SEARCHING FOR GOODS AND SERVICES BASED ON KEYWORDS AND PROXIMITY

• US 20120123904A1
• Filed: 11/16/2011
• Published: 05/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Markus Foerster
• Original Assignee: Markus Foerster
• Inventors: Foerster, Markus
• Granted Patent: US 9,092,815 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26.62
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0625 Directed, with specific intent or strategy
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0627 using item specifications
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0639 Item locations

Abstract

Techniques for keyword-based searching are described. Some embodiments provide a Merchant Information Search System (“MISS”) that allows a potential customer to search for information about proximately located merchants that provide goods and/or services that match one or more keywords provided by the customer. In some embodiments, multiple keywords are associated with individual goods and/or services provided by a merchant. By associating keywords with individual goods and/or services, rather than a category or type of goods, the MISS may provide fine-grained search results that identify merchants that would not have been otherwise identified by category-based approaches to searching. Some embodiments employ other or additional techniques, including proximity-based searching and keyword feedback to improve search performance.

Claims

1. A method in a computing system, comprising:

providing a search facility configured to provide information about a plurality of merchants that each sell a plurality of goods and/or services, by;

for each of the plurality of merchants,

receiving a plurality of keywords that describe goods or services sold by the merchant; and

associating each of the plurality of keywords with at least one of the goods and/or services sold by the merchant;

receiving a search request that includes a keyword and an indication of a location;

determining one or more of the plurality of merchants that is proximately located to the indicated location and that sells, but that does not primarily deal in, a good and/or service that has an associated keyword that matches the keyword included in the search request; and

transmitting information about the determined one or more merchants.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of merchants has an associated primary business classification that includes one or more goods and/or services, and wherein determining the one or more of the plurality of merchants includes determining one or more merchants that each have a primary business classification that does not include the good and/or service that has an associated keyword that matches the keyword included in the search request.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

transmitting information about one or more merchants that each have a primary business classification that does not include a good and/or service searched for by a potential customer who is using the search facility.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from a sales representative, information about a merchant, the information including a name of the merchant, a location of the merchant, contact information for the merchant, one or more keywords that describe goods and/or services sold by the merchant,

wherein the sales representative is not affiliated with the merchant, and

wherein the merchant does not have or operate an online presence.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

providing compensation to the sales representative in exchange for the information about the merchant.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

ordering the information about the determined one or more merchants, based at least in part on proximity between each of the one or more merchants and the indicated location.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein determining the one or more merchants includes determining one or more merchants that have a location within a specified radius of the indicated location.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving feedback regarding one of the plurality of merchants, the feedback indicating a user'"'"'s positive or negative experience with respect to the one merchant and/or one or more keywords associated with the one merchant; and

transmitting an indication of a rating of the one merchant, the rating based at least in part on the user'"'"'s positive or negative experience.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein transmitting the indication of the rating includes transmitting a directional indicator that is oriented in an upwards or downwards direction, the upwards direction indicating a positive rating and the downwards direction indicating a negative rating.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the directional indicator includes a color having a level of darkness that indicates a magnitude of the rating, such that the magnitude of the rating increases as the level of darkness increases.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the directional indicator is a thumb icon, wherein the thumb icon is red when the rating is negative, and wherein the thumb is green when the rating is positive.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein at least some of the plurality of merchants do not have or operate an online presence.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of keywords are received from a person, and further comprising:

determining whether or not the person has authority to provide the plurality of keywords on behalf of the merchant;

when it is determine that the person does have authority, associating the plurality of keywords with the at least one of the goods or services sold by the merchant; and

when it is determined that the person does not have authority, disassociating the plurality of keywords from the at least one of the goods or services sold by the merchant and removing that vendor location in the case of faulty or false address or geographical information having been provided.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

when it is determined that the person does not have authority, transmitting an indication to the merchant that the person has attempted to provide keywords without authority.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

when it is determined that the person does not have authority, prohibiting the person from providing further keywords for the merchant and/or other merchants.

16. A computing system, comprising:

a memory;

a module stored on the memory that is configured, when executed, to provide a search facility configured to provide information about a plurality of merchants that each sell goods and/or services, by;

for each of the plurality of merchants,

receiving a plurality of keywords that describe goods or services sold by the merchant; and

associating each of the plurality of keywords with at least one of the goods and/or services sold by the merchant;

receiving a search request that includes a keyword and an indication of a location;

determining one or more of the plurality of merchants that is proximately located to the indicated location and that sells a good and/or service that has an associated keyword that matches the keyword included in the search request; and

transmitting information about the determined one or more merchants.

17. The computing system of claim 16 wherein at least 100 keywords are associated with goods and/or services sold by each merchant.

18. The computing system of claim 16 wherein the module is a merchant information search system.

19. A computer-readable medium having contents that, when executed, cause a computing system to provide information about a plurality of merchants that each sell goods and/or services, by:

for each of the plurality of merchants,

receiving a plurality of keywords that describe goods or services sold by the merchant; and

associating each of the plurality of keywords with the merchant and/or with at least one of the goods and/or services sold by the merchant;

receiving a search request that includes a keyword;

determining one or more of the plurality of merchants that sells, but does not primarily deal in, a good and/or service that has an associated keyword that matches the keyword included in the search request; and

transmitting information about the determined one or more merchants.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 19 wherein the computer-readable medium is a memory in the computing system, and wherein the contents are instructions that, when executed, cause the computing system to perform the method.