Architecture for an electronic shopping service integratable with a software application

US7634429B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Microsoft Corporation · US

Inventors

• Attila Narin · Bothell, US
• Marco A. DeMello · Redmond, US
• Yoram Yaacovi · Redmond, US
• Jeffrey A. Alger · Redmond, US
• Leroy B. Keely · Portola Valley, US
• David M. Silver · Bethesda, US
• Christopher Robert Richard Madonna · Seattle, US
• John L. Beezer · Redmond, US
• Kathryn E. Hughes · Redmond, US

Key dates

• Filing date: May 6, 2004
• Grant date: Dec 15, 2009
• Expiry date: May 7, 2027

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H04L2209/60
• WIPO field: IT methods for management
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

An architecture for an integrated shopping service that enables electronic shopping from within a software application. The software application includes web browsing functionality, with the capability to navigate to a limited set of web sites. The client machine on which the software runs maintains a local list of the limited set of web sites that can be accessed from within the software application. A directory server maintains a list of retail web sites that can be added to the client's local list of accessible web sites. Each client machine that runs the software application connects to the directory server in order to add web sites to the locally-maintained list of sites that can be accessed from within the integrated shopping service.