Hewlett Packard has applied for a patent on internet shopping:
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United States Patent Application 20040107145
Method and system for making purchases over a computer network
Abstract
A method of making purchases over a computer network includes accessing an agent site on the network, retrieving product information from at least one supplier site on the network, and recording information regarding products designated for purchase from supplier sites in an electronic shopping cart resident at the agent site.
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Uh, hasn't this been pretty much done since the internet went public? Won't the internet pretty much die if these bastards keep patenting everything in sight? Is the patent office totally staffed by idiots who live in caves? Stay tuned.