Electronic commerce system

Abstract

An electronic commerce system includes a client computer and a server computer interconnected by a public packet switched communications network. The client computer is programmed to transmit to the server computer an order acceptance request terms or conditions of a proposed offer for a purchase, including multiple options of at least one of the terms or conditions of the offer. The server computer is programmed to process the order acceptance request based on pre-programmed criteria and based on the processing of the order acceptance request to transmit to the client computer an order acceptance response. The order acceptance response includes a plurality of amendments to the proposed offer for the purchase, including selection of an option of the at least one of the terms or conditions.

1 - 10 . (canceled) 
     
     
         11 . An electronic commerce system, comprising:
 a server configured to communicate over a network with a first client and a second client;   the server being configured to receive a first order acceptance request from the first client, the first order acceptance request comprising terms or conditions of a proposed offer for a purchase of a gift certificate;   the server being further configured to receive a second order acceptance request from the second client, the second order acceptable request comprising the gift certificate;   the server being programmed to process the first and second order acceptance requests based on pre-programmed criteria, and, based on the processing of the first and second order acceptance requests, to transmit to the first and second clients an order acceptance response based on the pre-programmed criteria, the server further being programmed to store gift certificate information in a database when the server receives the first order acceptance request and to examine the database when the server receives the second order acceptance request.   
     
     
         12 . An electronic commerce system, comprising:
 a server configured to communicate over a network with a client;   the server being further configured to receive an order acceptance request from the client, the order acceptance request comprising terms or conditions of a proposed offer for a purchase of tokens to be redeemed for micro-purchases;   the server being programmed to process the order acceptance request based on pre-programmed criteria, and, based on the processing of the order acceptance request, to transmit to the client an order acceptance response based on the pre-programmed criteria, the server further being programmed to increase a number of tokens in a token database that are available for use in exchange for the micro-purchases.   
     
     
         13 . A computer-implemented method of purchasing a product in an electronic commerce system comprising a client and a server coupled via a network, comprising:
 receiving, from the client, a selection of a product for purchase from a catalog of products available for purchase from the server;   transmitting an order acceptance request form from the server to the client, the order acceptance request form specifying the selected product and default shipping and payment options for the selected product;   receiving, from the client, an order acceptance request that identifies one or more modifications to the default shipping and payment options; and   transmitting a modified order acceptance request form from the server to the client, the modified order acceptance request form indicating whether the one or more modifications to the default shipping and payment options are acceptable to the server.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the order acceptance request received from the client further identifies modifications to one or more terms or conditions of the order acceptance request form in addition to the one or more modifications to the default shipping and payment options. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the one or more terms or conditions include one or more of a means of payment, a time of payment, a payment guarantee condition, a shipping method, a time and place of delivery, insurance coverage, risk-of-loss provisions, a cancellation policy, and goods acceptance criteria. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the order acceptance request received from the client adds one or more additional terms or conditions to the order acceptance request form. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the modified order acceptance request form includes a copy of the order acceptance request that is amended to indicate the modified shipping or payment options that are acceptable to the server. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the modified order acceptance request form indicates one or more alternative shipping or payment options that would be acceptable to the server. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the modified order acceptance request form rejects one or more of the modified shipping or payment options and includes a menu of proposed replacement terms for the one or more rejected options. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the order acceptance request indicates whether the order acceptance request should be automatically accepted by the server if the modified shipping or payment options are acceptable to the server. 
     
     
         21 . A computer-implemented method of purchasing a product in an electronic commerce system comprising a client and a server coupled via a network, comprising:
 receiving, from the client, a selection of a product for purchase from a catalog of products available for purchase from the server;   transmitting an order acceptance request form from the server to the client, the order acceptance request form specifying the price of the selected product and one or more default shipping options;   receiving, from the client, an order acceptance request that modifies the one or more default shipping options; and   transmitting a modified order acceptance request form from the server to the client in response to the order acceptance request, wherein the modified order acceptance request form specifies an updated purchasing price for the selected product based upon the modifications to the one or more default shipping options.   
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the order acceptance request identifies modifications to one or more terms or conditions of the order acceptance request form in addition to the modifications to the one or more default shipping options, and wherein the modified order acceptance request form indicates whether the modifications to the one or more terms or conditions are acceptable to the server. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the one or more terms or conditions include one or more of a means of payment, a time of payment, a payment guarantee condition, a shipping method, a time and place of delivery, insurance coverage, risk-of-loss provisions, a cancellation policy, and goods acceptance criteria. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the modified order acceptance request form indicates one or more alternative terms or conditions that would be acceptable to the server. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the modified order acceptance request form rejects one or more of the modified terms or conditions and includes a menu of proposed replacement terms or conditions. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the modified order acceptance request form includes a list of payment choices that are acceptable to the server computer. 
     
     
         27 . A computer-implemented method of purchasing a product in an electronic commerce system comprising a client and a server coupled via a network, comprising:
 receiving, from the client, a selection of a product for purchase from a catalog of products available for purchase from the server;   receiving, from the client, an order acceptance request that includes an indication of the product selected for purchase and a preferred method of shipment; and   transmitting a response from the server to the client that includes a tracking number obtained from a shipping company associated with the preferred method of shipment and a shipping date, wherein the tracking number and shipping date are obtained electronically by the server.   
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein the tracking number and shipping date are obtained electronically by the server in response to the order acceptance request. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein the response from the server indicates that the order acceptance request is acceptable to the server. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein the order acceptance request identifies one or more requested terms or conditions of the purchase. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein the response from the server indicates that the requested terms or conditions are acceptable to the server. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claims 30 , wherein the one or more requested terms or conditions include one or more of a means of payment, a time of payment, a payment guarantee condition, a shipping method, a time and place of delivery, insurance coverage, risk-of-loss provisions, a cancellation policy, and goods acceptance criteria. 
     
     
         33 . A computer-implemented method of selling a product in an electronic commerce system comprising a client and a server coupled via a network, comprising:
 receiving an order acceptance request at the server from the client, the order acceptance request specifying one or more products to be purchased through the electronic commerce system;   comparing properties of the one or more products to be purchased with a set of shipping rules to determine available shipping options for the one or more products to be purchased; and   transmitting an order acceptance response from the server to the client indicating the available shipping options for the one or more products to be purchased.   
     
     
         34 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 33 , wherein the shipping rules are maintained in a shipping rules database associated with the server. 
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 33 , wherein the available shipping options include a list of available couriers. 
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 33 , wherein the available shipping options include a list of available shipment methods. 
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 33 , further comprising:
 receiving a communication from the client selecting a shipping option for the one or more products, to be purchased; and   transmitting an updated order acceptance response from the server to the client, the updated order acceptance response specifying a price for the one or more products to be purchased that includes shipping costs.   
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 33 , wherein the set of shipping rules include one or more shipping restrictions and the available shipping options are limited by the one or more shipping restrictions. 
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 38 , wherein the one or more shipping restrictions include one or more restrictions based on product type. 
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 38 , wherein the one or more shipping restrictions include one or more restrictions based on delivery location. 
     
     
         41 . The method of  claim 38 , wherein the one or more shipping restrictions include one or more restrictions based on delivery date. 
     
     
         42 . The method of  claim 33 , wherein the available shipping options indicate that the one or more products are not shippable. 
     
     
         43 . A computer-implemented method of accessing an electronic subscription service in a network having a client and a server, comprising:
 receiving an order acceptance request at the server from the client, the order acceptance request specifying a purchase amount for accessing the electronic subscription service;   translating the purchase amount into a number of tokens to be used in accessing content from the electronic subscription service and storing the number of tokens in a database;   receiving a request from the client to access content from the electronic subscription service and correspondingly decreasing the number of tokens in the token database.   
     
     
         44 . The method of  claim 43 , wherein the server maintains a subscription table associated with the client that identifies one or more subscriptions that have been purchased by the client. 
     
     
         45 . The method of  claim 44 , wherein the number of tokens may be used by the client to access content from any of the one or more subscriptions identified in the subscription table. 
     
     
         46 . The method of  claim 43 , wherein each token represents an amount of money that is fixed by the server. 
     
     
         47 . The method of  claim 43 , wherein the purchase amount for accessing content from the electronic subscription service is determined according to a price per page. 
     
     
         48 . The method of  claim 43 , wherein the purchase amount for accessing content from the electronic subscription service is determined according to a price per article. 
     
     
         49 . A computer-implemented method of accessing an electronic subscription service in a network having a client and a server, comprising:
 receiving one or more requests from the client to access content from the electronic subscription service;   storing at the server an amount of tokens owed for accessing content from the electronic subscription service;   receiving a purchase amount from the client;   translating the purchase amount into a number of purchased tokens; and   decreasing the amount of tokens owed by the number of purchased tokens.   
     
     
         50 . The method of  claim 49 , wherein the server maintains a subscription table associated with the client that identifies one or more subscriptions that have been purchased by the client. 
     
     
         51 . The method of  claim 50 , wherein the number of tokens may be used by the client to access content from any of the one or more subscriptions identified in the subscription table. 
     
     
         52 . The method of  claim 49 , wherein each token represents an amount of money that is fixed by the server. 
     
     
         53 . The method of  claim 49 , wherein the purchase amount for accessing content from the electronic subscription service is determined according to a price per page. 
     
     
         54 . The method of  claim 49 , wherein the purchase amount for accessing content from the electronic subscription service is determined according to a price per article. 
     
     
         55 . A computer-implemented method of purchasing items in a network having a client and a server, comprising:
 receiving an order acceptance request at the server from the client, the order acceptance request specifying a purchase amount for use in purchasing items;   translating the purchase amount into a number of tokens to be used in one or more micro-transactions and storing the number of tokens in a database;   receiving a request to purchase an item from the client and correspondingly decreasing the number of tokens in the token database in relation to a price of the purchased item.   
     
     
         56 . The method of  claim 55 , wherein the item is a page or article from a periodical or newspaper. 
     
     
         57 . The method of  claim 55 , wherein each of the tokens represents an amount of money that is fixed by the server. 
     
     
         58 . A computer-implemented method of purchasing an item in an electronic commerce system comprising a client and a server coupled via a network, comprising:
 receiving an order acceptance request at the server to purchase a specified product, the order acceptance request including a digital coupon having an identifier;   accessing a digital coupon database and comparing the identifier of the received digital coupon with identifiers of digital coupons referenced in the digital coupon database in order to determine whether the digital coupon has been previously presented to the server;   if the digital coupon has been previously presented to the server, then rejecting the order acceptance request, but if the digital coupon has not been previously presented to the server, then accepting the digital coupon and decrementing a pre-stored value of the digital coupon froth the price of the specified product.   
     
     
         59 . The method of  claim 58 , wherein the identifier is a serial number. 
     
     
         60 . The method of  claim 59 , wherein the digital coupon is associated with a particular client computer, wherein the order acceptance request is rejected if the digital coupon is not received from the particular client computer. 
     
     
         61 . The method of  claim 59 , wherein the digital coupon is transmitted to the client computer in advance of the order acceptance request. 
     
     
         62 . The method of  claim 61 , wherein the digital coupon is a gift certificate and is transmitted to the client computer from another client computer that purchased the gift certificate. 
     
     
         63 . The method of  claim 61 , wherein the client computer receives a link to a merchant website in association with the digital coupon. 
     
     
         64 . A computer-implemented method of purchasing an item in an electronic commerce system comprising a plurality of clients and a server coupled via a network, comprising;
 receiving a first order acceptance request from a first client to purchase a digital coupon having a serial number and a value;   storing the serial number and value of the purchased digital coupon in a digital coupon database;   receiving a second order acceptance request from a second client to purchase an item, the second order acceptance request including the digital coupon purchased according to the first order acceptance request; and   checking the digital coupon database to determine whether the digital coupon is valid, and if so, then applying the value of the digital coupon to a purchase price of the item to be purchased.   
     
     
         65 . The method of  claim 64 , further comprising transmitting the digital coupon to the second client. 
     
     
         66 . The method of  claim 65 , wherein a link to a merchant website is transmitted to the second client in association with the digital coupon. 
     
     
         67 . The method of  claim 65 , wherein the digital coupon is transmitted to the second client by the first client. 
     
     
         68 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the gift certificate is transmitted from one of the first or second clients to another client. 
     
     
         69 . The system of  claim 68 , wherein the gift certificate is transmitted along with a link to a merchant website where the gift certificate may be redeemed. 
     
     
         70 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the server computer is further configured to determine if the stored gift certificate is valid in response to the second order acceptance request. 
     
     
         71 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the tokens are redeemable to purchase content from a periodical or newspaper. 
     
     
         72 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein each of the tokens represents an amount of money That is fixed by the server. 
     
     
         73 . The system of  claim 72 , wherein the server maintains a subscription table associated with the client that identifies one or more subscriptions that have been purchased by the client. 
     
     
         74 . The system of  claim 73 , wherein the tokens are redeemable to access content from any of the one or more subscriptions identified in the subscription table. 
     
     
         75 . The system of  claim 73 , wherein a purchase amount for accessing content is determined according to a price per page. 
     
     
         76 . The system of  claim 71 , Wherein a purchase amount for accessing content is determined according to a price per article.