Method and system for determining the optimal travel route by which customers can purchase local goods at the lowest total cost

• US 20070150369A1
• Filed: 09/08/2006
• Published: 06/28/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Michael A. Zivin
• Original Assignee: Michael A. Zivin
• Inventors: Zivin, Michael A.
• Application Number:
  US11/517,973
• Publication Number:
  US 20070150369A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0629 for generating comparisons
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing

Abstract

A method and system for providing customers with means to determine a) how far the customer should be willing to travel to a vendor to purchase locally sold goods and b) what routes the customer should take to minimize his or her total costs. Customers use an Internet search engine to find products or services that they are interested in purchasing in their local area. The search results provide a list of goods along with their current price and store location. Customers select one or more goods they are interested in purchasing and add these goods to a shopping list. A recommendation is provided based on variables such as the customer'"'"'s estimated value of time, traffic conditions, gas prices, parking fees, automobile miles per gallon, the difference in prices between stores, or other relevant variables. The recommendation informs the customers as to vendors at which he or she should purchase goods and the order in which the locations should be visited so as to minimize total purchase costs.

Claims

1. A method for facilitating a purchase transaction, comprising:

storing vendor information, goods availability, goods attributes, and goods prices for a plurality of vendors;

receiving a search query for goods desired by a customer;

performing a search for the goods;

displaying search results with price information;

receiving confirmation from the customer as to which of the goods the customer wants to add to a virtual shopping list; and

allowing customers to either select vendors from whom they would like to purchase the goods or choosing the vendors so as to minimize total purchasing cost to the customer.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising comparing prices for the same goods provided by many vendors.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the price comparison is made between different quantities of the goods.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the vendors are characterized by a geographic designation.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining the customer'"'"'s geographic location at the time the customer wishes to embark on a shopping trip.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting which goods identified in the search should be included in the customer'"'"'s virtual shopping list.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying vendor locations, goods prices, and purchase costs on a virtual map of a geographic area.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising giving lower priority to or excluding vendors who have poor reviews from customers or who the customer has chosen not to do business with.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising rating satisfaction by customers with vendor in terms of product quality, quality of customer service, convenience of location, total purchase cost, or product selection.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the vendors whose ratings do not meet a customer'"'"'s minimum level of satisfaction are excluded from the virtual shopping list.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising printing a copy of the virtual shopping list and a map of vendor locations.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the customer'"'"'s preferred vendors and using search information to determine which vendors should be given priority in future search results.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising proposing substitute and complementary goods that might interest the customer.

14. A method of determining an optimal travel route by which customers can purchase goods at the lowest total cost, comprising:

showing goods prices for a plurality of vendors;

receiving and storing customer information including customer'"'"'s perceived time value of money, automobile make and model, time restraints, and default geographic location;

receiving traffic conditions, weather conditions and other data for the local geographic area;

receiving a search query for goods desired by a customer;

performing a search for the goods;

displaying search results arranged by geographic location with price information for the local area;

receiving confirmation from the customer as to which of the goods the customer wants to add to a virtual shopping list;

determining the ideal route the customer should take to minimize the total cost of purchasing the goods on the virtual shopping list; and

displaying to the customer a virtual map of the geographic area with identified vendor locations, which goods are available at each location, the total cost of purchasing the goods at each location, and the preferred routes to use that will result in the lowest total purchase cost.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising estimating the customer'"'"'s time value of money that will be used to determine the maximum distance the customer would be willing to travel to purchase substitute goods.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising displaying vendor locations and goods prices on a virtual map of the geographic area

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising proposing alternative routes to the customer, and updating the total purchase cost accordingly.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising updating the total purchase cost in real time, as variables change, such as traffic condition or the goods no longer are in stock at the vendor.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising proposing additional routes, in real time, as variables change.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the customer can exclude certain vendors from the proposed shopping trip routes due to unwillingness to patronize those vendors.

21. The method of claim 14, further comprising printing a copy of the virtual shopping list and map.

22. The method of claim 14, further comprising storing customer'"'"'s preferred vendors and routes and using such information to determine which vendors and routes should be given priority in future search results.

23. The method of claim 14, further comprising proposing substitute and complementary goods that might interest the customer.