Generating, updating, and managing multi-taxonomy environments

A method for generating, updating, and managing multi-taxonomy environments in an electronic commerce transaction, the method comprising:

• storing product data for one or more products in one or more sellers' databases;
• categorizing the products in a master global content directory, the master global content directory coupled with the one or more sellers' databases and comprising a directory structure including a plurality of product classes organized in a hierarchy according to a first classification system, each product class categorizing a plurality of products and associated with one or more attributes of the products categorized in the product class, one or more of the product classes having one or more associated product pointers that identify one or more of the sellers' databases;
• providing a plurality of users access to the master global content directory through one or more secondary content directories, the secondary content directories coupled with the master global content directory and comprising one or more product classes organized in a hierarchy according to a second classification system that is distinct from the first classification system of the master global content directory, each product class being mapped to one or more product classes in the master global content directory and having one or more associated class pointers that identify the one or more product classes in the master global content directory to which the product class is mapped;
• receiving a selection of a product class of a secondary content directory from a user, the selected product class having at least one class pointer identifying at least one product class in the master global content directory;
• and
• in response to the selection of the product class by the user, communicating a search query to one or more sellers' databases to search product data stored in the sellers' databases identified by one or more of the pointers to facilitate a commercial transaction involving one or more products.

Software for generating, updating, and managing multi-taxonomy environments in an electronic commerce transaction, the software embodied in a computer-readable medium and operable to:

• store product data for one or more products in one or more sellers' databases;
• categorize the products in a master global content directory, the master global content directory coupled with the one or more sellers' databases and comprising a directory structure including a plurality of product classes organized in a hierarchy according to a first classification system, each product class categorizing a plurality of products and associated with one or more attributes of the products categorized in the product class, one or more of the product classes having one or more associated product pointers that identify one or more of the sellers' databases;
• provide a plurality of users access to the master global content directory through one or more secondary content directories, the secondary content directories coupled with the master global content directory and comprising one or more product classes organized in a hierarchy according to a second classification system that is distinct from the first classification system of the master global content directory, each product class being mapped to one or more product classes in the master global content directory and having one or more associated class pointers that identify the one or more product classes in the master global content directory to which the product class is mapped;
• receive a selection of a product class of a secondary content directory from a user, the selected product class having at least one class pointer identifying at least one product class in the master global content directory;
• and
• in response to the selection of the product class by the user, communicate a search query to one or more sellers' databases to search product data stored in the sellers' databases identified by one or more of the product pointers to facilitate a commercial transaction involving one or more products.

A system for generating, updating, and managing multi-taxonomy environments in an electronic commerce transaction, the method comprising:

• means for storing product data for one or more products;
• means for categorizing the products in a master global content directory, the master global content directory coupled with the one or more sellers' databases and comprising a directory structure including a plurality of product classes organized in a hierarchy according to a first classification system, each product class categorizing a plurality of products and associated with one or more attributes of the products categorized in the product class, one or more of the product classes having one or more associated product pointers that identify one or more of the sellers' databases;
• means for providing a plurality of users access to the master global content directory through one or more secondary content directories, the secondary content directories coupled with the master global content directory and comprising one or more product classes organized in a hierarchy according to a second classification system that is distinct from the first classification system of the master global content directory, each product class being mapped to one or more product classes in the master global content directory and having one or more associated class pointers that identify the one or more product classes in the master global content directory to which the product class is mapped;
• means for receiving a selection of a product class of a secondary content directory from a user, the selected product class having at least one class pointer identifying at least one product class in the master global content directory;
• and
• in response to the selection of the product class by the user, means for communicating a search query to one or more sellers' databases to search product data stored in the sellers' databases identified by one or more of the product pointers to facilitate a commercial transaction involving one or more products.