The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Nov. 20, 2001
Filed:
Jul. 06, 1999
William K. Dodd, Marietta, GA (US);
RichFX, Inc., New York, NY (US);
Abstract
Methods, systems, and articles of manufacture consistent with the present invention provide the ability for an online gift recipient to accept or exchange an online gift prior to shipping the gift to the recipient. A gift giver accesses a gift server over a network (such as the Internet) using conventional browser software on a user node of the network. While online with the gift server node (e.g. the gift server's website), the gift giver selects an online gift for the recipient from a variety of gifts supplied from one or more gift vendors. Information on the gift selection is sent to an gift queue on the gift server node while the recipient is notified of the gift, typically via an electronic mail message. In response to the notification, the recipient connects online to the gift server node, reads the gift selection information from the gift queue and determines whether to accept or exchange the gift. If the gift is to be exchanged, an electronic gift certificate is generated and another gift may be selected or different kinds of actual gift certificates may be selected as a replacement gift before an order for the initial gift is placed or the initial gift is shipped to the recipient.