Systems and methods for fulfilling orders using location-based abbreviated dialing

• US 7,376,584 B1
• Filed: 07/31/2001
• Issued: 05/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Corporate Services Group Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Weixel, James K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Laneau, Ronald
• Application Number:
  US09/919,461
• Time in Patent Office: 2,485 Days
• Field of Search: 705/15, 705/16, 705/17, 705/26, 705/27
• US Class Current: 705/17
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/204 comprising interface for record bearing medium or carrier for electronic funds transfer or payment credit
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

A system (100) configured to facilitate ordering of goods or services from a vendor (150) by a customer may include one or more base stations (130) configured to receive an abbreviated dialing sequence that corresponds to an order from a mobile terminal used by the customer. A processing center (140) may be coupled between the one or more base stations (130) and vendor (150) and may be configured to receive the abbreviated dialing sequence. Processing center (140) may also transmit customer information that relates to the order to vendor (150), and may bill the customer'"'"'s wireless account for a monetary amount of the order.

Claims

1. A system configured to facilitate ordering of goods or services by a customer from a vendor having multiple vendor locations while the customer is on travel, the system comprising:

one or more base stations configured to receive an abbreviated dialing sequence that corresponds to an order from a mobile terminal used by the customer, both the order being initiated at a remote location by the customer and preparation of the order being initiated at one of the vendor locations by the vendor before the customer arrives at the one of the vendor locations, to reduce wait time of the customer by time-shifting preparation of the order by the vendor to coincide with transit time of the customer; and

a processing center coupled between the one or more base stations and the vendor and configured to receive the abbreviated dialing sequence, determine from the remote location the one of the multiple vendor locations to which to transmit customer information, and bill a wireless account of the customer for a monetary amount of the order;

wherein the goods or services are selected from the group of vendors consisting of restaurants, pharmacies, grocery stores, toll booths, convenience stores and gas stations which allows the goods or services to be picked-up by the customer and the travel to continue while utilizing the goods or services.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the customer information transmitted to the vendor includes:

an account number of the wireless account or an identification number of the mobile terminal, and

the abbreviated dialing sequence.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing center includes:

a database containing preferences of the customer for at least one vendor, and

wherein the customer information transmitted to the vendor includes;

the customer'"'"'s wireless account number or an identification number of the customer'"'"'s mobile terminal, and

information designating the order obtained from the database.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

one or more signs that provide a name or logo of the vendor and the abbreviated dialing sequence corresponding to the vendor.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more base stations and the processing center are configured to determine a location of the mobile terminal used by the customer.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the customer is a motorist.

7. A method of providing abbreviated dialing service for a customer ordering goods or services from a vendor having multiple vendor locations while the customer is on travel, the method comprising:

receiving, at an abbreviated dialing processing center, an abbreviated dialing sequence that corresponds to an order from a mobile terminal operated by the customer;

determining a location of the mobile terminal when the sequence was received; and

processing the abbreviated dialing sequence and sending customer information to one of the vendor locations based on the location of the mobile terminal, wherein both the order being initiated at the location of the mobile terminal by the customer and preparation of the order being initiated at the one of the vendor locations by the vendor before the customer arrives at the one of the vendor locations, reduces wait time of the customer by time-shifting preparation of the order by the vendor to coincide with transit time of the customer and wherein the goods or services are selected from the group of vendors consisting of restaurants, pharmacies, grocery stores, toll booths, convenience stores and gas stations which allows the goods or services to be picked-up by the customer and the travel to continue while utilizing the goods or services.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said processing the abbreviated dialing sequence and sending customer information includes:

sending a wireless account number of the customer or an identification number of the mobile terminal, and

sending the abbreviated dialing sequence.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

storing order preferences of the customer, and

wherein said processing the abbreviated dialing sequence and sending customer information includes;

sending a wireless account number of the customer or an identification number of the mobile terminal,

obtaining information designating the order from the stored preferences, and

sending the information designating the order.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein said processing the abbreviated dialing sequence includes:

identifying the one of the multiple vendor locations that is most convenient to the customer based on the determined location of the mobile terminal.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein said determining includes:

receiving a unique abbreviated dialing sequence, and

inferring the location of the mobile terminal based the received unique abbreviated dialing sequence.

12. The method of claim 7, said determining includes:

calculating the location of the mobile terminal based on signal information received at one or more base stations.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the signal information includes one of time delay information and global positioning system (GPS) information.

14. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

billing a wireless account of the customer for a monetary amount of the order.

15. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

billing a credit or debit card of the customer for a monetary amount of the order.

16. A method of fulfilling an order from a customer by a vendor having multiple vendor locations, the order being initiated on a mobile terminal while the customer is on travel before the customer arrives at one of the multiple vendor locations, comprising:

receiving abbreviated dialing information at the vendor, the abbreviated dialing information being received at the vendor based on a location of the mobile terminal;

determining the one of the multiple vendor locations to which to transmit customer information relating to the order based on the location of the mobile terminal;

selecting a particular order from the abbreviated dialing information;

preparing the particular order; and

providing the particular order to the customer when the customer arrives;

wherein both the order being initiated at the location of the mobile terminal by the customer and preparation of the order being initiated at the one of the vendor locations by the vendor before the customer arrives at the one of the vendor locations, reduces wait time of the customer by time-shifting preparation of the order by the vendor to coincide with transit time of the customer and

wherein the goods or services are selected from the group of vendors consisting of restaurants, pharmacies, grocery stores, toll booths, convenience stores and gas stations which allows the goods or services to be picked-up by the customer and the travel to continue while utilizing the goods or services.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

obtaining customer preferences from the customer; and

storing the customer preferences.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the customer preferences include at least one default order.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein said receiving includes:

receiving a wireless account number of the customer or an identification number of the mobile terminal, and

receiving an abbreviated dialing sequence.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

charging a wireless account of the customer for a monetary amount of the order.

21. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

charging a credit or debit card of the customer for a monetary amount of the order.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein said selecting includes:

selecting a particular order based on the abbreviated dialing information and stored customer preferences.

23. A method of supplying abbreviated dialing service to a vendor having multiple vendor locations, comprising:

designating one or more unique abbreviated dialing sequences for the vendor to facilitate remote ordering of goods or services by customers of the vendor while each of the customers is on travel;

receiving the one or more unique abbreviated dialing sequences;

determining locations of mobile terminals that initiated the received one or more unique abbreviated dialing sequences to obtain determined locations; and

sending customer information to one or more of the multiple vendor locations based on the determined locations;

wherein both the remote ordering being initiated at the determined locations by the customers and preparation responsive to the remote ordering being initiated at the one or more of the multiple vendor locations by the vendor before the customers arrive at the one or more of the multiple vendor locations, reduce wait time of the customers by time-shifting preparation of orders by the vendor to coincide with transit times of the customers and

wherein the goods or services are selected from the group of vendors consisting of restaurants, pharmacies, grocery stores, toll booths, convenience stores and gas stations which allows the goods or services to be picked-up by the customer and the travel to continue while utilizing the goods or services.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

entering into an agreement with the vendor to provide the abbreviated dialing service to the vendor.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

collecting revenue from the vendor according to the agreement.

26. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

charging wireless accounts of the customers for monetary amounts of orders placed by the customers.

27. A system configured to facilitate ordering of goods or services by a customer from a vendor having multiple vendor locations while the customer is on travel, the system comprising:

means for receiving an abbreviated dialing sequence that corresponds to an order from a mobile terminal used by the customer;

means for determining a location of the mobile terminal used by the customer during operation of the receiving means;

means, using the determined location, for determining the one of the multiple vendor locations to which to transmit customer information relating to the order; and

means for transmitting the customer information relating to the order to the one of the multiple vendor locations based on the determined location of the mobile terminal;

wherein, both the order is initiated at the determined location by the customer and preparation of the order is initiated at the one of the multiple vendor locations by the vendor before the customer arrives at the one of the multiple vendor locations, to reduce wait time of the customer by time-shifting preparation of the order by the vendor to coincide with transit time of the customer and

wherein the goods or services are selected from the group of vendors consisting of restaurants, pharmacies, grocery stores, toll booths, convenience stores and gas stations which allows the goods or services to be picked-up by the customer and the travel to continue while utilizing the goods or services.

28. The system of claim 27, further comprising:

means for billing a wireless account of the customer for a monetary amount of the order.

29. A method of providing goods or services by a vendor having multiple vendor locations to a customer while the customer is on travel, the method comprising:

establishing an account for the customer;

obtaining ordering preferences from the customer;

associating the ordering preferences with abbreviated dialing codes;

receiving an abbreviated dialing code from the customer while being located remotely from the vendor and determining, on the basis of the remote location, one of the multiple vendor locations for the customer; and

delivering the goods or services to the customer according to the ordering preferences and the received abbreviated dialing code at the one of the multiple vendor locations;

wherein, both the order is initiated at the remote location by the customer and preparation of the order is initiated at the one of the multiple vendor locations by the vendor before the customer arrives at the one of the multiple vendor locations, to reduce wait time of the customer by time-shifting preparation of the order by the vendor to coincide with transit time of the customer and

wherein the goods or services are selected from the group of vendors consisting of restaurants, pharmacies, grocery stores, toll booths, convenience stores and gas stations which allows the goods or services to be picked-up by the customer and the travel to continue while utilizing the goods or services.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising:

advising the customer of the abbreviated dialing codes associated with the ordering preferences.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein said obtaining includes:

acquiring a preferred manner of payment from the customer.