End user to mobile service provider message exchange system based on proximity

• US 20060135134A1
• Filed: 09/28/2005
• Published: 06/22/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Celltrack Systems Pty., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: ABM Industries Incorporated
• Inventors: Mezhvinsky, Boris, Mezhvinsky, Alex Naum
• Application Number:
  US11/238,081
• Publication Number:
  US 20060135134A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/414.100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]

Abstract

Disclosed is a method and means for facilitating direct access by an end user of a service to a mobile service provider that is typically mobile, wherein the end user is able to select a desired mobile service based primarily on the proximity of that mobile service provider to that end user at the time the end user requires that service.

Claims

1-25. -25. (canceled)

26. A method using a server, for an end user of a service to book the services of a selected one of one or more mobile service providers registered to the server and available to be booked to provide the service at a location selected by the end user, the method including:

receiving data at the server from the end user including an end user identification and a request to book the services of one or more mobile service providers that are located within a predetermined area relative to the location of the end user or the location of the service required by the end user;

receiving data at the server relating to the location and availability of registered service providers including their availability to be booked, and at least one of;

an estimate of time at which or within which a service can be provided or the rates for providing their service or other information relating to a service provider;

supplying data from the server to the end user relating to the location of the one or more available registered mobile service providers within said predetermined area and data relating to at least one of;

the rates for providing the service or an estimate of the time at which or within which the service can be provided or information relating to a service provider;

receiving data at the server from the end user relating to the booking of a selected one of the one or more registered mobile service providers within the predetermined area; and

providing data from the server including a booking to the selected one of the mobile service providers from the end user.

27. A method according to claim 26 wherein details of the end user as supplied to the selected mobile service provider includes end user identification and location data.

28. A method according to claim 26 or 27 further including the step of providing the end user with a confirmation that the mobile service provider has accepted or rejected the end user'"'"'s request.

29. A method according to claim 28 wherein said confirmation includes a job reference number.

30. A method according to claim 26 wherein the information relating to the geographical location of the one or more mobile service providers also includes information relating to the service provider.

31. A method according to claim 30 wherein the information relating to the service provider includes information relating to the cost of the service provided.

32. A method according to claim 26 wherein the end user'"'"'s selection of the selected mobile service provider is based on the geographical location of the selected mobile service provider.

33. A method according to claim 30 wherein the end user'"'"'s selection of the selected mobile service provider is based on the information relating to the service provider.

34. A method according to claims 26 wherein the end user'"'"'s selection of the selected mobile service provider is based on both the geographical location of the mobile service provider and the information relating to the service provider.

35. A method according to claim 26 wherein said information supplied to the end user relating to the geographical location of the one or more service providers is in the form of a graphical representation.

36. A method according to claim 30 wherein the information relating to the service provided is in the form of a graphical representation.

37. A system for providing a booking service to an end user the service being end user selected from one or more mobile service providers available to be booked, the system including:

a server for receiving and providing data to and from the end user and the one or more mobile service providers registered with the server, including data relating to;

whether the mobile service providers are available and if not immediately when or what period of time after which they can be booked to provide their service, and data relating to at least one of the mobile service providers;

a location engine for determining and providing data to the server relating to the location of the one or more registered service providers, and

an end user interface between the end user and the server to;

allow the end user to supply data to the server relating to the end user, including at least, a request for services to be supplied to the user and the location of the end user or the location at which the services are to be provided to the user;

receive and display data from the server relating to the location of one or more mobile service providers within a predetermined area, the predetermined area being relative to both the location of the end user or the location at which the service is to be provided to the user and the data sent by the end user interface relating to the request for services to be supplied to the user;

the end user interface also allowing a selection by the end user of a mobile service provider from those received from the server;

wherein the server having received an indication of the selected service provider from the end user interface books the services of the selected service provider on behalf of the end user.

38. A system according to claim 37 wherein said data relating to at least one of the mobile service providers includes data relating to the particular services provided by the one or more mobile service providers and the cost of services supplied by the services provider.

39. A system according to claim 37 wherein said end user interface includes a web browser communicating with the server wherein the server is a WEB server.

40. A system according to claim 37 wherein said end user interface is a WAP micro-browser executing on a mobile telecommunications device that communicates to a mobile communications network which is in turn communicates to a WAP gateway, which is communicates to the server.

41. A system according to claim 37 wherein said end user interface is an SMS application executing on a mobile telecommunications device that communicates to a mobile communications network which is in turn communicates to the server.

42. A system according to claim 37 wherein said end user interface is a PSTN telephone that communicates to an Interactive Voice Recognition (IVR) system which communicates to the server.

43. A system according to claim 37 wherein said end user interface is a PSTN telephone connected to a call centre where a call centre users communicates to a web browser that communicates to the server.