System and method for enhancing sales for service providers by utilizing an opportunistic approach based on an unexpected change in schedule of services
First Claim
1. A system comprising a computer memory storing computer readable program code that is executed by a computer to detect windows of opportunities, said computer memory comprising:
- computer readable program code implementing a service provider schema database storing schema descriptions associated with a plurality of data sources, wherein a schema description is associated with a particular data source and identifies data structure and format associated with that particular web based data source;
computer readable program code implementing a cookie crawler simulating user interactions and extracting data from one or more data sources over a network, wherein data extractions are based on stored schema descriptions stored in said service provider schema database;
computer readable program code implementing an event retriever receiving extracted data from said cookie crawler and generating an event pair which comprises a target time value and an actual time value associated with a schedule of service;
computer readable program code implementing an event observer, said event observer receiving said event pairs from said event retriever, calculating the difference between said actual and target time values, and based on one or more rules from a first set of rules, identifying and notifying a window of opportunity detector regarding potential windows of opportunities, wherein each potential window of opportunity defines a time period of customer inactivity; and
computer readable program code implementing said window of opportunity detector receiving said potential windows opportunities and detecting, based on one or more rules from a set of second rules, if a window of opportunity exists, and if so, matching said detected windows of opportunities with service providers for the purposes of providing a new product or a service separate from said scheduled service.
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Abstract
Sales associated with service providers is increased using an opportunistic approach based on an unexpected change in a schedule or services (time, location). Windows of opportunity (time, physical location) are automatically identified, and once such a window of opportunity is detected, the people affected directly from the change of a schedule are identified. This information is then used by services providers to act quickly, in order to enhance sales. Heuristics to determine a window of opportunity are based only on schedule changes (which are associated with a rule database), and without knowing who the affected people are or what their preferences (profile data) are.
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Citations
15 Claims
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1. A system comprising a computer memory storing computer readable program code that is executed by a computer to detect windows of opportunities, said computer memory comprising:
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computer readable program code implementing a service provider schema database storing schema descriptions associated with a plurality of data sources, wherein a schema description is associated with a particular data source and identifies data structure and format associated with that particular web based data source; computer readable program code implementing a cookie crawler simulating user interactions and extracting data from one or more data sources over a network, wherein data extractions are based on stored schema descriptions stored in said service provider schema database; computer readable program code implementing an event retriever receiving extracted data from said cookie crawler and generating an event pair which comprises a target time value and an actual time value associated with a schedule of service; computer readable program code implementing an event observer, said event observer receiving said event pairs from said event retriever, calculating the difference between said actual and target time values, and based on one or more rules from a first set of rules, identifying and notifying a window of opportunity detector regarding potential windows of opportunities, wherein each potential window of opportunity defines a time period of customer inactivity; and computer readable program code implementing said window of opportunity detector receiving said potential windows opportunities and detecting, based on one or more rules from a set of second rules, if a window of opportunity exists, and if so, matching said detected windows of opportunities with service providers for the purposes of providing a new product or a service separate from said scheduled service. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A method for detecting windows of opportunities comprising:
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storing, using a computer comprising a service provider schema database, schema descriptions associated with a plurality of data sources, wherein a schema description is associated with a particular web based data source and identifies data structure and format associated with that particular web based data source; simulating, using a computer comprising a cookie crawler, user interactions and extracting data from a particular data source over a network, wherein data extractions are based on a stored schema description associated with said particular data source; generating, using a computer comprising an event retriever, an event pair from said extracted data, said event pair comprising a target time value and an actual time value associated with a schedule of service; calculating, using a computer comprising an event observer, the difference between said actual and target time values, and based on one or more rules from a first set of rules, identifying potential windows of opportunities, wherein each potential window of opportunity defines a time period of customer inactivity; detecting, using a computer comprising a window of opportunity detector and based on one or more rules from a set of second rules, if a window of opportunity exists, and if so, matching said detected window of opportunity with service providers for the purposes of providing a new product or a service separate from said scheduled service. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. An article of manufacture comprising computer usable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein, said medium comprising:
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computer readable program code aiding in storing schema descriptions associated with a plurality of data sources, wherein a schema description is associated with a particular web based data source and identifies data structure and format associated with that particular web based data source; computer readable program code aiding in simulating user interactions and extracting data from a particular data source over a network, wherein data extractions are based on a stored schema description associated with said particular data source; computer readable program code aiding in generating an event pair from said extracted data, said event pair comprising a target time value and an actual time value associated with a schedule of service; computer readable program code aiding in calculating the difference between said actual and target time values, and based on one or more rules from a first set of rules, identifying potential windows of opportunities, wherein each potential window of opportunity defines a time period of customer inactivity; computer readable program code aiding in detecting, based on one or more rules from a set of second rules, if a window of opportunity exists, and if so, matching said detected window of opportunity with service providers for the purposes of providing a new product or a service separate from said scheduled service.
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Specification