Multi-Selection Gifting System with Constraint-Based Selection

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Solution Overview

Problem

Traditional e-commerce gift-giving technologies lack flexibility, as they do not consider the recipient's tastes, preferences, or physical characteristics, and often result in gifts not being fully redeemed, leading to unnecessary costs for the gift giver.

Innovation Solution

A system and method for multi-selection gifting that allows a gift giver to create a custom gift from multiple merchant catalogues, with constraints on the number or cost of items, enabling the recipient to select items within these constraints, and billing the giver only upon redemption.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If traditional e-commerce gift-giving is used, then the gift giver can purchase a gift for the recipient, but the recipient cannot select items that match their tastes and preferences

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvegift customization to recipient preferencesVSAvoidgift selection process

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The gift selection process is segmented into two distinct phases: (1) The gift giver selects a set of candidate items that fit within their budget and the recipient's preferences, and (2) The recipient selects their preferred item from this pre-filtered set. This segmentation allows both parties to exercise control over different aspects of the gift selection, improving adaptability to recipient preferences while maintaining ease of operation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The gift giver performs preliminary action by pre-selecting a curated set of gift options that match the recipient's profile, tastes, and preferences before the recipient makes their final selection. This preliminary filtering reduces the decision burden on the recipient while ensuring the options are already tailored to their preferences, thus resolving the contradiction between customization and ease of operation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If the gift giver is billed at the time of purchase, then the transaction is completed, but the gift giver may be billed for items not redeemed

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebilling accuracyVSAvoidbilling process

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary action by pre-billing the gift giver for the total value of the gift certificate or selection pool, but defers the final transaction completion until the recipient actually redeems an item. This allows the billing process to be initiated in advance while ensuring final payment accuracy based on actual redemption, resolving the contradiction between billing reliability and process complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The traditional billing model is inverted: instead of billing the gift giver immediately upon purchase and hoping for redemption, the system bills based on actual redemption occurrence. This inversion ensures that the gift giver only pays for what is actually used, improving billing accuracy while the system manages the complexity of tracking and processing redemption events.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

3Ease of operation

If the recipient is given full freedom to select any gift item, then they can choose their preferred item, but the selection may exceed the gift giver's budget constraints

Engineering Contradiction:

Improverecipient selection freedomVSAvoidbudget constraint compliance

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The selection process is segmented into two stages: The gift giver first defines the budget constraints and selects candidate items within that budget, creating a curated selection pool. Then the recipient selects from this pre-filtered pool, ensuring budget compliance while maintaining selection freedom within the defined parameters. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by providing freedom within boundaries.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system acts as an intermediary by implementing automated constraint checking and guidance during the recipient's selection process. The intermediary monitors selections in real-time, guiding the recipient to choose items that satisfy the gift giver's budget constraints while still allowing freedom of choice within those constraints, thus resolving the contradiction between freedom and compliance.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS8392286B2Electronic commerce rule-based multi-selection gifting

Publication Date: 2013.03.05 SHOP MA

AI summary

A method for multi-selection gifting, including identifying a multi-selection gift, the multi-selection gift including a plurality of items of merchandise, and at least one selection rule governing selection of at least two of the items of merchandise, and interactively guiding a gift recipient in selecting at least one item of merchandise in accordance with the at least one selection rule, wherein each selection rule is a member of the group including allowing the gift recipient to select up to a specified total number of items of merchandise in the multi-selection gift, allowing the gift recipient to select items of merchandise in the multi-selection gift up to a specified total cost, and allowing the gift recipient to select items of merchandise in the multi-selection gift up to a specified total measure. A system and a computer-readable storage medium are also described and claimed.