Appeal No. 2002-1475 Page 8
Application No. 09/370,935
From our review of Giovannoli, we find (col. 1, lines 5-9)
that Giovannoli relates to a computer based communications
network of buyer and vendor members for processing requests for
goods and/or services from network members and for linking buyers
to sellers. Giovannoli discloses that the prior art employed a
central database for goods and services offered to buyers.
Information about the goods and services is stored centrally and
must be kept current centrally. The volume of information to be
maintained and updated in a central database restricts it to a
limited type or number of goods and services or number of vendors
it can offer. It is not feasible for such systems to provide
access to all standard goods and services and all suppliers world
wide. For this reason, existing database systems are created and
maintained by one or a few vendors whose goods and services are
displayed. This necessarily restricts the buyer’s choice of
vendors (col. 1, lines 42-50). Giovannoli further discloses
(col. 2, lines 15-19) that “[t]hese systems have no capacity to
offer an unlimited number of goods and services from any number
of vendors who wish to become members of the system. This would
require an unrealistically large central database containing
information about products, services and vendors.” The invention
of Giovannoli creates the opportunity for buyers to relate to
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