METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ASSOCIATING MENU INFORMATION

• US 20090083223A1
• Filed: 09/24/2007
• Published: 03/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CFPH LLC (Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P.)
• Original Assignee: CFPH LLC (Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P.)
• Inventors: LUTNICK, Howard W.
• Granted Patent: US 7,840,591 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9536 Search customisation based on social or collaborative filtering
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/106 Display of layout of documents; Previewing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/12 Hotels or restaurants
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/948 Product or catalog
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/961 Associative

Abstract

Methods and Apparatus related to generating representations of information. The information may include menu information for merchants such as restaurants. Referring to menus, methods may include receiving potential information for a first menu, and receiving indications of associations of the information with the first menu and/or any number of additional menus. Information and/or associations may later be updated by a desired set of users.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving at least one first indication, the at least one first indication indicating at least one first association of first information with a plurality of menus; and

associating the plurality of menus with the first information, at least in part, in response to receiving the at least one first indication.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first information includes at least one of product information, service information, merchant information, delivery information, and payment information.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first information includes the delivery information, and the delivery information includes at least one of a delivery boundary, a delivery availability, a delivery method, a delivery restriction, and a delivery time.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the first information includes the payment information, and the payment information includes at least one of a type of payment accepted, a minimum payment accepted, and a method of making a payment.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the first information includes the product information, and the product information includes at least one of a name, a category, a description, an image, an availability, and a price.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the first information includes the service information, and the service information includes at least one of a name, a category, a description, an image, an availability, and a price.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the first information includes the merchant information, and the merchant information includes at least one of a name, an image, a location, a category, operation hours, and a price.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one first indication includes a plurality of first indications, each first indication of the plurality of first indications indicating the association of the first information with a respective one of the plurality of menus.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one first indication includes at least one indication of a category.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising receiving at least one second indication of at least one second association of at least one item of each menu of the plurality of menus with the category.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating at least one representation of at least one menu of the plurality of menus, wherein the at least one representation includes the first information.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving at least one second indication, the at least one second indication indicating at least one second association of second information with the plurality of menus; and

associating the plurality of menus with the second information, at least in part, in response to receiving the at least one second indication.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein associating the plurality of menus with the second information includes disassociating the plurality of menus with the first information.

14. A method comprising:

receiving a first representation of first information about at least one of a first group comprising a first product, a first service, and a first merchant; and

associating at least one of a second group comprising a second product, a second service, and a second merchant with the first information.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving a first indication indicating an association of the first information with the at least one of the second group, and

wherein associating the at least one of the second group with the first information includes associating the at least one of the second group with the first information, at least in part, in response to receiving the first indication.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein associating the at least one of the second group with the first information includes providing a default value for at least one menu item.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

storing the first information in at least one first collection of information; and

searching the at least one first collection of information for the first information before associating the at least one of the second group with the first information.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving a second representation of second information about the at least one of the first group; and

associating the at least one of the second group with the second information.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein associating the at least one of the second group with the second information includes disassociating the at least one of the second group with the first information.

20. A method comprising:

receiving first information about at least one category;

assigning at least one of a group comprising a plurality of products, a plurality of merchants, and a plurality of services to the at least one category; and

associating at least one member of the at least one category with the first information.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the first information includes at least one of product information, service information, merchant information, delivery information, and payment information.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

receiving at least one indication indicating at least one association of the first information with the at least one category.

23. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

receiving at least one indication indicating at least one association of the group with the at least one category.

24. The method of claim 20, further comprising providing at least one representation of at least one menu associated with at least one of a product, a service, and a merchant of the group, wherein the at least one menu includes the information.

25. The method of claim 20, wherein associating the at least one member of the at least one category with the first information includes using the first information as a default menu value for the at least one member.