ONLINE HOSTED CUSTOMISABLE MERCHANT DIRECTORY WITH SEARCH FUNCTION

• US 20090204454A1
• Filed: 08/27/2007
• Published: 08/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Frankie James Lagudi
• Original Assignee: Frankie James Lagudi
• Inventors: Lagudi, Frankie James
• Application Number:
  US12/091,156
• Publication Number:
  US 20090204454A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0256 User search
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0603 Catalogue ordering
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces

Abstract

A method (400) and system (100) are described for providing an online hosted customisable searchable merchant directory over the Internet (101). The system (100) includes an Internet server (102) which provides storefront web page templates (1200). Merchants access the Internet server (102), though merchant computers (105_n), to set up one or more storefront web pages associated with a business of each merchant and using said web page templates (1200). The storefront web pages are hosted on the Internet server (102). The system (100) provides the customer a search means (1300) to search for merchants and products within a predefined geographic proximity of the customer.

Claims

1. A method of operating an online hosted customisable searchable merchant directory, said method comprising:

providing a plurality of storefront web page templates hosted on an Internet server;

receiving hosting requests from merchants, each request including an indication of the geographical location of said merchant;

providing access to said web page templates for merchants to modify said web page templates to represent a storefront associated with each merchant;

receiving a search query from a customer, said request including the customer'"'"'s geographical location; and

returning only storefront results for merchants matching said search query and having a geographical location within a predetermined distance of said customer'"'"'s location.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said customer search query contains required goods or services, and the results include only merchants having said goods or services.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein said customer geographical location is defined by of the name of a locale or a postal code.

4. A method according to claim 1, further comprising providing a representation of a shopping mall to customers, where levels of said mall have grouped product types, and customers initiates a search for desired items located on the relevant level.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein said products are food products.

6. A method according to claim 1, further comprising comparing the hosting request against a predetermined criterion to determine if the merchant is an acceptable merchant, and wherein said criterion includes any one of:

a) that all required merchant information is included in said submitted data, b) that the hosting request includes a valid company registration indicator, or the merchant warrants that the company registration indicator is valid, or c) that the hosting request includes a certification that the merchant satisfies food safety standards, or the merchant warrants that it satisfied applicable the food safety standards.

7. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

maintaining a listing of customers that visited web pages of each merchant; and

providing said listing to at least one merchant.

8. A method according to claim 1, further comprising providing merchants the ability to send electronic messages to customers who have subscribed to their mailing list.

9. An Internet server for operating an online hosted customisable searchable merchant directory comprising:

a data store configured to store a plurality of storefront web page templates;

a communication interface configured to i) receive a hosting request from a merchant, said data including a geographical location of said merchant, ii) provide access to said web page templates for merchants to modify said web page templates to represent a storefront associated with each merchant, and iii) receive a search query from a customer, said request including the geographical location of said customer; and

a processor configured to calculate the storefront results for merchants matching said search query and having a geographical location within a predetermined distance of said customer'"'"'s locations,

wherein said communication interface is further configured to return said storefront results.

10. An Internet server according to claim 9, wherein said customer search query contains the required goods or services, and the results include only merchants having said goods or services.

11. An Internet server according to claim 9, wherein a data store containing customer geographical locations is defined by the name of a locale or a postal code.

12. An Internet Server according to claim 9, wherein said communication interface returns a representation of a shopping mall to customers, where levels of said mall have grouped product types, and customers initiates a search having items located on the relevant level.

13. An Internet server according to claim 9, wherein said products are food products.

14. An Internet server according to claim 9, wherein said processor compares a hosting request against a predetermined criterion to determine if the merchant is an acceptable merchant, and wherein said criterion includes at any of:

a) that all required merchant information is included in said hosting request,

b) that the hosting request includes a valid company registration indicator, or the merchant warrants that the company registration indicator is valid, or

c) that the hosting request includes a certification that the merchant satisfies food safety standards, or the merchant warrants that it satisfied applicable the food safety standards.

15. An Internet server according to claim 9, wherein said data store maintains a listing of customers that visited web pages of each merchant, and said communication interface for provides said listing to at least one merchant.

16. An Internet server according to claim 9, wherein said communication interface provides merchants the ability to send electronic messages to customers who have subscribed to their mailing list.

17. A system for operating a merchant directory comprising:

at least one merchant computer;

at least one customer computer; and

an Internet server, said server including;

a data store configured to store a plurality of storefront web page templates;

a communication interface configured to i) receive a hosting request from a merchant computer, said data including a geographical location of said merchant, ii) provide access to said web page templates for merchants to modify said web page templates to represent a storefront associated with each merchant, and iii) receive a search query from a customer computer, said request including the geographical location of the customer; and

a processor configured to calculate the storefront results for merchants matching said search query and having a geographical location within a predetermined distance of said customer'"'"'s location,

wherein the communication interface is further configured to return said storefront results.

18. A system for operating an online hosted customisable searchable merchant directory, said system comprising:

means for providing a plurality of storefront web page templates hosted on an Internet server;

means for receiving hosting requests from merchants, each request including an indication of the geographical location of said merchant;

means for providing access to said web page templates for merchants to modify said web page templates to represent a storefront associated with each merchant;

means for receiving a search query from a customer, said request including the customer'"'"'s geographical location; and

means for returning only storefront results for merchants matching said search query and having a geographical location within a predetermined distance of said customer'"'"'s location.