Business finder for locating local businesses to contact

• US 8,010,407 B1
• Filed: 11/14/2007
• Issued: 08/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Imeokparia, Osi, Young, David S., Santoro, David, Callaway, John, Badros, Gregory Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel; Jagdish N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bartley; Kenneth
• Application Number:
  US11/940,181
• Time in Patent Office: 1,385 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14.4, 705/14.49
• US Class Current: 705/14.49
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements

Abstract

Marketing techniques are disclosed that allow companies to efficiently identify target businesses to solicit for purchase of advertising products. One embodiment includes a map-based interface for selecting a neighborhood and locating any businesses known to a company selling advertising products in that area, with the intent of allowing a company representative to select a set of those businesses to contact regarding the company'"'"'s advertising products. The map displays business listings as markers on the map, with color-coding used to indicate listings the representative has already contacted, and listings that some other representative has contacted.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for identifying businesses to solicit for purchase of online advertising from an advertising system, the method comprising:

transmitting a digital map for display on a client device of a user, the digital map displaying a first area;

receiving at a computer an indication of a user input on the client device to move the area displayed in the digital map from the first area to a second area;

generating a list of businesses located in a geographic region associated with the second area of the digital map;

determining, for each business included in the list, whether the business is eligible to receive a customized marketing collateral for soliciting the business to advertise online with the advertising system, the customized marketing collateral including one or more images of the business and associated business data; and

transmitting the list of businesses to the client device of the user, each business being presented on the digital map by a corresponding marker at a location on the digital map corresponding to an address of the business, and wherein the marker indicates the business'"'"' eligibility to receive the marketing collateral.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the digital map includes a centered crosshair, and a request for the list of businesses is generated responsive to the centered crosshair being shifted on the digital map.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein up to N business listings are displayed on the digital map in a widening radius around the centered crosshair, where N is from 2 to 200.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein shifting the centered crosshair on the digital map to a third area halts any current search and ending the shift initiates a new search for businesses associated with the third area once a location of the crosshair is established.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the list of businesses is generated responsive to a request for the list from the client device and locations of the businesses in the list are displayed within a visible area of the digital map.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the list of businesses transmitted to the client device of the user comprises details for each business in a list proximate to the digital map.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein a label is displayed alongside the marker with a name of the business responsive to a user input moving a cursor over the marker;

and wherein adjusting a scroll position of the list proximate to the map causes the display of the corresponding business in the center of the list.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the markers are color-coded to indicate eligibility to receive marketing collateral from the user.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the markers visually indicates businesses that have already been contacted by a solicitor and are no longer eligible to receive marketing collateral from the user.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein user selection of the marker indicates user interest in the business corresponding to the marker.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the digital map is a satellite image or an animated image.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the digital map is a heat map indicating a level of coverage within a target area.

13. A computer-implemented method for identifying businesses on a digital map to solicit for purchase of online advertising from an advertising system, the method comprising:

transmitting the digital map for display on a client device of a user, the digital map displaying a first area and wherein the digital map is a satellite image or animated image or a hybrid of the satellite image and the animated image;

receiving at a computer an indication of a user input on the client device moving a centered crosshair displayed on the digital map from the first area to a second area;

generating a list of businesses located in a geographic region associated with the second area of the digital map and wherein the businesses in the list are located in the geographic region within a boundary defined by the centered crosshair;

determining, for each business included in the list, whether the business is eligible to receive a customized marketing collateral for soliciting the businesses to advertise online with the advertising system, the customized marketing collateral including one or more images of the business and associated business data; and

transmitting the list of businesses to the client device of the user, wherein each business is presented on the digital map by a corresponding color-coded marker at a location on the digital map corresponding to an address of the business, and wherein the marker indicates the business'"'"' eligibility to receive customized marketing collateral, and wherein the list of businesses comprise details for each business.

14. A computer program product, comprising a non-transitory computer readable-storage medium storing computer executable instructions for controlling a processor to perform the operations of:

transmitting a digital map for display on a client device of a user, the digital map displaying a first area;

receiving an indication of a user input on the client device to move the area displayed in the digital map from the first area to a second area;

generating a list of businesses located in a geographic region associated with the second area of the digital map;

determining, for each business included in the list, whether the business is eligible to receive a customized marketing collateral for soliciting the businesses to advertise online with the advertising system, the customized marketing collateral including one or more images of the business and associated business data; and

transmitting the list of businesses to the client device of the user, each business being presented on the digital map by a corresponding marker at a location on the digital map corresponding to an address of the business, and wherein the marker indicates the business'"'"' eligibility to receive the marketing collateral.

15. The computer program product of claim 14 wherein the digital map includes a centered crosshair and a request for the list of businesses is generated responsive to the centered crosshair being shifted on the digital map.

16. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein up to N business listings are displayed on the digital map in a widening radius around the centered crosshair, where N is from 2 to 200.

17. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein shifting the centered crosshair on the digital map to a third area halts any current search and ending the shift initiates a new search for businesses associated with the third area once a location of the crosshair is established.

18. The computer program product of claim 14 wherein the list of businesses is generated responsive to a request for the list from the client device and locations of the businesses in the list are displayed within a visible area of the digital map.

19. The computer program product of claim 14 wherein the list of businesses transmitted to the client device of the user comprises details for each business in the list proximate to the digital map.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, further wherein a label is displayed alongside the marker with a name of the business responsive to a user input moving a cursor over the marker;

and

wherein adjusting a scroll position of the list proximate to the map causes the display of the corresponding business in the center of the list.

21. The computer program product of claim 14 wherein the markers are color-coded to indicate eligibility to receive marketing collateral from the user.

22. The computer program product of claim 14 wherein at least one of the markers visually indicates businesses that have already been contacted by a solicitor and are no longer eligible to receive marketing collateral from the user.

23. The computer program product of claim 14 wherein user selection of the marker indicates user interest in the business corresponding to the marker.

24. The computer program product of claim 14 wherein the digital map is a satellite image or an animated image.

25. The computer program product of claim 14 wherein the digital map is a heat map indicating the level of coverage within the target area.