Collaborative navigation controller

COLLABORATIVE NAVIGATION CONTROLLER

DESCRIPTION

0003Technical Field

0004The present invention 1 elates generally to website navigation systems and more specifically it relates to a collaboiative navigation controllei for guiding a usei through the sales process on an Internet Sales System

0005Background Art

0006The Internet is a dynamic packet wide area network consisting of millions of interconnected computers Information can be shared using many different protocols, the most popular of which has become known as the World Wide Web The Internet is implemented using a laige variety of connections between those millions of computers Internet access is readily available to individuals across the globe via Internet Service Piovideis that provide client connections ovei the public switched telephone network, integrated services digital network (ISDN) adapters, wireless connections, cable systems and dedicated data connections, such as digital subscriber lines

0007A World Wide Web site typically lesides on a computer known as a server that is accessed through the Internet by a user using a client computer A website consists of one or more web pages written in HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) Servers are typically compatible with HyperText Transport

0008Piotocol (HTTP) for providing the HTML pages Pages at a web site are typically accessible and viewed by the user through software called a web browser, such as Netscape Navigator or Microsoft Internet Explorer

0009It can be appreciated that website navigation systems have been in use for years The conventional appioach to web site navigation utilizes a series of controls and/or hyperlinks The controls, when selected, transmit a request to the server to provide a web page as defined within the system The hyperlinks indicate a taiget page to be returned by the servei when selected by the user

0010However, there usually is more than one control oi hyperlink available to the user at any given time, and, therefore, the selection of the next page from multiple possibilities is at the whim of the user This is acceptable for most web pages because the order in which a user views the web pages at the web site is not critical These pages are purposely designed to operate without knowledge of where the user is in the current process In websites that sell a product, the sales process is self-designed by the user of the website rather than the website opeiator

0011Theiefore, a usei is free to roam around the website in whatevei sequence of web pages the user chooses Selection of an incorrect hyperlink takes the user straight to the selected web page- whether or not the web page is appropriate at the particular stage in the sales process. This leads to tire user taking the wrong links, being unsure where to go next and being unaware of how to extract themselves from a web page when they have gone the wrong way. The result is user frustration and, frequently, abandonment ofthe sales process. Another problem with conventional website navigation systems is that they are over-dependant upon the intuitiveness of the website. This is a difficult concept to ensure across cultural boundaries due to the lack of direct supervision through the process. The users can quickly find themselves in difficulties with the same results as before.

0012Another problem with conventional website navigation systems is that they are confusing to use as there is no set standard, and the procedure varies widely from website to website. This difficulty encourages the user to abandon the site in favor of other more familiar sites, even if the similar- site does not offer the same value.

0013While the conventional approach as outlined above may be suitable for particular purposes to which they are addressed, they are not suitable for guiding the user through the sales process on an internet sales system.

0014In these respects, the Collaborative Navigation Controller, according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs ofthe prior art and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of guiding a user through the sales process on an Internet Sales

0015System.

0016Disclosure Of The Invention

0017The present invention discloses a system for controlling a user's navigation through a website with a user's web browser comprising a web server for providing web pages to the user and an agent having an agent's web browser over a wide area network wherein the user cannot perform a next appropriate action unless both the user and the agent have each chosen the same next appropriate action. Also disclosed is a novel method of controlling the navigation of a user through web pages of a web site comprising the steps of providing a web server for distributing the web pages to a user's computer, choosing a next appropriate action for a web page for a user to perform, determining whether the user has chosen the next appropriate action, if the user has performed an action other than the next appropriate action, allowing or denying the user to perform the chosen action.

0018Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings. Brief Description Of The Drawings

0019FIG 1 is a diagram of a standard computer,

0020FIG 2 is an example of a client interface according to the present invention as seen by a sales agent, FIG 3 is an example of a client interface according to the present invention as seen by a user, and, FIG 4 is a flowchart illustrating an operational sequence according to the invention

0021Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

0022While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there will herein be described in detail preferred embodiment of the invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the broad aspects ofthe invention to the embodiment illustrated

0023Turning now descriptively to the drawings, in which similar reference characters denote similar elements throughout the several views, tire attached figures illustrate a Collaborative Navigation Controllei which comprises a system for indicating to a user which navigation route to take by flashing on a computer screen an appropnate control or hyperlink to be used next The system also provides notification to an agent if the user rejects the advice and selects another path The path will not be allowed unless and until the agent confirms the new path This will prevent the usei from taking the navigation into their own hands and confusing the sales process

0024Fig 1 describes a typical computer system One of ordinary skill in the art will readily recogmze that the computer can of be any type that is capable of accessing a woild wide web site, such as a standaid peisonal computer, television capable of accessing the World Wide Web, a personal digital assistant, or a cellular telephone having World Wide Web features, for example

0025Referring to Fig 1, in the case of a peisonal computer, a usei's computer system 100 comprises a main processing unit 101, a keyboard 102, a monitor 103, and a pointmg device 104, such as a mouse, which are all, mtei connected with the computer system 100 illustrated One of ordinary skill in the art will also leadily recogmze that when the present invention is embodied in another type of computer system 100 certain elements may be combined oi omitted, such as a personal digital assistant wheie a stylus would replace a keyboard 102 and pointing device 104 The computer system 100 also comprises a communications device 105 foi connecting to the internet, such as a land-based modem or a cellular modem The computer further comprises software for accessing the internet 106, including a standard web browser

0026Also connected to the Internet 106 is a sales agent's computei system 107 The sales agents computer system 107 is of standard type and is similar to the user's computer system The component of the sales' agent computer system 107 are a ma piocessrng unit 101', a keyboaid 102', a monitoi 103', a pointing device 104' and a communications device 105' The sales agent's computer system 107 also runs a standard web browsei Both the sales agent's computer system 107 and the user's computer system are in communication with a web server 108. The web server 108 is a standard web server which distributes web pages using a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP).

0027Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 show a typical user interface of the web browser which is displayed on the monitor 103, 103' for the user and the sales agent, respectively. Referring to Fig. 4, when the sales agent wishes to display a next web page to the user, the sales agent selects a Next control 201, in step 400. The sales agent's browser sends a notification of this event to the web server 108. As a result, the web server 108 transmits a notification to the user's web browser that the sales agent has selected the Next control 201. This event causes the user's Next control 301 (Fig. 3) to begin flashing in step 401. Optionally, the sales agent's Next control 201 may also flash in step 401. If the user then selects the flashing Next control 301 (step 402), the user's web browser sends a notification to the web server 108 that the user has selected the Next control 301. The web server 108 then responds to the user's click ofthe Next control 301 and communicates a web page associated with the Next control 301 to both the web browser of the user and the web browser of the sales agent, in step 403. If instead of selecting the flashing Next control 301 the user selects a different control (step 402), such as the Previous control 302, a notification ofthe event is transmitted to the web server 108. This causes the system to transmit a notification to the sales agent's web browser that a different control was selected by the user. In response to this event, the Next control 201, 301 of both web browsers cease flashing and the Previous controls 202, 302 of both web browsers begin flashing in step 404. If the sales agent now selects the same control 202 (step 405), the user is allowed to access the web page associated with the Previous control 202 and the web server 108 transmits the web page associated with the Previous control 202 in step 406. If the sales agent selects a different control than the user has selected, a notification is transmitted to the web server that the agent has selected different control and the system does not allow a web page to be viewed by the user and returns to step 401. This method is also used for any selection controls on the system e.g. when the user is selecting a list of products from the screen. Additionally, it would be within the scope of the present invention to, instead of causing a next appropriate link to flash, to cause a next appropriate action of any type. For example, the system could indicate to a user that the user should fill in the user's name and address into text boxes within the web page, select an option button, view a list in a combo box, etc. One of ordinary skill in the art will readily realize that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed to be readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention. It will be understood that the invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or central characteristics thereof. The present embodiments, therefore, are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and the invention is not to be limited to the details given herein.