Apparatus and method for an Internet based computer reservation booking system
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Abstract
The present invention is a software product that provides merchants that sell time-slot inventories tools to capitalize on the Internet revolution. The present invention enables the creation of web-sites for merchants with a built-in web-based reservation booking system. This offers customers the on-line benefits of access, selection and immediacy in making real-time reservation/appointments over the Internet. The software product also simplifies the merchant'"'"'s booking process by providing a central web-based reservation/appointment management system that can be used for all bookings, regardless if made by telephone, by a walk-in customer, or by a customer via the Internet. The software product also provides the merchant with a powerful direct marketing tool. As a merchant uses the software product, user-customer profiles and demographics are captured in the database module, thus creating (in Web jargon) a “community” of customers specific to the merchant. The merchant is thus empowered, using the mail module, to directly communicate with its customer base, using customer profiles and demographics to create a highly targeted and effective marketing and promotional ad campaign. The software product also allows the merchant to auction off time-slot inventory over the Internet. Lastly, the software product enables the creation of Web “super-communities” consisting of the aggregate of all the individual merchant'"'"'s customer-communities using the software product.
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Citations
71 Claims
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1-36. -36. (canceled)
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37. An apparatus comprising:
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a reservation booking database having a plurality of records, the plurality of records corresponding to a plurality of time-slots for tables at a restaurant;
a web site module configured to create an Internet web site to enable an Internet user to book a table at the restaurant, the web site module further comprising;
a time-slot display module configured to display one or more available time-slots corresponding to one or more tables at the restaurant'"'"'s place of business; and
a booking module configured to enable the Internet user to book one of the available time-slots in the reservation booking database; and
a restaurant maintenance module configured to provide the restaurant access to the restaurant'"'"'s table reservation booking database, the restaurant maintenance module further comprising;
a table reservation management module configured to enable the restaurant to book time-slots in the reservation booking database to reserve tables at the restaurant for customers not making bookings over the Internet. - View Dependent Claims (38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57)
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58. A method comprising:
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providing a first restaurant a first reservation booking database having a plurality of records, the plurality of records corresponding to a plurality of time-slots for tables at the first restaurant providing a restaurant table reservation management module configured to enable the first restaurant to book time-slots in the first reservation booking database to reserve the tables at the first restaurant for customers not making bookings over the Internet;
providing an Internet booking module configured to enable an Internet user to book an available one of the time-slots to reserve one of the tables at the first restaurant. - View Dependent Claims (59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71)
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Specification