Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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Online Collection Management and Marketing Svstem
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
l. Technical Field
The present invention is directed toward the field of electronic commerce.
More
specifically, the invention provides an online collection management and
marketing
system and methods that enables users of the system to input, manage, sort,
value, and
categorize one or more of their collections, and enables the operator of the
system to
market collectible items to the users based on an analysis of the user's
collection data.
Although the invention provides particular utility in the field of rare coin
and paper
money collectibles, it is useful with any type of collection or collectible,
such as trading
cards, rare wine, collectible stocks and bonds, books, antiques, etc.
2. Description of the Related Art
Collection inventory software and online collectibles web sites are known in
this
field. These systems, however, suffer from many disadvantages that have
limited their
utility from both the user's (i.e., collector's) perspective and also from the
seller's
perspective.
An example collection inventory software program is "Coin Elite," available
from
Trove Software in Olathe, Kansas. This program is installed locally on the
user's
personal computer and allows the user to manually input information regarding
their coin
collection. This program, however, does not provide any type of online
capabilities. It is
limited to the local installation at the user's PC. Furthermore, this program
does not
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provide the ability to quickly add a large number of coin items to the user's
collection
data. Instead, each coin is added, manually, record-by-record. In addition,
this program
does not provide real-time pricing capability, so the user cannot determine
the value of
their collection at any particular instant in time. Because the program is
limited to a local
installation, it does not provide the ability to communicate or interact with
other buyers,
sellers, or coin collectors. In addition, the program is limited to coin
collecting, and
cannot deal with other types of collectibles in any manner whatsoever.
Collectibles web sites are also known in this field. These web sites, however,
are
very limited in their usefulness. These sites do not provide any type of
online collection
management fiinctionality. Users cannot input their collection information
into these
sites, and, therefore, these sites are not online collection management
systems at all.
Furthermore, these web sites do not provide any ability for the user to manage
and value
their collection(s), and do not provide any means for targeted marketing of
particular
collectibles to the users.
Tlierefore, there remains a general need in this field for an online,
interactive
collection management and marketing system that is useful for both collectors
and sellers
of collectible items.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An online, interactive collection management and marketing system and methods
are provided. The system enables users to input, manage, sort, value, and
categorize one
or more of their collections, and enables the operator of the system to
directly market
collectible items to the users based on an analysis of their collection data.
The system
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includes a plurality of software modules for managing the user's collections
and for
marketing specific collectibles to the users through a graphical user
interface such as a
web browser. The system includes a web server coupled to one or more database
servers.
The web server stores graphical web pages and associated software modules for
enabling
S the functionality of the system. The database server is coupled to one or
more online
databases for storing information used by the system, including registration
data, user
collection data, a set of pre-populated collection templates, real-time
pricing data, and an
inventory of collectible content and images. The pre-populated collection
template
enables users to quickly and automatically add numerous collectible item
records to their
collection data instead of manually adding each item. A special marketing
module is
included with the system that enables the system operator to analyze the
user's collection
data and then directly target rnarketing messages to particular users
regarding items they
may want to purchase for their collections.
According to one aspect, the invention provides an online collection
management and marketing system for communicating with a plurality of
collectors,
comprising:
a server for executing a plurality of software modules, including:
a registration module for registering collectors with the system;
a collection management module for inputting collection data into the system
for each collector, the collection data for at least one collector including a
want list of
one or more collectible items that the one collector desires to purchase and
including
collectible iteins that are part of a collection and are not for sale;
an inventory module for storing and displaying information regarding an
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inventory of collectible items that are available to be purchased through the
system;
an alerts module that uses a matching logic program to compare the want list
of
the one collector with the inventory of collectible items to identify one or
more
collectible items in the want list that are in the inventory of collectible
items;
S the alerts module being further operable to transmit an alert message to the
one
collector that includes info=m.ation to notify the one collector that one or
more
collectible items in the want list are available for purchase through the
system; and
a database for storing registration data generated by the registration module,
collection data generated by the collection management module and inventory
data;
wherein the collection management module provides the plurality of collectors
with one or more pre-populated collection templates for inputting collection
data into
the system, the one or more pre-populated collection templates including a
hierarchical
data structure that identifies collectible items for a particular collection
type and
category using a plurality of sub categories.
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According to a second aspect, the invention provides an online method of
marketing collectible items to a plurality of collectors, comprising:
registering the plurality of collectors with an online collection management
system;
receiving inputted collection data for each collector, the collection data for
at
least one collector including a want list of one or more collectible items
that. the one
collector desires to purchase and including collectible items that are part of
a collection
and are not for sale;
storing information regarding an inventory of collectible items that are
available to be purchased through the online collection management system;
comparing the want list of the one collector with the inventory of collectible
items to identify one or more collectible items in the want list that are in
the inventory
of collectible items; and
transmitting an alert message to the one collector that includes information
to
notify the one collector that one or niore collectible items in the want list
are available
for purchase through the system;
providing a pre-populated collection template, wherein the pre-populated
collection template incliides a hierarchical data structure that identifies
collectible
.o
items for a particular collection type and category using a plurality ofsub-
categories_
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It should be noted that these are just some of the many aspects of the present
invention. Other aspects not specified will become apparent upon reading the
detailed
description set forth below.
Embodiments of the present invention provides many advantages, such as: (l)
collectors (users) can input, store, manage, display, edit, categorize and
market their
collections through a centralized web-based system; (2) the system operator
(and/or
other sellers) can directly target marketing messages to collectors based on
system
information regarding the
collector's collections; (3) collectors can browse through and purchase ittms
from the
system operator's inventory of collectibles, and when a purchase is made, the
system
automatically enters corresponding item information into the collector's
online coljection
data; (4) collectors can manage numerous collections of difl'erent types of
collecdbles
simultaneously and through a single, intuitive grapliical user interface; (5)
collectors can
quickly add numerous items to their online collection without having to
manually enter
information for each item; (6) collectors can obtain a real-time valuation of
their
collection or collections; and (7) collectors can upload a data file that
describes their
collection to the system, which then automatically parses the data file and
creates item
records in the system database.
These are just a few of the many advantages of the preferred embodiments. Not
all of these
advantages are required to practice the invention. As will be appreciated, the
invention is
capable of oaher and different embodiments than those detailed below, and its
several
details are capable of modifications in various respects, all without
depatting from the
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spirit of the invention. Accordingly, the drawings and description of the
preferred
embodiments are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not restrictive.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present invention satisfies the general need noted above and provides many
advantages, as will become apparent from the following description when read
in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. I is a system diagram of an online collection management and marketing
system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a logical flow chart setting forth the preferred steps enabled by
the
collection management module (CMM) of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a logical flow chart setting forth the preferred steps enabled
through the
collection management data input/display page of the present invention;
FIG. 4A is a graphical depiction showing the layout of the preferred
collection
management data input/display page of the present invention;
FIG. 4B is a graphical depiction showing the layout of the status filter drop-
down
box of the present invention;
FIG. 5 is a logical flow chart setting forth the preferred steps enabled
through the
fast add function of the present invention;
FIG. 6 is a logical flow chart setting forth the preferred steps enabled
through the
create item record function of the present invention;
FIG. 7 is a graphical depiction showing the layout of the preferred fast add
data
input page of the present invention;
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FIG. 8A is a data structure diagram showing an example methodology for storing
a plurality of collection types according to the present invention;
FIG. 8B is a data structure diagram showing an example methodology for storing
the pre-populated data collection templates utilized by the present invention;
FIG. 9 is a logical flow chart setting forth the preferred steps enabled by
the
inventory module (IM) of the present invention; and
FIG. 10 is a logical flow chart setting forth the preferred steps enabled by
the
alerts module (AM) of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Turning now to the drawing figures, FIG. 1 is a system diagram 10 of an online
collection management and marketing system 20 according to a preferred
embodiment of
the present inveiltion. Through this system 20, external users (i.e.,
collectors) 12 can
setup, store and manage a plurality of collection types through a single
collection
management interface module. For example, a preferred collection type in the
present
invention is rare coins. Another collection type could be rare paper money. Or
the
collection tvpe could be stamps. Using the present invention, a user 12 can
input their
collection-specific information into the system 20 for all three of these
collection types,
and can then manage all three of these collections through the system 20, thus
enabling a
cross-collection management function that is unknown in this field. Having
access to the
user's collection information then enables the operator of the system 20 to
market specific
items to the users in response to an analysis of the user's collection data.
This type of
dynamic, interactive collectibles marketing system is also unknown in this
field.
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Altllough coins, paper monev and stamps are the preferred collection types,
the
teaching of the present invention could apply to any type of collection, such
as trading
cards, wine. books, furniture, stocks and bonds, etc. Preferably, each
collection type,
such as coins or paper money, is comprised of a plurality of collection
categories. For
example, within the collection type "coins" there may be a US Federal
category, a
Colonial category, etc. Likewise, if the collection type were "baseball
cards," then the
collection categories may be National League, American League, etc. Within
each
collection category there may be a plurality of item types organized into one
or more sub-
categories of information. Thus, for example, the collection type may be
"coins" and the
collection category may be "US Federal," and within the category "US Federal"
there
may be numerous sub-categories of items, such as certain types of quarters,
dimes,
dollars, etc. These sub-categories within each collection category may be
further broken
down into additional sub-sub-categories to the extent that a particular type
of collection
requires such a categorization. An exemplary multi-level categorization scheme
that is
particularly useful for rare coins is shown in FIG. 8B as the pre-populated
collection
template.
Tllis system 10 is preferably implemented as an online web site 20 for
communicating information over the Internet 18. It should be understood,
however, that
the principles of the present invention are not limited to any particular
technological
implementation, and could be implemented over other types of communication
networks.
The collection management and marketing system 20 preferably comprises one or
more web servers 22 coupled to one or more database servers 24. These two
servers 22,
24 could also be implemented as a single server. The servers 22, 24
communicate over
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the Internet 14 using a high-bandwidth connection 18, such as a T-1 line,
although other
types of links are certainly possible, such as T-3, microwave, satellite link,
CATV, RF, etc.
The external users 12 of the system, who primarily use the system 20 to
maintain and
rnanage their collections, operate their own computers 12 and connect to the
system 20
typically via lower-speed dial-up modem connections 16, although these lower-
specd
connections could also be xDSL, microwave, satellite, CATV or other types of
links.
The basic functions of the web site server 22 are: (1) to provide the
graphical user
interface (i.e., web pages) to the various users 12 of the system 20 so that
they can input,
display and manage their online collections, and (2) to provide the system
functionality
described in more detail with respect to FIGs. 2-10. The server 22
communicates over the
Internet 14 with the external users 12 using standard I,nternet protocols for
conimunicating
web content, such as TCP/IP, HTTP, S-HTTP, SSL, etc. The users 12 operate
standard web
browser software on their computers, such as Micxosoft's Internet ExplorerTM
or Netscape's
CornmmunicatorTM in order to interact with the system 20_
The various system functions of the online collection mazlagement and
marketing
system 20 are accomplished through a series of software modules 28-38, wbich
include the
appropriate coding for generating the web page interface to the users 12, and
for enabling
the functionality described below. This coding scheme may include HTML, XML,
Java,
Javascript, Active-X, or other standard web-based coding paradigms for
displayitig graphics
through a web browser and for communicating information back and forth to the
plurality of
external users 12 and to the database server 24.
The preferred software modules of the present invention include a registration
module (RM) 28, a collection management module (CMM) 30 (which is described in
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more detail in FIG. 2), an inventory module (IM) 32 (which is described in
more detail in
FIG. 9), a gallery module (GM) 34, a real-time pricing module (RTPM) 36, and
an alerts
module (AM) 38 (which is described in more detail in FIG. 10). Other modules
may also
be used with the present invention.
The registration module (RM) 28 enables external users 12 to connect to the
web
site system 20 in a secure manner by establishing a unique username/password
combination for each user 12. The collection management module (CMM) 30
enables
the users 12 to input, display, manage, and control their online collections,
which are
stored in a central repository 40. The inventory module (IM) 32 provides a
means for the
users 12 to gain access to (and perhaps purchase from) the inventory of
collectibles
maintained by the operator of the online collection management and marketing
system
20. The gallery module (GM) 34 provides a graphical interface for highlighting
particular collectibles maintained by the operators of the system 20, and for
providing the
users 12 with historically relevant information, including text, graphics,
animations, etc.,
regarding the particular collectibles that are highliglited in the gallery.
The real-time
pricing module (RTPM) 36 operates in conjunction with the collection
management
module (CMM) 30 so that users 12 that have input their collections into the
system 20
can determine the value of their collection at any given instant in time. And
the alerts
module (AM) (also referred to herein as the marketing module) 38 provides a
mechanism
for marketing collectibles to particular users 12 based on an analysis of the
specific items
contained in the user's collection that have been input into the collection
management
system 20.
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The database server 24 is coupled to a system data storage facility 40 (or
central
repository), which may include one or more databases 42, 44. FIG. I shows a
separate
inventory database 42 and a user database 44, although these databases could
be
integrated into a single database. The inventory database 42 preferably
includes an
inventory content data store 42A and an inventory images data store 42B. The
inventory
content data store 42A contains information regarding the current inventory of
collectibles maintained by the operators of the collection management and
marketing
system 20. The inventory images data store 42B contains graphical images of
the
collectibles in the inventory content data store 42A.
The user database 42 preferably includes a registration data store 44A, a user
collections data store 44B, a pre-populated collection templates data store
44, and a real-
time pricing data store 44D. The registration data store 44A contains
registration
information regardinc, each user 12 of the system, including their unique
usernameipassword combination that limits access to the user's personal online
collection
data.
The user collections data store 44B includes a data file for each user's
online
collections, as further described below with respect to FIG. 8A. Each user 12
is able to
input and maintain a complete description of their collections through the CMM
30, and
this descriptive information for each user collection is stored in the user
collections data
store 44B.
The pre-populated collection templates data store 44C stores a plurality of
collection templates, preferably one template for each category of collection
within a
particular collection type. The pre-populated collection templates are
preferably
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organized as hierarchical data structures (an example of which is shown in
FIG. 8B) that
are organized to automatically provide the basic item information for a
particular
collectible item in a particular category of collection so that the user can
utilize the fast
add function of the present invention (described in more detail below with
respect to FIG.
5) to quickly add a large number of items to their online collection.
And the real-time pricing data store 44D contains current information
regarding
the market prices of the items in the inventory 42A and the items that are
described by the
pre-populated collection templates 44C. Using this real-time pricing data 44D,
a user 12
of the system 20 can determine a real-time, market value for their entire
collection.
FIG. 2 is a logical flow chart setting forth the preferred steps enabled by
the
collection management module (CMM) 30 of the present invention. Preferably,
the
system web site 20 includes a plurality of web pages, one of which is
considered the
opening page or "home" page for the system. Wllen a user 12 connects to the
system 20
using their computer, the "home" page is displayed to the user 12 through
their browser
program. From the home page, the user can then select to enter the
registration module
28, the collection management module 30, the inventory module 32, or the
gallery
module 34. (Users 12 cannot gain access to the real time pricing module 36 or
the alerts
module 38). Access to these modules 28, 30, 32, 34 through the home page is
typically
provided by graphical and/or textual hyperlinks that link to the web pages
that are
associated with the particular modules.
A user 12 can enter the collection management module (CMM) 30 in three ways
50A, 50B, 50C. In step 50A, the CMM 30 is entered through an automatic edit
function
called from another module, such as the inventory module 32. In step 50B, the
CMM 30
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is entered through a bulk upload function call from a bulk uploader module
(not shown).
Using the bulk uploader module, a user 12 can transfer a data file that
describes their
collection, such as a spreadsheet file, to the CMM 30, which would then parse
the upload
data file, format the parsed data into the format used by the system 20, and
store that
collection data into the user's 12 collection data file in the user
collections store 44B. A
third method of entering the CMM 30 is by manually selecting this module from
the
system home page when the user 12 connects to the system 20.
Having entered the collection management module 30, the next step 60 is to
determine whether this user 12 is associated with an existing collection
stored in the user
database 42. At step 60, the module prompts the user to either enter a
usemame/password combination, or to proceed to register with the system 20. If
the user
enters a username/password combination, then control passes to step 62, where
the
usemame/password combination is authenticated by comparing it to the
information in
the registration data store 44A. If the user hasn't registered with the
system, then control
passes to step 28, and the registration module (RM) 28 is called in order to
register the
user with the system 20. As noted above, the registration module 28 is used to
collect
basic infonnation about the particular user 12, and to enable the user 12 to
select a unique
usemame/password combination that will enable the user 12 to secure their
collection
information on the system 20.
Once the user is registered, control then passes to the authentication step
62, and
the user is prompted to enter their newly-selected username/password
combination. From
the authentication step 62, control of the CMM 30 passes to step 56, where the
module
determines whether access to the CMM 30 is from the manual entry point 50C
(such as
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by selection a collection management icon or hypertext link from the system
home page),
or, alternatively, whether the access is from one of the automatic entry paths
50A, 50B.
If access to the CMM 30 is through one of the automatic entry paths 50A, 50B,
then the
data (either from one of the other modules in the system 20, or from the bulk
uploader) is
loaded into the user's collection at step 52, and stored in the user
collections data store
44B at step 66. If, however, access to the CMM was through the manual entry
path 50C,
then control passes to step 64, and the collection management data
input/display page and
user interface is launched and displayed at the user's web browser. An example
of this
collection management interface page is set forth in FIG. 3, and described in
more detail
1 o below.
By interacting with the collection management interface 64 (as described in
more
detail below), users 12 can display, add to, delete, categorize, organize,
update, and
otherwise manage their online collections. When the user 12 is finished
operating the
interface 64, which typically includes modifying the user's collection data in
some
inanner, control of the CMM 30 passes to step 66, and the modified user
collection data is
then stored into the user's collection 44B within the user database 42. From
step 66,
control of the CMM 30 optionally passes to step 68, in which the module
computes a
real-time price for the user's entire collection. This step 68 takes real-time
pricing data
from the real time pricing data store 44D and applies it to the items in the
user's collection
that have corresponding entries in either the system inventory 42A, or in the
pre-
populated collection templates 44C. If there are items in the user's
collection that are not
included in either of these sources, then, at step 54, the system my prompt
the user 12 to
indicate manually the current pricing data for the particular item. This
information is
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then used by the CMM 30 in step 68 to compute an overall current value for the
user's
collection. This information is stored in the user's collection 44B, and the
CMM 30 then
retums to the point from which it was originally called.
FIG. 3 is a logical flow chart setting forth the preferred steps enabled
through the
collection management data input/display page 64 of the present invention.
From 64, the
user 12 either selects a particular collection type at 72 (such as coins,
paper money,
stamps, baseball cards, etc.) or selects to view a summary display of their
entire
collection at step 76. The summary display page sets forth a summary view of
the items
in all of the user's 12 collections that are being managed via the system 20,
thus providing
lo a cross-collection management feature that is unknown in prior systems.
This summary
display page may also display a current real-time value for the entire
collection.
Having selected a collection type at step 72, the user 12 may then select a
particular collection category with the selected collection type. Thus, for
example, if the
user 12 selects the collection type "coins," then the collection categories
may be "US
Federal," "Colonial," etc. Once the type and category of collection are
selected, the
collection interface 64 then displays the collection data for the selected
type and category.
Thus, if the user 12 had selected "US Federal" as the collection type, then
the CMM 30
would retrieve the US Federal Coin data from this particular user's collection
44B and
display that information through the collection management interface 64, as is
shown in
FIG. 4A.
From this point, the user 12 is provided with many optional functions 82-98
for
managing their collection data. These functions include: apply a status filter
82, create a
set record 84, order the displayed data 86, execute the fast add function 88,
create an item
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record 90, print a list of the displayed data 92, and edit a particular item
record 94. In
addition, the user 12 can select a new category at 96 or select a new
collection type at 98.
The create set record 84, fast add function 88, create item record 90 and edit
item record
94 functions modifv the data in the user's stored collection, and therefore
these functions
are linked to the user collections data store 44B.
Each of the available functions 82-94 will now be described in more detail. At
step 82, the user 12 can select to apply a particular status filter to the
displayed category
information through the collection management interface 64. The "status
filter" is a
mechanism provided by the present invention that enables the user 12 to more
particularlv structure, categorize, and manage their collection data. Typical
status filters
include "own," "wanted," "for sale," "sold," and "traded." Other filters are
possible.
When the user inputs extended item information into the system (as described
below with
reference to FIG. 6), or in other transactional situations, the user 12 can
apply a status
filter to a particular item in their collection. Thus, for example, if a user
"owns" a
particular item that has been added to their collection, they can set the
"own" status filter
for that particular item. If the user doesn't own the item yet, but desires to
acquire that
item some day, the user 12 can set the "wanted" status filter on a particular
item, thus
indicatina a desire to acquire that item. In similar manner, the user 12 can
apply the "for
sale" "sold" "traded" and/or other status filters to individual or groups of
collection items.
Once these status filters have been set, the collection management interface
64 can
then search for and display only those collection items that are associated
with a
particular filter. For example, if the user sets the "sold" status filter on
all of their
collection items that have been sold (either through an online transaction via
the system
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20) or otherwise, and selects the "sold" filter from the display 64, then the
svstem 20
would only display those collection items for the selected collection type and
collection
category that have been sold by the user 12, thus filtering the collection
item data.
Similarly, the user can select to only view their "wanted" items, or their
"for sale" items,
etc.
In step 84, the user 12 can create a set record. The set record is an
individual
entry in the user's collection that refers to a set of items, such as a set of
mint coins, or a
set of first issue stamps, or a set of books, etc. This function provides a
inanual data entry
screen where the user 12 can input basic item information regarding the set of
items,
1o which is then stored in the user collections 44B.
In step 86, the user 12 can reorder the displayed data fields on the interface
64.
As shown in more detail in FIG. 4A, the collection management interface 64
includes an
item table 122 organized into a plurality of rows and columns. Each row is
associated
with a particular item in the category of the collection type, and each column
is associated
with a particular item information field. Using the order displayed data
function 86, the
user 12 can alter the positioning of the columns so that a particular column
is used as the
sort column in place of the default.
In step 88 the user 12 can engage the fast add function, which is described in
further detail in FIGs. 5 and 7. Essentially, the fast add 88 function enables
the user 12 to
quickly add a large number of individual items to their collection. Instead of
manually
creating an individual item record for each item (as is done in prior art
systems), the fast
add function 88 utilizes the data stored in the pre-populated collection
templates 44C to
Ig.enerate a fast add interface table (shown in FIG. 7) that enables the user
to quickly input
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a large number of items into their collection. The fast add function 88 then
automatically
generates the item records for the items input through the fast add interface
table using
the basic item information stored in the pre-populated collection template
44B, thus
eliminating, the need to manually input the data.
In step 90 the user can create an individual item record. This is the manual
process that is automated by the fast add function 88. As descnbed in more
detail in FIG.
6, below, using this function the user 12 can obtain basic item information
(which is also
included in the pre-populated templates 44C), and can then add extended item
information data that is not included in the templates 44C. This step may be
used when
1 o the user is only going to input a small number of items, or where they
want to add both
the basic item information and the extended item information into the
collection data
store 44B.
In step 94, the user 12 can edit a particular item record that has already
been
entered into the system. This function is typically engaged by the user
"double-clicking"
or selectine a particular item from the collection management interface
display 64. Once
an item is selected, an additional interface screen is displayed that details
the specific
infon-nation about this item, including the basic item information and the
extended item
information (to the extent that this later information has been completed).
From this
screen, the user can edit or add to the information associated with the
selected item, and
this modified information is then stored into the user collection 44B. Thus,
for example,
the user 12 may add a particular item to their collection through the fast add
function 88,
in which case the basic item information would be stored for that item. Then,
by
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selectinc, that item from the collection management interface 64, the user 12
can then
enter the extended information associated with the item.
In step 95, the user 12 can clear a collection. Using this function, the user
12 can
delete all of the item records in their collection 44B that are associated
with a particular
collection type and collection category. Of course, when the user 12 selects
this key, a
special warning dialog box would be displayed to indicate that the data is
about to be
deleted, and would request confirmation from the user 12.
FIG. 4A is a graphical depiction showing the layout of the preferred
collection
management data inptit/display page 64 (the collection management interface)
of the
present invention. This collection management interface 64 is displayed when
the user 12
enters the CMM 30 through the manual edit path 50C, such as by selecting a
hyperlink
text or graphic within the web page interface. The interface 64 includes
numerous
selection buttons for engaging the functions described in FIG. 3, and also
includes a
collection type/category display table 122 for displaying data from the user's
12
collection 44B with respect to the selected collection type and category.
Along the top of the interface 64 is the collection type selection bar 100.
This
selection bar preferably includes one or more buttons 100A, 100B, and 100C for
selecting
the type of collection to perform functions on and/or to display information
on. The
example shown in FIG. 4A is a collection management interface 64 for a coin
and paper
money collection management system. Here, button IOOA is for selecting the
"coins"
collection type, button 100B is for selecting the "paper money" collection
type, and
button 100C is reserved for "other" types of collections that may or may not
be related to
coins and paper money. Button 102 is preferably configured in close proximity
to the
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collection tvpe selection buttons 100, and is used to engage the display
collection
summary for all collection types function described above in FIG. 3 as step
76. When the
user 12 selects this button 102, a separate graphical display screen is
launched that
displays summary information for all of the user's 12 collections being
managed by the
collection management system 20. Thus, for example, if the user 12 is using
the system
20 to mana2e a coin collection, a paper money collection, and a stamp
collection, then the
collection summary display would display summary information on the user's
collection
for all three types of collections. In addition, the summary information may
include
present valuations of each type of collection (assuming that real-time pricing
data is
available), and may also supply an overall valuation across the user's
collections for the
entire value of the items being managed through the collection management
system 20.
As noted above in step 72, the user 12 first selects a collection type using
the
collection type selection bar 100. Below the collection type selection bar 100
is the
collection category selection tabs 102. These tabs are selected using the
mouse or other
pointing mechanism in a similar manner to the collection type buttons.
Following the
coins and paper money example, these tabs may include "US Federal" 102A,
"Colonial"
102B, "Foreign" 102C. and "other" 102D. Each tab corresponds to a particular
collection
category within the selected collection type. The "other" tab is maintained
for future
expansion of the system 20 to accommodate other collection categories. The
collection
summary tab 104 engages the function in step 78 of FIG. 3, and launches a
display that
presents summary information regarding the particular collection type that has
been
selected by the user 12.
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. . ' ~
Once the user selects the collection type (as in step 72), and the collection
category (as in step 74), the collection management module 30 then retrieves
the user's 12
data 44B for the selected collection type and category and displays the
relevant item
information in the collection type/category display table 122. This table 122
is organized
into rows and columns, where each row represents an individual item entry, and
the
columns represent particular basic and/or extended item information from the
item
records associated with the particular items. Many types of basic and extended
item
information could be displayed here. In FIG. 4A, several columns 122A-122H are
shown
that are ;enerally relevant to the "coin" collectibles field. Note that for
other types of
collections, such as baseball cards, wine, etc., the column headings would be
different.
For the coin collectibles field, the preferred display columns in the table
122
include a selector column 122A, a unique ID field 122B, a status field 122C, a
denomination field 122D, a type field 122E, a date/mint field 122F, a grade
field 122G,
and a current value field 122H. The selector column 122A is used to select
particular
items for subsequent operations (as described in FIG. 3 and below). The user
12 selects
one or more items by positioning their pointing device into the row entry
field under the
column 1212A. and pressing the select or enter key. Note that if the user 12
"double-
clicks" on a particular item row, then the edit item record function 94 will
be launched,
and a full item record display for the selected item will be displayed for
editing by the
user 12.
The unique ID field 122B is a concept introduced by the present invention so
that
any user 12 or operator of the system 20 can uniquely identify and quickly
find a
particular item record that is stored in the system database 40. Each time
that a user 12
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enters or creates a new item record, a unique ID variable (which could be a
numerical
value or an alphanumeric sequence) is associated with that item record. The
system 20
ensures that no two items in the database (or in the operator's inventory 42A)
can have the
same ID value. In this manner, items can be uniquely identified and searched
for in the
system 20. For example, a particular user 12 may have an item that is
indicated as "for
sale." If the user 12 desires to provide information on this item to another
user 12 of the
system that may be interested in purchasing that item, the first user 12 can
simply send
the second user an e-mail message with a reference to the unique ID value for
that item.
The second user can then quickly find the item using the unique ID value.
The status column 122C indicates whether the user 12 has applied a particular
status filter to the item. The status filter is generally selected from the
full item record
display, and, as noted above, may include the filter types "own," "wanted,"
"for sale,"
"sold," and "traded." If a filter has been applied to an item, then the filter
type is
displayed in the status column 122C. The remaining columns 122D, 122E, 122F,
122G
and 122H contain basic and extended item information relevant to the item,
which in this
example is a coin item that is characterized by denomination 122D, coin type
122E,
date/mint 122F, grade 122G, and current value 122H.
The collection management interface 64 also includes additional buttons 108,
110,
112, 114, 115, and 120 and drop-down boxes 116, 118 for engaging the
operations
described in FIG. 3. Button 108 engages the pnnt list function 92. Button 110
engages
the fast add function. Button 112 engages the create item record function 90.
Button 114
engages the create set record function 84. And Button 115 engages the clear
collection
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function 95. As described above, these functions operate on the selected
collection tvpe
and collection category.
The graphical elements 116, 118 and 120 provide the user 12 with options for
filtering and sorting the data items displayed in the display table 122 for
the selected
collection category. Element 116 is a drop-down box (shown in more detail in
FIG. 4B)
that permits the user to select a particular status filter. Once selected, the
display table
122 will be modified so as only to display those item records that match the
selected filter
type. For example, if the user 12 selects the "wanted" status filter from the
drop-down
box 116, then only those item records that have the "wanted" status type will
be displayed
in the table 122. The elements 118, 120 are used to modify the ordering of the
item
information in the table 122. Using the drop-down box 118, the user can select
a
particular data column 122A-122H as the column that will be used for sorting
the items.
Typically. the item records will be sorted by ID value. However, using
elements 118,
120, the user 12 can select a different column to sort on, and once selected
using the
drop-do -n box 118, the user 12 can then select the sort button 120 to re-sort
the item
records in the display table 122.
Also shown in FIG. 4A are hyperlink graphics for selecting other modules in
the
system 20. For example, links to the collection management module 30, the
inventory
module 32, and the gallery module 34 are shown. Graphical buttons 124, 126,
and 128
are used to link to these other modules. An additional graphical indicator is
placed next
to the button of the current module so that the user 12 knows what module they
are
currently operating. These hyperlink buttons are generally available in any of
the web
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pages associated with the system 20 so that users 12 can quicklv link back and
forth
between the various operational modules of the system.
FIG. 5 is a logical flow chart setting forth the preferred steps enabled
through the
fast add function 88 of the present invention. This function 88 begins at step
130. A web
page display is provided for the selected collection type and category that
enables the user
12 to either search manually 134, or to browse 132 through the pre-populated
collection
template 44C associated with the particular category of collection.
Preferably, the user
12 will use the search 134 and/or browse functions 132 to identify a
particular sub-
category of items for which they have numerous entries to make for their
particular
collection. As noted above, in the prior systems, a user 12 would have to
manually enter
the item information for each item. Using the fast add function 88, however,
the user 12
drills down to a particular sub-category within the pre-populated template
44C, and from
there, the user 12 can add numerous items, and the fast add function 88 then
automaticallv generates the item records using the basic item information
stored within
the pre-populated template 44C.
At step 136, the fast add display page is transmitted to the user's browser.
This
display page is described in more detail below with reference to FIG. 7. From
the display
page (FIG. 7), the user 12 may select a status filter at step 138 to apply to
all of the items
they are about to enter for this sub-category. Thus, for example, if all the
items that are to
be added are "owned" by the user 12, the user can select the "own" filter so
that this status
filter type is associated with all of the item records that will be
automatically created by
the fast add function 88. At step 140, the user then adds the items via a
special fast add
display table 194, as shown in FIG. 7. For a coin collection, this table is
preferably
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organized as a series of rows and columns, where the columns represent the
grade of the
coin, and the rows represent the date and mint of the coin. Data entry boxes
at the
intersection of the rows and columns of the table are used to enter numerical
values
corresponding to the number of items for a particular date/mint and grade.
Note,
however, that this is only an example that is used for coin collections, and
for other types
of collections, the rows and columns may be associated with different types of
information.
Having entered the numerical values into the display table 194, the fast add
function 88 then creates the individual item records for each item entered
into the table
using the basic item information that is pre-stored in the pre-populated
collection
template 44C and the status field information if one was selected at step 138.
The item
records are stored in the user's collection 44B. If there are more items to
add via the fast
add function (i.e., items associated with a different sub-category), then at
step 144 control
passes back to either the browse 132 or search functions 134, and the user 12
can select
another sub-category. If there are no additional items to add at step 144,
then the fast add
function ends 146.
FIG. 6 is a logical flow chart setting forth the preferred steps enabled
through the
create item record function 90 of the present invention. As noted above, this
function 90
is used to manually add item records to a user's collection 44B. The function
starts at
150. From here, the user 12 can either search or browse (step 152) through the
pre-
populated collection template 44C for the particular collection type and
category in order
to find the particular item to add to their collection. Once the item is
found, the user 12
selects the item at step 154, which automatically retrieves the basic item
information
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from the pre-populated template 44C and places this information into the item
record.
From here, a full item record display page shows the basic item information,
and includes
fields for manually entry of the extended item information. At step 156, the
user has the
option to enter the extended item information for the particular item.
The basic item information is the information that generally identifies the
particular item, and which is stored in the pre-populated template 44C, as
further shown
in FIG. 8B. The extended item information is additional information that
relates to the
item which is not necessarily needed in order to identify the item, such as,
for example in
a coin category of collection, the grade 158, the grading service 160, the
material of the
lo coin 162, a description of the coin 164, the status of the item 166 as set
by the status
filter, the price paid for the item 168, the price at which the item was sold
170, and a
general comment field 172. Once the user 12 has completed entering the
extended item
information, control passes to step 174, and the function 90 stores the basic
item
information and the extended item information into the user's collection 44B.
The
function then returns 176.
FIG. 7 is a graphical depiction showing the layout of the preferred fast add
data
input page 136 of the present invention. As described above with reference to
FIG. 5, the
fast add function 88 provides a unique mechanism that enables the user 12 to
quickly and
automatically add a large number of item records to their collection data 44B.
The fast
add data input page 136 is similar in many ways to the collection management
interface
64 shown in FIG. 4A. Both pages include the collection type selection bar 100
(including
buttons 100A, 100B, 100C, and the collection summary button 102). Both pages
include
the collection category selection tabs (including tabs 102A, 102B, 102C, 102D,
and the
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CA 02339701 2001-03-08
collection summary tab 104.) And both pages include the links 124, 126, 128
for linking
to another module in the system 20.
The fast add data input page 136 includes a different set of function buttons
and a
different display/input table than that shown in FIG. 4A. The fast add page
136 includes
a status filter drop-down box 116 for selecting a particular status filter
type to apply to all
of the items that are added through the fast add feature. Also included is a
listing 188 of
the particular sub-category that was selected by the user 12 during the browse
and/or
search steps 132, 134 shown in FIG. 5.
In the example shown in FIG. 7, the user 12 has selected the sub-category
based
on the denomination of small cents, and the type of flying eagle. Having
selected this
sub-category, the fast add function 88 then displays a data entry table
corresponding to
the basic item information associated with the selected sub-category. Here,
the
display/input table 194 includes the grade of the coin in each column, and the
date/mint
in each row. At the intersection of each row/column is a data entry field 196.
Thus, in
this example, each data entry field corresponds to a particular grade and a
particular
date/mint of flying eagle coin. As noted above, this table may use different
items of
information for different categories of collections, and different types of
collections.
As described with reference to FIG. 5, the user 12 then enters numerical
values,
196A, 196B into those data entry fields that correspond to the coins in their
collection.
Thus, in the example shown in FIG. 7, the user 12 has fourl856 coins with an
MS65
grade, one 1856 coin with an AU55 grade, three 1857 coins with an MS60 grade,
one
1857 coin with an EF 40 grade, and two 1858 coins with an MS63 grade. After
entering
these values, the user 12 then selects the fast add button 180, which carries
out the
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automatic item record creation step described in association with step 142.
Provision is
also made in the fast add display/input interface for modifying a prior search
182,
conductine a new search 184, and retuming to a browse-able list of collection
categories/items 186.
FIG. SA is a data structure diagram showing an example methodology for storing
a plurality of collection types according to the present invention. This data
structure is
preferably stored in the user collection data store 44B. At the highest level
of the
structure is a field that identifies the collection type 202, such as coins,
paper money,
baseball cards. wine, etc. Within each collection type data field are pointers
or other
1o variables associated with a plurality of collection categories 204, sucil
as US Federal
coins, Colonial coins, etc. Each collection category 204 then includes
pointers or other
variables associated with the individual item records 206 within each category
204. The
item records correspond to the individual collectible items that have been
input into the
collection management system 20 by the user 12, either manually 50C. through
the bulk
uploader process 50B, or through the automatic edit function 50A. Eacli item
record 206
includes basic item information 208, extended item information 210, and status
information 212. As described above, the basic item information 208 includes
information sufficient to uniquely identify the item. This basic item
information 208 is
stored in the pre-populated collection templates 44C so that the user 12 can
utilize the fast
add function 88 to automatically create a large amount of item records. The
extended
item information 210 provides additional descriptions of the item that are not
necessarily
linked to the item's identity, such as price paid, price sold, grade, grading
entity, etc.
There are many types of extended item information that could be used with the
present
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invention. The status information 212 is the status filter type, if one has
been applied by
the user 12, which, as described above, is used by the system 20 to further
control,
manage and characterize the user's 12 collection data 44B
FIG. 8B is a data structure diagram showing an example methodology for storing
the pre-populated data collection templates 44C utilized by the present
invention. These
templates 44C preferably include the basic item information associated with
items that
can be collected and managed through the system 20. By providing this
structure 44C,
the present invention enables the use of a fast add itinction 88 (described
above) for
quickly and automatically adding a large number of item records to a
particular
collection.
FIG. 8B shows an example sub-categorization of basic item information
associated with a coin collection type. The highest level of structure in this
template
hierarchy is the collection category level 302. Altematively, the templates
could be
allocated and structured by collection type. Within a particular coin category
302, such
as US Federal coins, the first level of basic item information (and thus sub-
categorization)
is the denomination level 304. Each category 302 includes pointers or other
variables
that link to the denomination information 304. The second level of basic item
information (sub-categorization) is the type level 306. Thus, within each
denomination
of coin there are a plurality of types 306. The third level of information
within each type
of coin is the variety 308. The fourth level of information within each
variety 308 is a
date range 310. Thus, for each variety of coin 308, there are one or more date
ranges 310
by which the coin can be further sub-categorized. The fifth level of basic
item
information is the actual date 312 of the coin. And finally, within each date
field 312 are
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~.,.+._.__.... . _ _ _ ____._._...._
CA 02339701 2001-03-08
the one or more items 314 that correspond to the sub-categorization. Other
basic item
information 208 could be included in the item field 314 at this point in the
hierarchy.
Thus, for a particular item, which can be searched for or browsed to using the
fast
add function 88, once the item is found, the date, date range, variety, type,
denomination
and category of the collectible are all automatically known by virtue of the
structure of
the pre-populated template 44C. Thus, this identifying information can be
automatically
loaded into the item record so as to identify the item, thereby relieving the
user 12 from
having to enter this information for each item in their collection.
FIG. 9 is a logical flow chart setting forth the preferred steps enabled by
the
inventory module (IM) 32 of the present invention. The inventory module (IM)
32
provides a means for the users 12 to gain access to (and perhaps purchase
from) the
inventory of collectibles maintained by the operator of the online collection
management
and marketing system 20. This inventory is stored in the inventory database
42, and
includes textual descriptions of the items in the inventory 42A aloncy with
images of the
items 42B. As described in step 242, below, the IM 32 is linked to the CMM 30
through
the automatic edit path 50A.
The user 12 selects the inventory module 32 from any of the graphical
interface
web paues that llave a link to this module, such as links 126 shown in FIGs.
4A and 7.
The user 12 enters this module at step 220. From here, a graphical display is
presented to
the user 12 indicating that the IM 32 has been entered. The user 12 then
decides 222 to
either search through 224 or browse 226 the inventory content 42A of the
system 20.
Once a particular item (or items) is (are) located, control passes to step
228, and the user
12 selects the view type to display the image(s) 42B of the particular
item(s). The
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preferred IM 32 includes three view types, a tray view 230, an image list view
232, and a
text list view 234. In the tray view 230, the IM 32 displays the images 42B
for a selected
item or group of items in a grid format, such that a plurality of images 42B
appear in a
single display page. In the image list view 232, a single item image is
displayed through
the graphical interface. And in the text list view 234, only text information
is displayed
to the user 12.
Once the images/text are displayed to the user 12 in steps 230, 232 or 234,
the
user 12 then selects a particular item at step 236. From here, the user can
obtain more
detailed information about the item, such as by viewing a high-resolution
detailed image
to of the item 246, or the user 12 can purchase the item 238, or the user 12
could add the
item to their "want list" by engaging the automatic edit function 242 to add a
new item
record for this item to the user's 12 collection that includes the status
filter type "wanted"
in the item record.
If the user 12 decides to purchase the item at step 238, then control passes
to step
240, and the user 12 is given the opportunity to review their purchase
decision and venfy
the transaction with the system 20. If, at step 240 the user is satisfied with
the
transaction, then a purchase is effected preferably using electronic means
such as a credit
card or other electronic money transfer, and control passes to step 242. Since
the user 12
has purchased the item, the system 20 at step 242 automatically enters the
collection
management module 30 through path 50A and creates a new item record for the
purchased item in the user's 12 collection data 44B. If the user 12 cannot
purchase the
item at this time, then they may want to just add the item to their "want"
category by
adding the item to their collection with the "wanted" status filter set. In
this case, control
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passes from step 244 to 242, as noted above. In this manner, the IM 32 is
linked to the
CMM 30 through the automatic edit function 242. The user 12 can exit from the
IM 32 at
step 250 by selecting another module, or by leaving the web site system 20.
FIG. 10 is a logical flow chart setting forth the preferred steps enabled by
the
alerts module (AM) 38 of the present invention. The alerts module (AM) 38
provides a
mechanism for marketing collectibles to particular users 12 based on an
analysis of the
specific item records and status filter settings input by the users 12 into
their collections
44B. At step 262 the alerts module is executed. In one embodiment of the
invention, the
alerts module 38 is always operating within the system 20. In another
embodiment, a
1o trigger mechanism 262 is used to periodically execute the steps shown in
FIG. 10. This
trigger mechanism 262 could be a manual trigger operated by the system
operator, or it
could be a timing trigger such that the alerts module 38 is triggered to
execute once per
day, or once per hour, etc. Other forms and logical rules for triggering the
alerts module
38 could also be implemented.
Once triggered, the alerts module 38 applies a set of matching logic 264 to
the
data stored in the system database 40. Specifically, two types of matching
functions are
preferred, a want list matching function, and an own list matching function.
These
functions are implemented within the matching logic 264. In the want list
matching
function, the alerts module 38 compares the item records in the numerous
user's 12 want
lists (i.e., those records that have their status flag set to "wanted") to the
inventory content
42A of the system 20. If a particular item is within the inventory of the
system operator,
and a particular user 12 has indicated that they want this item, then the
matching logic
will indicate that a match has been located.
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CA 02339701 2001-03-08
Similarly, with respect to the own list matching function, the matching logic
will
compare groups of item records in each user's 12 collection data 44B against
the pre-
populated template data 44C to determine whether there is an item that this
user might
want to purchase. For example, a user 12 may own 9 out of 10 items in a
particular sub-
category of the collectible category, and based on this information, the
matching logic
264 would infer that this user 12 would likely want to purchase the missing
item. In this
situation, the matching logic will indicate that a match has been located.
Whether the
missing item is in the operator's current inventory 42A is not necessarily
relevant to this
own list matching ftinction, since the system operator may subsequently
acquire the
missing item on behalf of the particular user 12.
If the matching logic does not indicate there are any matches from either the
want
list matching ftinction or the own list matching function, then at step 266,
control passes
to step 276. and the alerts module returns to its initial state 260, from
which it either re-
cycles through the steps 262-276, or it waits until the next trigger signal
262 activates the
matching, logic.
If niatches are found, then at step 266, control passes to step 268, where the
system 20 applies a set of business rules 268 to the matching information from
the
matching logic 264 in order to determine whether a particular user 12 should
be notified.
For example, certain users 12 may decide that they do not want to be marketed
to through
the system 20. In this case, even if there is a match as determined by the
matching logic
264, the system would not notify the user 12. Many other business rules can be
applied
in this step 268 in order to filter those matches from the matching logic 264
that will
trigger subsequent marketing steps.
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CA 02339701 2001-03-08
If the business logic 268 indicates that a match should trigger additional
steps,
then at step 270, control passes to step 272, and the system 20 sends a
notification
.(preferably by e-mail, although this could be a fax notification, telephone
call, or some
other form of communication) to the user 12 that is associated with the match
in order to
market a particular item to that user 12. So, for example, if the user
indicated that they
"wanted" a particular coin, and the system 20 includes that coin in its
inventory database
42, then the system 20 would send the user 12 a notification indicating that
the system
operator had the coin they wanted and offering to sell that coin to the user
12. This
notification message is then stored in the system database 40, and the user's
data in the
1 o registration data store 44A is updated to indicate that a notification has
been sent. This
later step is done so that the system 20 does not continually transmit
notification
messages to the user 12. For each match that passes through the business logic
268, a
similar notification message is sent to the appropriate user 12. In this
manner, the present
invention provides an automatic, targeted, online collectibles marketing
system that is
unknown in this field, and which provides an avenue for targeted, direct
marketing for the
system operator based on the user's 12 collection data 44B.
The preferred embodiments described with reference to the attached drawing
figures are presented only to demonstrate certain examples of the invention.
Other
elements, steps, methods and techniques that are insubstantially different
from those
described above and/or in the appended claims are also intended to be within
the scope of
the invention.
CL: 481443 35
