Multi-platform network for providing ordering services

• US 8,805,729 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2007
• Issued: 08/12/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Afram, Andrew J., Morley, D. Beau, Moon, Hannah Y., Angiolillo, Joel S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Misiaszek, Michael
• Application Number:
  US11/862,968
• Publication Number:
  US 20090089183A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,511 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/26, 705 261- 272
• US Class Current: 705/27.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

A food ordering system may receive, from a user, a request to place a food order, identify the user, identify a type of user device used by the user to place the request, identify a user interface client that is tailored to the type of the user device, receive, via the user interface client, input from the user to establish the food order, and provide the food order to a restaurant.

Claims

1. An automated method, performed by one or more devices of a food ordering system of a multi-platform network operated by a service provider, comprising:

storing, in a database of the food ordering system, a plurality of user identifiers, each of one or more of the user identifiers being associated with a plurality of user interface clients, where each of the plurality of user interface clients is associated with a different type of visual user interface that is tailored to one of a plurality of types of user devices;

obtaining, by the one or more devices, information based on interaction, by a user, with the service provider using a system, of the multi-platform network, other than the food ordering system;

receiving, at the one or more devices and from the user, a request to place a food order, from a user device using a communication system, of the multi-platform network, to access the food ordering system;

identifying, by the one or more devices, the user;

identifying, by the one or more devices, a type of the user device used by the user to send the request;

selecting, by the one or more devices and based on the obtained information, a particular one, of the plurality of user interface clients, associated with the user identifier corresponding to the identified user, where the particular user interface client is associated with the type of visual user interface that is tailored to the user and to the type of the user device;

presenting, to the identified user via the user device, the visual user interface associated with the particular user interface client;

receiving, via the visual user interface, input from the user to establish the food order; and

providing, by the one or more devices, the food order to a restaurant.

2. The method of claim 1, where identifying the type of the user device includes:

identifying the user device as one of a video client, a mobile device, or a computer device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

inserting an interactive trigger into a commercial provided to the user device, activation of the interactive trigger causing the request to be generated.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting, via the visual user interface, a list of restaurants and a list of food items offered by each of the restaurants; and

where receiving the input from the user includes;

receiving a selection of one of the restaurants, and

receiving a selection of one or more of the food items offered by the selected restaurant.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising at least one of:

presenting, via the visual user interface, a name of a restaurant that the user has previously identified as a favorite restaurant, where the name of the restaurant is presented on a screen of a first type of the user device and the name of the restaurant was previously identified as a favorite restaurant by the user using a second type of the user device, where the first type of the user device and the second type of the user device are different, or

presenting, via the visual user interface, a food order that the user has previously identified as a favorite food order, where the food order is presented on a screen of a first type of the user device and the food order was previously identified as a favorite food order by the user using a second type of the user device, where the first type of the user device and the second type of the user device are different.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising at least one of:

presenting, via the visual user interface, a name of a restaurant from which the user previously ordered food, where the name of the restaurant is presented on a screen of a first type of the user device and food was previously ordered from the restaurant by the user using a second type of the user device, where the first type of the user device and the second type of the user device are different, or

presenting, via the visual user interface, a food order that the user has previously placed, where the food order is presented on a screen of a first type of the user device and the food order was previously placed by the user using a second type of the user device, where the first type of the user device and the second type of the user device are different.

7. The method of claim 1, where the user device includes a video client, a computer device, or a mobile device;

and

where the method further comprises;

creating a single bill that includes a first charge for the food order and a second charge for a service associated with the user device, where the service associated with the user device includes a television service if the user device is a video client, an Internet service if the user device is a computer device, or a wireless telephone service if the user device is a mobile device.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

permitting the user to identify a favorite restaurant or a favorite food item; and

recommending a restaurant or a food item to the user based on the favorite restaurant or the favorite food item.

9. The method of claim 1, where providing the food order to the restaurant includes:

electronically providing, to the restaurant, the food order along with contact information for the user.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing, to the user, an alert that identifies that the food order was processed by the restaurant.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

permitting the user to specify a particular food attribute; and

identifying, to the user, one or more food items associated with the particular food attribute.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

permitting the user to specify a search term;

performing a full text search of restaurant metadata to identify one or more food items based on the search term; and

identifying, to the user, the one or more food items.

13. A food ordering system of a multi-platform network operated by a service provider, the food ordering system comprising:

one or more devices to;

store a plurality of user identifiers, each of one or more of the user identifiers being associated with a plurality of user interface clients, where each of the plurality of user interface clients is associated with a different type of visual user interface that is tailored to one of a plurality of types of user devices;

obtain information based on interaction, by a user, with the service provider using a system, of the multi-platform network, other than the food ordering system;

receive, from the user, a request to place a food order, from a user device using a communication system, of the multi-platform network, to access the food ordering system;

identify one of the user identifiers corresponding to the user;

identify a type of the user device used by the user to send the request;

select, based on the one of the user identifiers and the obtained information, a particular one of the plurality of user interface clients that has an associated visual user interface that is tailored to the user and the type of the user device;

present, to the identified user via the user device, the visual user interface associated with the particular user interface client;

receive, via the visual user interface, input from the user to establish the food order; and

provide the food order to a restaurant.

14. The food ordering system of claim 13, where when identifying the type of the user device, the one or more devices are to:

identify the user device as one of a video client, a mobile device, or a computer device.

15. The food ordering system of claim 13, where the one or more devices are further to:

insert an interactive trigger into advertising content, and

provide the advertising content to the user, activation of the interactive trigger causing the food ordering system to be contacted.

16. The food ordering system of claim 13, where the one or more devices are further to:

present, via the visual user interface, a list of restaurants and a list of food items offered by each of the restaurants; and

where when receiving the input from the user, the one or more devices are to;

receive, via the visual user interface, a selection of one of the restaurants, and

receive, via the visual user interface, a selection of one or more of the food items offered by the selected restaurant.

17. The food ordering system of claim 13, where the one or more devices are further to at least one of:

present, via the visual user interface, a name of a restaurant that the user has previously identified as a favorite restaurant, where the name of the restaurant is presented on a screen of a first type of the user device and the name of the restaurant was previously identified as a favorite restaurant by the user using a second type of the user device, where the first type of the user device and the second type of the user device are different, or

present, via the visual user interface, a food order that the user has previously identified as a favorite food order, where the food order is presented on a screen of a first type of the user device and the food order was previously identified as a favorite food order by the user using a second type of the user device, where the first type of the user device and the second type of the user device are different.

18. The food ordering system of claim 13, where the one or more devices are further to at least one of:

present, via the visual user interface, a name of a restaurant from which the user previously ordered food, where the name of the restaurant is presented on a screen of a first type of the user device and food was previously ordered from the restaurant by the user using a second type of the user device, where the first type of the user device and the second type of the user device are different, or

present, via the visual user interface, a food order that the user has previously placed, where the food order is presented on a screen of a first type of the user device and the food order was previously placed by the user using a second type of the user device, where the first type of the user device and the second type of the user device are different.

19. The food ordering system of claim 13, where the user device includes a video client, a computer device, or a mobile device;

and

where the one or more devices are further to;

create a single bill that includes a first charge for the food order and a second charge for a service associated with the user device, where the service associated with the user device includes a television service if the user device is a video client, an Internet service if the user device is a computer device, or a wireless telephone service if the user device is a mobile device.

20. The food ordering system of claim 13, where the one or more devices are further to:

permit the user to identify a favorite restaurant or a favorite food item, and

recommend a restaurant or a food item to the user based on the favorite restaurant or the favorite food item.

21. The food ordering system of claim 13, where when providing the food order to the restaurant, the one or more devices are to:

electronically provide, to the restaurant, the food order along with contact information for the user.

22. The food ordering system of claim 21, where the one or more devices are further to:

provide, to the user, an alert that identifies that the food order was processed by the restaurant.

23. The food ordering system of claim 13, where the one or more devices are further to:

provide, to the restaurant, an interface via which the restaurant can update information regarding the restaurant or obtain information regarding food orders provided to the restaurant via the food ordering system.

24. A food ordering system of a multi-platform network, operated by a service provider, comprising:

means for storing a plurality of user identifiers, each of the user identifiers being associated with at least one user interface client, where each of the at least one user interface client is associated with a different type of visual user interface that is tailored to one of a plurality of types of user devices;

means for obtaining information based on interaction, by a user, with the service provider using a system, of the multi-platform network, different from the food ordering system;

means for receiving, from the user and via a user device using a communication system, of the multi-platform network, a request to access the food ordering system;

means for identifying one of the user identifiers corresponding to the user;

means for determining whether the user device is a video client, a computer device, or a mobile device;

means for accessing said means for storing, to select, based on the identified user identifier, a first user interface client, with an associated first type of visual user interface, if the user device is the video client;

means for accessing said means for storing, to select, based on the identified user identifier, a second user interface client, with an associated second type of user visual interface, if the user device is the computer device;

means for accessing said means for storing, to select, based on the identified user identifier and the obtained information, a third user interface client, with an associated third type of visual user interface, if the user device is the mobile device;

means for determining, based on first input received from the user via the selected first, second, or third type of user interface client, whether the user desires to place a food order, where the first, second, and third types of user interfaces differ;

means for performing, when it is determined that the user does not desire to place the food order and based on second input received from the user via the selected first, second, or third type of user interface, other operations associated with the food ordering system;

means for receiving, when it is determined that that the user desires to place the food order and via the selected first, second, or third type of user interface, third input from the user to identify restaurant metadata; and

means for providing the identified restaurant metadata.

25. An automated method, performed by one or more devices of an item ordering system of a multi-platform network operated by a service provider, comprising:

storing, by the one or more devices, a plurality of user identifiers, each of the user identifiers being associated with at least one user interface client, where each of the at least one user interface client is associated with a different type of visual user interface that is tailored to one of a plurality of types of user devices;

obtaining, by the one or more devices, information based on interaction, by a user, with the service provider using a system, of the multi-platform network, other than the item ordering system;

receiving, by the one or more devices and from the user, a request to place an order for an item, from a user device using a communication system, of the multi-platform network, to access the item ordering system;

identifying, by the one or more devices, one of the user identifiers corresponding to the user;

identifying, by the one or more devices, a type of the user device used by the user to send the request;

selecting, by the one or more devices and based on the identified user identifier and the obtained information, one of the at least one user interface client having an associated type of visual user interface that is tailored to the user and to the type of the user device;

receiving, by the one or more devices and via the visual user interface, input from the user to establish the order for the item; and

providing, by the one or more devices, the order for the item to a business that offers the item for sale.