US 7,430,528 B2
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an EC-enabled storefront, looking for information on any
consumer product which is carried within the retailer's EC
enabled store; and launching a CPI search enabling GUI in
accordance with the principles of the present invention by
clicking on the HTML tag of a client-side or server-side
Applet embedded within the HTML code of the displayed
E-store Web page:
FIGS. 4P1 and 4P2 set forth graphical illustrations of Inter
net browser display Screens that might be displayed on a
client computer Subsystem hereof while shopping/browsing
at a particular catalog page in an EC-enabled Store, consider
ing whether or not to make an on-line purchase of a particular
consumer product displayed on the catalog page; and then
initiating a UPN-directed CPI search according to the prin
ciples of the present invention by clicking on the HTML tag of
a UPN-encoded client-side or server-side Applet embedded
within the HTML code of the displayed catalog page:
FIGS. 4Q1 and 4Q2 set forth graphical illustrations of
Internet browser display Screens that might be displayed on a
client computer Subsystem hereof while visiting an on-line
EC-enabled auction site (e.g. at http://www.ebay.com) when
considering whether or not to place a bid on a particular
consumer product displayed within the auction listings
thereof, and then launching a CPI search enabling GUI in
accordance with the principles of the present invention by
clicking on the HTML tag of a URL-encoded client-side or
server-side Applet embedded within the HTML code of the
displayed on-line auction Web page;
FIGS. 4R1 and 4R2 set forth graphical illustrations of
Internet browser display Screens that might be displayed on a
client computer Subsystem hereof while shopping/browsing
at a particular auction page in the EC-enabled auction site of
FIGS. 4Q1 and 4Q2, considering whether or not to place at
bid on a particular product up being auctioned, and then
initiating a UPN-directed CPI search according to the prin
ciples of the present invention by clicking on the HTML tag of
a UPN-encoded client-side or server-side Applet embedded
within the HTML code of the displayed auction page:
FIGS. 4S1 and 4S2 set forth graphical illustrations of Inter
net browser display Screens that might be displayed on a
client computer subsystem hereof while browsing a WWW
page of any business, organization or ongoing concern, see
ing an Internet product or service advertisement of particular
interest on the WWW page, and then initiating a UPN-di
rected CPI search according to the principles of the present
invention by clicking on the HTML tag of a UPN-encoded
client-side or server-side Appletembedded within the HTML
code of the displayed WWW page;
FIG. 4S3 sets forth a graphical illustration of an Internet
browser display screen that might be displayed on a client
computer Subsystem hereof in automatic response to a con
Sumer selecting a URL displayed in the "Buy On The Web”
URL category displayed on the Internet browser display
screen of FIG. 4S2, thereby enabling the purchase of the
advertised product or service at an EC-enabled store or prod
uct catalogue specified by the selected URL:
FIGS. 4T1 and 4T2 set forth graphical illustrations of
Internet browser display Screens that might be displayed on a
client computer Subsystem hereof while a consumer is
reviewing the performance chart of a particular consumer
product company displayed at a particular on-line electronic
trading WWW site (e.g. http://www/etrade.com ), consider
ing whether or not to buy, keep or sell securities (e.g. stock or
bonds) in this consumer product company, and eventually
requests specific information about the company's products
by initiating a trademark/company name-directed CPI search
according to the principles of the present invention by click
20
ing on the HTML tag of a trademark/company name-encoded
CPIR-enabling Applet embedded within the HTML code of
the displayed performance chart;
FIG. 5A is a schematic diagram illustrating the high level
5 structure of communication protocol that can be used among
the client subsystem C, the IPD Server S, and the Web
based Document Server S, (30) of the IPI Finding And
Serving Subsystem hereof when, from any particular client
Subsystem, the Subsystem is engaged is in Manufacturer/
10 Product Registration Mode of operation, requesting as input a
URL which automatically connects the client subsystem to
the Web Document Server associated with the Manufacturer/
Product Registration Subsystem of the present invention;
FIG. 5B is a schematic diagram illustrating the high level
15 structure of a communication protocol that can be used
among the client subsystem C, the IPD Server S, and the IPI
Server S of the IPI Finding and Serving Subsystem hereof
when the subsystem is in its Manufacturer Website Search
Mode of operation, requesting as input a UPN (e.g. UPC or
20 EAN) associated with a manufacturer's product, and provid
ing as output the URL of the home page of the manufacturers
Web-site and automatically displaying the same:
FIG. 5C is a schematic diagram illustrating the high level
structure of a communication protocol that can be used
25 among the client subsystemC, the IPD Server S, and the IPI
Server S of the IPI Finding And Serving Subsystem hereof
when the subsystem is in its UPN-Directed Information
Access Mode of operation, requesting as input a UPN asso
ciated with the consumer product, and providing as output the
30 set of URL(s) registered with the consumer product identified
by the UPN within the database of the system and pointing to
HTML-encoded documents containing particular types of
product-related information;
FIG.5D is a schematic diagram illustrating the high level
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structure of a communication protocol that can be used
among the client subsystem C, the IPD Server S, and the IPI
Server S of the IPI Finding And Serving Subsystem hereof
when the subsystem is in its Trademark-Directed Search
Mode of operation, requesting as input a trademark and/or
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company name, and providing as output the product descrip
tor(s) and a UPN (or set thereof) related to the trademark
within the database of the system and pointing to HTML
encoded documents containing particular types of product
45 related information;
FIG. 5E is a schematic diagram illustrating the high level
structure of a communication protocol that can be used
among the client subsystemC, the IPD Server S, and the IPI
Server S of the IPI Finding And Serving Subsystem hereof
50 when the subsystem is in its Product-Description Directed
Search Mode of operation, requesting as input a product
descriptor related to the consumer product on which informa
tion is sought and providing as output the trademark, com
pany name and URL(s) related to the product descriptor
55 within the database of the system and pointing to HTML
encoded documents containing particular types of product
related information;
FIG. 6A provides a high level flow chart illustrating the
steps involved in carrying out the communication protocol
60 shown in FIG. 5A when the IPI Finding and Serving Sub
system is in its Manufacturer/Product Registration Mode of
operation;
FIG. 6B provides a high level flow chart illustrating the
steps involved in carrying out the communication protocol
65 shown in FIG. 5B when the IPI Finding and Serving Sub
system is in its Manufacturer Website Search Mode of opera
tion;