System and method for providing web-based management solutions

• US 9,934,489 B2
• Filed: 01/11/2013
• Issued: 04/03/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MindBody
• Original Assignee: Booker Software Incorporated
• Inventors: Ellis, Peter, Lizio-Katzen, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Fleischer, Mark A
• Application Number:
  US13/739,171
• Publication Number:
  US 20130144675A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,908 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06314 Calendaring for a resource
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1093 Calendar-based scheduling for persons or groups
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1095 Meeting or appointment
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A centralized web-based system and method for managing appointments having a user interface that interacts with one or more users to display one or more items based on user input, a management module connected to the user interface and configured to receive data related to scheduling an appointment, determine one or more possible appointments based on the data, present the one or more possible appointments, receive a user selection from the one or more possible appointments, and schedule the appointment based on the user selection, and one or more databases configured to store appointment information, wherein the one or more databases are connected to the management module and wherein the data comprises a date and time slot and at least one of a facility, a service, and a servicer.

Claims

1. A centralized web-based system for managing appointments, the system comprising:

a processor coupled to a memory;

a user interface that interacts with one or more users to display one or more items based on user input;

a centralized management module connected to the user interface and configured to receive data related to scheduling an appointment, determine one or more possible appointments based on the data, present the one or more possible appointments, receive a user selection from the one or more possible appointments, and schedule the appointment based on the user selection, wherein the centralized management module is further configured as the exclusive mechanism to centrally manage employee information for a plurality of partner entities, wherein the partner entities'"'"' systems interact with the centralized management module by sending and receiving information via security access layers implemented using TCP/IP protocols, and wherein the employee information comprises at least one of personal information, employee schedule, employee services, employee availability, and employee history of transactions and wherein the management module is centrally integrated with a payroll function to manage a plurality of employees associated with the plurality of partner entities using the centralized management module;

one or more databases configured to store appointment information, wherein the one or more databases are connected to the management module and wherein the data comprises a date and time slot and at least one of a facility, a service, and a servicer; and

wherein the management module is further configured to automatically generate special deals for each of the plurality of partner entities based on each partner entity'"'"'s schedule and resource availability.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the appointment information further comprises one or more specific appointment times, each specific appointment time comprises a specific time slot of a specific day of the week of at least one of a facility, a service, and a servicer for a specific partner entity, and wherein the management module is further configured to generate special deals for each of the plurality of partner entities.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the management module is further configured to distribute special deals for each of the plurality of partner entities.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the management module is further configured to distribute special deals for each of the plurality of partner entities through mobile applications.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the management module is further configured to distribute special deals for each of the plurality of partner entities through emails sent to one or more customers.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the management module is further configured to distribute special deals for each of the plurality of partner entities through emails.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the management module is further configured to distribute special deals for each of the plurality of partner entities through text/SMS messages sent to one or more customers.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the management module is further configured to distribute special deals for each of the plurality of partner entities through text/SMS messages sent by one or more third parties.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the management module is further configured to distribute special deals for each of the plurality of partner entities through visual ad units on web sites.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the management module is further configured to distribute special deals for each of the plurality of partner entities through visual ad units in smartphone applications.

11. A web-based method for managing appointments, comprising:

receiving, by a computer or internet connected device, from a user, data related to scheduling an appointment at a centralized management module, wherein the data comprises a date and time slot and at least one of a facility, a service, and a servicer, wherein the centralized management module is further configured as the exclusive mechanism to centrally manage employee information for a plurality of partner entities, wherein the partner entities'"'"' systems interact with the centralized management module by sending and receiving information via security access layers implemented using TCP/IP protocols, and wherein the employee information comprises at least one of personal information, employee schedule, employee services, employee availability, and employee history of transactions, wherein the management module is centrally integrated with a payroll function to manage a plurality of employees associated with the plurality of partner entities using the centralized management module, and wherein the management module is connected to one or more databases configured to store appointment information, wherein the appointment information further comprises one or more specific appointment times, each specific appointment time comprises a specific time slot of a specific day of the week of at least one of a facility, a service, and a servicer for a specific partner entity;

determining, by a computer or internet connected device, one or more possible appointments based on the data;

presenting, by a computer or internet connected device, to the user, the one or more possible appointments;

receiving, by a computer or internet connected device, from the user, a user selection from the one or more possible appointments;

scheduling, by a computer or other internet connected device, the appointment, at the centralize management module, based on the user selection; and

automatically generating, by the management module, special deals for each of the plurality of partner entities based on each partner entity'"'"'s schedule and resource availability.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising distributing, by the management module, special deals for each of the plurality of partner entities.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising distributing, by the management module, special deals for each of the plurality of partner entities through mobile applications.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising distributing, by the management module, special deals for each of the plurality of partner entities through emails sent to one or more customers.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising distributing, by the management module, special deals for each of the plurality of partner entities through emails.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising distributing, by the management module, special deals for each of the plurality of partner entities through text/SMS messages sent to one or more customers.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising distributing, by the management module, special deals for each of the plurality of partner entities through text/SMS messages sent by one or more third parties.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising distributing, by the management module, special deals for each of the plurality of partner entities through visual ad units on web sites.

19. The method of claim 11, further comprising distributing, by the management module, special deals for each of the plurality of partner entities through visual ad units in smartphone applications.