{
  "patent_number": "US 5960411",
  "country": "US",
  "title": "How Amazon's One-Click Ordering Works for Online Purchases",
  "original_title": "Method and system for placing a purchase order via a communications network",
  "summary": "Amazon's 1999 patent describes how a customer can buy an item online with just one click, bypassing a traditional shopping cart by using pre-stored payment and shipping information.",
  "what_it_does": "This patent describes a method for buying an item online using only a single action. When a user views an item (Claim 1), a client system (like your web browser) displays information about it. With just one click (Claim 3) or a single sound (Claim 4), the client system sends a request to a server system to order the item, along with an identifier for the purchaser (Claim 1). The server then uses this identifier to retrieve previously stored information, like payment and shipping details, to generate and fulfill the order (Claim 1). This process happens without needing to add the item to a shopping cart first, allowing for instant purchases. For example, if you're logged into Amazon and click a 'Buy Now' button, the system uses your stored address and credit card to complete the purchase immediately.",
  "what_it_does_not_cover": [
    "Does not cover purchasing processes that require multiple clicks or steps to confirm an order, beyond the initial single action.",
    "Does not cover systems where a user must re-enter payment or shipping details for each purchase.",
    "Does not cover online stores that exclusively use a traditional shopping cart model for all purchases.",
    "Does not cover ordering systems that require explicit user identification, like a password, for every single transaction after the initial login.",
    "Does not cover ordering methods that do not use a client-server communication network like the Internet."
  ],
  "filed": "1997-09-12",
  "granted": "1999-09-28",
  "expires": "2017-09-12",
  "status": "expired",
  "holder": "Amazon com Inc",
  "holder_url": "https://patentbrief.org/company/amazon-com-inc",
  "inventors": [
    {
      "name": "Joel Spiegel",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/joel-spiegel"
    },
    {
      "name": "Jeffrey P. Bezos",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/jeffrey-p-bezos"
    },
    {
      "name": "Peri Hartman",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/peri-hartman"
    },
    {
      "name": "Shel Kaphan",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/shel-kaphan"
    }
  ],
  "times_cited": 1636,
  "tags": [
    "ecommerce",
    "software",
    "telecommunications"
  ],
  "abstract": "A method and system for placing an order to purchase an item via the Internet. The order is placed by a purchaser at a client system and received by a server system. The server system receives purchaser information including identification of the purchaser, payment information, and shipment information from the client system. The server system then assigns a client identifier to the client system and associates the assigned client identifier with the received purchaser information. The server system sends to the client system the assigned client identifier and an HTML document identifying the item and including an order button. The client system receives and stores the assigned client identifier and receives and displays the HTML document. In response to the selection of the order button, the client system sends to the server system a request to purchase the identified item. The server system receives the request and combines the purchaser information associated with the client identifier of the client system to generate an order to purchase the item in accordance with the billing and shipment information whereby the purchaser effects the ordering of the product by selection of the order button.",
  "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/5960411/amazon-one-click",
  "markdown_url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/5960411/amazon-one-click/md",
  "google_patents_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US5960411",
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}