Method and apparatus for associating menu information

• US 9,626,715 B2
• Filed: 01/25/2012
• Issued: 04/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CFPH LLC (Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P.)
• Original Assignee: CFPH LLC (Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P.)
• Inventors: Lutnick, Howard W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Yen, Syling
• Application Number:
  US13/358,192
• Publication Number:
  US 20120123878A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,910 Days
• Field of Search: 707601, 707687, 707706, 707713, 707736, 707758, 707791, 707803, 707804, 707808, 707999, 707101-103, 707107, 705 15, 705 26, 705 75, 705 76, 705 80, 725 41, 725 43, 715850, 715855
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9536 Search customisation based on social or collaborative filtering
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/106 Display of layout of documents; Previewing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/12 Hotels or restaurants
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/948 Product or catalog
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/961 Associative

Abstract

Methods and Apparatus related to generating representations of information. The information may include menu information for merchants such as restaurants. Referring to menus, methods may include receiving potential information for a first menu, and receiving indications of associations of the information with the first menu and/or any number of additional menus. Information and/or associations may later be updated by a desired set of users.

Claims

1. A apparatus comprising:

a computing device; and

a non-transitory storage medium having instructions stored thereon, that when executed by the computing device, cause the apparatus to;

receive first menu content for a first merchant from a first user of a referral or delivery service;

in response to receiving the first menu content from the first user, associate the first menu content with a first menu of items for sale by the merchant;

transmit a first representation of the first menu that includes the first menu content over an electronic communication network to a second user of the referral or delivery service;

receive second menu content for the first merchant from the second user after transmitting the first representation to the second user;

in response to receiving the second menu content, associate the second menu content with the first menu and maintain the association of the first menu content with the first menu;

transmit a second representation of the first menu that includes the first menu content and the second menu content over an electronic communication network to a third user of the referral or delivery service after receiving the second menu content;

receive, from the third user, a selection of items for delivery from the first merchant; and

facilitate delivery of the items from the first merchant to the third user.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, in which the instructions cause the apparatus to:

receive, from a fourth user that of the referral or delivery service, an indication that the first menu content should be associated with a second menu of a second merchant; and

in response to receiving the indication, associate the first menu content with the second menu.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, in which the instructions cause the apparatus to:

receive an edit to the first menu content from the second user; and

in response to receiving the edit, adjust the first menu content to include the edit in the first menu and maintain the first menu content without the edit in the second menu.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, in which the instructions cause the apparatus to:

receive an edit to the first menu content from the second user; and

in response to receiving the edit, adjust the first menu content to include the edit in both the first and second menus.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, in which the second menu content includes an edit to the first menu content and the second representation includes the first menu content with the edit applied;

and in which the instructions cause the apparatus to at least one of adjust the second menu to include the edit and maintain the second menu to not include the edit.

6. The apparatus of claim 2, in which the instructions cause the apparatus to receive an indication of a category for the first merchant;

in which receiving the first menu content includes receiving menu content to be associated with merchants in the category; and

in which the indication that the first menu content should be associated with the second menu includes receiving an indication that the second merchant is in the category.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, in which the merchant includes a restaurant and the first and second menu content include food items.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, in which at least one of the first user and second user includes a customer of the delivery or referral service.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, in which the third user includes a customer of the delivery or reference service.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, in which the second menu content includes an edit to the first menu content and the second representation includes the first menu content with the edit applied.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, in which the instructions cause the apparatus to:

receive an edit to the first menu content from the second user; and

in response to receiving the edit, adjust the first menu content to include the edit.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, in which the second menu content includes at least one of a name, a category, a description, an image, an availability, and a price.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, in which the second menu content includes at least one of, an augmentation of the first menu content, a modification to the first menu content, a change to the first menu content, and an addition to the first menu content.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, in which the first menu content includes at least one of product information, service information, merchant information, delivery information, and payment information.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, in which the instructions cause the apparatus to:

receive, from a fourth user that of the referral or delivery service, an indication that the first menu content should be associated with a second menu of a second merchant;

in response to receiving the indication, associate the first menu content with the second menu, in which the second menu content includes an edit to the first menu content and the second representation includes the first menu content with the edit applied;

at least one of adjust the second menu to include the edit and maintain the second menu to not include the edit;

receive an indication of a category for the first merchant;

in which receiving the first menu content includes receiving menu content to be associated with merchants in the category, in which the indication that the first menu content should be associated with the second menu includes receiving an indication that the second merchant is in the category;

in which the merchant includes a restaurant and the first and second menu content include food items;

in which at least one of the first user and second user includes a customer of the delivery or referral service;

in which the third user includes a customer of the delivery or reference service;

in which the second menu content relates to at least one of a name, a category, a description, an image, an availability, and a price;

in which the edit includes at least one of, an augmentation of the first menu content, a modification to the first menu content, a change to the first menu content, and an addition to the first menu content; and

in which the first menu content includes at least one of product information, service information, merchant information, delivery information, and payment information.

16. The apparatus of claim 2, in which the fourth user is not any of the first user, the second user or the third user and in which the second menu content includes at least one of a name, a description, an image, and an availability.

17. The apparatus of claim 10, in which the first menu content includes at least one of a name, a description, an image and an availability.

18. The apparatus of claim 11, in which the first menu content includes a description and the edit includes a change to a part of the description.

19. A method comprising:

receiving, by a computing device, first menu content for a first merchant from a first user of a referral or delivery service;

in response to receiving the first menu content from the first user, associating, by the computing device, the first menu content with a first menu of items for sale by the merchant;

transmitting, by the computing device, a first representation of the first menu that includes the first menu content over an electronic communication network to a second user of the referral or delivery service;

receiving, by the computing device, second menu content for the first merchant from the second user after transmitting the first representation to the second user;

in response to receiving the second menu content, associating, by the computing device, the second menu content with the first menu and maintain the association of the first menu content with the first menu;

transmitting, by the computing device, a second representation of the first menu that includes the first menu content and the second menu content over an electronic communication network to a third user of the referral or delivery service after receiving the second menu content;

receiving, from the third user by the computing device, a selection of items for delivery from the first merchant; and

facilitating, by the computing device, delivery of the items from the first merchant to the third user.

20. The method of claim 19 comprising:

receiving, from a fourth user that of the referral or delivery service, an indication that the first menu content should be associated with a second menu of a second merchant; and

in response to receiving the indication, associating the first menu content with the second menu.

21. The method of claim 20, in which the second menu content includes an edit to the first menu content and the second representation includes the first menu content with the edit applied;

and in which the method includes at least one of adjusting the second menu to include the edit and maintaining the second menu to not include the edit.

22. The method of claim 20 comprising:

receiving an indication of a category for the first merchant;

in which receiving the first menu content includes receiving menu content to be associated with merchants in the category; and

in which the indication that the first menu content should be associated with the second menu includes receiving an indication that the second merchant is in the category.

23. The apparatus of claim 19, in which at least one of the first user and second user includes a customer of the delivery or referral service.

24. The apparatus of claim 19, in which the third user includes a customer of the delivery or reference service.

25. The apparatus of claim 19, in which the second menu content includes an edit to the first menu content and the second representation includes the first menu content with the edit applied.

26. The apparatus of claim 19, in which the second menu content includes at least one of a name, a category, a description, an image, an availability, and a price.

27. The apparatus of claim 19, in which the second menu content includes at least one of, an augmentation of the first menu content, a modification to the first menu content, a change to the first menu content, and an addition to the first menu content.

28. The apparatus of claim 19, in which the first menu content includes at least one of product information, service information, merchant information, delivery information, and payment information.

29. The method of claim 20, in which the fourth user is not any of the first user, the second user or the third user and in which the second menu content includes at least one of a name, a description, an image, and an availability.

30. The method of claim 23, in which the customer includes a customer ordering at least one item off the menu for delivery through the delivery or referral service.

31. The method of claim 25, in which the first menu content includes at least one of a name, a description, an image and an availability.