 40,216; Charles T. J. Weigell, Reg. No. 43,398; Kirk D. Williams, Reg. No. 42,229; James M. Wu, Reg. No. P45,241; Steven D. Yates, Reg. No. 42,242; Ben J. Yorks, Reg. No. 33,609; and Norman Zafman, Reg. No. 26,250; my patent attorneys, and Andrew C. Chen, Reg. No. 43,544; Justin M. Dillon, Reg. No. 42,486; Paramita Ghosh, Reg. No. 42,806; and Sang Hui Kim, Reg. No. 40,450; my patent agents, of BLAKELY, SOKOLOFF, TAYLOR &amp; ZAFMAN LLP, with offices located at 12400 Wilshire Boulevard, 7th Floor, Los Angeles, Calif. 90025, telephone (310) 207-3800, and James R. Thein, Reg. No. 31,710, my patent attorney.