Network-based service for menu filtering based on user information

• US 7,953,873 B1
• Filed: 04/25/2008
• Issued: 05/31/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intuit, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intuit, Inc.
• Inventors: Madurzak, David O.
• Primary Examiner(s): Etienne; Ario
• Assistant Examiner(s): Williams; Clayton R
• Application Number:
  US12/110,059
• Time in Patent Office: 1,131 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 709/229
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/12 Hotels or restaurants

Abstract

In various embodiments, a menu item identification service may provide a system user with information on acceptable restaurant menu items based on ingredients the system user prefers or is trying to avoid. The menu item identification service may receive information on ingredients the system user prefers or wants to avoid and information on a restaurant of interest to the system user. The menu item identification service may use a database to identify menu items of the restaurant and their associated ingredients. The menu item identification service may present the system user with menu items the restaurant offers that have preferred ingredients and/or do not have ingredients to avoid or that have limited quantities of the ingredient. Menu items with the ingredients to avoid may be shown along with avoidance indicators. The system user may then use this information to select a menu item and/or restaurant.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for a network-based service, comprising:

receiving information from a user about the user'"'"'s food preferences, wherein the information comprises at least one of food allergies, health conditions, or personal preferences;

determining, from the received information, a plurality of ingredients, wherein each ingredient is either a preferred ingredient or an ingredient to be avoided for the user;

receiving information indicating a restaurant of interest to the user;

determining a plurality of menu items available at the restaurant of interest that are acceptable to the user based on the determined plurality of ingredients in the plurality of menu items;

assigning, by a computer, a priority order to each of a plurality of categories that the plurality of menu items belong to, wherein the plurality of categories comprises menu items with ingredients to be avoided, menu items with preferred ingredients, and menu items with ingredients that are disliked;

sorting, by the computer, the plurality of menu items in each of the plurality of categories, wherein the order of sorting is based on the assigned priority order of the category;

ranking, by the computer, the plurality of menu items based on each menu item'"'"'s sorted position in each category and the priority order of the categories; and

presenting to the user the ranked menu items.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the plurality of menu items that are acceptable comprises determining the menu items that do not have the indicated ingredients to avoid.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the plurality of menu items that are acceptable comprises determining the menu items that have less than a specified amount of the indicated ingredients to avoid.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the received information about the user'"'"'s food preference includes a food allergy of the user.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said received information comprises information from a user'"'"'s health history and wherein the method further comprises determining the ingredients to avoid based on the information from the user'"'"'s health history.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said received information comprises information received from the user on ingredients to avoid.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining the plurality of menu items comprises accessing a database of menu items and ingredients corresponding to the menu items to determine which menu items are acceptable based on the received information.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein presenting the ranked menu items to the user comprises providing the identifications of the ranked menu items to the user over a user'"'"'s mobile device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving information indicating the restaurant of interest to the user comprises receiving a name and/or address of a restaurant from the user.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving information indicating the restaurant of interest to the user comprises receiving global positioning system (GPS) coordinates from a user'"'"'s mobile device and wherein the restaurant of interest is a restaurant located at the received coordinates or within a predetermined radius of the received coordinates.

11. A system, comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor and configured to store program instructions executable by the processor to implement a network-based service for;

receiving information from a user about the user'"'"'s food preferences, wherein the information comprises at least one of food allergies, health conditions, or personal preferences;

determining, from the received information, a plurality of ingredients, wherein each ingredient is either a preferred ingredient or an ingredient to be avoided for the user;

receiving information indicating a restaurant of interest to the user;

determining a plurality of menu items available at the restaurant of interest that are acceptable to the user based on the determined plurality of ingredients in the plurality of menu items;

assigning, by a computer, a priority order to each of a plurality of categories that the plurality of menu items belong to, wherein the plurality of categories comprises menu items with ingredients to be avoided, menu items with preferred ingredients, and menu items with ingredients that are disliked;

sorting, by the computer, the plurality of menu items in each of the plurality of categories, wherein the order of sorting is based on the assigned priority order of the category;

ranking, by the computer, the plurality of menu items based on each menu item'"'"'s sorted position in each category and the priority order of the categories; and

presenting to the user the ranked menu items.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein determining the plurality of menu items that are acceptable comprises determining the menu items that do not have the indicated ingredients to avoid.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein determining the plurality of menu items that are acceptable comprises determining the menu items that have less than a specified amount of the indicated ingredients to avoid.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the received information about the user'"'"'s food preference includes a food allergy of the user.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein said received information comprises information from a user'"'"'s health history and wherein the program instructions are further executable to determine the ingredients to avoid based on the information from the user'"'"'s health history.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein said received information comprises information received from the user on ingredients to avoid.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein said determining the plurality of menu items comprises accessing a database of menu items and ingredients corresponding to the menu items to determine which menu items are acceptable based on the received information.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein presenting the ranked menu items to the user comprises providing the identifications of the ranked menu items to the user over a user'"'"'s mobile device.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein receiving information indicating the restaurant of interest to the user comprises receiving a name and/or address of a restaurant from the user.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein receiving information indicating the restaurant of interest to the user comprises receiving global positioning system (GPS) coordinates from a user'"'"'s mobile device and wherein the restaurant of interest is a restaurant located at the received coordinates or within a predetermined radius of the received coordinates.

21. A non-transitory computer-readable storage device storing program instructions, wherein the program instructions are computer-executable to implement a network-based service for:

receiving information from a user about the user'"'"'s food preferences, wherein the information comprises at least one of food allergies, health conditions, or personal preferences;

determining, from the received information, a plurality of ingredients, wherein each ingredient is either a preferred ingredient or an ingredient to be avoided for the user;

receiving information indicating a restaurant of interest to the user;

determining a plurality of menu items available at the restaurant of interest that are acceptable to the user based on the determined plurality of ingredients in the plurality of menu items;

assigning, by a computer, a priority order to a each of a plurality of categories that the plurality of menu items belong to, wherein the plurality of categories comprises menu items with ingredients to be avoided, menu items with preferred ingredients, and menu items with ingredients that are disliked;

sorting, by the computer, the plurality of menu items in each of the plurality of categories, wherein the order of sorting is based on the assigned priority order of the category;

ranking, by the computer, the plurality of menu items based on each menu item'"'"'s sorted position in each category and the priority order of the categories; and

presenting to the user the ranked menu items.

22. The computer-readable storage device of claim 21, wherein said received information comprises information from a user'"'"'s health history and wherein the program instructions are further executable to determine the ingredients to avoid based on the information from the user'"'"'s health history.

23. The computer-readable storage device of claim 21, wherein receiving information indicating the restaurant of interest to the user comprises receiving global positioning system (GPS) coordinates from a user'"'"'s mobile device and wherein the restaurant of interest is a restaurant located at the received coordinates or within a predetermined radius of the received coordinates.