Demand aggregation in a geo-spatial network

• US 8,095,430 B2
• Filed: 04/04/2007
• Issued: 01/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Abhyanker, Raj Vasant
• Primary Examiner(s): ALLEN, WILLIAM J
• Application Number:
  US11/784,137
• Publication Number:
  US 20080250025A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,742 Days
• Field of Search: 705 261- 272
• US Class Current: 705/26.41
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0605 Supply or demand aggregation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences

Abstract

A method, apparatus, and system of demand aggregation in a geo-spatial network are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method includes creating an item group associated with a registered user of a geo-spatial network, inviting a set of neighboring users geo-spatially proximate to the registered user to join the item group, placing at least one of the set of neighboring users as a member of the item group and/or communicating items of the item group to a set of providers of the items of the item group. The method may includes placing a good and/or a service in the item group, and/or generating a frequency data, a pricing data, a unit data, and/or a time data. The method may further include geo-fencing the item group in an area that encompasses a neighborhood community in a threshold geographical radius from the registered user who creates the item group.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

creating an item group associated with a registered user of a geo-spatial network;

inviting a set of neighboring users geo-spatially proximate to the registered user to join the item group;

placing at least one of the set of neighboring users as a member of the item group;

communicating items of the item group to a set of providers of the items of the item group;

automatically providing, by a computer, a fulfillment and tracking engine to members of the item group, such that the parties see a delivery status of items of the item group through the geo-spatial network, wherein the fulfillment is provided to at least one of a central depot in a neighborhood location convenient to members of the item group and to individual residences of members of the item group;

placing in the item group at least one of a good and a service;

generating a frequency data indicating a periodicity at which each item in the item group is demanded by the registered user;

generating a pricing data indicating a monetary amount the registered user is willing to provide for each item in the item group;

generating a unit data indicating a quantity the registered user demands in each request; and

generating a time data indicating how long the set of providers are to provide the items in the item group to members of the item group.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the good is at least one of a food product, a perishable, a consumable, a household item, a commodity, a beverage, a fruit, a bread, a meat, a paper product, a tool, a medicine, a plastic product, and a health related product, and wherein the service includes at least one of car-wash service, cleaning service, food service, and other residential services.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising geo-fencing the item group in an area that encompasses a neighborhood community in a threshold geographical radius from the registered user who creates the item group.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the geo-fencing is constrained to a street, a neighborhood, a city, and a county.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising listing the item group as one of a set of buying groups separately represented from a set of social groups in a geo-spatial social network embodying the set of buying groups and the set of social groups.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising creating a bidding system among the set of providers of the items of the item group in which the set of providers have a time constrained auction system to provide commitments of price, schedule, and delivery of items of the item groups to the registered user and the at least one of the neighboring users geo-spatially proximate to the registered user.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising transforming an elected member of the item group to a moderator of the item group, such that the moderator syndicates the item group with other item groups in the geo-spatial network such that the set of providers simultaneously bid to fulfill commitments to the item group and other item groups in the syndicate.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising providing a moderator interface such that the moderator chooses which bids of the plurality of providers qualify as providers of items to members of the item group.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising processing a payment information from each member of the item group prior to communicating items of the item group to the set of providers such that each member commits to procuring items in the item group when a winning provider is identified.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising identifying the winning provider through at least one of an open auction system, a closed auction system, a dutch auction system, a reverse auction system, and a first to commit to a service level identified in the item group system.

11. The method of claim 9 further comprising providing a voting interface to members of the item group such that the winning provider is determined based on a voted one or more of the set of providers.

12. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium embodying a set of instructions that, when executed by a machine, causes the machine to perform:

creating an item group associated with a registered user of a geo-spatial network;

inviting a set of neighboring users geo-spatially proximate to the registered user to join the item group;

placing at least one of the set of neighboring users as a member of the item group;

communicating items of the item group to a set of providers of the items of the item group;

automatically providing a fulfillment and tracking engine to members of the item group, such that the parties see a delivery status of items of the item group through the geo-spatial network, wherein the fulfillment is provided to at least one of a central depot in a neighborhood location convenient to members of the item group and to individual residences of members of the item group;

processing a payment information from each member of the item group prior to communicating the items of the item group to the set of providers such that each member commits to procuring the items in the item group when a winning provider is identified; and

providing a voting interface to members of the item group such that the winning provider is determined based on a voted one or more of the set of providers.