Scheduling of order processing for remotely ordered goods

• US 8,732,028 B2
• Filed: 01/20/2012
• Issued: 05/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Expose Retail Strategies Inc.
• Original Assignee: Expose Retail Strategies Inc.
• Inventors: Napper, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Airapetian, Mila
• Application Number:
  US13/355,132
• Publication Number:
  US 20130030955A1
• Time in Patent Office: 851 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26.1
• US Class Current: 705/26.1
• CPC Class Codes: B25B 11/00 Work holders not covered by any preceding group in the subclass, e.g. magnetic work holders, vacuum work holders for holding or positioning work for welding, soldering, or cutting by applying heat locally B23K37/04; specially adapted to machine tools B23Q3/00
• CPC Class Codes: B27B 21/00 Hand saws without power drive hand saws with oscillating saw blades, B27B19/14 takes precedence; Equipment for hand sawing, e.g. saw horses work benches B25H1/00; saw guides B27B11/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06316 Sequencing of tasks or work
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3224 Transactions dependent on location of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/326 Payment applications installed on the mobile devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/12 Hotels or restaurants
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring

Abstract

A computer-implemented method for scheduling processing of an order for goods at a provider location obtains an arrival estimate for when a user associated with the order is expected to arrive at the provider location and uses the arrival estimate to schedule processing of the order. Processing may be scheduled so that completion of order processing is expected to substantially coincide with arrival of the user at the provider location. The method may also obtain an order completion estimate for when processing of the order is expected to be completed and use both the arrival estimate and the order completion estimate to schedule processing of the order. The method may update one or both of the arrival estimate and the order completion estimate. The method may be executed by a networked mobile wireless telecommunication computing device of the user, or by a data processing system associated with the provider.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for scheduling processing of an order for goods at a provider location, comprising:

obtaining an arrival estimate for when a user associated with the order is expected to arrive at the provider location, the arrival estimate calculated by a networked mobile wireless telecommunication computing device associated with the order, based on a location of the networked mobile wireless telecommunication computing device;

obtaining an order completion estimate for when processing of the order is expected to be completed;

comparing the arrival estimate and the order completion estimate;

responsive to a determination that the arrival estimate and the order completion estimate substantially coincide, providing a signal to commence processing of the order; and

responsive to a determination that the arrival estimate and the order completion estimate do not substantially coincide, updating at least one of the arrival estimate and the order completion estimate and returning to the step of comparing the arrival estimate and the order completion estimate after the updating.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the arrival estimate and the order completion estimate are deemed to coincide when comparing the arrival estimate and the order completion estimate indicates that the user associated with the order is expected to arrive at the provider location before the order is expected to be completed.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the order completion estimate is a fixed value.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the order completion estimate is dynamically generated.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is executed by the networked mobile wireless telecommunication computing device of the user.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is executed by a data processing system associated with the provider and the arrival estimate is received from the networked mobile wireless telecommunication computing device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the arrival estimate is an estimated travel time of the user to the provider location.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the arrival estimate is an estimated arrival time of the user at the provider location.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the order completion estimate is an estimated duration of the processing of the order.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the order completion estimate is an estimated completion time for the order given a specified start time for the order.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein updating at least one of the arrival estimate and the order completion estimate comprises obtaining an updated arrival estimate based on time elapsed.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein updating at least one of the arrival estimate and the order completion estimate comprises obtaining a dynamically recalculated arrival estimate.

13. A computer-implemented method for scheduling processing of an order for goods at a provider location, comprising:

obtaining an arrival estimate for when a user associated with the order is expected to arrive at the provider location, the arrival estimate calculated by a networked mobile wireless telecommunication computing device associated with the order, based on a location of the networked mobile wireless telecommunication computing device; and

using the arrival estimate to schedule processing of the order.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein using the arrival estimate to schedule processing of the order comprises scheduling processing of the order so that completion of processing of the order is expected to substantially coincide with arrival of the user at the provider location.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

obtaining an order completion estimate for when processing of the order is expected to be completed;

wherein scheduling processing of the order so that completion of processing of the order is expected to substantially coincide with arrival of the user at the provider location comprises using the arrival estimate and the order completion estimate to schedule processing of the order.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein using the arrival estimate and the order completion estimate to schedule processing of the order comprises comparing the arrival estimate and the order completion estimate.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein using the arrival estimate and the order completion estimate to schedule processing of the order comprises updating at least one of the arrival estimate and the order completion estimate and wherein comparing the arrival estimate and the order completion estimate comprises comparing a then-current arrival estimate and a then-current order completion estimate according to the updating.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the arrival estimate is an estimated travel time of the user to the provider location.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the arrival estimate is an estimated arrival time of the user at the provider location.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the order completion estimate is an estimated duration of the processing of the order.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein the order completion estimate is an estimated completion time for the order given a specified start time for the order.

22. The method of claim 13, wherein the method is executed by a data processing system associated with the provider and the arrival estimate is received from the networked mobile wireless telecommunication computing device.

23. The method of claim 13, wherein the arrival estimate comprises an estimated travel time of the user to the provider location.