Add-on orders for delivery

• US 10,043,149 B1
• Filed: 09/30/2015
• Issued: 08/07/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DoorDash, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Square Inc (Block, Inc. (f/k/a Square, Inc.))
• Inventors: Iacono, Jeffrey Frank, Bernstein, Benjamin R., Howland, David S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wilder, A Hunter
• Application Number:
  US14/870,886
• Time in Patent Office: 1,042 Days
• Field of Search: 705 21
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0835 Relationships between shipper or supplier and carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/18 involving self-service terminals [SST], vending machines, kiosks or multimedia terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/202 Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/322 Aspects of commerce using mobile devices [M-devices]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0607 Regulated
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0637 Approvals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/12 Hotels or restaurants
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/40 for devices for accepting orders, advertisements, or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/00 Cash registers alarm indicators G07G3/00

Abstract

In some examples, a service provider may receive, from a buyer device, a first order for a first item to be prepared by a first merchant. The service provider may determine a second item offered by the first merchant, or another merchant, that can be added on to the first order by determining a preparation time for the first item, and determining that the second item offered by the first merchant, or the other merchant, has a preparation time less than the preparation time for the first item. The service provider may further determine a threshold time for ordering the second item based on a difference between the preparations time for the first item and the second item. The threshold time may be presented on the buyer device to indicate an amount of time the buyer has to add the second item to the first order.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

one or more courier devices, each associated with a respective courier, each courier device including a respective courier device processor, a respective courier device GPS receiver coupled to the respective courier device processor, and a respective courier device communication interface coupled to the respective courier device processor for communicating over one or more networks;

one or more merchant devices, each associated with a respective merchant, each merchant device including a respective merchant device processor and a respective merchant device communication interface coupled to the respective merchant device processor for communicating over the one or more networks;

one or more buyer devices, each associated with a respective buyer, each buyer device including a respective buyer device processor and a respective buyer device communication interface coupled to the respective buyer device processor for communicating over the one or more networks; and

a service computing device including a service computing device processor and a service computing device communication interface coupled to the service computing device processor for communicating over the one or more networks with the one or more courier devices, the one or more buyer devices, and the one or more merchant devices, the service computing device programmed to;

receive, from a buyer device associated with a first buyer, an indication of a delivery location;

send, to the buyer device, item information about items offered by a plurality of merchants for delivery to the delivery location, wherein the buyer device presents the item information on a display of the buyer device;

receive, from the buyer device, first order information indicating a first item requested from a first merchant for delivery to the delivery location;

send to a merchant device associated with the first merchant of a first enterprise, an order for the first item to be prepared for pick up at a first pickup location associated with the first merchant;

determine a first preparation time for the first item;

send to a courier device associated with a first courier not of the first enterprise or a second enterprise, delivery information indicating the delivery location, the pickup location associated with the first merchant, item information about the first item to be picked up from the pickup location, and an indication of a pickup time based at least in part on the first preparation time for the first item;

determine a route able to be traveled by a courier from the first pickup location to the delivery location;

determine a second merchant having a second pickup location within at least one of a threshold distance or a threshold travel time of the route, wherein the second merchant is of the second enterprise, different from the first enterprise;

determine a second item offered by the second merchant having a predicted preparation time less than a sum of a remaining amount of the preparation time for the first item plus a predicted courier travel time from the first pickup location to the second pickup location, wherein the predicted preparation time for the second item is determined based at least in part on at least one of;

information provided by the second merchant, or preparation times from a plurality of past orders prepared by the second merchant;

determine a threshold order time for the second item, wherein the threshold order time is based at least in part on a difference between the first preparation time and the predicted preparation time of the second item;

send, to the buyer device, information about the second item and the threshold order time, wherein the buyer device is programmed to present on the display;

a listing of the second item as an add-on item available to be added to the order, and

the threshold order time for ordering the second item, wherein the second item in the listing is indicated to be unavailable as the threshold order time expires;

receive, from the buyer device, within the threshold order time associated with the second item, a request for the second item to be included with the order for the first item;

send, to a merchant device associated with the second merchant, an order for the second item to be prepared for pick up at the second pickup location associated with the second merchant; and

send, to the courier device, an indication that the second item is to be picked up from the second pickup location and delivered to the delivery location with the first item.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the service computing device is further programmed to:

determine a third item offered by the first merchant having a predicted preparation time less than a remaining amount of the preparation time for the first item; and

send, to the buyer device, information related to the third item and a threshold order time associated with the third item;

wherein the buyer device is further programmed to present information related to the third item and the threshold order time associated with the third item with an indication that the third item is available to be added on to the order for the first item.

3. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the service computing device is further programmed to determine at least one of the first preparation time or the respective preparation times of the additional items by:

receiving merchant information indicating a merchant load based at least in part on a number of orders received and to be prepared by the first merchant;

comparing the merchant load with past order information indicating preparation times for items associated with past merchant loads; and

determining the at least one of the first preparation time or the respective preparation times of the additional items based at least in part on the comparing.

4. A method comprising:

receiving, by one or more processors, from a buyer device, an order for a first item from a first merchant for delivery to a delivery location;

sending, by the one or more processors, to a merchant device associated with the first merchant of a first enterprise, the order for the first item;

sending, by the one or more processors, delivery information to a courier device associated with a first courier not of the first enterprise or a second enterprise;

determining, by the one or more processors, a route able to be traveled by the first courier from a first pickup location of the first merchant to the delivery location;

determining, by the one or more processors, a second merchant having a second pickup location within at least one of a threshold distance or a threshold travel time of the route, wherein the second merchant is of the second enterprise, different from the first enterprise;

determining, by the one or more processors, a second item offered by the second merchant having a predicted preparation time less than a sum of a remaining preparation time for the first item plus a predicted courier travel time from the first pickup location to the second pickup location, wherein the predicted preparation time for the second item is determined based at least in part on at least one of;

information provided by the second merchant, or preparation times from a plurality of past orders prepared by the second merchant;

determining, by the one or more processors, a threshold order time for a second item, wherein the threshold order time is based at least in part on a difference between a first preparation time and the predicted preparation time of the second item;

sending, by the one or more processors, to the buyer device, information related to the second item and an indication that the second item is available to be added to the order for the first item for being delivered together to the delivery location;

receiving, by the one or more processors, from the buyer device, within the threshold order time associated with the second item, a request for the second item to be included with the order for the first item;

sending, by the one or more processors, to a merchant device associated with the second merchant, an order for the second item to be prepared for pick up at a second pickup location associated with the second merchant; and

sending, by the one or more processors, to the courier device, an indication that the second item is to be picked up from the second pickup location and delivered to the delivery location with the first item.

5. The method as recited in claim 4, further comprising:

receiving as at least a portion of the merchant information received from the first merchant, a merchant load indicating a number of orders to be prepared by the first merchant;

comparing the merchant load with past order information indicating preparation times for items associated with past merchant loads; and

determining the preparation time for the first item based at least in part on the determining a past preparation time for the first item, determined based at least in part on comparing the merchant load with the past merchant loads.

6. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein sending the information related to the second item to the buyer device causes, at least in part, an application on the buyer device to present a user interface including information about the second item and the threshold order time.

7. The method as recited in claim 4, further comprising:

receiving, from the first merchant, inventory information for items offered by the first merchant; and

determining that the inventory information indicates a quantity of the second item is above an inventory threshold prior to sending the information about the second item to the buyer device.

8. The method as recited in claim 4, further comprising receiving, from the buyer device, the indication of the delivery location based at least in part on a geographic location of the buyer device determined from information from a GPS receiver included in the buyer device.

9. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media maintaining instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, program the one or more processors to:

receive, from a buyer device, an order for a first item for delivery to a delivery location;

send, to a first merchant device associated with a first pickup location of a first merchant of a first enterprise, information about the first item;

send delivery information to a courier device associated with a first courier not of the first enterprise or a second enterprise;

determine a route able to be traveled by the first courier from a first pickup location of the first merchant to the delivery location;

determine a second merchant having a second pickup location within at least one of a threshold distance or a threshold travel time of the route, wherein the second merchant is of the second enterprise, different from the first enterprise;

determine a second item offered by the second merchant having a predicted preparation time less than a sum of a remaining preparation time for the first item plus a predicted courier travel time from the first pickup location to the second pickup location, wherein the predicted preparation time for the second item is determined based at least in part on at least one of;

information provided by the second merchant, or preparation times from a plurality of past orders prepared by the second merchant;

determine a threshold order time for a second item, wherein the threshold order time is based at least in part on a difference between a first preparation time and the predicted preparation time of the second item;

send to the buyer device, information related to the second item and an indication that the second item is available to be added to the order for the first item for being delivered together to the delivery location;

receive from the buyer device, within the threshold order time associated with the second item, a request for the second item to be included with the order for the first item;

send to a merchant device associated with the second merchant, an order for the second item to be prepared for pick up at a second pickup location associated with the second merchant; and

send to the courier device, an indication that the second item is to be picked up from the second pickup location and delivered to the delivery location with the first item.

10. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 9, wherein the instructions further program the one or more processors to:

send, to the buyer device, an indication of the threshold order time to enable presentation of the threshold order time on the buyer device.

11. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 9, wherein the instructions further program the one or more processors to:

determine a third item offered by the first merchant having a predicted preparation time less than a remaining amount of the preparation time for the first item; and

send, to the buyer device, information related to the third item and an indication of a threshold time within which the third item is available to be ordered for delivery with the order for the first item.

12. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 9, wherein the instructions further program the one or more processors to:

receive at least one of weather information, traffic information, or local event information; and

determine the predicted courier travel time based at least in part on the at least one of the weather information, traffic information, or local event information.

13. A system comprising one or more processors programmed to:

receive, from a buyer device, an order for a first item for delivery to a delivery location;

send, to a first merchant device associated with a first pickup location of a first merchant of a first enterprise, information about the first item;

determine a predicted preparation time for the first item;

send delivery information to a courier device associated with a first courier not of the first enterprise or a second enterprise;

determine a route able to be traveled by the first courier from a first pickup location of the first merchant to the delivery location;

determine a second merchant associated with a second pickup location within a threshold distance of the first pickup location of the first merchant, wherein the second merchant is of the second enterprise, different from the first enterprise;

determine a second item offered by the second merchant having a predicted preparation time less than a sum of a remaining amount of the predicted preparation time for the first item plus a predicted courier travel time from the first pickup location to the second pickup location, wherein the predicted preparation time for the second item is determined based at least in part on at least one of;

information provided by the second merchant, or preparation times from a plurality of past orders prepared by the second merchant;

send, to the buyer device, information related to the second item and an indication of a threshold time within which the second item is available to be ordered for combined delivery with the order for the first item, wherein the threshold time is based at least in part on a difference between the predicted preparation time for the second item and the remaining amount of the predicted preparation time for the first item;

receive from the buyer device, within the threshold time, a request for the second item to be included with the order for the first item;

send to a merchant device associated with the second merchant, an order for the second item to be prepared for pick up at the second pickup location associated with the second merchant; and

send to the courier device, an indication that the second item is to be picked up from the second pickup location and delivered to the delivery location with the first item.

14. The system as recited in claim 13, wherein the one or more processors are further programmed to determine the predicted preparation time for the first item based at least in part on merchant information received from the first merchant device.

15. The system as recited in claim 14, wherein:

the merchant information received from the first merchant device includes information about a number of orders received by the first merchant device over a first period of time; and

the one or more processors are further programmed to determine the predicted preparation time for the first item based at least in part on the number of orders and past order information indicating preparation times for items associated with past orders in comparison with a number of received past orders.