Product selection over a communication network

A server system for directing product selection over a communication network where a user system receives screen signals from the communication network and displays corresponding screens to a user, the user provides user inputs to the user system in response to the screens, the user system transfers corresponding user input signals over the communication network, and the screens are arranged in a sequence, the server system comprising:

• a network interface configured to transfer the screen signals to the communication network and to receive the user input signals from the communication network;
• and
• a processing system configured to process user data from the user input signals to determine if the user data is consistent data that is consistent with at least one of a plurality of products, process user screen selections from the user input signals, transfer a selected one of the screen signals corresponding to a selected one of the screens if the selected one of the screens is backward in the sequence or if all previous ones of the screens in the sequence prior to the selected one of the screens have the consistent data, and to transfer to the user system over the communication network an earliest one of the screen signals corresponding to an earliest one of the screens in the sequence that does not have the consistent data if the selected one of the screens is forward in the sequence and if the previous ones of the screens in the sequence prior to the selected one of the screens do not all have the consistent data.

A method of operating a server system for directing product selection over a communication network where a user system receives screen signals from the communication network and displays corresponding screens to a user, the user provides user inputs to the user system in response to the screens, the user system transfers corresponding user input signals over the communication network, and the screens are arranged in a sequence, the method comprising:

• processing user data from the user input signals to determine if the user data is consistent data that is consistent with at least one of a plurality of products;
• processing user screen selections from the user input signals;
• transferring a selected one of the screen signals corresponding to a selected one of the screens if the selected one of the screens is backward in the sequence or if all previous ones of the screens in the sequence prior to the selected one of the screens have the consistent data;
• and
• transferring to the user system over the communication network an earliest one of the screen signals corresponding to an earliest one of the screens in the sequence that does not have the consistent data if the selected one of the screens is forward in the sequence and if the previous ones of the screens in the sequence prior to the selected one of the screens do not all have the consistent data.