SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ENABLING ONLINE ORDERING USING UNIQUE IDENTIFIERS

• US 20140330681A1
• Filed: 06/04/2014
• Published: 11/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Locu Incorporated (GoDaddy, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Locu Incorporated (GoDaddy, Inc.)
• Inventors: Mierle, Keir
• Granted Patent: US 9,747,630 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26.82
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0637 Approvals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers

Abstract

A system and method for automatically submitting an online order from a customer to a restaurant. Input data and customer data is used by an order engine to select a deployment platform, such as social media networks, search engines, mobile applications, and related websites, for a user interface. The order engine provides a unique identifier for each restaurant. The unique identifier can be used by third parties, such as online content providers, to return the menu for the restaurant included in the third party content. The user interface automatically populates the restaurant'"'"'s menu options and business data, allowing the customer to build an order. The order engine submits the order to the restaurant via a non-verbal communication platform.

Claims

1. A system for enabling a user to submit an online order to a business, the system comprising:

a processor configured to access a non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon unique identifiers corresponding to input data related to corresponding businesses, and configured to execute an order engine to carry out the steps of;

i) receiving, from an application running on a computer operated by the user, information to identify a business indicated within content displayed on the computer operated by the user;

ii) accessing the non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium to identify a unique identifier corresponding to the business using the information received from the application;

iii) providing, based on the unique identifier, the input data related to the business for display on the computer operated by the user despite the business having no previously-established business relationship with the order engine;

iv) receiving, from the application running on the computer operated by the user, an online order to be placed with the business;

v) submitting the online order to the business; and

vi) providing at least one response option for the business to communicate acceptance of the online order.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the application is configured to run in a web browser.

3. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the application is configured to run as a browser extension to enable the user to engage a web-link to return the input data to the user.

4. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the input data includes at least one of a business menu including a plurality of business offerings, a business location, a business phone number, a business fax number, a business email address, business delivery hours, business pick-up hours, photographs of the plurality of business offerings, and feedback data.

5. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the unique identifier is a numerical value.

6. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to automatically determine the unique identifier corresponding to the business by scanning the content displayed on the computer operated by the user.

7. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the order engine is further configured to carry out the step of providing the business an option to establish a business relationship between the order engine and the business for subsequent online orders from potential customers.

8. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the order engine is further configured to carry out the steps of:

i) determining whether the user has an existing account corresponding to the business indicated within the content displayed on the computer;

ii) prompting the user to generate a new account when no existing account associated with the user is present; and

iii) receiving data related to the user to be stored on the non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium, the user data configured to automatically be generated for subsequent online orders.

9. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the order engine is further configured to carry out the step of providing an estimated cost of the online order on the computer operated by the user, the estimated cost based on items selected by the user from the input data.

10. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the online order is submitted via a non-verbal communication platform and the at least one response option to the business includes at least one of a repeat message option, an accept order option, a connect to customer option, a connect to a service provider option, a decline order option, and an opt-out option.

11. A method for enabling a user to submit an online order to a business, the steps of the method comprising:

i) receiving unique identifiers corresponding to input data related to corresponding businesses configured to be analyzed by an order engine;

ii) receiving, from an application running on a computer operated by the user, information to identify a business indicated within content displayed on the computer operated by the user;

iii) accessing a non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium to identify a unique identifier corresponding to the business using the information received from the application;

iv) providing, based on the unique identifier, the input data related to the business for display on the computer operated by the user despite the business having no previously-established business relationship with the order engine;

v) receiving, from the application running on the computer operated by the user, an online order to be placed with the business;

vi) submitting the online order to the business; and

vii) providing at least one response option for the business to communicate acceptance of the online order.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising the step of running the application in a web browser on the computer operated by the user.

13. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising the step of configuring the application to run as a browser extension to enable the user to engage a web-link to return the input data to the user.

14. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein receiving the unique identifiers corresponding to input data includes receiving at least one of a business menu including a plurality of business offerings, a business location, a business phone number, a business fax number, a business email address, business delivery hours, business pick-up hours, photographs of the plurality of business offerings, and feedback data.

15. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein receiving the unique identifiers includes receiving a numerical value corresponding to the input data related to the corresponding businesses.

16. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising the step of determining the unique identifier corresponding to the business automatically by scanning the content displayed on the computer operated by the user.

17. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising the step of providing the business an option to establish a business relationship between the order engine and the business for subsequent online orders from potential customers.

18. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising the steps of:

i) determining whether the user has an existing account corresponding to the business indicated within the content displayed on the computer;

ii) prompting the user to generate a new account when no existing account associated with the user is present; and

iii) receiving data related to the user to be stored on the non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium, the user data configured to automatically be generated for subsequent online orders.

19. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising the step of providing an estimated cost of the online order on the computer operated by the user, the estimated cost based on items selected by the user from the input data.

20. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising the step of submitting the online order via a non-verbal communication platform and providing the at least one response option to the business in the form of at least one of a repeat message option, an accept order option, a connect to customer option, a connect to a service provider option, a decline order option, and an opt-out option.