US 7,430,528 B2
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Applet-Download/Distribution Mode of operation of the sub
system. Each of these Check Box type buttons is hot-linked to
a particular HTML-encoded document residing on the IPD
Server(s) 11 of the subsystem hereof.
While the IPI Web-site of the illustrative embodiment has
a framework characterized by three-display fields, namely,
the sponsor frame 20A, the control frame 20B, and the infor
mation display frame 200, it is understood, however, that
there may be more or fewer display frames than that shown in
FIG. 3C. Each frame will act as a separate display screen
where variables Such as web-pages, scrolling, page colors,
etc., are independently controllable.
As will become apparent hereinafter, one of the primary
functions of the client subsystems 13 hereof is to provide
UPN-driven consumer product information (CPI) GUIs
within both “physical “brick and mortar retail stores” and
“E-commerce' enabled retail stores and product catalogues.
Hereinafter, UPN-driven CPI GUIs provided within physical
retail shopping environments will be referred to as “physical
or “physically-based UPN-driven CPI kiosks, whereas
UPN-driven CPI GUIs provided within E-commerce enabled
retail shopping environments will be referred to as “cyber
UPN-driven CPI kiosks, despite the fact that these devices
may provide the Substantially the same type of consumer
product information services to consumers, retailers and
manufacturers along the retail Supply and demand chain.
Physically-based UPN-driven CPI consumer product
information kiosks will have great utility in physical retail
shopping environments. However, Such Subsystems will be of
little value to consumers browsing the Internet and shopping
at EC-enabled WWW sites, unless they are located in “brick
and mortar type retail stores wherein consumers are pro
vided with the option of shopping and conducting e-com
merce transactions therein for all or selected items of mer
chandise offered for sale by the retailer. Moreover, when
shopping in any particular retailer's EC-oriented Store, how
ever realized, it is also understood that great efforts must be
undertaken to ensure that the shopper does not leave the
EC-oriented Store prior to making a purchase at the checkout
page of the EC-oriented WWW site. Requiring, prompting or
otherwise encouraging a shopper to link over to the IPD
WWW site hereof (e.g. hosted on the IPD information server)
for desired consumer product related information oftentimes
presents a great risk that the shopper will not return to the
EC-oriented store, at which he or she was once visiting, but
rather will visit another EC-oriented store to make the product
purchase.
The above limitations of physically-based consumer prod
uct information kiosks and the risks associated with con
Sumer behavior while shopping on the Internet are overcome
by the UPN-based cyber kiosks of the present invention. The
primary function of UPN-based cyber CPI kiosks is to pro
vide consumers with a simple and effective way of and means
for producing UPN-driven CPI graphical user interfaces
(GUIs) at the consumer's point of presence (POP) which may
exist, for example, when: (i) shopping at EC-enabled stores,
product catalogs and other types of EC-oriented WWW sites:
(ii) reviewing and responding to Internet-based product
advertisements (including Web-based discount coupons and
the like) published at selected sections of Web-documents
served from diverse types of WWW sites hosted on the mil
lions of Internet information servers connected to the infra
structure of the Internet; and/or (iii) encountering a Web
document addressing a particular consumer product under
review, analysis or other form of observation where accurate
consumer product related information is desired or required
by the consumer, whomever they might be. The details of
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producing UPN-enabled CPIGUIs in both physical and cyber
retail environments will be described hereinafter.
As shown in FIG. 1, each synchronized IPD Server 11 is
interfaced with an ISP 10A in a conventional manner. The
actual number of IPD Servers 11 used in any particular appli
cation will depend on various factors including, for example,
user demand, Internet traffic conditions, network router
capacity and performance, etc. Each such IPD Server 11 is
assigned a static IP address and a common domain name on
10 the Internet according to the Domain Name System (DNS)
well known in the art. Data synchronization among Such
databases can be achieved using conventional data synchro
nization techniques well known in the art. In addition, a
backup and mirroring program can be used to maintain data
15 security. Preferably, the synchronized IPD Servers are main
tained by a team of network managers under the Supervision
of one or more webmasters.
As shown in FIGS. 2B1 through 2B4, using presently
known technology available for use on the WWW, there are at
least four different ways of configuring IPD Server 11 and
back-end UPN/URL Database Management Subsystem 9 of
the illustrative embodiment. These four different subsystem
architectures are schematically depicted in FIGS. 2B1
through 2B4.
25 In the system architectures shown in FIGS. 2B2 through
2B4, client-side Applets (Applets'), having their
<APPLET> HTML tags embedded within HTML documents
(e.g. using the HTML 3.2 Specification), are executed with
Java-enabled browsers on the client-side of the information
30 network. In the system architecture set forth in FIG. 2B1,
server-side Applets (“Servlets'), having their <SERVLET>
HTML tags embedded within HTML documents (e.g. the
HTML 3.2 Specification), are executed within Java-enabled
Web servers on the server-side of the information network.
35 Collectively, client-side Applets and server-side Applets shall
be referred to as “Applets’, wherein the major distinction
between these two types is based on where the Applet is
executed on the network (i.e. client-side or server side).
In each of these four system architectures, the IPD Server
40 11 performs a number of basic functions, for example: (1)
serving HTML-encoded documents associated with IPD
Web-sites (e.g. UPC Request Central WWW site, UPC
Request Retail WWW sites, etc.) to client subsystems 13 on
the Internet so as to enable the six primary modes of operation
45 of the consumer product information finding and delivery
Subsystem hereof including, but not limited to, access to
consumer product related information stored within the IPI
and Non-IPI Registrant Databases on the UPN/URL Data
base Management Subsystem 9; as well as (2) serving Librar
50 ies of executable files containing “UPN-enabled Java Applet
tags' for client-side Applets as well as server-side Applets
also known as “Servlets', so as to enable retailers, manufac
turers, advertisers, et al to download the executable Applet
tag containing file to client Subsystems.
55 According to the first system architecture shown in FIG.
2B1, the UPN/URL Database management Subsystem 9 is
realized by a SQL-based RDBMS server 9, whereas the IPD
server 11 is realized by a Java Web Server 11', provided with
Java servlet support, and operably connected to the RDBMS
60 server 9 by way of high-speed digital transmission link
known in the art. During system operation, the Java Web
Server 11' serves to a Java-enabled client subsystem 13, an
HTML-encoded document containing a servlet HTML tag
<SERVLET> which, upon selection by a single mouse-click
65 ing operation by the consumer, sends an http request to the
Java Web Server 11", invoking a prespecified UPN-encoded
servlet stored therewithin, causing the CPIR-enabling servlet