RECEIVING A REQUEST TO RESERVE A SERVICE

• US 20110029335A1
• Filed: 10/18/2010
• Published: 02/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CFPH LLC (Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P.)
• Original Assignee: CFPH LLC (Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P.)
• Inventors: Lutnick, Howard W., Alderucci, Dean P.
• Granted Patent: US 10,108,908 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/12 Hotels or restaurants
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass

Abstract

Methods and corresponding system are provided herewith that, in at least one embodiment, include the act or acts of: receiving a request to reserve a service that is provided by a restaurant. The request to reserve is for a particular time and a particular date and the service comprises at least one of: (i) preparing a consumable good that is consumed at the restaurant'"'"'s location; (ii) preparing a consumable good that is received at the restaurant'"'"'s location; or (iii) preparing a consumable good that is delivered to a location external to the restaurant'"'"'s location. The methods and system also include comparing the particular time requested with a schedule associated with the restaurant. The schedule comprises a list of times that are available for reservation. The methods and system also include determining an availability of the request to reserve; and outputting an indicia that the request to reserve the service has been accepted or denied.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a request to reserve a service that is provided by a restaurant, in which the request to reserve is for a particular time and a particular date and the service comprises at least one of;

(i) preparing a consumable good that is consumed at the restaurant'"'"'s location;

(ii) preparing a consumable good that is received at the restaurant'"'"'s location;

or

(iii) preparing a consumable good that is delivered to a location external to the restaurant'"'"'s location;

comparing the particular time requested with a schedule associated with the restaurant, in which the schedule comprises a list of times that are available for reservation;

determining an availability of the request to reserve;

outputting an indicia that the request to reserve the service has been accepted or denied.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprises:

receiving information associated with the restaurant, in which the information comprises;

(i) a schedule indicating the restaurant'"'"'s ability to provide at least one service for a plurality of periods of time; and

(ii) a description of a consumable good that is offered by the restaurant;

(iii) a price associated with the consumable good; and

(iv) an evaluation of the restaurant, in which the evaluation comprises at least one opinion of a previous customer.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprises:

confirming that the particular time requested is available;

outputting an indicia that the request to reserve the service has been accepted.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprises:

receiving a request for at least one consumable good, in which the at least one consumable good is offered by the restaurant;

receiving a quantity of the at least one consumable good; and

calculating a price of the at least one consumable good, in which the price comprises an amount that a customer pays in exchange for the consumable good requested.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprises:

determining that the particular time requested is unavailable;

outputting an indicia that the request to reserve the service has been denied.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprises:

receiving a modified request, in which the modified request modifies at least one of;

the service requested, the particular time requested or the date requested.

7. The method of claim 5 further comprises:

determining that the particular time is available for bidding, in which the bidding is available during a period of time;

receiving a bid submitted for the particular time;

comparing the bid with at least one other bid;

outputting an indicia that grants the request to reserve to a highest bidder, in which the highest bidder submitted the bid with an amount that is greater than an amount associated with the at least one other bid.

8. The method of claim 5 further comprises:

receiving a first bid for the particular time, in which the particular time was previously determined as unavailable and the first bid was placed by the first customer;

outputting an indicia of the first bid to a second customer, in which the second customer previously reserved the particular time;

determining that the first bid is greater than the second bid; and

outputting an indicia to the first customer, in which the indicia indicates that the request to reserve the service for the particular time requested has been approved.

9. The method of claim 5 further comprises:

receiving a first bid for the particular time, in which the particular time was previously determined as unavailable and the first bid was placed by the first customer;

outputting an indicia of the first bid to a second customer, in which the second customer previously reserved the particular time;

determining that the second bid is greater than the first bid; and

outputting an indicia to the first customer, in which the indicia indicates that the request to reserve the service for the particular time requested has been denied.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprises:

receiving a premium fee associated with the particular time requested, in which the premium fee prevents bidding for the particular time;

determining that the particular time is unavailable for bidding;

rejecting a bid submitted for the particular time.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprises:

updating the schedule with the request to reserve the service.

12. The method of claim 1, in which updating the schedule further comprises:

determining a quantity of on-site dining requests, in which the on-site dining request comprises the request to reserve the service for preparing a consumable good that is consumed at the restaurant'"'"'s location;

determining that the quantity of on-site dining request has exceeded a threshold;

decreasing the number of available carry-out dining requests on the schedule, in which the carry-out dining request comprises the request to reserve the service for preparing a consumable good that is received that the restaurant'"'"'s location

13. The method of claim 1, in which updating the schedule further comprises:

determining a quantity of on-site dining requests, in which the on-site dining request comprises the request to reserve the service for preparing a consumable good that is consumed at the restaurant'"'"'s location;

determining a quantity of carry-out dining requests, in which the carry-out dining comprises the request to reserve the service for preparing a consumable good that is received that the restaurant'"'"'s location;

calculating a ratio between the quantity of on-site dining requests to the quantity of carry-out dining requests;

determining that the ratio has exceeded a threshold;

decreasing the number of available carry-out dining requests on the schedule.

14. A storage medium containing machine instructions readable by a computer system that includes a data store to configure the computer system to perform the method of claim 1.

15. The computer system of claim 14 configured to perform the method of claim 2.

16. The computer system of claim 14 configured to perform the method of claim 3.

17. The computer system of claim 16 configured to perform the method of claim 4.

18. The computer system of claim 14 configured to perform the method of claim 5.

19. The computer system of claim 18 configured to perform the method of claim 6.

20. The computer system of claim 18 configured to perform the method of claim 7.

21. The computer system of claim 14 configured to perform the method of claim 10.

22. The computer system of claim 14 configured to perform the method of claim 11.

23. The computer system of claim 14 configured to perform the method of claim 12.

24. The computer system of claim 14 configured to perform the method of claim 13.

25. An apparatus comprising:

a storage device;

a processor connected to the storage device;

the storage device storing a program for controlling the processor; and

the processor operative with the program to;

receiving a request to reserve a service that is provided by a restaurant, in which the request to reserve is for a particular time and a particular date and the service comprises at least one of;

(i) preparing a consumable good that is consumed at the restaurant'"'"'s location;

(ii) preparing a consumable good that is received at the restaurant'"'"'s location;

or

(iii) preparing a consumable good that is delivered to a location external to the restaurant'"'"'s location;

comparing the particular time requested with a schedule associated with the restaurant, in which the schedule comprises a list of times that are available for reservation;

determining an availability of the request to reserve;

outputting an indicia that the request to reserve the service has been accepted or denied.