SMARTPHONES AS PAGERS

• US 20130262273A1
• Filed: 03/30/2012
• Published: 10/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Cao, Liang
• Application Number:
  US13/435,008
• Publication Number:
  US 20130262273A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/27.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

Methods for facilitating provision of a service or good are described. The method includes receiving the user'"'"'s preferences, generating a list of merchants based on the preferences, receiving the user'"'"'s selection of a merchant, placing the user on a waiting list, transmitting a notification to the user, and stopping further notifications.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a memory device storing user account information, wherein the user account information comprises smartphone contact data for a user; and

a processor operable to;

receive preferences from the user;

generate a list of merchants based on the preferences,

receive the user'"'"'s selection of a merchant;

place the user on a waiting list of the merchant for a merchant service or good regardless of geographic location of the smartphone;

transmit a notification to a smartphone when the merchant service or good is available; and

stop further notifications.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the notification is transmitted in the form of a text, vibration, phone call, email, push notification, or a combination thereof.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the merchant is a restaurant.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the preferences comprise type of food, location, seating arrangements, number of people, or a combination thereof.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the processor is further operable to determine information about a user location from the smartphone and information about a location of the restaurant.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the processor is further operable to generate a list of merchants proximate to the user.

7. The system of claim 3, wherein the processor is further operable to receive a food order and/or payment method through the smartphone.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor automatically stops further notifications upon payment.

9. A non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising a plurality of machine-readable instructions which when executed by one or more processors of a server are adapted to cause the server to perform a method comprising:

receiving a user'"'"'s location through a smartphone;

generating a list of merchants proximate to the user;

receiving the user'"'"'s selection of a merchant;

placing the user on a waiting list of the merchant for a merchant service or good regardless of geographic location of the smartphone;

transmitting a notification to the smartphone when the merchant service or good is available; and

stopping further notifications.

10. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the notification is transmitted in the form of a text, vibration, phone call, email, push notification, or a combination thereof.

11. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the merchant is a restaurant.

12. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises receiving a food order and/or payment method through the smartphone.

13. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 9, wherein stopping further notifications is automatic upon payment for the merchant service or good.

14. A method for facilitating provision of a good or service, comprising:

receiving, by a processor of a service provider, a user'"'"'s preferences through a smartphone;

generating a list of merchants based on the preferences;

receiving the user'"'"'s selection of a merchant;

placing the user on a waiting list of the merchant for a merchant service or good regardless of geographic location of the smartphone;

transmitting a notification to the smartphone when the merchant service or good is available; and

stopping further notifications.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the notification is transmitted in the form of a text, vibration, phone call, email, push notification, or a combination thereof.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the merchant is a restaurant.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the preferences comprise type of food, location, seating arrangements, number of people, or a combination thereof.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising determining information about a user location from the smartphone and information about a location of the restaurant.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising receiving a food order and/or payment method through the smartphone.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein stopping further notifications is automatic upon payment for the merchant good or service.