System and method for selecting a business location, wherein the business location has an activity level indicator

• US 20060271417A1
• Filed: 05/26/2005
• Published: 11/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Corporation, Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Corporation, Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Su, William, Nguyen, Truc
• Granted Patent: US 7,831,454 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/043 Optimisation of two dimensional placement, e.g. cutting of clothes or wood
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0205 Location or geographical consideration

Abstract

A method for directing customers to a business establishment. A query is received from an associated user representing a desired purveyor of a selected good or service in a selected geographic area. Data is then secured representing a set of purveyors of the desired goods or services in the selected geographic area. Business activity data is then acquired corresponding to business activities for each of the purveyors in the set. A business activity level signal is then generated to represent the level of business activity for each purveyor in the set. This data is then communicated to the associated user.

Claims

1. A system for directing customers to a business establishment comprising:

means adapted for receiving a query from an associated user, which query is representative of a desired purveyor of at least one of selected goods and services in a selected geographic area;

means adapted for securing data representative of a set of purveyors of the at least one of selected goods and services in the selected geographic area;

means adapted for acquiring business activity data for each purveyor of goods or services in the set thereof;

means adapted for generating a business activity level signal representative of a level of business activity for each purveyor in the set thereof; and

means adapted for communicating the data representative of the set of purveyors and each corresponding business activity signal to the associated user.

2. The system for directing customers to a business establishment of claim 1, wherein the means adapted for generating a business activity signal includes means adapted for generating a color signal representative of the business activity level signal.

3. The system for directing customers to a business establishment of claim 2, wherein the means adapted for generating a business activity level signal includes means adapted for generating ranking information corresponding to the business activity level for each purveyor.

4. The system for directing customers to a business establishment of claim 2, wherein the means adapted for receiving a query includes means adapted for receiving the query via at least one of a wireless network data connection and a wired network data connection.

5. The system for directing customers to a business establishment of claim 2, further comprising means adapted for generating map data, which map data includes data evidencing a location of each purveyor in the set thereof.

6. The system for directing customers to a business establishment of claim 5, wherein the business activity level signal is associated with the map data such that the business activity level of each purveyor is associated with the location of each purveyor.

7. The system for directing customers to a business establishment of claim 2, wherein the means adapted for communicating the data representative of the set of purveyors and each corresponding business activity signal to the associated user includes means adapted for communicating the data via at least one of a wireless network data connection and a wired network data connection.

8. A method for directing customers to a business establishment comprising the steps of:

receiving a query from an associated user, which query is representative of a desired purveyor of at least one of selected goods and services in a selected geographic area;

securing data representative of a set of purveyors of the at least one of selected goods and services in the selected geographic area;

acquiring business activity data for each purveyor of goods or services in the set thereof;

generating a business activity level signal representative of a level of business activity for each purveyor in the set thereof; and

communicating the data representative of the set of purveyors and each corresponding business activity signal to the associated user.

9. The method for directing customers to a business establishment of claim 8, wherein the step of generating a business activity signal includes generating a color signal representative of the business activity level signal.

10. The method for directing customers to a business establishment of claim 9, wherein the step of generating a business activity level signal includes generating ranking information corresponding to the business activity level for each purveyor.

11. The method for directing customers to a business establishment of claim 9, wherein the step of receiving a query includes receiving the query via at least one of a wireless network data connection and a wired network data connection.

12. The method for directing customers to a business establishment of claim 9, further comprises the step of generating map data, which map data includes data evidencing a location of each purveyor in the set thereof.

13. The method for directing customers to a business establishment of claim 12, wherein the business activity level signal is associated with the map data such that the business activity level of each purveyor is associated with the location of each purveyor.

14. The method for directing customers to a business establishment of claim 9, wherein the step of communicating the data representative of the set of purveyors and each corresponding business activity signal to the associated user includes communicating the data via at least one of a wireless network data connection and a wired network data connection.

15. A computer-readable medium with computer-readable instructions stored thereon for directing customers to a business establishment comprising:

instructions for receiving a query from an associated user, which query is representative of a desired purveyor of at least one of selected goods and services in a selected geographic area;

instructions for securing data representative of a set of purveyors of the at least one of selected goods and services in the selected geographic area;

instructions for acquiring business activity data for each purveyor of goods or services in the set thereof;

instructions for generating a business activity level signal representative of a level of business activity for each purveyor in the set thereof; and

instructions for communicating the data representative of the set of purveyors and each corresponding business activity signal to the associated user.

16. The computer-readable medium with computer-readable instructions stored thereon for directing customers to a business establishment of claim 15, wherein the instructions for generating a business activity signal includes instructions for generating a color signal represent the business activity level signal.

17. The computer-readable medium with computer-readable instructions stored thereon for directing customers to a business establishment of claim 16, wherein the instructions for generating a business activity level signal includes instructions for generating ranking information corresponding to the business activity level for each purveyor.

18. The computer-readable medium with computer-readable instructions stored thereon for directing customers to a business establishment of claim 16, wherein the instructions for receiving a query includes instructions for receiving the query via at least one of a wireless network data connection and a wired network data connection.

19. The computer-readable medium with computer-readable instructions stored thereon for directing customers to a business establishment of claim 16, further comprising instructions for generating map data, which map data includes data evidencing a location of each purveyor in the set thereof.

20. The computer-readable medium with computer-readable instructions stored thereon for directing customers to a business establishment of claim 19, wherein the business activity level signal is associated with the map data such that the business activity level of each purveyor is associated with the location of each purveyor.

21. The computer-readable medium with computer-readable instructions stored thereon for directing customers to a business establishment of claim 16, wherein the instructions for communicating the data representative of the set of purveyors and each corresponding business activity signal to the associated user includes instructions for communicating the data via at least one of a wireless network data connection and a wired network data connection.

22. A computer-implemented method for directing customers to a business establishment comprising the steps of:

receiving a query from an associated user, which query is representative of a desired purveyor of at least one of selected goods and services in a selected geographic area;

securing data representative of a set of purveyors of the at least one of selected goods and services in the selected geographic area;

acquiring business activity data for each purveyor of goods or services in the set thereof;

generating a business activity level signal representative of a level of business activity for each purveyor in the set thereof; and

communicating the data representative of the set of purveyors and each corresponding business activity signal to the associated user.

23. The computer-implemented method for directing customers to a business establishment of claim 22, wherein the step of generating a business activity signal includes generating a color signal represent the business activity level signal.

24. The computer-implemented method for directing customers to a business establishment of claim 23, wherein the step of generating a business activity level signal includes generating ranking information corresponding to the business activity level for each purveyor.

25. The computer-implemented method for directing customers to a business establishment of claim 23, wherein the step of receiving a query includes receiving the query via at least one of a wireless network data connection and a wired network data connection.

26. The computer-implemented method for directing customers to a business establishment of claim 23, further comprises the step of generating map data, which map data includes data evidencing a location of each purveyor in the set thereof.

27. The computer-implemented method for directing customers to a business establishment of claim 26, wherein the business activity level signal is associated with the map data such that the business activity level of each purveyor is associated with the location of each purveyor.

28. The computer-implemented method for directing customers to a business establishment of claim 23, wherein the step of communicating the data representative of the set of purveyors and each corresponding business activity signal to the associated user includes communicating the data via at least one of a wireless network data connection and a wired network data connection.