Methods, Systems and Machines for Identifying Geospatial Compatibility Between Consumers and Providers of Goods or Services

• US 20110320319A1
• Filed: 06/23/2010
• Published: 12/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Justin Streich
• Original Assignee: Justin Streich
• Inventors: Streich, Justin
• Granted Patent: US 8,930,245 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/27.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2457 with adaptation to user needs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/444 Spatial browsing, e.g. 2D maps, 3D or virtual spaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• 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: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0639 Item locations

Abstract

Geospatial compatibility between consumers and providers of goods or services is identified. The system allows consumers to find service providers with service areas encompassing their location or merchants within a desired shopping area, and allow consumers to query about consumers within a specified area, for example to identify a potential customer base or consider regional advertising. A digital map interface allows users to enter one or more locations or areas of interest and later performs location or area additions, modifications or removals. The system provides the geospatially matched consumers and vendors with information on how to contact one another, but is kept simple by leaving actual contact between the matched parties to separate outside communication channels independent of the system. Processing requirements are reduced by pre-calculating an inner rectangle for complex polygon geographical areas so that simple point-rectangle calculations can confirm locations within the area as being within the polygon.

Claims

1. A method of identifying geospatial compatibility between consumers and providers of goods or services, the method comprising:

(a) providing a server accessible through a data network by users including first and second users who are opposite ones of a consumer and a provider of goods or services;

(b) (i) presenting a first user interface to the first user at a first electronic device operated by the first user, prompting the first user to enter a plurality of coordinate points on a digital map of the first user interface to mark vertices between lines intended to mark a boundary of a polygonal geographic area, receiving and storing data on the polygonal geographic area at the server; and

(ii) presenting a second user interface to a second user at a second electronic device operated by the second user, having the second user specify a geographic location through said second user interface, and receiving and storing data on the geographic location at the server;

(c) receiving an inquiry at the server on whether, for one of the first and second users, there are other users that have polygonal geographic areas containing the geographic location of the one of the first and second users or have geographical locations within the geographic area of the one of the first and second users;

(d) in response to the inquiry, using the data on the geographic location specified by the second user and the data on the polygonal geographic area specified by the first user to have the server determine whether a coordinate point associated with the geographic location specified by the second user lies within the polygonal geographic area specified by the first user; and

(e) upon successfully determining that the coordinate point associated with the geographic location lies within the polygonal geographic area, conveying data to the electronic device of the one of the first and second users that indicates that the other of the first and second users is geospatially compatible therewith.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first user is the provider and the second user is the consumer, the consumer seeking a service to be provided at the geographic location and the polygonal geographic area representing a service area served by the provider.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the first user is the consumer and the provider is a merchant, the consumer seeking merchandise of a desired category within the geographic area and the merchant dealing in said category of merchandise.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein step (e) comprises providing the consumer access to contact information of the provider on the second electronic device to enable the consumer to contact the provider through communication channels independent from the server.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the first user is the provider and the second user is the consumer, the provider seeking information on a potential customer base within the polygonal geographic area.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein step (e) comprises displaying to the one of the first and second users contact information of the other of the first and second users to enable contacting thereof through communication channels independent from the server.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein step (d) comprises (i) determining whether the coordinate point associated with the geographic location specified by the second user lies on or within an outer rectangle containing the vertices of the polygonal geographic area of the first user and, if so, (ii) determining whether said coordinate point lies on or within an inner rectangle contained within the polygonal geographic area, which, if so, confirms that the coordinate point is located within the polygonal geographic area, and (iii) if having determined that the coordinate point does not lie within the inner rectangle, performing further calculations to determine whether the coordinate point is located within the polygonal geographic area.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the inner rectangle is a largest possible rectangle contained within the polygonal geographic area.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the inner rectangle is an approximation of a largest possible rectangle contained within the polygonal geographic area.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the second user interface includes a second digital map on which the geographic location specified by the second user is indicated.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the first and second user interfaces are the same.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising facilitating manipulation of the vertices of the polygonal geographic area by the first user through the first user interface to enable a change in shape of the polygonal geographic area.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the manipulation of the vertices comprises adding an additional vertex or removing or relocating an existing vertex.

14. The method of claim 1 comprising storing data on more than a single geographic location or geographic area for the first or second user.

15. The method of claim 1 comprising storing data on at least one geographic location and at least one geographic area for each of at least one of the first and second users, wherein the server is able to receive inquiries from said at least one user on whether other users have geographic areas encompassing the geographic location of said at least one user and on whether other users have geographic locations encompassed by the geographic area of said at least one user.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the server hosts a website that presents the user interfaces upon visiting thereof by the electronic devices of the users.

21. The method of claim 1 wherein the first user is the consumer and the second user is the provider, the consumer seeking a service and the geographic location representing a service location of the provider.

22. The method of claim 4 wherein step (e) comprises providing the consumer access to the contact information of the provider only if a predetermined criterion has been met.

23. The method of claim 1 comprising facilitating editing of the geographic location by the second user by repositioning of a point on a digital map display in the second user interface.

17. A method of identifying geospatial compatibility between consumers and providers of goods or services, the method comprising:

(a) providing a server accessible through a data network by a consumer operating an electronic device connected to the data network;

(b) on the server, storing data on geographical information associated with each of a plurality of providers of goods or services, the geographical information associated with the providers comprising one or the other of geographic area or geographic location;

(c) from the electronic device of the consumer, receiving data reflective of information relevant to consumer on the other of geographic area or geographic location;

(d) receiving an inquiry at the server from the electronic device of the consumer on the existence of a provider for which the geographic location lies within the geographical area;

(e) in response to the inquiry, using the data to have the server determine whether the geographic location lies within the polygonal geographic area for each service provider; and

(f) upon successfully determining that the geographic location lies within the polygonal geographic area for at least one service provider, conveying data to the electronic device of the consumer that indicates that the at least one service provider is geospatially compatible therewith and providing the consumer with access to contact information of the at least one service provider to enable the consumer to contact the service provider through communication channels independent from the server.

18. A method of identifying geospatial compatibility between consumers and providers of goods or services, the method comprising:

(a) providing a server accessible through a data network by users including consumers and providers of goods or services;

(b) for each user, presenting a user interface on a respective electronic device capable of accessing the server and having the user select between a providing mode of the user interface and a locating mode of the user interface;

(c) having one or more providers select the providing mode to reflect an intention to offer goods or services available for purchase, and for each said one or more providers receiving, at the server, data on an offered good or service available from said provider and data on a geographical area of interest to said provider;

(d) having one or more consumers select the locating mode to reflect an intention to locate availability of goods or services, and for each said one or more consumers receiving, at the server, data a desired good or service of interest to said consumer and data on a geographical location associated with said consumer;

(e) in the providing mode of the user interface, displaying to said provider an indication of the presence of potential customers in the geographical area of interest based on a determination by the server, using the data received thereby, that the geographical location associated with at least one consumer is within the geographical area of interest to said provider and that the desired good or service of interest to said at least one consumer corresponds in type to the offered good or service available from said provider; and

(f) in the locating mode of the user interface, displaying to said consumer information on at least one of the one or more providers based on a determination by the server, using the data received thereby, that the desired good or service of interest to said consumer corresponds in type to the offered good or service available from said at least one provider.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein step (c) further comprises receiving, at the server, data on a geographical location of the provider, step (d) further comprises receiving, at the server, data on a geographical shopping area specified by said consumer, and the determination in step (f) further comprises determining that the geographical location of at least one provider is within the geographical shopping area of interest to said provider.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein the geographical area of interest to the provider is a service area served by the provider and the determination in step (f) further comprises determining that the geographical location of said consumer lies within the service area of said provider.