System and method for providing a buy option through postings on a social network when user input is classified as having a sale intent

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9734526-B2
Application number	US-201615018954-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 9, 2016
Priority date	Mar 31, 2014
Publication date	Aug 15, 2017
Grant date	Aug 15, 2017

Abstract

Disclosed herein are methods for providing a buy option to social networking communications. The method includes communicating with a social networking site that posts text, images and/or videos from posting entities to receiving entities. The posting can have data that points to a product in a product database. The data determines whether there is a sale-related intent. The data is used to access a database of products for sale from a merchant. When the sale-related intent applies, the system transmits the posting through the social networking site with a buy button associated with the transmission such that a recipient can easily purchase a product.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method comprising:
submitting, from a posting entity, at least one of text, an image or a video on a social networking site to yield a posting, wherein the social networking site:
receives and transmits the posting from the posting entity to receiving entities;
identifies data associated with the posting; and
determines, via a processor, whether the data identifies a product within a database of products for sale from the posting entity to yield a determination;

when the determination indicates that there is no reference to the product in the database of products, transmits the posting through the social networking site without a buy option;
when the determination indicates that the posting references the product in the database of products, and thus indicating a sale-related intent:
transmits the posting through the social networking site with the buy option associated with the product, wherein the buy option comprises one of a hyperlink, a button and a drop-down menu; and
receives a purchase interaction from a buyer associated with the buy option; and

receiving, at the posting entity, a confirmation that the product has been purchased via a payment process initiated by the social networking site.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
processing a delivery of the product from the posting entity.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the posting entity is a merchant.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the payment process managed by the social networking site comprises using one of a payment service and applying a payment account stored at the social networking site.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the posting entity receives a notice of a completion of the payment process from the social networking site.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the posting entity delivers the product to a user of the social networking site.

7. The method of claim 4 , wherein the product is presented in the posting submitted on the social networking site.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determining of whether the data identifies the product within the database of products for sale from the posting entity to yield a determination is performed via an application programming interface between the social networking site and the database of products.

9. A system comprising:
a processor; and
a computer-readable storage device storing instructions, which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:
submitting, from a posting entity, at least one of text, an image or a video on a social networking site to yield a posting, wherein the social networking site:
receives and transmits the posting from the posting entity to receiving entities;
identifies data associated with the posting;
determines whether the data identifies a product within a database of products for sale from the posting entity to yield a determination;
when the determination indicates that there is no reference to the product in the database of products, transmits the posting through the social networking site without an option to buy;
when the determination indicates that the posting references the product in the database of products, and thus indicating a sale-related intent:
transmits the posting through the social networking site with a buy option associated with the product, wherein the buy option comprises one of a hyperlink, a button and a drop-down menu; and
receives a purchase interaction from a buyer associated with the buy option; and

receiving, at the posting entity, a confirmation that the product has been purchased via a payment process managed the social networking site.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the computer-readable storage device stores additional instructions, which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform further operations comprising processing delivery of the product from the posting entity.

11. The system of claim 9 , wherein the posting entity is a merchant.

12. The system of claim 9 , wherein, based on the purchase interaction, the social networking site processes a payment for the product.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the posting entity receives a notice of a completion of the payment process from the social networking site.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the posting entity delivers the product to a user of the social networking site.

15. The system of claim 12 , wherein the product is presented in posting submitted on the social networking site.

16. The system of claim 9 , wherein the determining of whether the data identifies the product within the database of products for sale from the posting entity to yield a determination is performed via an application programming interface between the social networking site and the database of products.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage device storing instructions, which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:
submitting, from a posting entity, at least one of text, an image or a video on a social networking site to yield a posting, wherein the social networking site:
receives and transmits the posting from the posting entity to receiving entities;
identifies data associated with the posting;
determines whether the data identifies a product within a database of products for sale from the posting entity to yield a determination;
when the determination indicates that there is no reference to the product in the database of products, transmits the posting through the social networking site without an option to buy;
when the determination indicates that the posting references the product in the database of products, and thus indicating a sale-related intent:
transmits the posting through the social networking site with a buy option associated with the product, wherein the buy option comprises one of a hyperlink, a button and a drop-down menu; and
receives a purchase interaction from a buyer associated with the buy option; and

receiving, at the posting entity, a confirmation that the product has been purchased via a payment process managed by the social networking site.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 17 , wherein the non-transitory computer-readable storage device stores further instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations further comprising:
processing the delivery of the product from the posting entity.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 17 wherein, based on the purchase interaction, the social networking site processes a payment for the product.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 19 , wherein the posting entity receives a notice of a completion of the payment process from the social networking site.

21. A method comprising:
receiving, at a social networking site and from a posting entity, at least one of text, an image or a video to yield a posting, wherein the social networking site receives and transmits the posting from the posting entity to receiving entities;
identifying whether data associated with the posting references a product within a database of products for sale from the posting entity;
when there is no data referencing the product in the database of products, transmitting the posting through the social networking site without an option to buy;
when the data references the product in the database of products, and thus ind

Assignees

• Monticello Entpr Llc

Inventors

• Isaacson Thomas M
• Durham Ryan C

Classifications

• G06Q10/40

  Business processes related to social networking or social networking services · CPC title

• G06F18/24

  Classification techniques · CPC title

• G06Q30/0641

  utilising user interfaces specially adapted for shopping · CPC title

• G06Q30/0613 Primary

  using intermediate agents · CPC title

• G06Q20/38

  Payment protocols; Details thereof · CPC title