Purchase information notification system, method, and program product

A method, system, and computer program product for informing a user of purchase information in an online purchase situation are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method includes determining whether an activation device indicator is within a predetermined proximity of a purchase-initiating button in a web browser; and initiating a tip message displaying the purchase information including at least one of: an historical balance, an existing balance, an available amount of credit, or a payment method.

BACKGROUND

The disclosure relates generally to informing a user of purchase information in an online purchase situation. More particularly, the disclosure relates to providing a notification message to a user indicating purchase information at a purchase screen in an online purchase situation.

As a greater number of purchases are made through web-based vendors or outlets, tracking and processing of personal financial information becomes more important. Current approaches for monitoring purchase information and notifying users of purchase information may be cumbersome and disjointed.

SUMMARY

A first aspect of the disclosure provides a method for providing notification of purchase information, the method comprising: determining whether an activation device indicator is within a predetermined proximity of a purchase-initiating button in a web browser; and initiating a tip message displaying the purchase information including at least one of: an historical balance, an existing balance, an available amount of credit, or a payment method.

A second aspect of the disclosure provides a computer program comprising program code embodied in at least one computer readable storage medium, which when executed, enables a computer system to implement a method for providing notification of purchase information, the method comprising: determining whether a activation device indicator is within a predetermined proximity of a purchase-initiating button in a web browser; and initiating a tip message displaying the purchase information including at least one of: an historical balance, an existing balance, an available amount of credit, or a payment method.

A third aspect of the disclosure provides a computer system for providing notification of purchase information, the computer system comprising: a component configured to determine whether a user's activation device indicator is within a predetermined proximity of a purchase-initiating button in a web browser; and a component configured to initiate a tip message displaying the purchase information including at least one of: an historical balance, an existing balance, an available amount of credit, or a payment method.

It is noted that the drawings of the disclosure are schematical in nature and not necessarily to scale. The drawings are intended to depict only typical aspects of the disclosure, and therefore should not be considered as limiting the scope of the disclosure. In the drawings, like numbering represents like elements between the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The disclosure provides solutions for notifying a user about current purchase information, account balance(s) and/or historical spending through one or more vendors at a point of sale. Specifically, the disclosure includes a method for providing a notification of purchase information, where the method includes: determining whether an activation device indicator is within a predetermined proximity of a purchase-initiating button in a web browser; and initiating a tip message displaying the purchase information including at least one of: an historical balance, an existing balance, an available amount of credit, and a payment method. It is understood that the teachings of this disclosure may be applied to any of a number of user-interface based purchases.

Computer program code for carrying out operations of the present disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including an object oriented programming language such as Java, Smalltalk, C++ or the like, conventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C” programming language or similar programming languages, and conventional interpreted languages, such as perl, tcl python or similar interpreted languages. The program code may execute entirely on the user's computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider).

Referring now toFIG. 1there is depicted an illustrative environment100including a system for providing purchase information notifications. To this extent, environment100includes a computer infrastructure102that can perform the various process steps described herein for providing purchase information notifications. In particular, computer infrastructure102is shown including a computing device104that comprises a purchase information notification system106, which enables computing device104to implement a method for providing purchase information notifications by performing the process steps of the disclosure.

Computing device104is shown including a memory112, a processor (PU)114, an input/output (I/O) interface116, and a bus118. Further, computing device104is shown in communication with an external I/O device/resource120and a storage system122. As is known in the art, in general, processor114executes computer program code, such as that for a purchase information notification system106, that is stored in memory112and/or storage system122. While executing computer program code, processor114can read and/or write data, such as local account information data150and/or external account information data152, to/from memory112, storage system122, and/or I/O interface116(which may be connected to one or more servers, e.g., a selling entity web server160and/or a financial entity web server170). Bus118provides a communications link between each of the components in computing device104. I/O device120can comprise any device that enables a user to interact with computing device104or any device that enables computing device104to communicate with one or more other computing devices such as a graphical user interface (GUI), a touch-screen or other display. Input/output devices (including but not limited to keyboards, displays, pointing devices, touch screens, etc.) can be coupled to the system either directly or through intervening I/O controllers.

In any event, computing device104can comprise any general purpose computing article of manufacture capable of executing computer program code installed by a user (e.g., a personal computer, server, handheld device, etc.). However, it is understood that computing device104and purchase information notification system106are only representative of various possible equivalent computing devices that may perform the various process steps of the disclosure. To this extent, in other embodiments, computing device104can comprise any specific purpose computing article of manufacture comprising hardware and/or computer program code for performing specific functions, any computing article of manufacture that comprises a combination of specific purpose and general purpose hardware/software, or the like. In each case, the program code and hardware can be created using standard programming and engineering techniques, respectively.

Similarly, computer infrastructure102is only illustrative of various types of computer infrastructures for implementing the disclosure. For example, in one embodiment, computer infrastructure102comprises two or more computing devices (e.g., a server cluster) that communicate over any type of wired and/or wireless communications link, such as a network, a shared memory, or the like, to perform the various process steps of the disclosure. When the communications link comprises a network, the network can comprise any combination of one or more types of networks (e.g., the Internet, a wide area network, a local area network, a virtual private network, etc.). Network adapters may also be coupled to the system to enable the data processing system to become coupled to other data processing systems or remote printers or storage devices through intervening private or public networks. Modems, cable modem and Ethernet cards are just a few of the currently available types of network adapters. Regardless, communications between the computing devices may utilize any combination of various types of transmission techniques.

FIG. 2depicts a process flow diagram in accordance with an embodiment. In process P1, purchase information notification system106may determine whether an activation device indicator is within a predetermined proximity of a purchase-initiating button in a web browser. For example, turning toFIG. 3, a schematic representation of a web page200displayed by a web browser210is shown according to an embodiment. This representation of web page200may include numerous buttons220and active links230which may be actuated via an activation device indicator. At least one button220may be a purchase-initiating button222. Actuating purchase initiating button222may initiate a purchase of one or more items via, e.g., a debit from an existing localized account, a charge to an external credit card account, or a direct transfer of funds from a bank account. Actuating purchase initiating button222may bring the user to a follow-up or confirmation page, where the actual deduction or charging of funds must be confirmed via another step (e.g., via entering account information or actuating another purchase-initiating button). That is, in any given transaction, a user may be required to actuate a number of purchase initiating buttons222in order to complete the transaction. It is understood that the teachings of this disclosure may apply to one or more of the purchase initiating buttons222presented for actuation in any given transaction.

With continuing reference toFIG. 3, in one embodiment, the activation device indicator may be a mouse icon240(shown surrounded by phantom circle for ease of reference). However, it is understood that activation device indicator may be any indicator corresponding to an activation device. It is understood that activation devices may include any number of mechanisms for activating a purchase-initiating button, for example, one or more of a computer mouse, a computer keyboard or other controller, a pointer, a human finger or hand, etc. Therefore, teachings of the disclosure may include determining whether a finger is approaching a purchase-initiating button222on a touch screen, or whether a purchase-initiating button222is highlighted via keyboard tabbing through a web page200. It is understood that a number of activation device indicators may be used according to aspects of the disclosure.

In any case, purchase information notification system106may determine whether an activation device indicator (e.g., mouse icon240) is within a predetermined proximity250(arbitrarily indicated by a phantom circle) of a purchase-initiating button222in web browser210. Where this determination is positive, purchase information notification system106may initiate process P2(FIG. 2), including: initiating a tip message displaying the purchase information including at least one of: an historical balance, an existing balance, an available amount of credit, or a payment method. Returning toFIG. 3, the activation device indicator (e.g., mouse icon240) is shown within predetermined proximity250of purchase-initiating button222. In response to the mouse icon240entering the predetermined proximity (area)250, a tip message260is displayed.

Tip message260may be a dialogue box (e.g., a pop-up dialogue box) originating from at least one of: a displayed order amount, a displayed payment type, or a purchase-initiating button (e.g., purchase-initiating button222). In the embodiment shown inFIG. 3, tip message260is a dialogue box displayed within a border of the web browser210. Where, for example, a confirmation page is displayed, tip message260may include a dialogue box originating from the displayed order amount, the displayed payment type, or an order confirmation button. Tip message260may display purchase information270such as an historical balance, an existing balance, an available amount of credit, a payment method, etc.

FIG. 4shows one example of a tip message260including historical balance information272. Historical balance information272may include one or more of an amount spent over a period (e.g., dollars spent in a month, week, day, year, etc.), a remaining budget over the same or another period, an amount spent through a particular web page (e.g., web page200ofFIG. 3) over the same or another period, a number of purchases made over the same or another period, a difference in spending between a given period and a distinct period, etc. Historical balance information272may be retrieved from local account information data150and/or external account information data152. For example, local account information data150may be information stored at a web server managed by the selling entity (selling entity web server160,FIG. 1), at the user's device or at another location where the purchase information notification system106may have real-time access to this information. Local account information data150may, for example, be managed and/or stored by the provider of the web page200at selling entity web server160, and therefore, may be easily obtained by the provider of the web page200without additional security measures. Local account information data150may include data entered by a user regarding, e.g., a monthly budget for purchases through web page200. External account information data152may include, for example, credit card account information (e.g., balances, payments, etc.), bank account information (e.g., account types, balances, etc.) and any other data used in displaying purchase information that is managed by an external entity. In some embodiments, external account information data152may be managed by a finance company (e.g., bank or credit card company) at a financial entity web server170(FIG. 1). Obtaining this external account information data152from the financial entity (e.g., bank or credit card company) or a data manager associated with the financial entity may require one or more conventional authorization methods, the descriptions of which are omitted herein for brevity. However, a difference between external account information data152and local account information data150is that local account information data150is managed in such a way that it may be easily obtained in real time (e.g., as account information changes to due a purchase).

In some embodiments, external account information data152may be obtained via an authorization process that may include a time delay. In this embodiment, purchase information notification system106may obtain (e.g., download) external account information data152, when available, on a periodic basis. This quasi-real-time approach may include obtaining external account information data152on an hourly, daily, weekly, etc. basis. In this case, purchase information notification system106may use both external account information data152and local account information data150to provide purchase information270. For example, external account information data152may be obtained by purchase information notification system106on a daily basis (e.g., at 12:01 AM EST). During that same day, a user may purchase one or more items via webpage200, thereby changing local account information data150. The changes in local account information data150for the day may be compared with external account information data152, to provide updated purchase information. This updated purchase information is estimated based upon the external account information data152provided at the time of download. Therefore, this quasi-real time updated purchase information may be inaccurate (e.g., where purchases were made from the account corresponding to external account information data152through another webpage not managed by the selling entity web server160). However, this quasi-real-time updated purchase information may reduce a delay associated with authenticating connections between purchase information notification system106and financial entity web server170.

It is understood that in one embodiment, purchase information notification system106may perform the determining and initiating (FIG. 2) via a browser plug-in (e.g., for Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Internet Explorer, etc.). The browser plug-in may be configured to determine whether a purchase screen is active and/or displayed on a user interface (e.g., a display screen), and retrieve the purchase information270from local account information data150and/or external account information data152if the determination is positive.

As discussed herein, various systems and components are described as “obtaining” data (e.g., local account information data150, external account information data152) is obtained/received into the system102, etc.). It is understood that the corresponding data can be obtained using any solution. For example, the corresponding system/component can generate and/or be used to generate the data, retrieve the data from one or more data stores (e.g., a database), receive the data from another system/component, and/or the like. When the data is not generated by the particular system/component, it is understood that another system/component can be implemented apart from the system/component shown, which generates the data and provides it to the system/component and/or stores the data for access by the system/component.

The foregoing flowchart and block diagram drawings in the Figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods and computer program products according to various several embodiments of the present disclosure. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of code, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be noted that, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions. Also, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that additional blocks that describe the processing may be added.