Patent ID: 6868394

Claim:
An apparatus for arranging and conducting simplified business transactions between creators of works of art, hereinafter called client artists, and shoppers for such works of art, comprising: a server computer system including one or more processors, one or more main memory subsystems, one or more storage subsystems, and one more connections to the World Wide Web; a website stored in and executing in said server computer system, said website including one or more online forms for registering and for presenting works of art produced by one or more client artists; one or more online order forms for evaluating and purchasing one or more works of art of any of said client artists by a purchaser; an online World Wide Web connection to each of said client artists for the forwarding purchase order information to the client artist; a collection of web pages for each of said client artists, each such client artist web page in a form suitable for computer storage and retrieval via the World Wide Web, each such client artist web page in turn comprising background information concerning the client artist and the client artist's works of art, a plurality of samples of the client artist's works of art available for sale, and a description of each sample and the work it represents; means for receiving purchase information from a purchaser for ordering a work of art; means for validating the purchaser's billing information for the order; means for submitting a bill for the order to an account of the purchaser's; means for deducting from a sale price of the work of art a website fee for each sale completed; means for sending purchase order information to the client artists, whereby any client artist may fulfill orders quickly and directly to shoppers and whereby inventory of works of art controlled by the website is minimized; and means for conveying payment for the ordered work of art to the client artist who presents said ordered work of art for sale.