E-commerce Shopping Cart Controller with Dynamic Pricing and Session Persistence
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Solution Overview
Problem
E-commerce platforms face issues with shopping cart data persistence and checkout functionality, particularly in losing session data when a user is not logged in, and the inability to dynamically adjust prices based on collective user interest in items.
Innovation Solution
A shopping cart and checkout controller subsystem that detects when multiple users add the same item to their carts, adjusts the price, and allows users to checkout later at a potentially lower price, storing and processing payment data securely for subsequent use when a threshold is met.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If shopping cart data is stored in browser session data for users not logged in, then the shopping cart functionality is simple to implement, but the data is lost when the browser session terminates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism (cookie-based storage or server-side session storage) that bridges the gap between simple browser session storage and persistent user profile storage. This intermediary allows cart data to be retained across browser sessions without requiring full user authentication, thus maintaining ease of implementation while improving data persistence.
2Productivity
If the checkout controller processes purchases immediately, then the transaction is completed quickly, but the system cannot dynamically adjust prices based on collective user interest
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by allowing users to add items to wishlists or pre-order queues before the actual purchase is processed. The system accumulates these preliminary expressions of interest and then dynamically adjusts prices based on the aggregated data before finalizing transactions. This allows the system to maintain quick checkout processing while incorporating adaptive pricing based on collective user interest.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements a feedback loop where checkout decisions are influenced by aggregated user behavior data. As users add items to carts or wishlists, the system monitors this collective interest and feeds this information back into the pricing mechanism, enabling dynamic price adjustments that reflect real-time market demand while maintaining efficient transaction processing.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the system monitors shopping cart events to detect collective user interest, then dynamic pricing can be implemented, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by designing the shopping cart controller to perform multiple functions: it manages individual user carts, monitors aggregate user interest, triggers dynamic pricing adjustments, and coordinates with the checkout controller. This multi-functional approach consolidates what could be separate complex systems into a unified controller, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining dynamic pricing capabilities.
4Adaptability or versatility
If checkout data is stored for later processing, then users can purchase at lower prices, but security risks increase with stored payment details
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements this principle by using disposable, single-use tokens or encrypted placeholders for stored checkout data instead of retaining sensitive payment information. These temporary data representations allow the system to store checkout preferences and product selections for later processing without maintaining persistent sensitive information, thus enabling delayed checkout while minimizing security risks through automated data expiration and encryption.
Data Source
AI summary
A shopping cart and checkout controller subsystem for an e-commerce platform serving webpages for a plurality of retail items has a shopping cart controller configured to receive a selected retail item from a respective web page and add the selected retail items to a respective shopping cart by associating the selected retail item with at least one of a respective browser session and a user profile. The subsystem also has a checkout controller processing the purchase of the selected retail item for a retail price including with input payment details. The subsystem is configured to detect when a number of retail items of the same type is added to a plurality of shopping carts and to control the checkout controller to adjust the retail price of the retail item.