Utility for creating heatmaps for the study of competitive advantage in the restaurant marketplace

• US 8,880,420 B2
• Filed: 05/09/2012
• Issued: 11/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GrubHub Inc.
• Original Assignee: GrubHub Inc.
• Inventors: Scotto, Stefano Alexander
• Primary Examiner(s): Koneru, Sujay
• Application Number:
  US13/467,723
• Publication Number:
  US 20130166348A1
• Time in Patent Office: 909 Days
• Field of Search: 705 711- 742
• US Class Current: 705/7.31
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0205 Location or geographical consideration
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/12 Hotels or restaurants

Abstract

A utility builds and displays heatmaps of competitive activity that aid in studying the competitive advantage of a particular restaurant. The heatmaps are constructed based on activity logged with a restaurant service, and available within the restaurant service'"'"'s database(s).

Claims

1. A system for displaying a map of competitive activity pertinent to a subject restaurant, the system comprising:

i. a database adapted to maintain an order queue;

ii. a restaurant server having access to the database;

iii. a computer system coupled to the restaurant server over a network;

iv. wherein the computer system is adapted to transmit an identifier to the restaurant server, the identifier identifying the subject restaurant to the restaurant server;

v. wherein the computer system is adapted to transmit an indicia indicative of desired competitor characteristics to the restaurant server;

vi. wherein the restaurant server is adapted to receive the identifier and the indicia indicative of desired competitor characteristics, and wherein the restaurant server is adapted to query the database for competitors of the subject restaurant based on the indicia of desired competitor characteristics and the identifier;

vii. wherein the restaurant server is adapted to compile a list of competitors of the subject restaurant and transmit the list of competitors to the computer system;

viii. wherein the computer system receives the list of competitors, the computer system specifying an indicia indicative of a map area including the subject restaurant and transmitting the indicia indicative of a map area to the restaurant server;

ix. wherein the restaurant server receives the specified indicia indicative of a map area, the restaurant server being adapted to query the database for competitor activity within the specified map area, the restaurant server being adapted to receive at least one competitive activity event from the database;

x. wherein the restaurant server is adapted to transmit the at least one competitive activity event to the computer system;

xi. wherein the computer system is adapted to render the at least one competitive activity event on a display;

xii. wherein the computer system is further adapted to transmit at least one distance defining an aggregating area, at least one time period defining an aggregating time period, and a playback schedule, and wherein the at least one competitive activity event is a plurality of activity events and wherein the restaurant server is adapted to organize the plurality of competitive activity events into a plurality of activity sets based on the aggregating area and the aggregating time period;

xiii. wherein the restaurant server is further adapted to generate an aggregate competitive activity indicia for each activity set within the plurality of activity sets; and

xiv. wherein the restaurant server is adapted to transmit the plurality of aggregate competitive activity indicia to the computer system in accordance with the playback schedule.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the playback schedule is a single continuous time period.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the playback schedule is a series of continuous time periods.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of activity sets is assigned a relative ranking.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the relative ranking is assigned using the formula

6. A method for displaying a map of competitive activity pertinent to a subject restaurant, the method operating on a system comprised of a restaurant server having access to a database and a computer system networked with the restaurant server, the method comprising the steps of:

i) maintaining an order queue in the database;

ii) transmitting an identifier from the computer system to the restaurant server, the identifier identifying the subject restaurant;

iii) transmitting an indicia indicative of desired competitor characteristics from the computer system to the restaurant server;

iv) the restaurant server querying the database for competitors of the subject restaurant based on the indicia of desired competitor characteristics and the identifier;

v) the restaurant server compiling a list of competitors of the subject restaurant;

vi) the restaurant server transmitting the list of competitors to the computer system;

vii) the computer system receiving the list of competitors;

viii) the computer system specifying an indicia indicative of a map area including the subject restaurant;

ix) the computer system transmitting the indicia indicative of a map area to the restaurant server;

x) the restaurant server receiving the indicia indicative of a map area;

xi) the restaurant server querying the database for competitor activity within the specified map area;

xii) the restaurant server receiving at least one competitive activity event from the database;

xiii) the restaurant server transmitting the competitive activity event to the computer system;

xiv) the computer system rendering the competitive event on a display;

xvi) the computer system transmitting to the restaurant server a distance defining an aggregating area, a time period defining an aggregating time period, and a playback schedule;

xvii) the restaurant server receiving the distance defining an aggregating area, the time period defining an aggregating time period, and the playback schedule;

xviii) wherein the at least one competitive activity event is a plurality of activity events;

xix) the restaurant server organizing the plurality of competitive activity events into a plurality of activity sets based on the aggregating area and the aggregating time period;

xx) the restaurant server generating an aggregate competitive activity indicia for each activity set within the plurality of activity sets; and

xxi) the restaurant server transmitting the plurality of aggregate competitive activity indicia to the computer system in accordance with the playback schedule.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the playback schedule is a single continuous time period.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the playback schedule is a plurality of continuous time periods.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein each of the plurality of activity sets is assigned a relative ranking.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the relative ranking is assigned using the formula