Method and apparatus for enabling a selection of catalog items

US5898594A · kind A · utility

Inventors

• David Leason · Chappaqua, US
• Wendy Zeller Leason · Chappaqua, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Jun 24, 1996
• Grant date: Apr 27, 1999
• Expiry date: Jun 24, 2016

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G06Q30/02
• WIPO field: IT methods for management
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

A method and apparatus for enabling a selection of items at a computer terminal from an electronic catalog is described. One or more customers access the terminal and identify themselves, and each such customer's past item selections are made available to the system in the form of an electronic signal. A subset of catalog items is created which excludes the prior selections of each identified customer. Thus, if only one customer has identified himself or herself, then only that customer's prior selections are excluded from the catalog of items. And, if two or more customers have identified themselves, then the subset created will exclude the items of those customers' prior selections. The customer is enabled to select items at the terminal from at least the items in the subset. The subset may be distinguished from the remainder of the catalog items in a number of ways. The subset formed may optionally be directed to items of a specific category or type from within the catalog. The invention has industrial utility, for example, in the rental and sale of movies in the form of videotapes and the like and in the maintenance and managing of registry-based transactions.