Purchasing contact information from an electronically displayed map

• US 10,083,488 B2
• Filed: 10/23/2014
• Issued: 09/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Semlani, Latesh, Modi, Ankit, Batra, Tarundeep
• Primary Examiner(s): Danneman, Paul
• Application Number:
  US14/521,796
• Publication Number:
  US 20160117780A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,433 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/23 Updating
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/123 Shopping for digital content
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/01 Customer relationship services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting

Abstract

A method and system for adding contact information to a user account in a database. A registered user of the database presents a query having search criteria. The search criteria identifies records that have contact information including an address located within a defined distance of a specified location, such as the user'"'"'s current location. Instructions are transmitted to the client device for rendering a map of the specified location and a representation of the search results on a display of the user'"'"'s device. If a record is not owned by or associated with the user, the contact information is obscured on the display. A widget is configured on the display of obscured records that enables the user to purchase the record. Upon selection of the widget, a purchase transaction is executed, and the identified record is added to the user account.

Claims

1. A method for adding records to a user account in a database, comprising:

identifying at least one record stored in the database in response to a query from a registered user of the database, the query having search criteria for identifying records stored in the database that have contact information including an address located within a defined distance of a specified location, the registered user having a user account for purchasing and maintaining records in the database;

transmitting instructions to the user for rendering a map of the specified location on a display along with a representation of the identified record in response to identifying the at least one record, the displayed representation of the identified record including contact information and a widget configured to enable the user to purchase the identified record upon selection of the widget, at least some of the contact information of the identified record included in the displayed representation of the identified record being obscured in the representation of the identified record;

executing a purchase transaction for the identified record in response to selection of the widget included in the displayed representation of the identified record by the user, wherein the user account is debited for the purchase transaction and the identified record is associated with the user account; and

transmitting, upon completion of the purchase transaction, instructions to the user for modifying the representation of the identified record on the map to reveal the obscured contact information.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a plurality of records stored in the database that satisfy the search criteria, a first set of the identified records are not associated with the user account, and a second set of the identified records are associated with the user account; and

transmitting instructions to the user for rendering a first type of representation onto the map for each identified record in the first set and for rendering a second type of representation onto the map for each identified record in the second set, at least some of the contact information being obscured in each first type of representation and the contact information being revealed in each second type of representation, each first type of representation including a widget configured for enabling the user to purchase the identified record.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

transmitting instructions to the user for rendering a plurality of icons onto the map, each icon corresponding to one of the identified records; and

transmitting, upon receiving a selection of one of the icons, instructions for rendering the first type of representation with obscured contact information onto the map if the corresponding record is in the first set or rendering the second type of representation with revealed contact information onto the map if the corresponding record is in the second set.

4. The method of claim 3, the instructions for rendering a plurality of icons further comprising instructions for rendering a first type of icon having a first visual attribute if the corresponding record is in the first set and for rendering a second type of icon having a second visual attribute if the corresponding record is in the second set.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first visual attribute is a first color and the second visual attribute is a second color that is visually distinct from the first color.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising obtaining the specified location based on user input.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising obtaining the specified location from geolocation software running on a user device.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising debiting the user account based on credits available to the user from the database or funds available from the user.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

identify a plurality of records stored in the database that satisfy the search criteria, a first set of the identified records are not associated with the user account, and a second set of the identified records are associated with the user account; and

transmit instructions to the client device for rendering a first type of representation onto the map for each identified record in the first set and for rendering a second type of representation onto the map for each identified record in the second set, at least some of the contact information being obscured in each first type of representation and the contact information being revealed in each second type of representation, each first type of representation including a widget configured for enabling the user to purchase the identified record.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

transmit instructions to the client device for rendering a plurality of icons onto the map, each icon corresponding to one of the identified records; and

transmit, upon receiving a selection of one of the icons, instructions for rendering the first type of representation with obscured contact information onto the map if the corresponding record is in the first set or rendering the second type of representation with revealed contact information onto the map if the identified record is associated with the second set.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to transmit instructions for rendering a first type of icon having a first visual attribute if the corresponding record is in the first set and for rendering a second type of icon having a second visual attribute if the corresponding record is in the second set.

9. A system for adding records to a user account in a database, comprising:

a processor; and

a non-transitory computer readable medium storing a plurality of instructions, which when executed, cause the one or more processors to;

identify at least one record stored in the database in response to a query from a registered user of the database, the query having search criteria for identifying records stored in the database that have contact information including an address located within a defined distance of a specified location, the registered user having a user account for purchasing and maintaining records in the database;

transmit instructions to the user for rendering a map of the specified location on a display along with a representation of the identified record in response to identifying the at least one record, the displayed representation of the identified record including contact information and a widget configured to enable the user to purchase the identified record upon selection of the widget, at least some of the contact information of the identified record included in the displayed representation of the identified record being obscured in the representation of the identified record;

execute a purchase transaction for the identified record in response to selection of the widget by the user, wherein the user account is debited for the purchase transaction and the identified record is associated with the user account; and

transmit, upon completion of the purchase transaction, instructions to the user for modifying the representation of the identified record on the map to reveal the obscured contact information.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to obtain the specified location from the client device.

14. A computer program product comprising computer-readable program code to be executed by one or more processors when retrieved from a non-transitory computer-readable medium, the program code including instructions to:

identify at least one record stored in the database in response to a query from a registered user of the database, the query having search criteria for identifying records stored in the database that have contact information including an address located within a defined distance of a specified location, the registered user having a user account for purchasing and maintaining records in the database;

transmit instructions to the user for rendering a map of the specified location on a display along with a representation of the identified record in response to identifying the at least one record, the displayed representation of the identified record including contact information and a widget configured to enable the user to purchase the identified record upon selection of the widget, at least some of the contact information of the identified record included in the displayed representation of the identified record being obscured in the representation of the identified record;

execute a purchase transaction for the identified record in response to selection of the widget by the user, wherein the user account is debited for the purchase transaction and the identified record is associated with the user account; and

transmit, upon completion of the purchase transaction, instructions to the user for modifying the representation of the identified record on the map to reveal the obscured contact information included in the representation of the identified record.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, the program code further including instructions to:

identify a plurality of records stored in the database that satisfy the search criteria, a first set of the identified records are not associated with the user account, and a second set of the identified records are associated with the user account; and

transmit instructions to the client device for rendering a first type of representation onto the map for each identified record in the first set and for rendering a second type of representation onto the map for each identified record in the second set, at least some of the contact information being obscured in each first type of representation and the contact information being revealed in each second type of representation, each first type of representation including a widget configured for enabling the user to purchase the identified record.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, the program code further including instructions to:

transmit instructions to the client device for rendering a plurality of icons onto the map, each icon corresponding to one of the identified records; and

transmit, upon receiving a selection of one of the icons, instructions for rendering the first type of representation with obscured contact information onto the map if the identified record is in the first set or rendering the second type of representation with revealed contact information onto the map if the identified record is in the second set.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, the program code further including instructions for rendering a first type of icon having a first visual attribute if the corresponding record is in the first set and for rendering a second type of icon having a second visual attribute if the corresponding record is in the second set.