System and method for managing and presenting entity information

• US 7,949,642 B2
• Filed: 10/11/2005
• Issued: 05/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Stan J. Simon, Wendy W. Yang
• Original Assignee: Stan J. Simon, Wendy W. Yang
• Inventors: Simon, Stan J, Yang, Wendy W
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Wilson
• Assistant Examiner(s): Le; Michael
• Application Number:
  US11/248,480
• Publication Number:
  US 20060101005A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,051 Days
• Field of Search: 707/104.1, 707/999, 707/706
• US Class Current: 707/706
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0603 Catalogue ordering
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/007 using computer methods
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal

Abstract

A system and method for managing and presenting entity information is described. In an illustrative implementation, information such as product availability and operating hours is stored in a server (130). A query may be sent from a client (202) having a time (1402), date (1410), or both inquiring, for example, which entities are open at a certain or range of times, in the past, present or future. The server (130) compares the queried time with stored information, such as hours entries (4000, 4050). The results are displayed on a map (300) with open entities represented by a first symbol (930R) and closed entities by a second symbol (930G) such that all the entities on the map (300) are viewable without further searches. Clicking on a symbol (422) leads to a display (940) containing information about the associated entity, thereby enabling an entity'"'"'s information to be found using only its location.

Claims

1. A method of presenting information regarding a plurality of entities, said method being performed by a processor, said method comprising:

for each said entity, storing at least one entity characteristic list, said at least one entity characteristic list comprising entity characteristic information regarding each said entity, said entity characteristic information comprising at least one time entry, said at least one time entry comprising a plurality of entity time components and a plurality of entity day components, said plurality of entity day components comprises at least seven entity day components, each of said seven entity day components corresponding to a different day of the week, each of said seven entity day components associated with at least one of said plurality of entity time components, said plurality of entity time components comprising at least one continuous time range, said continuous time range comprising at least one begin time component and at least one end time component;

receiving a queried time, said queried time comprising at least one queried day component and at least one queried time component;

for each said entity, resolving a characteristic classification from said queried time and said at least one entity characteristic list, said operation of resolving further comprising, comparing said at least one queried day component to at least one of said plurality of entity day components and comparing said at least one queried time component to a selected at least one pair of entity time components, said characteristic classification having a plurality of possible values, said possible values comprising at least a first value and a second value; and

for each said entity, displaying at least one representation for said each entity, said at least one representation rendered in a first state when said characteristic classification of each said entity has resolved to a first value and said at least one representation rendered in a second state when said characteristic classification of each said entity has resolved to a second value.

2. The method recited in claim 1, further comprising:

associating a physical location with each said entity;

displaying a viewable portion of a map of a predetermined area, said viewable portion being all or a portion of said map;

selecting from said plurality of entities at least one entity associated with a physical location correspondingly located within said viewable portion of said map; and

placing said at least one representation for said at least one selected entity on said viewable portion of said map at a location that is correspondingly proximate to said physical location associated with said at least one selected entity.

3. The method recited in claim 2, wherein said queried time comprises current time.

4. The method recited in claim 2, wherein said at least one entity characteristic list comprises hours of operation information, said first value for said characteristic classification comprises a value representing an entity that is open, and said second value for said characteristic classification comprises a value representing an entity that is closed.

5. The method recited in claim 1, wherein said queried time comprises a time in the future, said future time being more than a day from the present time.

6. The method recited in claim 1, wherein said queried day component comprises a day of the week.

7. The method recited in claim 1, wherein said queried time comprises a range of time having a begin time and an end time.

8. The method recited in claim 1, wherein said queried time comprises a time read from a system clock.

9. The method recited in claim 1, wherein said at least one entity characteristic list comprises hours of operation information, said first value for said characteristic classification comprises a value representing an entity that is open, and said second value for said characteristic classification comprises a value representing an entity that is closed.

10. The method recited in claim 9, wherein each of said first state and said second state comprises a state that is visible.

11. The method recited in claim 9, wherein one of said first state and said second state comprises a state that is not visible.

12. The method recited in claim 9, wherein said at least one time entry comprises at least one current status indicator, said at least one current status indicator comprises at least one value representative of either open or dosed such that when said at least one current status indicator comprises a value representative of closed, said comparing step in said resolving step is skipped, and said resolving step produces said second value for said characteristic classification, and when said at least one current status indicator comprises a value representative of open, said comparing step in said resolving step is skipped, and said resolving step produces said first value for said characteristic classification.

13. The method recited in claim 9, wherein said hours of operation information is entered by at least one user via a web interface.

14. The method recited in claim 9, wherein said hours of operation information is obtained by a web crawler.

15. The method recited in claim 1, wherein said at least one entity characteristic list comprises hours of operation information, said hours of operation information comprising two or more opening times for at least one day and two or more closing times for at least one day, said first value for said characteristic classification comprises a value representing an entity that is open, and said second value for said characteristic classification comprises a value representing an entity that is closed.

16. The method recited in claim 1, wherein said at least one entity characteristic list comprises normal operating hours information and exceptional operating hours information, said normal operating hours information comprising said plurality of entity time components and said plurality of entity day components, said exceptional operating hours information comprises time information capable of being expressed in a duration of less than one day, said exceptional operating hours information being an exception to at least one of said plurality of time components associated with at least one of said seven entity day components, said exceptional operating hours information further comprising a month component and a numerical day of the month component, said first value for said characteristic classification comprises a value representing an entity that is open, and said second value for said characteristic classification comprises a value representing an entity that is closed.

17. The method recited in claim 1, wherein said operation of resolving further comprising:

adjusting said queried time by adding to queried time an offset, the adjusted queried time used in place of queried time in said resolving operation, said offset is predetermined, said offset further having the same value each time said resolving step is performed.

18. The method recited in claim 1, wherein said operation of resolving further comprises:

adjusting said queried time by adding to queried time a calculated time offset, said calculated time offset comprises a component that is dependent on a distance from a location to each said entity, the adjusted queried time comprising at least one adjusted queried day component and at least one adjusted queried time component, said adjusted queried day component being different than or the same as the queried day component, said adjusted queried day component used in place of said queried day component, and said adjusted queried time component used in place of queried time component in said operation of resolving to resolve said characteristic classification.

19. The method recited in claim 18, wherein said distance is calculated using a non-linear driving route, said non-linear driving route comprising at least one turn.

20. The method recited in claim 1, further comprising

associating a physical location with each said entity;

wherein said at least one time entry comprises a time zone component, said time zone component being the time zone of said physical location, said queried time comprises a time zone component, and said operation of resolving further comprises;

for each said entity, adjusting one or both of said queried time and said at least one time entry so that said queried time and said at least one time entry are in the same time zone, adjusting for daylight savings status of said queried time and daylight savings status of said at least one time entry.

21. The method recited in claim 1, wherein said selected at least one pair of entity time components is the at least one pair of entity time components that is associated with the at least one of said plurality of entity day components that corresponds to said queried day component wherein said continuous time range is associated with said characteristic classification, said first value of said characteristic classification comprises a value representing an entity that is open, and said second value of said characteristic classification comprises a value representing an entity that is closed.

22. The method recited in claim 1, wherein said queried time comprises a future time, said future time is available to be selected from a menu of choices.

23. The method recited in claim 1, further comprising

associating a physical location with each said entity;

wherein said at least one time entry comprises a time zone component, said time zone component being the time zone of said physical location, and said operation of resolving further comprises;

for each said entity, adjusting said queried time to the time zone specified by said time zone component of said at least one time entry.

24. A non-transitory computer-readable medium bearing computer-readable instructions for instructing a processor to carry out a method of presenting information regarding a plurality of entities, said method comprising:

for each said entity, storing at least one entity characteristic list, said at least one entity characteristic list comprising entity characteristic information regarding each said entity, said entity characteristic information comprising at least one time entry, said at least one time entry comprising a plurality of entity time components and a plurality of entity day components, said plurality of entity day components comprises at least seven entity day components, each of said seven entity day components corresponding to a different day of the week, each of said seven entity day components associated with at least one of said plurality of entity time components, said plurality of entity time components comprising at least one continuous time range, said continuous time range comprising at least one begin time component and at least one end time component;

receiving a queried time, said queried time comprising at least one queried day component and at least one queried time component;

for each said entity, resolving a characteristic classification from said queried time and said at least one entity characteristic list, said operation of resolving further comprising, comparing said least one queried day component to at least one of said plurality of entity day components and comparing said at least one queried time component to a selected at least one pair of entity time components, said characteristic classification having a plurality of possible values, said possible values comprising at least a first value and a second value; and

for each said entity, displaying at least one representation for said each entity, said at least one representation rendered in a first state when said characteristic classification of each said entity has resolved to a first value and said at least one representation rendered in a second state when said characteristic classification of each said entity has resoled to a second value.

25. A system of presenting information regarding a plurality of entities, comprising:

means for storing at least one entity characteristic list for each said entity, said at least one entity characteristic list comprising entity characteristic information regarding each said entity, said entity characteristic information comprising at least one time entry, said at least one time entry comprising a plurality of entity time components and a plurality of entity day components, said plurality of entity day components comprises at least seven entity day components, each of said seven entity day components corresponding to a different day of the week, each of said seven entity day components associated with at least one of said plurality of entity time components, said plurality of entity time components comprising at least one continuous time range, said continuous time range comprising at least one begin time component and at least one end time component;

means for receiving a queried time, said queried time comprising at least one queried day component and at least one queried time component;

means for resolving a characteristic classification from said queried time and said at least one entity characteristic list, for each said entity, said means for resolving further comprising, means for comparing said at least one queried day component to at least one of said plurality of entity day components and means for comparing said at least one queried time component to a selected at least one pair of entity time components, said characteristic classification having a plurality of possible values, said possible values comprising at least a first value and a second value; and

means for displaying at least one representation for each said entity, said at least one representation rendered in a first state when said characteristic classification of each said entity has resolved to a first value and said at least one representation rendered in a second state when said characteristic classification of each said entity has resolved to a second value.

26. The system recited in claim 25, further comprising:

means for associating a physical location with each said entity;

means for displaying a viewable portion of a map of a predetermined area, said viewable portion being all or a portion of said map;

means for selecting from said plurality of entities at least one entity associated with a physical location correspondingly located within said viewable portion of said map; and

means for placing said at least one representation for said at least one selected entity on said viewable portion of said map at a location that is correspondingly proximate to said physical location associated with said at least one selected entity.

27. The system recited in claim 26, wherein said queried time comprises current time.

28. The system recited in claim 26, wherein said at least one entity characteristic list comprises hours of operation information, said first value for said characteristic classification comprises a value representing an entity that is open, and said second value for said characteristic classification comprises a value representing an entity that is closed.

29. The system recited in claim 25, wherein said queried time comprises a time in the future, said future time being more than a day from the present time.

30. The system recited in claim 25, wherein said queried day component comprises a day of the week.

31. The system recited in claim 25, wherein said queried time comprises a range of time having a begin time and an end time.

32. The system recited in claim 25, wherein said queried time comprises a time read from a system clock.

33. The system recited in claim 25, wherein said at least one entity characteristic list comprises hours of operation information, said first value for said characteristic classification comprises a value representing an entity that is open, and said second value for said characteristic classification comprises a value representing an entity that is closed.

34. The system recited in claim 33, wherein each of said first state and said second state comprises a state that is visible.

35. The system recited in claim 33, wherein one of said first state and said second state comprises a state that is not visible.

36. The system recited in claim 33, wherein said at least one time entry comprises at least one current status indicator, said at least one current status indicator comprises at least one value representative of either open or closed such that when said at least one current status indicator comprises a value representative of closed, the comparing step performed by said comparing means is skipped, and said second value for said characteristic classification is resolved by said resolving means, and when said at least one current status indicator comprises a value representative of open, said comparing step performed by said comparing means is skipped, and said first value for said characteristic classification is resolved by said resolving means.

37. The system recited in claim 25, wherein said at least one entity characteristic list comprises hours of operation information, said hours of operation information comprising two or more opening times for at least one day and two or more closing times for at least one day, said first value for said characteristic classification comprises a value representing an entity that is open, and said second value for said characteristic classification comprises a value representing an entity that is closed.

38. The system recited in claim 25, wherein said at least one entity characteristic list comprises normal operating hours information and exceptional operating hours information, said normal operating hours information comprising said plurality of entity time components and said plurality of entity day components, said exceptional operating hours information comprises time information capable of being expressed in a duration of less than one day, said exceptional operating hours information being an exception to at least one of said plurality of time components associated with at least one of said seven entity day components, said exceptional operating hours information further comprising a month component and a numerical day of the month component, said first value for said characteristic classification comprises a value representing an entity that is open, and said second value for said characteristic classification comprises a value representing an entity that is closed.

39. The system recited in claim 25, wherein means for resolving further comprises:

means for adjusting said queried time by adding to queried time an offset, the adjusted queried time used in place of queried time in said resolving operation, said offset being predetermined by said processor, said offset further having the same value each time said resolving step is performed.

40. The system recited in claim 25, wherein said means for resolving further comprises:

means for adjusting said queried time by adding to queried time a calculated time offset, said calculated time offset comprises a component that is dependent on a distance from a location to each said entity, the adjusted queried time comprising at least one adjusted queried day component and at least one adjusted queried time component, said adjusted queried day component being different than or the same as the queried day component, said adjusted queried day component used in place of said queried day component, and said adjusted queried time component used in place of queried time component in the resolving step performed by said resolving means to resolve said characteristic classification.

41. The system recited in claim 25, further comprising

means for associating a physical location with each said entity;

wherein said at least one time entry comprises a time zone component, said time zone component being the time zone of said physical location, said queried time comprises a time zone component, and said means for resolving further comprises;

means for adjusting, for each said entity, one or both of said queried time and said at least one time entry so that said queried time and said at least one time entry are in the same time zone, adjusting for daylight savings status of said queried time and daylight savings status of said at least one time entry.

42. The system recited in claim 25, wherein said selected at least one pair of entity time components is the at least one pair of entity time components that is associated with the at least one of said plurality of entity day components that corresponds to said queried day component wherein said continuous time range is associated with said characteristic classification, said first value of said characteristic classification comprises a value representing an entity that is open, and said second value of said characteristic classification comprises a value representing an entity that is closed.

43. The system recited in claim 25, wherein said queried time comprises a future time, said future time is available to be selected from a menu of choices.

44. The system recited in claim 25, further comprising

means for associating a physical location with each said entity;

wherein said at least one time entry comprises a time zone component, said time zone component being the time zone of said physical location, and said means of resolving further comprises;

means for adjusting, for each said entity, said queried time to the time zone specified by said time zone component of said at least one time entry.