Browser Extension Overlay for Dynamic Price Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Consumers face inefficiencies in tracking and purchasing assets over the internet due to volatile characteristics and the need to revisit multiple websites, leading to frustration and potential loss of optimal deals, especially in eCommerce transactions like travel bookings.
Innovation Solution
A system that overlays user controls on web pages to track data fields with changing values, allowing users to monitor assets across multiple websites and receive notifications of price changes or refund eligibility, using a distributed network of client executables and a server system to coordinate searches and track assets.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If consumers manually track items across multiple websites by repeatedly visiting and querying each site, then they can monitor price changes and availability, but the process becomes time-consuming and inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary system consisting of a browser extension and server that automatically monitors price changes across multiple websites. The extension injects tracking code into web pages, and the server coordinates the tracking process, eliminating the need for consumers to manually visit each site repeatedly.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-service tracking by automatically monitoring price changes without requiring user intervention. The browser extension continuously checks for price changes on monitored items, and the server manages the tracking process, allowing consumers to passively receive notifications when changes occur.
2Ease of operation
If consumers save items in shopping carts or wish lists on multiple websites, then they can return later to review selected items, but they still must revisit each source to check for changes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the tracking functionality across multiple websites into a single unified system. Instead of managing separate shopping carts and wish lists on different sites, the system consolidates tracking for all items in one place, providing a centralized view of price changes across multiple sources.
Solution Approach 2:
The browser extension acts as an intermediary that monitors multiple website sources simultaneously. It injects tracking code into various e-commerce sites and consolidates the information, eliminating the need for consumers to manually check each source individually.
3Measurement precision
If consumers execute multiple queries at multiple times to track volatile asset characteristics like travel prices, then they can capture price changes, but the process is difficult and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements continuous monitoring of price changes through the browser extension, which automatically checks for changes whenever the user visits monitored websites. This eliminates the need for discrete, manual queries at scheduled intervals, providing continuous tracking without interrupting the user's workflow.
Solution Approach 2:
The tracking system operates autonomously without requiring user initiation. The browser extension automatically monitors price changes and the server coordinates tracking efforts, allowing the system to self-manage the continuous monitoring process without consuming user time or effort.
4Loss of information
If consumers manually monitor transactional data across multiple websites, then they can find the best deals, but the process lacks cohesiveness and overall efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal tracking system that works across multiple different e-commerce websites and platforms. The browser extension and server architecture are designed to handle various website formats and data structures, providing unified tracking functionality that works universally across different sources without requiring separate solutions for each site.
Data Source
AI summary
A computer system for overlaying content in a designated area of a web page is disclosed. The computer system may be used to run executable code configured to identify a data field in a received web page, insert a visible user control substantially adjacent to the data field, display the web page comprising the user control, and cause a value in the data field to be tracked upon actuation of the user control.