Integrated Electronic Shopping Cart System And Method

Abstract

Integrated shopping cart functionality is provided on a first website so that products/services from different affiliated websites can be integrated into the shopping cart at the first website and the e-commerce functionality of the first website can be utilized to purchase the selected products/services. A framework for integrating this functionality enables the first website to integrate with affiliated websites so that an increased number of users may access the first website since the proprietor of the first website may offer various products/services from a multitude of different affiliated websites, for example by providing URL links to the affiliated websites that a user may access in order to select items from the affiliated websites. These items can be integrated into the shopping cart at the first website and purchased with a single transaction. Increased user traffic is expected at the first website since a user's shopping interests can be fulfilled at a single website. Additionally, affiliated websites are benefited by this integrated shopping cart functionality since the e-commerce functionality of the integrated shopping cart is performed by a server that is associated with the first website. Therefore, affiliated websites need not include their own e-commerce functionality. Instead, they may take advantage of the e-commerce functionality of the first website and still receive the benefits of the sale of their offered products/services to the user. Maintenance costs and overhead costs with respect to including an e-commerce software engine are therefore reduced and often eliminated as a result.

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         82 . An integrated electronic shopping cart system, comprising:
 a first server system connected with a computer network including at least one client computer system, the first server system being associated with a first website and including a shopping cart application that functions as a hub for items that can be selected from any of a number of catalogs of item information associated with any of a number of respective affiliated websites;   an affiliated server system associated with respective ones of the affiliated websites, the affiliated server system being adapted to provide an item identifier for each of the items selected from the associated respective catalog of item information to the shopping cart application;   the first server system being configured to process an order relating to one or more of the items identified in the shopping cart application and to provide order fulfillment information for each of the items in the order to the affiliated server system associated with the respective catalog of item information from which such item was selected, and the affiliated server system being further adapted to receive and process the order fulfillment information from the first server system, the affiliated server system further comprising:   at least one server system configured to communicate with the client computer system;   at least one image server system configured to receive custom print information, including custom print design item information, from the client computer system and to provide the custom print design item information to the at least one server system so that the custom print design item information can be dynamically displayed at the client computer system to indicate any modification to the custom print design item information, the custom print design information relating to at least a respective one of the items identified in the shopping cart application;   at least one file server system configured to store the custom print information; and   at least one process server system configured to format the custom print information and to generate a print order; and   each of the at least one server system, at least one image server system, at least one file server system and at least one process server system being in communication with each other so that custom print information can be provided between them.   
     
     
         83 . The integrated electronic shopping cart system of  claim 82 , wherein the custom print information includes any of graphical information, audio-visual information, image information and textual information. 
     
     
         84 . The integrated electronic shopping cart system of  claim 82 , wherein the custom print information is provided from a client system in communication with the affiliated server system. 
     
     
         85 . The integrated electronic shopping cart system of  claim 82 , wherein the custom print information is included in at least one design file that describes the layout of a custom print design item associated with the custom print information. 
     
     
         86 . The integrated electronic shopping cart system of  claim 85 , wherein the at least one design file further describes non-print items associated with the custom print information. 
     
     
         87 . The integrated electronic shopping cart system of  claim 85 , wherein the layout of the custom print design item described in the design file is updated to indicate any modification to the custom print design item information. 
     
     
         88 . The integrated electronic shopping cart system of  claim 87 , wherein the modified custom print design item information is displayed in real-time. 
     
     
         89 . The integrated electronic shopping cart system of  claim 82 , wherein the custom print design item information is modified in accordance with a predetermined ruleset for a selected print medium. 
     
     
         90 . The electronic shopping cart system of  claim 82 , wherein the custom print information is formatted into a format that is recognizable by a printing facility. 
     
     
         91 . The electronic shopping cart system of  claim 82 , further comprising at least one printing facility in communication with the affiliated server, the at least one printing facility configured to receive the formatted custom print information from the affiliated server and to process the print order in accordance with the custom print information.