# How Amazon's One-Click Ordering Works for Online Purchases > 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. - **Patent:** US 5960411 - **Original title:** Method and system for placing a purchase order via a communications network - **Owner:** Amazon com Inc - **Granted:** 1999 - **Status:** Public domain (expired) - **Times cited:** 1,636 - **Field:** ecommerce, software, telecommunications ## 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. ## The clever bit The novelty was not just storing customer information, but linking a single, immediate user action directly to the complete, pre-stored transaction data to generate and fulfill an order, completely bypassing the multi-step shopping cart process common at the time. ## Real-world examples 1. Amazon's 1-Click ordering feature 2. Many 'Buy Now' or 'Instant Checkout' buttons on e-commerce websites 3. Digital storefronts that allow immediate purchase of digital goods ## Why it matters This patent significantly simplified online shopping by removing friction from the checkout process. It allowed customers to make impulse purchases easily, which was a major competitive advantage for Amazon. The method became a widely adopted feature across e-commerce, setting a new standard for convenience in online transactions. ## Frequently asked questions ### What does How Amazon's One-Click Ordering Works for Online Purchases cover? 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. ### Who owns patent US 5960411? Amazon com Inc owns this patent, granted in 1999. ### When does this patent expire? This patent has expired and is now in the public domain — anyone can use the invention freely. ### What is patent US 5960411 cited by? This patent has been cited by 1636 later patents that build on its ideas. ### What problem does this patent solve? This patent significantly simplified online shopping by removing friction from the checkout process. It allowed customers to make impulse purchases easily, which was a major competitive advantage for Amazon. The method became a widely adopted feature across e-commerce, setting a new standard for convenience in online transactions. ### What does this patent NOT cover? Does not cover purchasing processes that require multiple clicks or steps to confirm an order, beyond the initial single action. **Full plain-English explainer:** https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/5960411/amazon-one-click **Original patent:** https://patents.google.com/patent/US5960411 --- _Source: PatentBrief — https://patentbrief.org. Patent facts are from public records; the plain-English explanation is PatentBrief's._ ## Related patents Semantically similar inventions in the PatentBrief corpus: - [How a Centralized Broker Handles Online Shopping Transactions](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/7865399/distributed-electronic-commerce-system-with-centralized-point-of-purchase) — A system where a third-party broker handles payments and shipping logistics for online merchants, allowing customers to checkout without entering payment details on every individual site. - [How Digital Media Purchases and Downloads Work](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/5191573/personal-audio-media-distribution) — A 1990 patent describing the basic process of paying for digital audio or video content over a phone line and downloading it to a personal device. - [How Websites Remember You Using Stored Data](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/5774670/http-cookie-browser-state) — Netscape's 1998 patent on storing small pieces of website information (like login details or preferences) on your computer so the website can recall them later, enabling personalized experiences and smoother navigation. - [How Mobile Phones Can Securely Authorize Payments Using Random ID Codes](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/7577616/method-and-apparatus-of-secure-authentication-and-electronic-payment-through-mobile-communication-tool) — A 2006 system that uses a mobile phone to receive and relay a unique, temporary ID code to a store terminal to verify and authorize a payment transaction. - [How Amazon Delivers Content Faster Using Local Servers](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/9332078/facebook-memories) — Amazon's 2016 patent describes a system for breaking down digital content into smaller pieces and storing them on servers located near users to speed up downloads and reduce network traffic.