WO2001022295A1

WO2001022295A1 - Systems and methods for identifying, storing and retrieving information on purchase items

Info

Publication number: WO2001022295A1
Application number: PCT/US2000/026072
Authority: WO
Inventors: Garland Todd Headrick; James Edwin Harris, Iii; Kristofer Derek Hutchinson; Stephen Andrew Hyser; Peeter Todd Mannik; Robert B. Mignone; David Hansel Whitley
Original assignee: Ultigo, Inc.
Priority date: 1999-09-23
Filing date: 2000-09-23
Publication date: 2001-03-29
Also published as: AU7831300A

Abstract

Systems and methods allow consumers (102) to bookmark items that they are interested in purchasing. Advantageously, consumers (102) can bookmark items from a plurality of different manufacturers (106) and on-line retailers (104, 112) in one convenient location. By bookmarking items, consumers (102) can be notified of any change in the status of the items, such as goods that are being discontinued, and can be notified of any special deal relating to the items. Consumers (102) can also designate when the items should be purchased as well as when the items should ship, both of which can occur at a future date. Consumers (102) can also set up their own 'MyPage' and indicate their interests. The consumer information gathered from bookmarked items and the 'MyPage' is invaluable to retailers (104, 112), manufacturers (106), publishers (108), and advertisers (110). The retailers (104, 112), manufacturers (106), publishers (108), and advertisers (110) can push incentives to the consumers (102) through the bookmarked items as well as through the 'MyPage'. These incentives may relate to the bookmarked items themselves, to comparable items, or to related items.

Description

SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR IDENTIFYING, STORING, AND RETRIEVING INFORMATION ON PURCHASE ITEMS

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a continuation-in-part of and incorporates by reference

U.S. Application No. 09/526,621 filed on March 16, 2000, entitled "Systems and Methods for Using Electronic Representations of Objects," which is a continuation-in-part of and incorporates by reference U.S. Application No. 09/500,610, filed on February 9, 2000, entitled "System and Method for Creating an Interactive Electronic Representation of an Object," which is continuation-in- part of U.S. Application No. 09/468,687, filed on December 20, 1999, entitled "System and Method for Obtaining and Displaying an Interactive Electronic Representation of a Conventional Static Media Object," which is incorporated herein by reference, and claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/174,331 , filed January 4, 2000, which is also incorporated herein by reference. The application is also a continuation-in-part of and incorporates by reference U.S. Serial No. 09/406,171 filed on September 23, 1999, entitled "System and Method for Displaying an Interactive Electronic Representation of a Corresponding Static Media Object."

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to systems and methods for providing information on goods and services and, more particularly, to systems and methods for identifying, storing and retrieving information on products, services, brands, and retailers.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is well known to connect computers and computer systems into a network of computer systems, such as the Internet. In this way, the collective resources available within the computer network may be shared among users, thus allowing each connected user to enjoy resources that would not be economically feasible to provide to each user individually.

The World Wide Web ("Web") is the Internet's multimedia information retrieval system. It is the most commonly used method of transferring data in the Internet environment. Client machines accomplish transactions to Web servers using the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), which is a known application protocol providing users access to multi-media files, such as text, graphics, images, sound, and video, using a standard page description language known as Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML) and more specifically Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). HTML provides basic document formatting and allows the developer to specify "links" to other servers and files. In the Internet paradigm, a network path to a server is identified by a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) having a specific syntax for defining a network connection.

Retrieval of information on the Web is generally achieved by the use of an HTML-compatible browser, such as Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer, at a client machine. When the user of the browser specifies a link to a web site via a URL, the client issues a request to a naming service called the Domain Name Server (DNS) to map a hostname in the URL to a particular network IP address at which the server is located. The DNS returns a list of one or more IP addresses that can respond to the request. Using one of the IP addresses, the browser establishes a connection to a server. If the server is available, it returns a document or other object formatted according to HTML. Web browsers have become the primary interface for access to many network and server services.

With the explosive growth of the Web, sharing of computer resources has been brought to a much wider audience. The Internet has expanded from a medium for research to a cultural medium for information, entertainment, audio and video broadcasts, electronic mail, electronic commerce, marketing, advertising, and on-line shopping. For instance, many organizations use web sites to advertise and sell products and services. Users may access these web sites to search for, view, and purchase various products and services. In fact, consumers routinely use or "surf the Web to shop for products and services. A consumer that desires to purchase a particular product or service using the Web must determine the URL of each web site that the consumer desires to visit. Using a browser, a consumer may specify a link via a URL to any of a number of these web sites that support on-line shopping, such as an on-line retailer, manufacturer, or an on-line catalog. For example, a consumer that desires to shop for golf clubs may specify a link to a web site supported by a manufacturer of a particular brand of golf clubs, such as Titleist or Callaway, or an on-line retailer, such as Sports Authority or Target. Typically, these web sites enable a consumer to search for and view product and pricing information regarding a variety of products and services. After viewing product and pricing information, a consumer may choose to purchase products. This is generally accomplished by placing the virtual products in a virtual shopping cart and initiating an electronic transaction. The typical electronic transaction involves inputting payment and shipping parameters, authorizing payment, and finalizing electronic payment. Some web sites that support on-line shopping also enable a consumer to create and store a list of desired products and/or services that the consumer wishes to receive from potential gift givers. The consumer may also inform a specific group of potential gift givers via electronic mail that the consumer has created the list of desired products and/or services and that they may access the web site to purchase gifts from the list for the consumer. For example, the Amazon.com web site enables a consumer to search the web site and select desired products and/or services by placing them in a personalized "Wish List." After placing the products and/or services in the "Wish List," the consumer then creates a list of people to notify via electronic mail that the consumer has created a "Wish List" on the Amazon.com web site. The web site then enables potential gift givers to access the consumer's "Wish List." The "Wish List" web page displays information related to each of the products and/or services that the consumer placed in the list, such as a description of the item, a link to more detailed information related to the product such as additional features, images of the products, a list of other items purchased by consumers who have purchased the item, editorial reviews, customer reviews, price, desired quantity, quantity already purchased, and information related to other items like those in the "Wish List." The web site also enables potential gift givers to purchase gifts for and deliver gifts to the consumer from the "Wish List."

Despite its usefulness and popularity, on-line shopping has several major limitations. For instance, conventional on-line shopping does not effectively enable comparison shopping. A consumer that desires to compare prices for specific products may waste valuable time and effort locating desired on-line retailers among the multitude of web sites. The consumer may waste additional time and effort navigating within each unique web site of multiple on-line retailers. For example, the consumer that desires to comparison shop for golf clubs must know the URL for the web sites supported by Titleist, Callaway, Sports Authority, and Target. In addition, the consumer would have to spend the time and effort to locate the specific golf clubs within each web site. Therefore, because on-line shopping requires additional effort to comparison shop, a consumer may decide not to shop for better bargains or may even decide not to shop on-line at all.

Another limitation of many conventional on-line shopping is that a consumer generally has no way of identifying and storing products and services of interest that the consumer is considering purchasing. For instance, after a consumer views various products and services and places them in a virtual shopping cart, the consumer may choose to purchase the products. If the consumer abandons the transaction, however, either by accident or by choice, the products and services in the virtual shopping cart are also abandoned. Therefore, in order to retrieve information relative to the products and services of interest, the consumer must re-navigate the web site and re-identify each product and service.

While Amazon.com does offer the "Wish List," most other sites do not allow consumers to store a list of products or services of interest to the consumer. Furthermore, the Amazon.com "Wish List" is of course limited to products available through Amazon.com. If consumers are interested in products or services at another web site that also had functionality similar to the "Wish List," then the consumers would need to create separate "Wish Lists" at multiple sites. The separate lists on a number of sites would be problematic and require additional effort on behalf of the consumers and those interested in the consumers' lists.

Although on-line retailers do not enable a consumer to store and retrieve products of interest, many web browsers do provide limited bookmark functionality, which provides a user a way of returning to a specific URL associated with a web page. Web browsers offer many options in the user interface for creating a bookmark list. Basic options let the user add and access a page through a pop-up menu on the location toolbar or through a menu pulldown from the main menu bar. For example, a user may add a bookmark to a favorite page in an on-line retailer's web site by linking to the web page, either by entering the URL or navigating within the site. Once the browser is linked to the URL, the user may open the Bookmarks menu and choose the Add Bookmarks selection. This set of actions adds the URL of the current page as an item in the Bookmarks menu.

Once created, bookmarks in the browser offer a limited way of retrieving web pages. The user can cause the browser to display a bookmark list and select among bookmarks to go directly to a favorite page. Thus, the user is not forced to enter a lengthy URL nor retrace the original tortuous route through the Internet by which the user may have arrived at the web site. Once a bookmark is added to a bookmark list, in general, the bookmark becomes a permanent part of the browser until removed.

However, bookmarks do not solve the problems associated with on-line shopping. Bookmarks are difficult to manage and organize. As the numbers of web sites and web pages on these sites have increased dramatically, so has the number of bookmarks that a typical web user maintains on a browser. It is not uncommon that hundreds of bookmarks be stored in a bookmark file after a few weeks of web browsing. While folders in some browsers have helped the user group bookmarks by category, in reality, the bookmark file is one huge list of bookmarks.

Another limitation of conventional bookmarks is that they are merely a static snapshot of a web page. Bookmarks merely create an association between the bookmark identifier and the URL corresponding to the specific web page, which may only be triggered by the user. Consequently, if the URL associated with the web page is changed, the bookmark becomes useless. In addition, if information on a web page, such as the price or availability of a product, is modified, a consumer has no way of knowing the change in status. Therefore, the consumer has the burden of actively testing and checking conventional bookmarks.

The current scheme of on-line shopping also presents several problems to on-line retailers. As mentioned above, an on-line retailer typically allows a consumer to view various products and services on the web site and place them in a virtual shopping cart for subsequent purchase. Thus, the on-line retailer only tracks actions performed by the consumer on the web site, such as products viewed, products placed in the shopping cart, and products actually purchased. As a result, the on-line retailer does not directly track the specific interests of the consumer, but instead infers consumer interests based on these indirect observations.

A further limitation of conventional on-line shopping is the difficulty in targeting advertising due to the obstacles on-line retailers encounter in receiving information related to consumer preferences and purchasing behavior. Generally, an on-line retailer merely presents the products and services that are being offered for sale and the consumer is allowed to view this information and select specific products and services to purchase. The consumer has the choice of buying or not buying. If the consumer does purchase products, the on-line retailer may send discounts, related promotional materials, or advertisements to the consumer via email. If the consumer does not purchase the products, however, the on-line retailer does not have the opportunity to offer further discounts or additional promotions or otherwise encourage the consumer to proceed with the purchase. Instead, the on-line retailer becomes dependent on the consumer initiating another connection to the on-line retailer's web site.

SUMMARY The invention addresses the problems discussed above by providing systems and methods for allowing consumers to indicate items of interest. In one embodiment of the invention, the items appear as advertisements in static media and an Internet site allows consumers to access electronic representations of the items. In addition to being able to receive the electronic representations of the items, the consumers can indicate certain ones of the items as being of interest. By marking the items as being of interest, the items are stored and are made available to the consumer for later viewing. The preferred way of indicating items of interest is by bookmarking the items.

The bookmarking of items provides a number of advantages to those involved in the sale of the items. For instance, retailers can offer special incentives to consumers who have bookmarked some of the items that they sell. The retailers can also notify consumers of any change in status in the items, such as discontinued items. Manufacturers are able to communicate directly with the consumers and offer rebates and obtain valuable information on consumer interests. Advertisers can obtain useful information about the effectiveness of advertisements, such as the percentage of consumers that both viewed an advertisement and who also indicated the items as being of interest. Additional benefits to these entities and other entities are described below in more detail. The consumers preferably sign-up for the Internet service and enter personal information, such as name, gender, marital status, profession, address, and interests. This personal information also relates to preferred brands or manufacturers, preferred retailers, and preferred publications. The consumers can also be signed-up or sign-up through another entity, such as the consumers' credit card company or other payment facilitator. From this personal information, the consumer can receive advertisements, special offers, and other communications about items that may be of interest. These communications may be presented to the consumer through the consumer's own personal "MyPage." Through this "MyPage," consumers can gain access to the items that they bookmarked, can view the amount of points or other incentives that they have accumulated, can quickly view or gain access to information on their preferred retailers, brands, and publications.

The bookmarking of items can occur at any site, and preferably occurs at more than one site. In the preferred embodiment, consumers can go to one site, such as RetailStreet.com, and view all of the items that have been bookmarked. At this one site, consumers can also add items to their bookmarked items. The consumers are also able to view bookmarked items at other sites as well as bookmark additional items. For instance, consumers can go to Macy's site and view items that Macy's carries that have been bookmarked, perhaps at another site. Further, consumers can bookmark new items as the consumers visit the Macy's site.

The consumers preferably are able to purchase the items on-line, as well as the bookmarked items. When the consumers initiate a purchase on-line, the system preferably allows the consumers to complete the transaction through a default payment facilitator whereby the consumer need not enter sensitive financial information. Consumers can also delay the actual purchase by indicating a date for when the purchase should occur and/or can also delay shipment by indicating the date when the item should be shipped.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of the specification, illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention and, together with the description, disclose the principles of the invention. In the drawings: Figure 1 is a block diagram of a system according to a preferred embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is a screen shot of a system login web page for the system according to the preferred embodiment of the invention; Figures 3a to 3d are screen shots of a sign up web page for the system according to the preferred embodiment of the invention;

Figures 4a and 4b are screen shots of a my page web page for the system according to the preferred embodiment of the invention;

Figures 5a to 5f are screen shots of an IER display web page of an interface for the system according to the preferred embodiment of the invention;

Figures 6a and 6b are screen shots of a product and related items display web page of an interface for the system according to the preferred embodiment of the invention;

Figure 7 is a screen shot of a bookmarked items web page of an interface for the system according to the preferred embodiment of the invention;

Figure 8 is a screen shot of a sports and fitness bookmarked items web page of an interface, showing parent objects and child objects, for the system according to a preferred embodiment of the invention;

Figure 9 is a screen shot of a my information web page of an interface for the system according to a preferred embodiment of the invention;

Figure 10 is a screen shot of a my favorites web page of an interface for the system according to a preferred embodiment of the invention;

Figure 11 is a screen shot of a clothes and accessories bookmarked items web page of an interface, showing parent objects and child objects and including links to "Auto Shop Price" and "Auto Shop Location" functionalities, for the system according to a preferred embodiment of the invention; and

Figure 12 is a screen shot of a bookmarked items web page of an interface, including links to "Auto Shop Price" and "Auto Shop Location" functionalities, for the system according to the preferred embodiment of the invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Systems and methods according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

I. OVERVIEW

Figure 1 shows the connectivity of a system 100 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The system 100 interfaces with, among other entities, consumers 102, retailers 104, manufacturers 106, publishers 108, and advertisers 1 10. For the purpose of this description, retailers 104 includes brick-and-mortar retailers, catalog retailers, and on-line retailers 112. The system 100 may be connected to consumers 102, retailers 104, manufacturers 106, publishers 108, advertisers 1 10, on-line retailers 112, and any other entity via public or private packet-switched or other data networks including the Internet, circuit switched networks such as the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), wireless networks, or any other desired communications infrastructure 1 14 using any communication device, such as computer, personal digital assistant, telephone, wireless telephone, or any other suitable device for communicating with communications infrastructure 114.

Consumers 102 may access the system 100 with any suitable product or device. For example, some non-limiting examples of such products and devices include computers both desk-top and lap-top, Personal Data Assistants (PDAs), mobile radiotelephones, telephone-response devices, voice response units, or any other hand-held device. With the invention, consumers 102 can therefore use any type of device to access the Internet. Retailers 104 include but are not limited to any organization that sells goods and or services to consumers 102, such as traditional brick-and-mortar retailers, catalog retailers, service providers, wholesalers, any merchant, or any other entity engaging in commerce with consumers 102. It should be understood that some entities that manufacturer goods or provide a service may also be a retailer of goods or services. Thus, for the purposes of this description, any reference to a retailer should be construed as including manufacturers and service providers. Furthermore, manufacturers 106 refer to any entity that is the source of goods or services and thus encompasses service providers. Consumers 102 include individuals, businesses, or any other entity that purchases products and /or services. Publishers 108 may be any entity that distributes any information, through print or electronic media, depicting products and /or services for sale. Online retailers 112 may be any entity that sells products and/or services to consumers 102 via communication infrastructure 1 14 or any other suitable means of engaging in electronic commerce. Static media objects 116 include both traditional and conventional publications, including physical publications, such as magazines, catalogs, newspapers, pamphlets, and other similar physical publications, electronic publications, such as web pages on the Internet, publications available on CD- ROM, digital images, and other like electronic publications, any presentation depicting products and/or services for sale, or any other real-life image known or observed by consumers 102.

II. ACCESSING ELECTRONIC PRODUCT AND SERVICE

INFORMATION Systems and methods according to the present invention enable consumers

102 to view, access, store, and retrieve information related to products and/or services. In the preferred embodiment, the information related to products and or services are in the form of an interactive electronic representation (IER). Reference is made to related patent applications Serial Nos. 09/526,621, 09/500,610, 09/468,687, 60/174,331, and 09/406,171 ("Related Applications") for additional details on creating, using, displaying, and accessing IERs. While the invention will be described with reference to an IER, it should be understood that the invention encompasses the use of other electronic representations of products and services, such as GIF or JPEG images, video, or even just text. With reference to Figures 1 - 10, a preferred embodiment of an interface, such as a web site, supported by the system 100 will now be described. As shown in Figure 1, a consumer 102 accesses static media objects 116. Static media objects 116 have a unique identification tag 118 which can be used to create a unique association between static media object 116 and a related IER of the static media object 116.

The system 100 enables a consumer 102 to use a unique identification tag 118 to access the IER of a static media object 116. Figure 2 shows a screen shot of a web page that enables consumer 102 to gain access to the system 100 by entering a user ID and password. As shown in Figures 3a - 3d, if consumer 102 is not an authorized user, consumer 102 may gain access by filling out a sign up page. As described in more detail in the Related Applications, consumer 102 may also gain access to system 100 if consumer 102 is a customer or member of a third party entity, such as a payment facilitator or a membership organization, that has an existing arrangement or affiliation with system 100. Thus, the consumer 102 may sign up directly with the system 100 or may sign up through some third party, which may be a payment facilitator but which may also be a retailer 104, manufacturer 106, publisher 108, advertiser 110, or on-line retailer 112. The sign up page enables consumer 102 to define a user profile, which includes information such as user identification information and areas of interest to consumer 102 related to topics such as news, information, arts, entertainment, personal finance, hobbies, sports, life interests, and shopping. Based on the information provided by consumer 102, the system 100 creates a personalized web page, such as a "MyPage" web page, which is shown in Figures 4a and 4b, for the consumer 102. After gaining access to the system 100, the consumer 102 may access the IER of static media object 116. For example, while reading an article in Sports Illustrated, consumer 102 may notice a static media object 116 such as a page showing Michael Jordan hitting a golf shot at a Celebrity Pro- Am golf tournament. Consumer 102 may be interested in purchasing the same golf clubs used by Michael Jordan. According to the invention, the system 100 enables consumer 102 to access information related to the golf clubs. For instance, the Sports Illustrated page may have unique identification tag 118 "SI.0999.7" printed on the page. As shown in Figures 4a and 4b, consumer 102 can access an IER of the page by entering the unique identification tag 118 "SI.0999.7" in the text box at the bottom of the "MyPage" web page. If a proper unique identification tag 118 is entered, the system 100 enables the consumer 102 to view the IER. Although in the preferred embodiment consumer 102 can view the IER of static media object 116 on a web site supported by the system 100, the system 100 may also direct consumer 102 to any other web site, such as a web site supported by on-line retailers 112 or any other suitable web site. Reference is made to the Related Applications for additional ways of using a code to access information on products and services and for additional ways of accessing on-line information from static media. For instance, as set forth in the Related Applications, a consumer can use a scanner, reader, or other hand held devices in obtaining on-line information. In alternative embodiments, unique identification tag 118 may be embodied within a bar code or any identifiable encoded graphic, which is capable of being identified by a scanning device or any identification device attached to a computer, such as those employed by Digital Convergence, Inc., and may be automatically passed to system 100 via an interface such as a web site or any other web site utilizing technology of the present invention. Thus, these hand held devices include those offered by Digitalconvergence.com, Neomedia, and Digimark, as well as other types of devices.

In addition to entering the unique identification tag, the system 100 allows consumers to access the electronic product and service information in other ways. As described in more detail in the Related Applications, consumers can perform a search by key word, product name, product number, product category, brand, retailer, or publication. Consumers can also perform searches by thumb nail image or by cover page, which enable consumers to search and view images and IERs of cover pages for particular publications. Consumers can also access electronic product and service information on web sites of other entities, such as retailers 104, manufacturers 106, publishers 108, advertisers 110, on-line retailers 112, or any other entity, provided that the web site is supported by system 100. Other ways of accessing electronic product and service information will be apparent to those skilled in the art and are encompassed by the invention.

In the preferred embodiment, the system 100 is operated separately from the other entities, such as the retailers 104 manufacturers 106, publishers 108, advertisers 110, and on-line retailers 112. In other embodiments of the invention, however, the system 100 may be operated by another entity or may be operated in conjunction with the other entity. Thus, some or all of the functionality described in conjunction with the system 100 may reside at the retailer 104, manufacturer 106, publisher 108, advertiser 110, or on-line retailer 112.

For instance, the bookmarking functionality preferably can be performed both through an entity operating the system 100, such as RetailStreet.com, as well as through other entities, such as one of the retailers 104. Consumers can view the bookmarked items both at the RetailStreet.com site as well as at the other entity's site. In this manner, consumers can have a traveling bookmark and can see their bookmarked items at more than just one site. Further, consumers can bookmark items at more than site.

As discussed above, the IERs may be stored by more than one entity, such as RetailStreet.com and a retailer 104, preferably the on-line retailer 112. The on- line retailer 112 or even a manufacturer 106 queries the system 100 for the information and delivers the information to the consumer 102. From the consumer's perspective, the IER and all other information can appear as though it was stored by the retailer's site. Conversely, as another example, the system 100 may obtain some information from the on-line retailer 112 and deliver it to the consumers 102. In this example, from the consumer's perspective, the IER and all other information can appear as though it originated from a site associated with the system 100. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that there are a number of ways of framing information and otherwise delivering information to consumers 102 from more than one site or source of information. III. USING ELECTRONIC PRODUCT AND SERVICE INFORMATION Referring again to the example of static media object 116 in a magazine, such as Sports Illustrated, Figures 5a - 5f show a series of screen shots of a web page supported by the system 100 displaying an IER of static media object 116, in which each screen shot displays information relating to a different object within the IER. For instance, Figure 5a illustrates a screen shot where the cursor is placed over the object associated with "Guess Golf Men's Pants." Figure 5b illustrates a screen shot where the cursor is placed over the object associated with "FootJoy Golf Shoes." Figure 5c illustrates a screen shot where the cursor is placed over the object associated with "Guess Golf Men's Zipper Knit." Figure 5d illustrates a screen shot where the cursor is placed over the object associated with "Chrome Plated Citizen Watch." Figure 5e illustrates a screen shot where the cursor is placed over the object associated with "FootJoy Golf Gloves." Figure 5f illustrates a screen shot where the cursor is placed over the object associated with "Callaway Golf Clubs." The system 100 enables consumer 102 to obtain further information about the Callaway Golf Clubs by selecting the object associated with the golf clubs, such as by placing a cursor over the object using a computer peripheral, such as a mouse, and clicking a button on the mouse.

Figures 6a and 6b show screen shots of a product display web page that enables consumer 102 to view additional information related to the object in the IER, such as product description, price, nearby locations of retailers 104. carrying the product, other related items, and any other information relevant to purchasing the product. The system 100 enables consumer 102 to purchase the product electronically using the web site supported by the system 100, via available on-line retailers 112, through catalog retailers, as well as brick-and-mortar retail stores. Other uses of the IERs and other types of electronic product and service information are described in the Related Applications and are encompassed by the invention. IV. STORING PRODUCT AND SERVICE INFORMATION

In another aspect of the present invention, the system 100 enables consumer 102 to store the information related to the product. For example, as shown in Figures 6a and 6b, consumer 102 may store the information related to the product of interest by selecting the "Bookmark It" link. Alternatively, the system 100 may automatically store the information related to the product of interest as it is being viewed by consumer 102. The system 100 preferably stores the same information related to the product of interest as displayed to consumer 102, such as product description, price, nearby locations of retailers 104 carrying the product, other related items, and any other information related to purchasing the product. The system 100 can also associate an image or icon to the product information to enable consumer 102 to easily identify the graphic or icon with the product of interest.

In the preferred embodiment, the information that is associated with a bookmarked item is stored in a pre-defined product category folder in a database residing on and supported by the system 100. A single folder may hold information on one or more of the items and may comprise a separately named file, may reside in a separate directory, or may share space in a file or directory with other folders. The system 100 preferably defines a number of product category folders based on a naming scheme that identifies various products and/or service categories such as arts and entertainment, automotive, books, clothes and accessories, computing, home and office, consumer electronics, gift certificates and ideas, home and garden, kids stuff, services, sports and fitness, travel and leisure, and any other naming scheme, such as employed by various web search engines.

The system 100 also enables consumer 102 to retrieve the information related to the products of interest that were stored. Figure 7 shows a screen shot of a "Bookmarked Items" web page supported by the system 100 that displays the bookmarked items by category for the consumer 102. As discussed above, the functionality and features of the system 100 may in part or in whole be practiced by another entity, such as one of the on-line retailers 112. The bookmarking of items can therefore occur not only on a site associated with the system 100 but may also or alternatively occur at another location, such as the on-line retailer 112. For instance, a consumer 102 may have items from a plurality of retailers bookmarked in a site associated with the system. The consumer's 102 bookmark is preferably able to travel, at least to some degree, with the consumer 102 as the consumer goes to other locations on the Internet. With this traveling bookmark, the consumer can go to Macy's site and view the items available in Macy's that the consumer has bookmarked. The information regarding bookmarked items can therefore be passed not only from the system 100 to one of the other entities but also in the opposite direction from one of the other entities to the system 100. In this way, the system 100 preferably maintains the most up-to-date and accurate information regarding the bookmarked items.

V. RETRIEVING PRODUCT AND SERVICE INFORMATION

Consumer 102 may access bookmarks within each category by selecting the desired category or may access all bookmarks. For example, Figure 8 shows a screen shot of a web page displaying the bookmarked items in the "Sports and Fitness" product category. Consumer 102 may retrieve the information related to products of interest that have been bookmarked by selecting the corresponding image or icon. As shown in Figure 8, consumer 102 may retrieve the product information related to Callaway Golf Clubs by selecting the corresponding image or icon. After retrieving the product information, the consumer 102 observes the information related to the product of interest, such as product description, price, nearby locations of retailers 104 carrying the product, other related items, and any other information relevant to purchasing the product. The consumer 102 is also given the opportunity to purchase the product on-line, such as through the system 100 or through retailers 112.

As will be described in more detail below, when the consumer 102 retrieves a bookmarked item, the system 100 enables the consumer 102 to view communications from retailers 104, on-line retailers 112, or manufacturers 106 relating to the product. The consumer 102 can also receive communications from the entity operating the system 100. These communications may relate to award points or other incentives accumulated through use of the system 100 or other notices regarding membership with the system 100. The system 100 preferably uses a flashing symbol but may employ any visual or audio signal to notify consumer 102 of such communications. Furthermore, the system 100 may use a number of different symbols to reflect different types of communications, such as a flashing hot chili pepper to represent a hot deal and another symbol to indicate a change in the status of the item, such as its availability. The system 100 preferably provides retailers 104, on-line retailers 112, or manufacturers 106 access to information related to the bookmarked items stored by consumers 102. The system 100 also enables retailers 104, on-line retailers 112, or manufacturers 106 to notify consumers 102 of new information relating to products and/or services corresponding to a bookmarked item. Retailers 104, on-line retailers 112, or manufacturers 106 may also notify consumers 102 of discounts, promotional offers, or any other changes in the availability or status of the product and/or service.

The system 100 also enables consumers 102 to create personalized folders. For example, consumer 102 may create folders, such as "My Dream House," "Christmas Shopping," or any other personalized folder, for storing products and/or services related to particular events or circumstances. As consumer 102 accesses and views IERs and products and/or services related to objects in the IER, the system 100 enables consumer 102 to store interested items in the personalized folders. In the preferred embodiment, the product information is stored in the pre-defined product category folder and a copy is also stored in the personalized folder. The system 100 enables consumer 102 to retrieve the information and purchase the product or service from either the personalized folder or the pre-defined product category folder. The system 100 also enables consumers 102 to allow other consumers to access bookmarked items and purchase the products and/or services stored. For example, a consumer 102 may define a "Wedding Registry" folder and store products and/or services in this folder. Consumers 102 may also define a list of consumers authorized to access the folder and purchase products and/or services from the folder.

VI. MY PAGE

As shown in Figures 4a and 4b, system 100 enables a consumer 102 to create a personalized web page, such as a "MyPage" web page. Consumer 102 may create a "MyPage" on a web site provided by system 100 or any other web site of other entities, such as retailers 104, manufacturers 106, publishers 108, advertisers 110, on-line retailers 112, or any other entity, provided that the other web site is supported by system 100. Figure 9 shows a screen shot of a personalized web page that enables consumer 102 to view consumer information, such as user ID, user name, address, and any other relevant information about consumer 102. As shown in Figure 4a and 4b, the system 100 also enables consumers 102 to create, view, and edit a list of favorites, including favorite brands, magazines and magazine types, recreational activities, retailers, travel destinations, and any other information relevant to consumer interests. The system 100 enables retailers 104, manufacturers 106, on-line retailers 112, publishers 108, and other entities to access a list of favorites for consumers 102. Based on the information in the list of favorites, retailers 104, manufacturers 106, on-line retailers 112, and publishers 108 may send information to consumers 102 related to products and/or services of potential interest to consumers 102. As shown in Figure 10, assuming consumers 102 specifies a favorite retailer 104, such as Bloomingdales, retailer 104 may present to consumers 102 on a portion of the personalized web page corresponding to favorite retailers information related to various products and or services offered by retailer 104 that may be of interest to consumer 102. Consumers 102 may view, interact with, or purchase products related to the information presented by retailer 104 in any of the ways described above with respect to IERs or in any other suitable way. Through the "MyPage," consumers 102 can also access their bookmarked items. The consumers 102 preferably receive communications from retailers 104, manufacturers 106, publishers 108, advertisers 110, and on-line retailers 112 through the "MyPage." As mentioned above, the system 100 may use a number of different symbols to communicate with the consumers 102 and to notify the consumers 102 of a communication.

VII. SHOPPING ASSISTANT

The system 100 preferably also provides shopping assistance to the consumers 102. One manner in which the system 100 can provide such assistance is in the purchasing of items. As described in greater detail in the Related Applications, payment facilitators may become affiliated with the system 100 and solicit consumers 102 to sign up with the system 100, such as with RetailStreet.com. By signing up, when the consumer 102 initiates a purchase on- line, the payment facilitator becomes a default method of payment and the consumer need not enter sensitive financial information, such as a credit card number and expiration date. Other information, such as the shipping information, is preferably prepopulated so the consumer 102 does not have to enter this information if it is correct. Another manner in which the system 100 provides shopping assistance is in its flexibility with regard to date of payment and shipping date. When a consumer 102 bookmarks an item, the consumer 102 is preferably given the options of purchasing the item right away or of setting the date in the future for when the item should be purchased. Under the former option, the consumer 102 completes the purchase and is then prompted to enter preferences with regard to shipping dates. The system 100 allows the consumer 102 to select either to have the item shipped as soon as possible or the consumer 102 can delay shipping until a certain date. For instance, the consumer 102 may purchase a birthday gift for a spouse but not want the item shipped until just prior to the spouse's birthday. The consumer 102 is also preferably given options with regard to method of shipping, such as regular mail, first class, overnight delivery, or by "Will Call" with notification, as will be described below in more detail.

To delay the purchase date, the consumer 102 selects a Delayed Purchase option and is then prompted to enter the date when payment should occur. Prior to the designated purchase date, the system 100 sends the consumer 102 an advance notification that the purchase will occur and gives the consumer 102 an opportunity to cancel the purchase. The system 100 provides the notification on the consumer's "MyPage," such as with a flashing money sign "$" or some other symbol, and preferably also allows the consumer 102 to input how notification should occur, such as to a certain email address, via voice mail, regular mail, etc. The system 100 preferably sends the notification a certain period of time prior to the designated purchase date, such as one week, but may also allow the consumer 102 to indicate when the notification should occur. With regard to notification, the system 100 displays the selected symbol, such as the money sign "$," only when the consumer 102 has a delayed purchase established for any item. The system 100 then flashes money sign "$" prior to the consummation of the purchase thereby providing some advance warning to allow the consumer 102 to cancel the purchase. After the purchase has been completed, the system 100 sends the consumer 102 a notification that the purchase has been completed. Again, the system 100 can provide this notice through the "MyPage," email, voice mail, regular mail, etc.

Another way in which the system 100 provides shopping assistance to consumers is by providing information on where or how items may be purchased. As shown in Figure 6b, the system 100 provides information on the locations of retailers, a map to the retailers, and how the items may be purchased on-line. In addition to providing information on each individual item, the system 100 also provides shopping assistance on a group of items. Through an "Auto Shop" functionality, the system 100 allows consumers 102 to provide purchase options on the collective group of items. One option with this "Auto Shop" that can be selected by the consumer 102 is for the system 100 to identify how all of the items may be purchased with the least number of transactions. As shown in Figures 1 1 and 12, the consumer 102 may initialize this functionality by selecting an "Auto Shop Location" button or icon. For example, the system 100 may find the one retail location that has all of the items placed in the search query with this one location being a retailer 104, such as an on-line retailer 112, catalog retailer, or brick-and-mortar retailer. As shown in Figures 1 1 and 12, another option with the "Auto Shop" that can be selected by the consumer 102 is for the system 100 to determine how the items may be purchased for the least amount of money. For example, the consumer can initialize this functionality by selecting an "Auto Shop Price" button or icon. As yet another option with the "Auto Shop," a consumer 102 can ask the system 100 to determine how items may be purchased to maximize award points or other incentives.

A further manner in which the system 100 provides shopping assistance is through a "Will Call" functionality. With "Will Call," consumers 102 purchase items on-line but then pick the items up rather than having the items shipped.

Prior to completing the purchase, the system 100 indicates whether "Will Call" is available for an item and may also identify participating retailers. The system 100 preferably also performs a check of inventory to ensure that "Will Call" is possible and to determine when the item may be picked up by the consumer 102.

VIII. WEB SITE SUPPORTED BY SYSTEM

As described above, the system 100 enables consumers 102 to store and retrieve information related to products of interest using an interface such as a web site. The system 100 has a database that enables each consumer 102 to access and store personalized information in a secure portion of the database. Each consumer may store information, such as consumer identification information, information related to favorite retailers, manufacturers, brands, magazines, or catalogs, and bookmarks of information related to products and/or services of interest. The system 100 associates each product and/or service supported by the system with a pre-defined product categories. Therefore, when consumer 102 stores the information related to a product and/or service, the system 100 automatically places the information into the corresponding product category folder located in the portion of the database associated with consumer 102.

The invention is not limited in the way that product and/or service information is tied to consumers. One possible way is to have a multi-level naming convention for all items and to store the item information according to a code derived from the naming convention. Under a four-level naming convention, items are first broken down into general categories, such as Arts and Entertainment, Automotive, Books, Clothing and Accessories, and the other categories shown in Figure 7. Within each category, the items are further classified. Under "Clothes & Accessories," the next level of classification could be between Men, Women, Boy, and Girl. The third level within Women can include Casual, Active, Dress, Formal and then within Casual can be Blouses, Belts, Scarves, Shoes, and Slacks. Each of the levels is also coded whereby Clothes & Accessories is coded "04," Women is coded "02," Casual is coded "01," and Shoes is coded "03." Thus, a pair of Casual shoes for Women is coded "04020103."

Along with the coded naming convention, the system 100 also stores information related to the identity of the items themselves as well as retailers and manufacturer information. The identity of the items may be coded as well to conserve space in the database, such as by storing the Universal Product Code (UPC) information for the items instead of storing the full item name.

The system 100 notifies all authorized and interested entities after a consumer 102 bookmarks an item. The system 100 may issue a notification to each interested entity each time a consumer bookmarks an item or, alternatively, may issue the notification on a periodic basis whereby the notification may provide information on a plurality of items bookmarked by more than one consumer. In the preferred embodiment, the entities that are notified include the manufacturers 106 and any retailer 104 or on-line retailer 112, publisher 108 or advertiser 110 that the manufacturer 106 has granted sufficient permissions. As described in more detail in the Related Applications, an administrative tool allows entities to access the database in the system 100. With this access, entities can perform a number of queries, such as determining how many consumers 102 have a particular item or type of item bookmarked. Through the information transmitted to the various entities and from the ability of the entities to access the information stored by the system 100, the various entities gain valuable information on consumers 102, their interests, and items bookmarked. All of this consumer information allows the entities to formulate appropriate responses and to otherwise benefit from the system 100. These responses include sending special deals to the consumers or select groups of consumers who have bookmarked an item, a related item, or a particular type of item. Another type of response is sending special deals to consumers or group of consumers based on interests expressed or implied through the "MyPages." The benefits of the system 100 to the various entities are described below in greater detail. In addition to tracking IERs that were viewed by consumers 102, IERs or items that were bookmarked, attempted purchases by consumers 102, and actual purchases, the system 100 also tracks the responses or actions by the manufacturers 106, on-line retailers 112, retailers 104, publishers 108, and advertisers 110. Thus, the system 100 tracks such data as what deals or discounts are offered on items and what items are advertised or shown as related items.

By knowing both the actions or responses by manufacturers 106, on-line retailers 112, retailers 104, publishers 108, and advertisers 110 and corresponding reactions by consumers 102, the system 100 can gather intelligence on the purchasing behavior of consumers 102. This intelligence can be gathered by groups of consumers, such as by sex, age, geographic location, income, items purchased, or by other purchase information including total amount purchased. With this intelligence, the system 100 can estimate the reaction of consumers 102 or groups of consumers 102 and offer advice as to a suitable response from a manufacturer 106, on-line retailer 112, retailer 104, publisher 108, or advertiser 110. The system 100 may offer advice as to the type and amount of a deal provided to consumers 102 and furthermore what consumers 102 should receive the deal. For example, a retailer 104 may have items that it wants to clear out of inventory and may query the system 100 as to how to achieve a certain profit on the items and/or sell the items by a certain date. Based on historical data, the system 100 can state that the amount of likely sales resulting from different types of deals. The system 100 can also state the likely amount of sales from various group of consumers 102, such as by geographic region, sex, age, income, etc.

IX. BENEFITS A. RETAILERS

Retailers 104 can benefit from the bookmarking, "MyPage" features, and intelligence on consumers' reactions by obtaining valuable consumer data. For instance, retailers 104 can leam the status of items, such as whether they are bookmarked or not, the length of time the items have been bookmarked, the number of attempts that a particular potential consumer 102 tried to purchase items, as well as the number of items bookmarked. As discussed above, the intelligence gathered by the system 100 also relates to the likely reaction of consumers 102 to a particular deal or advertising.

In general, all of this consumer data allows retailers 104 to better understand their consumers 102. Retailers 104 can use this information in targeting their goods or services to consumers 102, such as by targeting their advertising. Retailers 104 can also use this consumer data in the management of their goods and services. For instance, retailers 104 can use the consumer data gained from bookmarking and "MyPage" in selecting goods and services, defining goods and services, and in controlling inventory. For inventory, retailers 104 can factor in data gathered from bookmarked items, "MyPage," and consumer reaction intelligence with the purchasing of goods or services, both the selection and quantity. The retailers 104 can also control inventory by pushing it in certain directions, such as through a brick-and-mortar store, through a catalog, or through on-line sales. The consumer data is also useful information in the pricing of the goods and services. On a higher level, the data available through the system 100 can factor in on the decision to open or close stores as well as the location of stores. Furthermore, the demographic data gathered from bookmarked items and "MyPage" may factor in on managing the distribution of goods or services throughout a retailer's 104 various locations. The retailers 104 that have an online presence may also use the consumer data to push to the visitors information regarding the retailers' 104 site. For instance, this push may relate to an advertisement for the site or for goods or services on the site, may offer incentives to purchase on-line, or may notify the consumer 102 of a change in status, such as a change in price or availability.

Retailers 104 that are additionally e-tailers gain some additional advantages from the consumer data. The e-tailers can use the demographic data gathered on the visitors to a site and the management of advertising campaigns on the on-line site, such as the pricing of advertisements and selection of advertisers 110. Retailers 104 that have an on-line presence may alter or otherwise manage the layout of the site based on information gathered from the consumer data. For instance, the retailer may leam that purchasers of a certain pair of shoes are likely to purchase a sweater and the retailer can, in turn, use this related information to present both items to a potential consumer 102 when one of the items is requested. Additionally, the retailer may use the consumer data to personalize the on-line experience of its visitors. The retailer may alter the advertising, goods or services offered, or otherwise alter the information delivered to a visitor based on the retailer's knowledge of that particular visitor.

Retailers 104 that have catalogs may also benefit in additional ways from obtaining the information gathered by the system 100. For instance, as discussed above the retailers 104 may leam that consumers 102 that purchase a certain pair of shoes commonly purchase a sweater. In laying out a catalog or when printing ads, retailers 104 can place the shoes on the same page as the sweater, such as within the same image. The retailers 104 having catalogs can communicate directly with the consumers 102 on-line and offer incentives or otherwise encourage use of the catalog.

Retailers 104 that have brick-and-mortar stores also benefit in new ways from the consumer data gathered through use of the system 100. The brick-and- mortar retailers 104 can communicate directly with the consumers 102 on-line, which may be the only on-line way of communicating with consumers 102 for some retailers 104. With this line of communication, the retailers 104 can notify or otherwise push consumers 102 to their stores. As discussed above, consumers 102 can be presented with information on retailers 104 as well as the location of retailers 104 offering particular items. In addition to this notification to consumers 102, the brick-and-mortar retailers 104 can send e-mails or place notifications on the "MyPages" or near bookmarked items. These communications may notify the consumers 102 of special sales at the brick-and-mortar retailers 104 or special discounts or incentives for that particular consumer 102. Brick-and-mortar retailers 104 may also use information gathered from bookmarked items and "MyPages" in the lay-out of their stores.

B. MANUFACTURERS

In addition to retailers 104, manufacturers 106 can also benefit from bookmarking of items and the "MyPages." Significantly, the bookmarked items and the "MyPages" allow manufacturers 106 to communicate directly with the consumers 102, thereby bypassing distributors and the retailers 104. In having such a communication link opened, manufacturers 106 can leam a great deal from the consumers 102. The manufacturers 106 can use this information in the products or services that they offer, such as by altering existing products or services, offering new products or services, or canceling products or services. Manufacturers 106 can also use the information gathered from consumers 102 in their advertising so that the goods or services are targeted more closely to the consumers 102 that actually purchase their products or services. Additionally, the manufacturers 106 can use the consumer data in the pricing of their goods or services and also in the packaging. Furthermore, the direct link to the consumers 102 allows manufacturers 106 to offer rebates on their products or services and to push related goods or services.

Manufacturers 106 can use the consumer data to structure or modify its relationship with retailers 104, including on-line retailers 112. Through the consumer data, manufacturers 106 can leam about the sale of their goods or services relative to other manufacturers 106 having goods offered through the same retailer 104. Armed with this knowledge, manufacturers 106 can negotiate over the placement of their goods or services within a store or placement within a site. Manufacturers 106 can also use the information in negotiations over financial terms with the retailer 106 or in other aspects of the relationship, such as the placement of the manufacturer's logo on the retailer's 112 web site.

C. ADVERTISERS As discussed above with reference to retailers 104 and manufacturers 106, the consumer data gathered from bookmarked items and "MyPages" offers valuable demographic data to advertisers 110. With this information, advertisers 110 can target their advertisements more closely to consumers 102 that actually purchase the particular goods or services. Additionally, the advertisers 110, as well as manufacturers 106, retailers 104, and publishers 108, can monitor the effectiveness of the advertisements. The response of an advertisement is broken down into groups of consumers 102, such as by age, gender, geographic location, income bracket, etc. The advertisers 110 may monitor which advertisements are actually viewed on-line, which result in consumers 102 bookmarking a particular product or service, the rate at which consumers 102 attempt to purchase particular goods or services, and the success rate resulting from an actual purchase of the goods or services.

Additionally, the advertisers 110 can use information gathered from the system 100 in the formation of lifestyle ads. For instance, advertisers 110 may learn than consumers 102 that purchase a pair of shoes are likely to purchase a certain sweater. The advertisers 1 10 then design the lifestyle advertisements so that a person is wearing both the shoes and the sweater. In other words, the advertisers can use the consumer data in the selection and arrangement of items in the lifestyle advertisements. Moreover, with the data from the system 100, the advertisers 1 10 can compare the effectiveness of related advertisements. For example, the same model with the same background or pose may appear in two different advertisements, but with the clothing that the model is wearing differing between the advertisements. These advertisements, furthermore, may appear in different publications. The advertisers 1 10 can compare the reaction to the advertisements by the consumers 102 according to age, gender, geographic location, income, etc. This feedback can then be used in the formation of subsequent advertisements and the selection of the advertisements for publications.

D. CONSUMERS

Consumers 102 benefit from being able to bookmark items and to create their "MyPages." One way consumers 102 benefit is that they can simply bookmark items of interest and store those bookmark items in a common area. The consumers 102 need not keep track of the items they are interested in by bookmarking the items with their browser but instead can easily and quickly go to a single location and see all of the items. Significantly, consumers 102 can view goods and services from a plurality of manufacturers 106 and retailers 104, including on-line e-tailers, brick-and-mortar stores, and catalog retailers 104. Consumers 102 can also leam of related items from other manufacturers 106 or retailers. For instance, in bookmarking one item, consumers 102 can be notified of a competing brand of that item or can leam of related items through the "MyPage." For instance, if a consumer 102 bookmarks a particular pair of shoes, the consumer 102 can be notified of a sweater that goes well with the shoes. As another example, if the consumer 102 bookmarks a pair of Timberland shoes, the consumer 102 may be notified of a pair of Rockport shoes that compete directly with the Timberland shoes. As yet another example, if the consumer 102 bookmarks a pair of Timberland shoes from Macy's the consumer 102 can leam that Target carries the shoes and may even offer a discount on the shoes. Consumers 102 can therefore truly comparison shop on-line.

E. WEB SITE SUPPORTED BY SYSTEM

The site that offers bookmarked items or the "MyPage," such as the RetailStreet.com site, also benefits in various ways. For instance, the site is able to provide a marketplace for competing goods and services. This site is able to sell the consumer data to the retailers 104, advertisers 110, manufacturers 106, and even publishers 108. The site may also derive revenue from notifications or other communications directly to its visitors. For instance, the manufacturers 106 or retailers 104 may be charged each time they communicate with visitors that have their certain goods or services bookmarked. The site may also derive revenue from advertisements that are provided through the "MyPage" as well as revenue for directing visitors to other sites, to brick-and-mortar stores, or to a catalog retailer. The site may also use the consumer data it gathers for its own benefit. For instance, the site may process the data and deliver targeted advertising or target the content that is delivered to the visitors. Furthermore, the site may alter or otherwise adjust the layout of a site based on the consumer data. It should be understood that the bookmarking and the "MyPages" are preferably provided by RetailStreet.com site but may be provided by the retailers 104, manufacturers 106, advertisers 110, or even publishers 108. Furthermore, the bookmarking or the "MyPages" can be offered by different sites or may be offered at more than one site.

F. PUBLISHERS

The consumer data gathered through bookmarked items and "MyPages" is also of value to publishers 108. Through this information, publishers 108 can leam more about their readers and their purchasing habits. From this information, publishers 108 can control pricing of advertisements as well as the selection of advertisers 110 and arrangement of advertisements in the publication. Furthermore, publishers 108 can use the consumer data in the selection and organization of content within the magazine or other publication. The foregoing description of the preferred embodiments of the invention has been presented only for the purpose of illustration and description and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the invention and their practical application so as to enable others skilled in the art to utilize the invention and various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.

Claims

Claims:

1. A method for displaying an interactive electronic representation of a corresponding static media object, comprising: associating a static media object with a unique identification tag; receiving the identification tag; and displaying an interactive electronic representation of the static media object in response to receiving the identification tag.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: associating the interactive electronic representation of the static media object with the identification tag; and retrieving the interactive electronic representation of the static media object based upon the identification tag.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising: receiving control input selecting a portion of the interactive electronic representation of the static media object as a selected portion; and displaying additional information associated with the selected portion.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the additional information comprises purchasing information for a product identified in the selected portion of the interactive electronic representation of the static media object.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the purchasing information comprises a map to a retailer selling the product.

6. A method for displaying an interactive electronic representation of a corresponding static media object, comprising: imprinting a static media object with a unique identification tag; creating an association between the unique identification tag and an interactive electronic representation of the static media object; receiving the unique identification tag; and displaying an interactive electronic representation of the static media object in response to receiving the identification tag.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the interactive electronic representation of the static media object comprises a plurality of objects, and further comprising: receiving control input selecting one of the plurality of objects as a selected object; and in response to the selection of the selected object, displaying a second object associated with the selected object.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the unique identification tag comprises a code identifying a publication and page number of a specific instance of a print publication containing the static media object.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the code further comprises information identifying the issue and date of the specific instance of a print publication containing the static media object.

10. A method for displaying an interactive electronic representation of a corresponding static media object, comprising: imprinting a static media object with a unique identification tag; creating an association between the unique identification tag and an interactive electronic representation of the static media object comprising at least one multimedia object; receiving the unique identification tag and a user identification code; displaying an interactive electronic representation of the static media object in response to receiving the unique identification tag; receiving control input selecting one of the multimedia objects; and in response to the selection of the multimedia object, associating demographic information with the user identification code.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the demographic information comprises the identity of a product identified in the selected multimedia object.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising transmitting the demographic information to a manufacturer of the product identified in the selected multimedia object.

13. A method for displaying an interactive electronic representation of a corresponding static media object, comprising: identifying a conventional static media object with a unique identification tag, the static media object comprising electronic content; receiving the identification tag; and displaying an interactive electronic representation of the static media object in response to receiving the identification tag.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising: associating the interactive electronic representation of the static media object with the identification tag; and retrieving the interactive electronic representation of the static media object based upon the identification tag.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the interactive electronic representation comprises a reproduction of the static media object.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising: receiving control input selecting a portion of the interactive electronic representation of the static media object as a selected portion; and displaying additional information associated with the selected portion.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the additional information comprises purchasing information for a product identified in the selected portion of the interactive electronic representation of the static media object.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the purchasing information comprises a map to a retailer selling the product.

19. A method for displaying an interactive electronic representation of a corresponding static media object, comprising: identifying a static media object with a unique identification tag, the static media object including at least one of an electronic publication and a physical publication; creating an association between the unique identification tag and an interactive electronic representation of the static media object; receiving the unique identification tag; and displaying an interactive electronic representation of the static media object in response to receiving the identification tag.

20. A method for displaying an interactive electronic representation of a corresponding static media object, comprising: identifying a conventional static media object comprising electronic content with a unique identification tag; creating an association between the unique identification tag and an interactive electronic representation of the static media object including at least one multimedia object; receiving the unique identification tag and a user identification code; displaying an interactive electronic representation of the static media object in response to receiving the unique identification tag; receiving control input selecting one of the multimedia objects; and in response to the selection of the multimedia object, associating demographic information with the user identification code.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the static media object is contained within an electronic publication, the method further comprising: in response to an activation of the static media object, generating data corresponding to the unique identification tag; and forwarding the data to an application program providing the interactive electronic representation of the static media object.

22. A method for creating an interactive electronic representation of an object, comprising: obtaining a parent electronic representation of a primary object, the primary object including a plurality of secondary objects; storing the parent electronic representation in a database; displaying the parent electronic representation; identifying a region within the parent electronic representation to correspond with at least one child electronic representation of at least one secondary object; obtaining the at least one child electronic representation corresponding to the at least one secondary object of the primary object; and storing the at least one child electronic representation in the database.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the step of obtaining a parent electronic representation further comprises: determining whether the parent electronic representation is present on a personal computer device or distributed computer network; receiving one of an distributed computer network address and a file path depending upon a location of the parent electronic representation; and retrieving the parent electronic representation.

24. A method for creating an interactive electronic representation of an object, comprising: obtaining a parent electronic representation of a primary object including a plurality of secondary objects; displaying the parent electronic representation; obtaining at least one child electronic representation corresponding to at least one secondary object of the primary object; and identifying a region within the parent electronic representation that corresponds with the at least one child electronic representation of the at least one secondary object, whereby upon selection of the identified region in the parent electronic representation, the at least one child electronic representation is automatically displayed.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising: storing the parent electronic representation in a first database; storing the at least one child electronic representation in the first database; and after identifying the region within the parent electronic representation, storing the parent electronic representation, the at least one child electronic representation, and the identified region in a second database.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein obtaining a parent electronic representation further comprises: determining whether the parent electronic representation is present on a personal computer device or distributed computer network; receiving one of an distributed computer network address and a file path depending upon a location of the parent electronic representation; and retrieving the parent electronic representation.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein obtaining the at least one child electronic representation further comprises: determining whether the child electronic representation is present on a personal computer device or distributed computer network; receiving one of an distributed computer network address and a file path depending upon a location of the child electronic representation; and retrieving the child electronic representation.

28. The method of claim 24, wherein identifying an area within the parent electronic representation further comprises: detecting an activation of a screen interface device; identifying a first pair of coordinates of a screen pointer upon the first activation of the screen interface device; detecting a deactivation of a screen interface device; and identifying a second pair of coordinates of the screen pointer upon the deactivation of the screen interface device.

29. The method of claim 24, further comprising: displaying a geometrical outline of the identified region within the parent electronic representation that corresponds with the at least one child electronic representation; and receiving child information corresponding to the at least one child electronic representation.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the child information includes at least one of a unique product tag and purchasing information.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the purchasing information includes one of a physical description of the at least one secondary object, locations and phone numbers of retailers and manufacturers of the at least one secondary object, consumer preferences, product category, and associations with celebrities.

32. A method of tying static media to on-line information, comprising: associating codes with objects appearing in static media wherein the static media shows both the objects and their associated codes; making electronic representations of the objects; allowing access to the electronic representations of the objects through the Internet through use of the codes; and in response to the delivery of the electronic representation of one of the objects through the Internet, gathering data on the one object requested and on the static media in which the one object appears.

33. The method as set forth in claim 32, wherein the codes identify the object and the static media in which the object appears.

34. The method as set forth in claim 32, wherein the making comprises making available an electronic interactive representation of the object.

35. The method as set forth in claim 32, wherein the gathering also comprises gathering data on a person requesting the electronic representation.

36. The method as set forth in claim 32, wherein the making of the electronic representation comprises replicating an image of the object as it appears in the static media.

37. The method as set forth in claim 32, further comprising determining and recording compensation from delivering the electronic representation of the object.

38. The method as set forth in claim 32, further comprising allowing persons requesting on-line electronic representations to designate particular items shown in the advertisement as being of interest to them.

39. The method as set forth in claim 38, further comprising notifying the persons of any change in status of the particular items designated as being of interest to them.

40. The method as set forth in claim 39, wherein the change in status is a discounted price in the items.

41. A method of associating advertisements in static media with on-line information, comprising: placing codes in the static media along with the advertisements, the codes identifying the particular advertisement and the static media in which the advertisement appears; providing electronic representations of the advertisements wherein the electronic representations provide additional information on items shown in the advertisements; allowing access to the electronic representations of the advertisements through the Internet through use of the codes; and gathering data on at least one of (1) persons requesting the electronic representations, (2) advertisements that form a basis for a request for the electronic representation, (3) the static media that forms a basis for the request for the electronic representation, or (4) items associated with the advertisements.

42. The method as set forth in claim 41, wherein the items comprise goods or services.

43. The method as set forth in claim 41, wherein the providing of the electronic representation comprises providing an interactive electronic representation.

44. The method as set forth in claim 41, wherein the additional information comprises a price of items shown in the advertisement.

45. The method as set forth in claim 41 , wherein the additional information comprises a retailer of items shown in the advertisement.

46. The method as set forth in claim 41, wherein the additional information comprises a location of a retailer of items shown in the advertisement.

47. A method of associating viewing of static media with actual purchases of items advertised in the printed media, comprising: placing codes in the static media along with the advertisements, the codes identifying the particular advertisement and the static media in which the advertisement appears; providing electronic representations of the advertisements wherein the electronic representations provide additional information on items shown in the advertisements; allowing access to the electronic representations of the advertisements through the Internet through use of the codes; tracking persons requesting the electronic representations of particular advertisements and items appearing in the advertisements; and tracking actual purchases of items by persons who had previously requested the electronic representations.

48. A method of tying point of sale data with advertisements in static media, comprising: associating advertisements appearing in static media with codes; allowing access to electronic representations of the advertisements; tracking individuals that view the electronic representations of the advertisements; partnering with a third party for point of sale data, the third party having access to the point of sale data; obtaining the point of sale data from the third party; and analyzing data resulting from the tracking of individuals that viewed the electronic representations with the point of sale data, whereby a measure of an effectiveness of the advertisements can be derived.

49. A method of allowing a consumer to store information on items of interest on an Internet site, the method comprising: allowing the consumer to access information on the items based on advertisements that appear in static media; transmitting the information on the items for display to the consumer; receiving an indication from the consumer of the items that are of interest; storing the information on the items of interest and on the consumer that indicated that the items were of interest; and allowing the consumer to later access the information on the items that were of interest.

50. The method as set forth in claim 49, wherein the information on the items comprise interactive electronic representations.

51. The method as set forth in claim 49, wherein the transmitting of the information to the consumer occurs at a second Internet site.

52. The method as set forth in claim 49, wherein the receiving of the indication comprises receiving a bookmark request from the consumer.

53. The method as set forth in claim 49, further comprising: sending the information about the items of interest to a plurality of different entities; receiving communications from the plurality of entities regarding the items of interest; and forwarding the communications regarding the items of interest to the consumer.

54. The method as set forth in claim 49, further comprising: receiving from the consumer a date when at least one of the items should be purchased; obtaining information about a payment facilitator for effecting the purchase of the one item; and completing the purchase of the one item at the desired date.

55. The method as set forth in claim 49, further comprising: receiving from the consumer a date when at least one of the items should be shipped; obtaining information about a payment facilitator for effecting the purchase of the one item; and completing the purchase and shipping the one item at the desired date.

56. A method of allowing a plurality of entities access to potential consumers through the Internet, comprising: allowing the potential consumers to view information on the Internet about items that may be purchased, the items being associated with a plurality of different entities; providing a bookmarking functionality to the consumers to allow each consumer to create a folder containing information on a select group of items that the consumer has an interest in purchasing; storing the folder containing the information on the select group of items on behalf of the consumer; enabling the consumer to retrieve from the folder the information on the select group of items that the consumer has expressed the interest in purchasing; and forwarding consumer data to at least one of the other entities, the consumer data relating to the information on the select group of items contained in the folder.

57. The method as set forth in claim 56, further comprising: receiving a communication from the one entity in response to the forwarding of the consumer data to the one entity, the communication regarding a certain item; and relaying the communication from the one entity to the consumer.

58. The method as set forth in claim 56, wherein the allowing the potential consumers to view information on items comprises allowing the potential consumers to view items having different retailers.

59. The method as set forth in claim 56, wherein the allowing the potential consumers to view information on items comprises allowing the potential consumers to view items having different manufacturers.

60. The method as set forth in claim 56, wherein the allowing the potential consumers to view information on items comprises allowing the potential consumers to view items that are advertised in different publications and the different entities comprise different publishers.

61. The method as set forth in claim 56, wherein the allowing the potential consumers to view information on items comprises allowing the potential consumers to view items associated with different advertisers.