US 6,064,979 A · Method of and system for finding and serving consumer product related information over the internet using manufacturer identification numbers

Abstract

A method of and system for finding and serving consumer product-related information on the Internet comprising a database serving subsystem which stores: a plurality of manufacturer identification numbers (MINs) assigned to a plurality of manufacturers of consumer products; a plurality of home-page specifying URLs symbolically linked to the plurality of MINs; a plurality of universal product numbers (UPN) assigned to a plurality of consumer products made by the plurality of manufacturers; and a plurality of product-information specifying URLs symbolically linked to the plurality of UPNs. During operation, a client subsystem transmits to the database serving subsystem, a request for information which includes the UPN assigned to the consumer product on which product-related information is being sought. The database serving subsystem automatically compares the UPN against the stored plurality of MINs, and automatically returns to the client subsystem, one or more of URLs symbolically linked to the UPN, if URLs have been symbolically linked to the UPN within the database serving subsystem. However, if no URLs have been symbolically linked to the UPN, then the database serving subsystem automatically returns the home-page specifying URL symbolically linked to the MIN contained within the UPN in the request. By virtue of this novel MIN-based search mechanism embodied within the database serving subsystem, client subsystems are automatically provided with the home-page of the manufacturer's World Wide Web (WWW) site in situations where product-information specifying URLs have not yet been symbolically linked with the UPN on any one of the manufacturer's products.

A system for finding and serving information pertaining to a particular consumer product and the manufacturer thereof on the Internet, said system comprising:

(1) an Internet database serving subsystem operably connected to the infrastructure of the Internet and including
(1A) an information storage subsystem for storing first and second sets of information,
said first set of information being representative of
(i) a plurality of manufacturer identification numbers (MINs) assigned to a plurality of manufacturers of consumer products, each said MIN being assigned to one of said plurality of manufacturers of consumer products, and
(ii) a plurality of home-page specifying URLs symbolically linked to said plurality of MINs, each said home-page specifying URL being symbolically linked to one of said plurality of manufacturers of consumer products and specifying the location of a manufacturer World Wide Web (WWW) site located on the Internet, having a home page on the WWW and being related to one of said plurality of manufacturers of consumer products, and
said second set of information being representative of
(i) a plurality of universal product numbers (UPN) assigned to a plurality of consumer products made by said plurality of manufacturers, each said UPN being assigned to one of said plurality of consumer products, and
(ii) a plurality of product-information specifying URLs symbolically linked to said plurality of UPNs, each said product-information specifying URL including one of said plurality of MINs, and being symbolically linked to one of said plurality of consumer products and specifying the location of an information resource located on the Internet related to at least one of said plurality of consumer products, and
(1B) request servicing means for servicing a request for information about one of said plurality of products located on the Internet, made by a client subsystem operably connected to the Internet, wherein said request is transmitted to said Internet database serving subsystem for processing and includes information representative of the UPN assigned to said consumer product on which product-related information located on the Internet is being sought by a consumer using said client subsystem,
wherein said request servicing means automatically compares the UPN included in said request against said plurality of MINs stored in said information storage subsystem, and
(i) automatically returns to said client subsystem, the home-page specifying URL symbolically linked to the MIN contained within the UPN included in said request if, at the time said request was made, no product-information specifying URLs have been symbolically linked to the UPN included in said request, within said information storage subsystem, and
(ii) automatically returns to said client subsystem, one or more of URLs symbolically linked to said UPN included in said request, if, at the time said request was made, one or more product-information specifying URLs have been symbolically linked to the UPN included in said request, within said information storage subsystem;
and
(2) a plurality of product-information containing servers, each said product-information containing server being connected to the Internet and storing product-related information resources related to at least one of
(i) one or more of the WWW sites of said plurality of manufacturers of consumer products, and
(ii) one or more of said plurality of consumer products,
wherein the location of each said product-related information resource on the Internet is specified by one said plurality of product-information specifying URLs, and
wherein the location of the home page of each said WWW site is specified by one of said plurality of home-page specifying URLs, and
wherein said client subsystem can use
(i) the one or more product-information specifying URLs returned by said request servicing means to access product-related information from said one or more of said plurality of product-related information containing servers, and
(ii) the home-page specifying URL returned from said request servicing means to access the home-page of the manufacturer's WWW site from one or more of said plurality of product-related information containing servers.

18 more elements

Method of and system for finding and serving consumer product related information over the internet using manufacturer identification numbers

Life of this patent

Method of and system for finding and serving consumer product related information over the internet using manufacturer identification numbers

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims27