Jonathan H Brown

Address:

PO Box 60106, North Charleston, SC 29419

Phone:

8436709543

VIN:

KNADE123276186676

Make:

KIA

Model:

RIO

Year:

2007

US Patent:

20080294534, Nov 27, 2008

Filed:

Apr 28, 2008

Appl. No.:

12/111045

Inventors:

Jonathan H. Brown - Charleston SC, US
John Z. Zhu - Mt. Pleasant SC, US

International Classification:

G06Q 30/00

US Classification:

705 27

Abstract:

Online shopping optimization in this context means, in general, making the optimal business decisions with regard to an online or electronic commerce purchase. The method begins with extracting buyer's demand information from buyer-specified items or a previously-configured shopping cart. It then includes a product catalog search that, when provided with the items specified or selected by the buyer, returns exact or equivalent (i.e., replacement or substitute) items. With the catalog search results, the online shopping optimization method formulates the online shopping decision-making problem into a mathematical programming model, particularly a mixed integer programming model. The method optimally decides, from the universe of vendors and items within the system: 1) from which of the various vendors to buy, 2) what identical, replacement, or substitute items to buy, 3) what package sizes of these items to buy, and 4) how many of each item to buy. To summarize, the system systematically and quantitatively makes decisions for a buyer over various cataloged items in order to maximize or minimize an objective function subject to various constraints including the buyer's demands of the desired items, the minimum order requirements imposed by the vendors on the buyer's spent monetary amount, together with other types of buyer, vendor, buyer-and-vendors interrelationship, or among-vendors interrelationship constraints. Recommended optimized shopping carts are then presented to the buyer.

US Patent:

20120072303, Mar 22, 2012

Filed:

Sep 12, 2011

Appl. No.:

13/230581

Inventors:

Jonathan H. Brown - Charleston SC, US
John Z. Zhu - Mt. Pleasant SC, US

International Classification:

G06Q 30/06

US Classification:

705 268

Abstract:

Online shopping optimization in the context of the present invention refers to making the optimal business decisions with regard to an online or electronic commerce purchase. One aspect of the present invention provides a method comprising extracting buyers' demand information from buyer-specified items or a previously-configured shopping cart and searching a product catalog that, when provided with the items specified or selected by the buyer, returns exact or equivalent items, such as replacement or substitute products. The method comprises formulating the online shopping decision-making problem into a mathematical programming model. The system systematically and quantitatively makes decisions for a buyer over various cataloged items in order to maximize or minimize an objective function subject to various constraints. Recommended optimized shopping carts are then presented to the buyer.