System and method for facilitating interaction between businesses, delivery agents, and customers
First Claim
1. A system for facilitating transactions between customers and businesses comprising:
- first means for initiating a transaction between a customer and a business entity, said transaction associated with a product or service;
second means for automatically selecting a mechanism for delivering said product or service to said customer from a plurality of mechanism for delivering in accordance with predetermined selection criteria and providing a signal in response thereto, said plurality of mechanism for delivering independent from said business entity, and wherein said predetermined selection criteria includes a maximum value of wc, which is defined in accordance with the following equation;
Wc=aWP+bWR+cWD, where WP is a function of delivery prices associated with said mechanism for delivering, WR is a function of delivery reliability of said mechanism for delivering, WD is a function of the distance between said mechanism for delivering, said customer, and a business outlet associated with said business entity, and a, b, and c, are values that may be specified by a customer; and
third means for automatically facilitating delivery of said product or service to said customer via said mechanism for delivering in response to said signal.
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Abstract
A system for facilitating interaction between businesses, independent delivery agents, and customers. The system includes a customer product order interface that receives customer product orders as input and provides a first signal in response thereto. The customer product orders are associated with a predetermined business. A look-up system for selects an independent delivery agent to deliver a product to the customer in response to the first signal and with reference to a distance between said delivery agent, the customer, and the business, and provides a second signal in response thereto. A delivery agent order delivery system for provides the selected delivery agent with a delivery order based on the customer product order in response to the second signal.
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Citations
10 Claims
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1. A system for facilitating transactions between customers and businesses comprising:
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first means for initiating a transaction between a customer and a business entity, said transaction associated with a product or service;
second means for automatically selecting a mechanism for delivering said product or service to said customer from a plurality of mechanism for delivering in accordance with predetermined selection criteria and providing a signal in response thereto, said plurality of mechanism for delivering independent from said business entity, and wherein said predetermined selection criteria includes a maximum value of wc, which is defined in accordance with the following equation;
Wc=aWP+bWR+cWD,where WP is a function of delivery prices associated with said mechanism for delivering, WR is a function of delivery reliability of said mechanism for delivering, WD is a function of the distance between said mechanism for delivering, said customer, and a business outlet associated with said business entity, and a, b, and c, are values that may be specified by a customer; and third means for automatically facilitating delivery of said product or service to said customer via said mechanism for delivering in response to said signal. - View Dependent Claims (2)
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3. A system for facilitating transactions between customers and businesses comprising:
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first means for initiating a transaction between a customer and a business entity, said transaction associated with a product or service;
second means for automatically selecting a mechanism for delivering said product or service to said customer from a plurality of mechanism for delivering in accordance with predetermined selection criteria and providing a signal in response thereto, said plurality of mechanism for delivering independent from said business entity and wherein said second means further includes;
means for automatically selecting a delivery agent associated with said mechanism for delivering from a plurality of delivery agents based on a distance between said mechanism for delivering, said business entity, and said customer said plurality of delivery agents including independent delivery agents, and wherein said distance associated with said mechanism for delivering is the shortest total distance between said selected delivery agent, said business entity, and said customer wherein said total distance is the sum of the distance between said selected delivery agent and said business entity and the distance between said business entity and said customer, and wherein said delivery agents include messenger services, and wherein said second means includes means for automatically selecting a messenger from among said messenger services based on a distance between said messenger, said business entity, and said customer, said messenger services capable of accessing said system via the Internet, and third means for automatically facilitating delivery of said product or service to said customer via said means for delivering in response to said signal.
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4. A system for facilitating constructive business communications between delivery agents, businesses, and a customer comprising:
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a customer product order interface for receiving customer product orders as input and providing a first signal in response thereto, said customer product orders associated with a predetermined business;
a look-up system for selecting an independent delivery agent for delivery of a product associated with said customer product orders to said customer in response to said first signal and with reference to a distance between said delivery agent, said customer, and said business and providing a second signal in response thereto;
a delivery agent order delivery system for providing said selected delivery agent with a delivery order based on said customer product order in response to said second signal;
a merchant selection system for selecting a business outlet associated with said predetermined business based on a location of said business outlet relative to said customer and an availability status of said product at said location; and
a product inventory checking system for determining business locations with said product, and wherein said look-up system includes means for selecting a delivery agent in accordance with Wc, which is defined in accordance with the following equation;
Wc=aWP+bWR+cWD+dWT,where WP is a function of delivery prices associated with said delivery agent, WR is a function of delivery reliability of delivery agent, WD is a function of the distance between said delivery agent, said customer, and a business outlet associated with said business entity, WT is a function of an estimated delivery time required by said means for delivering, and a, b, c, and d are customer-adjustable coefficients. - View Dependent Claims (5)
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6. A system for facilitating transactions between customers and businesses comprising:
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first means for initiating a transition between a customer and a business entity, said transaction associated with a product or service, second means for automatically selecting an independent delivery agent for delivering said product or service to said customer based on predetermined selection criteria including results of a weighting formula, said weighting formula including means for enabling said customer to specify priorities associated with each of said selection criteria and providing a signal in response thereto, said second means further including;
means for enabling a user to selectively activate a bidding system to enable plural delivery agents to compete based on said criteria and in accordance with said specified priorities;
means for selecting a set of business outlets associated with said business entity said business outlets having said ordered products and/or services available, said business outlets located in a predetermined region about said shipping destination;
means for selecting a set of delivery agents having coverage areas that include one or more business outlets of said set of business outlets and having hours of operation that include said time at which said order was placed; and
means for ranking combinations of independent delivery agents and business outlets in order of desirability in accordance with said predetermined selection criteria, which includes distances between said delivery agents, business outlets, and said customer, delivery price information, and/or delivery reliability information, said second means for selecting further including means for selecting a high ranking immediately available messenger and providing said customer with corresponding estimated delivery information, including fees, and/or delivery times in response thereto; and
third means for automatically facilitating delivery of said product or service to said customer via said delivery agent in response to said signal. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8)
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9. A system for facilitating business communications between delivery agents, businesses, and a customer comprising:
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a customer product order interface for receiving customer product orders as input and providing a first signal in response thereto, said customer product orders associated with a predetermined business;
a look-up system for selecting an independent delivery agent for delivery of a product associated with said customer product orders to said customer in response to said first signal and with reference to a distance between said delivery agent, said customer, and said business, and providing a second signal in response thereto, and wherein said look-up system includes means for selecting a delivery agent in accordance with Wc, which is defined in accordance with the following equation;
Wc=aWP+bWR+cWD+dWT,where WP is a function of delivery prices associated with said delivery agent, WR is a function of delivery reliability of delivery agent, WD is a function of the distance between said delivery agent, said customer, and a business outlet associated with said business entity, WT is a function of an estimated delivery time required by said means for delivering, and a, b, c, and d are customer-adjustable coefficients; a delivery agent order delivery system for providing said selected delivery agent with a delivery order based on said customer product order in response to said second signal;
a merchant selection system for selecting a business outlet associated with said predetermined business based on a location of said business outlet relative to said customer and an availability status of said product at said location; and
a product inventory checking system for determining business locations with said product.
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10. A system for facilitating transactions between customers and businesses comprising:
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first means for initiating a transaction between a customer and a business entity, said transaction associated with a product or service;
second means for selecting an independent delivery agent for delivering said product or service to said customer based on predetermined selection criteria that includes results of a weighting formula, said weighting formula including means for enabling said customer to specify priorities associated with each of said selection criteria and providing a signal in response thereto, said second means further including;
means for selecting a set of business outlets associated with said business entity, said business outlets located in a predetermined region about said shipping destination;
means for selecting a set of delivery agents having coverage areas that include one or more business outlets of said set of business outlets and having hours of operation that include said time at which said order was placed; and
means for ranking combinations of independent delivery agents and business outlets in order of desirability in accordance with said predetermined selection criteria, which includes distances between said delivery agents, business outlets, and said customer, delivery price information, and/or delivery reliability information, said second means further including means for selecting a high ranking immediately available messenger and providing said customer with corresponding estimated delivery information, including fees, and/or delivery times in response thereto; and
third means for facilitating delivery of said product or service to said customer via said delivery agent in response to said signal.
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Specification