System and method for selecting a business location, wherein the business location has an activity level indicator

• US 7,831,454 B2
• Filed: 05/26/2005
• Issued: 11/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Corporation, Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation), Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Su, William, Nguyen, Truc
• Primary Examiner(s): Jeanty; Romain
• Application Number:
  US11/138,729
• Publication Number:
  US 20060271417A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,993 Days
• Field of Search: 705/7
• US Class Current: 705/7.34
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/043 Optimisation of two dimensional placement, e.g. cutting of clothes or wood
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0205 Location or geographical consideration

Abstract

A method for directing customers to a business establishment. A query is received from an associated user representing a desired purveyor of a selected good or service in a selected geographic area. Data is then secured representing a set of purveyors of the desired goods or services in the selected geographic area. Business activity data is then acquired corresponding to business activities for each of the purveyors in the set. A business activity level signal is then generated to represent the level of business activity for each purveyor in the set. This data is then communicated to the associated user.

Claims

1. A system for directing customers to a business establishment comprising:

a processor user device including a service locator configured to receive a query from an associated user, which query is representative of a desired purveyor of at least one of selected goods and services in a selected geographic area;

the service locator configured to secure, into a memory, data representative of a set of purveyors of the at least one of selected goods and services in the selected geographic area from an associated database;

the service locator configured to retrieve, via a computer network, near real time business activity data from each purveyor of goods or services in the set thereof, the business activity data including at least one of the group consisting of a number of customers in line, an average wait time for access, an amount of traffic to, and operating hours associated with each purveyor in the set thereof;

the service locator configured to generate a business activity level signal representative of a level of the near real time business activity for each purveyor in the set thereof;

the service locator configured to generate relative ranking information corresponding to the business activity level for each purveyor in the set thereof; and

a display associated with the user device for displaying, in accordance with the data representative of the set of purveyors, a map on the user device showing a location and the near real time business activity data with the relative ranking information for the set of purveyors.

2. The system for directing customers to a business establishment of claim 1, wherein the service locator is further configured to generate a color signal representative of the business activity level signal.

3. The system for directing customers to a business establishment of claim 2, wherein the service locator is configured to generate map data, which map data includes data evidencing a location of each purveyor in the set thereof.

4. The system for directing customers to a business establishment of claim 3, wherein the business activity level signal is associated with the map data such that the business activity level of each purveyor is associated with the location of each purveyor.

5. A method for directing customers to a business establishment comprising the steps of:

receiving at a service locator operable on a processor user device, a query from an associated user, which query is representative of a desired purveyor of at least one of selected goods and services in a selected geographic area;

securing via the service locator data representative of a set of purveyors of the at least one of selected goods and services in the selected geographic area from an associated database;

retrieving via the service locator near real time business activity data from each purveyor of goods or services in the set thereof into a memory, the business activity data including at least one of the group consisting of a number of customers in line, an average wait time for access, an amount of traffic to, and operating hours associated with each purveyor in the set thereof;

generating via the service locator a business activity level signal representative of a level of business activity for each purveyor in the set thereof;

generating, via the service locator, relative ranking information corresponding to the business activity for each purveyor in the set thereof;

and,

displaying via the user device a map in accordance with the data representative of the set of purveyors, the map showing a location and the near real time business activity data with the relative ranking information for the set of purveyors.

6. The method for directing customers to a business establishment of claim 5, wherein the step of generating a business activity signal includes generating a color signal representative of the business activity level signal.

7. The method for directing customers to a business establishment of claim 6, wherein the step of generating a business activity level signal includes generating ranking information corresponding to the business activity level for each purveyor.

8. The method for directing customers to a business establishment of claim 6, wherein the step of receiving a query includes receiving the query via at least one of a wireless network data connection and a wired network data connection.

9. The method for directing customers to a business establishment of claim 6, further comprises the step of generating map data, which map data includes data evidencing a location of each purveyor in the set thereof.

10. The method for directing customers to a business establishment of claim 9, wherein the business activity level signal is associated with the map data such that the business activity level of each purveyor is associated with the location of each purveyor.

11. The method for directing customers to a business establishment of claim 6, wherein the step of communicating the data representative of the set of purveyors and each corresponding business activity signal to the associated user includes communicating the data via at least one of a wireless network data connection and a wired network data connection.

12. A computer-implemented method for directing customers to a business establishment comprising the steps of:

receiving, at a service locator operable on a processor user device, a query from an associated user, which query is representative of a desired purveyor of at least one of selected goods and services in a selected geographic area;

securing, via the service locator, data representative of a set of purveyors of the at least one of selected goods and services in the selected geographic area from an associated database;

retrieving, via the service locator, near real time business activity data for each purveyor of goods or services in the set thereof into a memory, the business activity data including at least one of the group consisting of a number of customers in line, an average wait time for access, an amount of traffic to, and operating hours associated with each purveyor in the set thereof;

generating, via the service locator, a business activity level signal representative of a level of business activity for each purveyor in the set thereof;

generating, via the service locator, relative ranking information corresponding to the business activity level for each purveyor in the set thereof;

and,

displaying via the user device a map in accordance with the data representative of the set of purveyors, the map showing a location and the near real time business activity data with the relative ranking information for the set of purveyors.

13. The computer-implemented method for directing customers to a business establishment of claim 12, wherein the step of generating a business activity signal includes generating a color signal represent the business activity level signal.

14. The computer-implemented method for directing customers to a business establishment of claim 13, wherein the step of generating a business activity level signal includes generating ranking information corresponding to the business activity level for each purveyor.

15. The computer-implemented method for directing customers to a business establishment of claim 13, wherein the step of receiving a query includes receiving the query via at least one of a wireless network data connection and a wired network data connection.

16. The computer-implemented method for directing customers to a business establishment of claim 13, further comprises the step of generating map data, which map data includes data evidencing a location of each purveyor in the set thereof.

17. The computer-implemented method for directing customers to a business establishment of claim 16, wherein the business activity level signal is associated with the map data such that the business activity level of each purveyor is associated with the location of each purveyor.

18. The computer-implemented method for directing customers to a business establishment of claim 13, wherein the step of communicating the data representative of the set of purveyors and each corresponding business activity signal to the associated user includes communicating the data via at least one of a wireless network data connection and a wired network data connection.

19. A system for directing customers to a business establishment comprising:

an input operable for receiving, at a service locator operable on a processor user device, a query from an associated user, which query is representative of a desired purveyor of at least one of selected goods and services in a selected geographic area;

a processor operable for securing, via the service locator, data representative of a set of purveyors of the at least one of selected goods and services in the selected geographic area from an associated database;

the processor further operable for retrieving, via the service locator, near real time business activity data for each purveyor of goods or services in the set thereof into a memory, the business activity data including at least one of the group consisting of a number of customers in line, an average wait time for access, an amount of traffic to, and operating hours associated with each purveyor in the set thereof;

the processor further operable for generating, via the service locator, a business activity level signal representative of a level of business activity for each purveyor in the set thereof;

the processor further operable for generating, via the service locator, relative ranking information corresponding to the business activity level for each purveyor in the set thereof; and

,

a display operable for displaying via the user device a map in accordance with the data representative of the set of purveyors, the map showing a location and the near real time business activity data with the relative ranking information for the set of purveyors.

20. The system for directing customers to a business establishment of claim 19, wherein the processor is further operable for generating a color signal represent the business activity level signal.

21. The system for directing customers to a business establishment of claim 20, wherein the processor is further operable for generating ranking information corresponding to the business activity level for each purveyor.

22. The system for directing customers to a business establishment of claim 20, wherein the query is received via at least one of a wireless network data connection and a wired network data connection.

23. The system for directing customers to a business establishment of claim 20, wherein the processor is further operable for generating map data, which map data includes data evidencing a location of each purveyor in the set thereof.

24. The system for directing customers to a business establishment of claim 23, wherein the business activity level signal is associated with the map data such that the business activity level of each purveyor is associated with the location of each purveyor.

25. The system for directing customers to a business establishment of claim 20, wherein the data representative of the set of purveyors and each corresponding business activity signal is communicated to the associated user via at least one of a wireless network data connection and a wired network data connection.