Patent ID: 7797196

Claim:
A method for automating recurrent electronic transactions conducted over a network, comprising: gathering, by a purchasing system, data from an application executing on a computer device in response to electronic activities conducted by a network user of the computer device, the electronic activities subject to the gathering comprising accessing a web site, performing a detectable user action on a web page, drafting an email, searching a web-based electronic search engine, entering a new task or accessing an existing task in an electronic task folder, and creating, editing, or viewing a document; wherein the data gathered includes data collected in response to each of the electronic activities conducted by the network user; performing, via the purchasing system, analysis of the electronic activities, the analysis including: comparing the electronic activities with previously-conducted electronic activities by the network user; applying policies defined by the network user to the electronic activities; and determining whether the policies defined by the network user are in conflict with the transaction; the purchasing system inferring an intent to execute a transaction by the network user, the inference based upon results of the analysis and absent any explicit action by the network user to execute the transaction; and the purchasing system automatically executing the transaction on behalf of the network user upon determining the policies defined by the network user are not in conflict with the transaction, the automatically executing the transaction including executing a purchase of a service/product on behalf of the network user.