Internet-based search engine for price comparison or monitoring

摘要

An automated method for price verification of a commodity being offered on a vendor web site includes operating an intermediary search engine to compile and maintain an intermediary product database of price information relating to a plurality of commodities, each commodity being offered by a plurality of vendors on respective vendor web sites. The intermediary product database includes price information for each commodity on each vendor web site. A user accesses a vendor web page offering a selected commodity at a price specified thereon and, via program code embedded in the vendor web page, initiates a query to the intermediary search engine to establish comparative price information for the selected commodity. The comparative price information is then displayed to the user. An internet-based search engine comprises a server adapted to receive a user-specified price threshold for a user-specified commodity offered for sale on one or more vendor web sites and a search engine adapted to automatically and continuously monitor a plurality of vendor web sites for price information relating to a plurality of commodities, including the user-specified commodity. The search engine stores such price information in a product database. A notification server issues an electronic alert to the user identifying one or more vendor web sites offering the user-specified commodity when the commodity reaches or passes the user-specified price threshold.