KR20170010746A - System And Method Publishing Ad hoc Offer Messages and Anonymous Geographic Proximity and Category Searches - Google Patents

Abstract

Internet-based < RTI ID = 0.0 > (e. G., ≪ / RTI > based) that allows sellers to post and send instant suggestion messages that target consumers with superior efficiency and further allow consumers to anonymously search for such posted offer messages based on geographic proximity and the desired target category System and method, comprising a merchant computer device, a system server operatively connected to a merchant computer device via a network, and a consumer computer device operatively connected to the system server via a network, wherein the consumer is managed by the system server And selects one or more desired target categories to be searched and a search distance from the position of the consumer to search for a collection of the proposed messages to be displayed.

Description

Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a system and method for displaying instant proposal messages and anonymous geographical proximity and category searches,

The present invention allows merchants (retailers, restaurants, hotels) to post instantly targeted offer messages without prior collection and storage of information about consumers, and furthermore to offer consumers (customers / buyers) Based system and method that allows anonymously searching for posted posted suggestions messages based on geographic proximity and target categories, without requiring all of the personal information to be shared.

There are various online systems that allow sellers to advertise to potential customers (buyers).

A major disadvantage of these systems is that they require merchants and consumers to first establish a relationship (e.g., that consumers have to register on a list maintained by the seller), and that sellers communicate with consumers, To provide consumers with the personal information they need to understand.

Another disadvantage of these systems is that they require i) sellers to guess what they are interested in purchasing, ii) that although the ad responds to the consumer's needs, the timing may not match the consumer's readiness to purchase (E. G., Consumers are sending television advertisements in response to their browsing a television in their browser or visiting websites selling television), while a consumer has already sent television < RTI ID = 0.0 > Found and bought and are no longer interested in television).

In addition, such systems do not provide instant real-time, short-term suggestions.

The present invention is intended to overcome the above problems of the prior art.

In one or more embodiments, the invention includes a method of providing instant proposal messages, anonymous geographical proximity and category searches through a merchant computer device to enable a merchant located geographically to: i) Inputting a suggestion message describing a proposal of the service, and ii) selecting the one of the plurality of target categories to select the target category, so that the proposal message describing the product or service proposed by the seller is located in the appropriate target category , Iii) selecting a time for posting the proposal message, iv) selecting a posting time for starting the publication of the proposal message, and the selected posting time is a) immediately and b) Is one of the specific times, and v) Wherein the system server is operatively connected to the merchant computer device via a communications network, the proposal message package comprising a proposal message, a selected target category, a proposal message, And a publication time for starting the publication of the proposal message;

Wherein the system server receives the proposal message package sent from the merchant computer device, starts at the selected delivery time and during the selected time period, and sends the proposal message of the received proposal message package to the system Adding to a collection of posted proposal messages managed by the server and removing the proposal message from a collection of posted proposal messages as soon as the selected time period expires;

Via a network, via a consumer computer device operatively connected to the system server, wherein the consumer selects: i) a search distance, and ii) a search that describes the desired product or service from the selection of a plurality of target categories Iii) execute a search command to transmit the selected search distance, the selected desired target category, and the location of the consumer computer device to the system server;

Wherein the system server is configured to: i) utilize the selected search distance and the location of the consumer computer device to determine a geographic search area, and ii) obtain a series of posted offer messages meeting the determined geographic search area and the selected target category Using the selected desired target category and the determined geographic search area to search for a collection of posted proposed messages managed by the system server; Iii) sending to the consumer computer device a series of posted offer messages meeting the determined geographic search area and the selected desired destination category;

And displaying on the consumer computer device the transmitted series of posted offer messages meeting the determined geographic search region and the selected desired target category.

In one or more embodiments of the present invention, the merchant computer device is any of a smartphone, a network-connected tablet, or a network-connected personal computer, and the consumer computer device is another smartphone, a network- Connected personal computer.

In one or more embodiments of the present invention, the search distance may be, for example, a walking distance, a bike distance, or a driving distance such as, but not limited to, 1/4 mile, 1/2 mile, 1 mile, 5 miles, 50 miles, Is selected from a series of distances corresponding to the distance. Additionally, the consumer may enter any instant distance, such as 1,000 yards or 3.5 miles in one or more embodiments.

In one or more embodiments of the present invention, the target category is selected from the group comprising restaurants, theaters, clothing stores, hotels, bakeries and supermarkets, including but not limited to.

In at least one embodiment of the present invention, the selected serving time of the proposal message is immediate as soon as the proposal message package is transmitted to the system server.

In at least one embodiment of the present invention, the selected delivery time of the proposal message is i) the specified future time or ii) the specified future date and time.

In one or more embodiments of the present invention, when the seller removes the received offer message from the set of posted offer messages, the removed offer message is immediately deleted from the consumer device.

One or more embodiments of the present invention include the steps of selecting, through the merchant computer device, a proposal message package to be deleted by the seller at a future delivery time and transmitting a deletion message to a server identifying the proposal message to be deleted; Upon receiving the deletion message transmitted from the seller computer device, the server deletes the posted proposal message to be deleted from the collection of proposal messages posted on the system server, and the posted proposal message to be deleted is And is immediately deleted from the consumer device.

In at least one embodiment of the present invention, the location of the consumer computer device is automatically determined by retrieving location information from a location tracking device associated with the consumer computer device. Direct input of location information by the consumer is also supported.

 In one or more embodiments of the present invention, when a seller removes the received offer message from a collection of offered offer messages, the removed offer message is immediately deleted from the consumer device.

In one or more embodiments of the invention, the seller may edit the posted message or messages, and the corresponding message (s) displayed on the consumer device may be immediately updated to reflect the edits made by the seller. For example, the inbox interface of the consumer device for displaying the posted message (s) of the merchant (s) is automatically refreshed at a predetermined period (e.g., every second, every 5 seconds, or every 30 seconds).

In one or more embodiments of the present invention, the consumer may operate the consumer device to remove all unattended personal messages from the inbox.

The present invention may also be embodied in a computer readable medium having one or more computer systems storing one or more computer executable code assembled into one or more computer programs that perform the steps described above.

For example, in one or more embodiments of the present invention, as soon as it is run on a computer server, it is possible to provide a computer program that, when executed by a computer program, causes the computer server to perform a method of posting and transmitting an instant offer message, an anonymous geographical proximity, A non-transient computer readable medium storing computer executable code, the method comprising:

I) one or more ports on one or more network interfaces of a computer server operatively connected to one or more networks to receive communications from a geographically located merchant-connected merchant computer device and network-connected consumer computer device ;

A selected target category describing a product or a service offered by the seller, a selected period for posting the proposed message, and a delivery time for starting delivery of the proposal message, via any of the one or more networks. Receiving a proposal message package from the merchant computer device; Wherein the selected delivery time is one of a) immediate and b) a specific time at which the proposal message is to be delivered,

Adding the proposed message of the received proposal message package to a compilation of posted proposal messages managed at the computer server, starting at the selected serving time and during the selected time period;

Removing the proposal message from the collection of proposed proposal messages as soon as the selected period expires;

Receiving, via the one or more networks, a search command from the consumer computer device, the search command including a search distance, a selected desired target category, and a location of the consumer computer device;

Using the selected search distance and the location of the consumer computer device to determine a geographic search area;

Using the selected desired target category and the determined geographic search region to search a collection of posted proposed messages managed at the server to obtain a series of posted proposal messages meeting the determined geographic search region and the selected target category ;

And sending to the consumer computer device a series of posted offer messages meeting the determined geographic search region and the selected desired target category, to be displayed on the consumer computer device.

The present invention also includes an embodiment of non-transitory computer readable media, which records computer programs that are coupled to a merchant computer device and a consumer computer device, respectively, in accordance with the following figures and descriptions.

The present invention allows merchants (e.g., retailers, restaurants, and hotels) to instantly provide proposal messages without establishing a database of pre-existing or registered consumers and their needs and interests Create or publish. These proposal messages may be in one proposal message or in a more complex and detailed form.

The invention also allows a consumer to selectively search for offered messages without providing personal information through a configured computer device, such as a smart phone, and as a result, remain anonymous and private.

The system server according to the present invention is configured to manage and deliver the posted offer messages of the sellers, thereby making these offer messages available to consumers for anonymous search and selection.

The present invention may be embodied in a non-transient computer readable medium having stored thereon a computer executable program that, when executed by a processing unit of a computer system, causes the computer system to perform anonymous geographic proximity and category searches In addition, the inventive method of delivering instant offer messages is performed. With these features, the present invention allows sellers to optimize sales and advertising by targeting consumers with excellent efficiency, while consumers (i.e., customers, buyers) can save money and, furthermore, You can find nearby goods and services promoted by a number of local sellers without pre-registering and sharing your personal information.

Thus, the present invention provides excellent efficiency in targeting consumers, and consumers do not need to share personal information (e. G., E-mail address, name or phone number), do not need to log in, There is no need to maintain a secured database of existing or registered consumers with interests.

According to the present invention, geographically located sellers transmit their offer messages directly to the system server via an interface provided by a dedicated application or website via a conventional available network (e.g., the Internet) Allowing you to create and submit proposal messages for goods and / or services whenever you want. For example, such proposals may be free goods or services, for example, within a limited time and / or limited quantity, or promotions for discounted goods or services. The merchant associates each proposal message with the appropriate target category provided by the system server. The seller's geographic location is known to the system server.

Further, according to the present invention, the burdens are retrieved through the configured computing device communicated with the system server based on the geographical proximity of the consumer to the seller and the target category of goods / services of interest to the consumer It is provided with a search function. As a particular technical feature of the invention, the consumer does not need to provide identification or personal information, such as the consumer's email address, name or phone number, to the server in order to perform the search. Target categories may include, but are not limited to, a number of categories, including restaurants, theaters, clothing stores, hotels, supermarkets, grocery stores, and salons.

Targeted categories allow consumers to easily access posted messages using portable computing devices such as smartphones and tablets that are accessible to the Internet while on the go. Considering such devices with GPS or other position-sensitive functions, the present invention regards the location of the device as the location of the searched sellers, so that the offerings of the sellers that are too far away are blocked, Reduces the number of suggestions that are unlikely to be of interest. For example, by limiting the consumer's geographic proximity to the seller, the sellers who are too far away from the consumer are eliminated. However, if the consumer's computer device does not have a built-in location tracking function, it is within the scope of the invention that such information is entered manually by the consumer with the target category.

The preferred embodiment of the present invention also considers whether motion is detected by the portable device, which indicates whether the consumer, for example, moves (e.g., walk), and as a result has a limited distance (e.g., 1/8 or 1/4 Miles) with the seller. The consumer can also clearly indicate the distance from the consumer's current location, which they are willing to move to reach the seller with the proposed offer.

According to the present invention, sellers can easily communicate with potential buyers within a pre-established geographical proximity, which allows sellers to send suggestion messages to the system server, thereby allowing a potential buyer Unlimited number of users can make available offer messages, and these offer messages can be posted to the consumer at any time, but are preferably limited to a short period of time.

This provides the opportunity for sellers to offer promotions, sales, services and free or discounted merchandise when required, thereby increasing sales, for example, or avoiding corruption. For example, an executive of a restaurant where excess tables are left in the evening or there are excess commodities that can be corrupted can post last-minute suggestions to nearby consumers. This provides excellent and effective targeting to buyers / customers who are interested in the seller's product or service and who are close to the seller.

Likewise, consumers are provided with significant access in time and geographical locations to current offerings of sellers within acceptable distance from the consumer. Thereby, the present invention makes these proposals between sellers and consumers more accessible to both sellers and consumers.

Through the present invention, sellers can only propose to potential buyers effectively and in a timely manner, and sellers are given the opportunity to try a last-minute sale that they could not sell without trying, while allowing buyers to receive offers at the same time For example, a restaurant, bar, theater or hotel with empty or vacant rooms can fill in the vacancies by sending last minute offers to all geographically close people.

1 is a schematic diagram of a system according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 illustrates a non-limiting example of sellers and consumers distributed around an exemplary geographic area.
Figure 3 provides a schematic flow chart.
4 is an example of an incomplete offer screen of a seller.
5 is an example of a category selection screen of the seller.
6 is an example of the period selection screen of the seller.
7 is an example of a complete proposal screen of a seller for a first proposal.
Figure 8 is an example of a seller's outbox screen showing a complete offer submitted to the server.
Figure 9 is an example of an incomplete offer screen of a seller to prepare for submitting an additional offer, wherein the time to place the offer in the future is being selected.
10 is an example of a seller's complete suggestion screen for the second proposal.
Figure 11 is an example of a seller's draft screen showing two complete offers submitted to the server.
Figure 12 is an example of a consumer screen showing an interface for selecting the search distances from the current location of the consumer and the categories of interest.
Figure 13 is an example of a consumer screen showing posted offers that meet a consumer's search criteria.
14 is an example of a consumer screen showing a route from a consumer location to a seller having a proposal posted so as to meet the search criteria of the consumer.
15 is an example of a consumer screen that provides an interface for initiating a telephone call to a seller having a posted proposal that meets the search criteria of the consumer.
Figure 16 shows a consumer's inbox with valid offer messages received from the consumer's search criteria.

In a non-limiting embodiment of the present invention, the system includes at least a computer-executable program operating on a computer server s1 ("server"), as shown in the schematic diagram shown in Fig. The computer server may be implemented as a single computer device or may include a plurality of spare computer devices that operate in lieu of one or more in case of unexpected shutdown.

A typical server s1 according to the present invention comprises at least a central processing unit (CPU), one or more volatile memory devices (e.g., random access memory or "RAM") and one or more non-volatile memory storage devices A drive, a solid state drive, a disk array, etc.), all of which can store data as files and tables in a file system as tables and rows in an associated database or in all equivalents. The server s1 also includes a network interface that allows the server to communicate with the data network of other computer devices in accordance with commands executed by the CPU. In an embodiment of the present invention, the network is the most widely distributed and commonly available internet in the data network used today.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the merchants (v1.v7) desiring to promote goods or services through the system of the present invention may be connected to the server (v1.v7) via one or more computer devices s1. In the present embodiment, each vendor's computer device vc1 ... vc7 is connected to the server s1 over the Internet via a non-wireless connection. Of course, all connections between all these devices (vc1..vc7) on the Internet can be easily implemented only via cable. Each seller v1..v7 interacts with server s1 with its own computer device vc1..vc7 but all the merchants use any suitable computer device if they are configured to communicate with server s1 .

The seller's computer device may be any suitable computer device capable of communicating with the server s1 over the Internet. Such devices include all portable telephones with Internet communication capabilities (e.g., "smart phones", iPhone®, Android® phones, etc.), all portable computing with Internet communication features (eg iPad®, Galaxy Tab®, Tablet, or network-capable personal computer, all of which can communicate with the Internet via wired connection or wireless technology.

According to an immediate embodiment, the merchant v1 operates the computer device vc1 and establishes a connection with the server s1. Although particularly not so limited, particularly preferred embodiments utilize a web browser program (e.g., Google Chrome®, Mozilla® FirePaks®, Apple® Safari®, or any equivalent) operating on a computer device vc1 Allows merchant v1 to connect to server s1 with a communication protocol such as Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), Secure Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTPS) or all equivalents.

As a non-limiting alternative, a computer program operating on a computer device vc1 specifically designed to communicate and interact with the server s1 (i.e., an application generally referred to as an "app ") may be used instead of the web browsing.

The server s1 maintains records of registered sellers authorized to use the system according to the present invention in the non-volatile storage of the server s1. The records of the sellers include information for use in authenticating each seller to prevent unauthorized use of the system. The records of each seller also include at least the geographical information of the seller's business location. Such records also include contact information for the merchant's business location, business hours of operation and other useful data.

To interact with the system, the merchant v1 starts by establishing a connection between the merchant computer device vc1 and the server s1 and then authenticating itself to the server s1. This includes, but is not limited to, inputting and transmitting to the server s1 a username and password sufficient to log into the system of the present invention, which typically operates on the server s1. Other embodiments of authentication for logging into the server s1 include, but are not limited to, providing biometric data to the merchant computer vc1, financial entitlement, electronic authentication device access, or any possible equivalent.

The merchant v1 logs into the system operating in the server s1 (step 100, Fig. 3), and then the merchant v1 having the geographical location associated with it is transferred to the merchant computer apparatus vc1 by the server s1 Completing the form displayed on the display device of the merchant computer device vc1 according to the transmitted instructions (step 102, Fig. 3).

An exemplary form is shown in Fig. A suggestion message about the seller (v1) type and a new proposal is made ("Free coffee!", FIG. 4). Then, as shown in Fig. 5, the seller selects the appropriate target category (here, "coffee shop").

The seller can also choose how long the promotion lasts before it automatically expires. In the non-limiting embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the merchant selects 3 hours 10 minutes from the selection interface. 7 shows an example of a completed interface, which is ready to be submitted to the server by activating the "Store" button, and activating the "Store" button causes the merchant ' s computer device vc1 to send the offer message, And sends a proposal message package containing time information to server s1, which is step 104 of the flowchart of Fig. Alternatively, the operation can be canceled by activating the "Cancel" button, and no information for submitting a new proposal is sent to the server s1.

In one or more embodiments, the posted offer messages sent by the server to the consumer may be in any suitable form that does not require any kind of personal information about the consumer (e.g., a consumer's email address, name or phone number) , Which may include pictures, drawings, pictures, links, and / or audio attachments.

Upon submitting the proposal to the server, the proposal can be viewed in a list such as "Drafts" as shown in the embodiment shown in FIG. In a preferred embodiment, such an interface may include control functions that allow the deletion of suggestions from the list (which results in the suggestions being removed from the server, making them unavailable to consumers) and / or editing one or more parameters of one or more suggestions to provide.

As can be seen in FIG. 7, the field "post at" has a corresponding value of "Now", which is the default setting in the preferred embodiment of the present invention. This means that at the moment the seller submits the proposal by activating the "save" button, the proposal is validated and displayed. Alternatively, however, the seller can choose to delay the delivery of the offer by a period of time, so that the offer is not available to the consumer until after some time in the future. An embodiment with this feature is shown in Fig. 9, which shows another suggestion "FREE Dessert!" Made by the seller, and when the server is ready to display the offer to consumers, ≪ / RTI > FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary interface through which a choice of date and time is made through the user interface.

The resulting proposal message package is shown in the embodiment shown in FIG.

The embodiment for preparing the proposal message package is a non-limiting example.

The time in the box labeled "Post at" indicates when the proposal message will be posted (22:00 on February 2, 2015 in this embodiment). As in the previous embodiment, the merchant completes the process by pressing the "Store" button. In this embodiment, as soon as such a proposal is submitted to the server s1, the seller's draft screen is displayed as shown in Fig. 11 listing each of the offers posted or available on the server s1. Again, in a preferred embodiment, the merchant may activate the interface to delete or edit suggestions presented in this list.

At server s1, the proposed message package is received from the merchant ' s computer device vc1 and stored in non-volatile memory of the server s1 (step 106). In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the seller's computer device vc1 displays a screen showing that the proposed package has been accepted by the server s1 as shown in Fig. The seller can submit a plurality of different offers, and the server s1 can store them. The seller's computer device vc1 can display a screen listing each proposal stored for the seller v1 by the server s1 as shown in Fig.

The server s1 starts at the selected delivery time and for the selected period, and copies or moves the proposal message in the received proposal message package to a collection of the proposed proposal messages managed by the system server (step 108). Suggested messages in a collection of posted proposal messages can be used by a consumer to retrieve from server s1, which will be described in more detail below. As soon as the selected period expires, the server s1 removes the proposal message from the set of posted proposal messages (step 110), thereby making it impossible for consumers to retrieve the proposal message.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described steps of the server s1 for storing and managing the proposal messages.

For example, as a non-limiting alternative, the server s1 may keep all proposed messages in one database or table. The decision as to whether a particular proposal message is to be served can be made as soon as the database or table is referenced, whereby the current time is compared with the time information stored in the database or table with the proposal message for expiration of the proposal. If the outcome of this test indicates that the proposal has expired, the proposal is not retrieved by the consumer.

Further, if the seller desires to withdraw the promotion offer, the seller can delete the proposed message displayed by deleting the suggestion as described above, and the suggestion message is immediately deleted from the system server (and all the devices of consumers if already posted) Will be.

In addition, according to an immediate embodiment of the present invention, consumers communicate with the system using either a dedicated consumer-application or a browser, similar to the way merchants connect, as described above. However, a particularly advantageous feature of the present invention is that consumers do not need to authenticate to server s1 to implement the present invention, or else they do not need to provide personal information to server s1.

In an immediate embodiment of the present invention, a consumer interacts with the server s1 by preparing and sending search information that includes one or more required target categories (e.g., a coffee shop) and a search distance. A non-limiting implementation interface for selecting such search information is shown in Figure 12, which provides a selectable list of category items and a field for selecting a valid distance from the consumer's current location to all potential sellers do. In a preferred embodiment, the search information may also be stored in a variety of conventional ways (e.g., GPS, or automatic geographic location of a smartphone or other portable device) by manual selection by the consumer or by selection of a map to determine and display the location of the consumer - automatically determined by the decision feature) of the current geographical location of the consumer.

The consumer can select the search distance by indicating the distance in various ways, e.g., numerical input or displayed map. The consumer also selects one or more target categories, e.g., on the screen shown in FIG. These consumer choices provide the system proximity and category parameters to system server s1 to select appropriate suggestion messages for display to the consumer. When all the search information is selected and the consumer is set to a satisfactory level, the consumer activates the control on the device to transmit the search information to the server s1 (step 200).

Upon receiving the search information from the consumer's computer device, the system of the present invention responds by determining which posted suggest messages meet the distance proximity parameter (geographical proximity) and category parameters of the consumer. Proposed posted messages that are determined to meet both the distance proximity parameter (geographical proximity) and the category parameter are passed to the consumer's device for display (step 204). An exemplary interface for listing valid proposal messages is shown in Figures 13 and 16. In this preferred embodiment, each valid offer is shown with indicators of the distance to move to the seller and time to indicate how long each offer remains available.

In certain preferred embodiments, the consumer c1 may activate the user-interface control at an interface (e. G., At a distance indicator location or proximity) and the device may determine the location of the corresponding merchant and, more preferably, (E. G., FIG. 14) by providing a map showing the path from the current location to the seller. In a further preferred embodiment, the operation of another user-interface element may cause the device to initiate a telephone call to the corresponding merchant (e.g., Fig. 15).

If the published proposals do not meet the consumer's search criterion, the server s1 sends a message to the consumer's device that a result satisfying the search criteria is not found (step 202).

For example, in Fig. 2, consumers c1 and c2 are shown as being within the proximity of the sellers v1 to v7. In this embodiment, each of the sellers v1 to v7 uses the present invention to post the proposals on the server s1. The server s1 is not shown in Fig. 2 because the server s1 is connected to each of the seller's computer devices vc1 to vc7 via the Internet and the server s1 is connected to the sellers v1 to v7 Lt; / RTI > need not be in close proximity to any of their geographic locations.

2, the merchant v3 is within a distance r11 to the computing device of the consumer c1, while the merchants v1 and v2 are within the second distance r12 to the consumer c1 have. Seller v6 is within third distance r13 to consumer c1 while sellers v4, v5 and v7 are outside this third distance r13.

According to the present embodiment, each of the sellers v1.v7 is a coffee shop, and each of the sellers v1.v7 includes a respective one of them Of computer devices. Each of these proposals is suitable for transmission to one or both of consumers c1 and / or c2 if none of these proposals are considered expired or revoked by the respective seller.

According to this embodiment, whether or not any of consumers c1 or c2 will see all of the offers posted by sellers v1..v7 depends on the search information transmitted by each consumer to server s1 . If both consumers (c1 and c2) consider that they have selected the target category corresponding to "coffee shop ", the result will depend on the search distance included in the search information.

Along with the search information transmitted from the consumer c1, the geographical location of the computer apparatus of the consumer c1 is also transmitted to the server s1. The server s1 determines whether or not each seller v1..v7 is within the search distance transmitted by the consumer by using this information and information stored for each seller v1..v7 of the posted proposals do.

Therefore, if the consumer c1 sends to the server s1 the search information corresponding to the search distance of the "coffee shop" and r11, the server s1 will reply with the proposal posted from the seller v3, However, all of the suggestions of v1, v2 or v4..v7 are excluded. On the other hand, if the consumer c1 transmits search information corresponding to the search distance of "coffee shop" and r13, the server responds with the posted offers from each of the sellers v1..v3 and v6 , But the proposals of v4, v5, and v7 are excluded.

On the contrary, the consumer c2 will see different results because the geo-location device in his computer device transmits the geo-location information different from the consumer c1 to the server s1. Thus, if the consumer c2 sends search information corresponding to the search distances of, for example, "coffee shop" and r23, the server s1 replies with the proposal posted from each of the sellers v4..v6 and v6 , But all of the suggestions of v1..v3 or v7 are excluded. If the consumer c2 transmits the search information corresponding to the search distance of "coffee shop" and r13, the server does not find any of the sellers v1..v7 because the search distance of the consumer c2 I will respond with no suggestions.

In each of these cases, the consumer performs anonymously search for proposed messages posted based on the geographical proximity of the consumer with respect to the seller and target category. Based solely on the desired product or service category, the preferred travel distance and preferably the current geographical location automatically provided by the consumer's computing device, the consumer can select each merchant Lt; / RTI > retrieves all available suggestions posted by the user. On the other hand, each seller not only controls the text of all proposals, but also controls when and for how long the proposal will remain available for retrieval by the consumer. By virtue of these features, the present invention can be implemented within a distance that the merchants are ready to move and with the goods or services they provide, without requiring any effort from the consumer other than simply connecting to the server < RTI ID = Provides an effective system for making available offers to consumers searching for services.

The posted message suggestions sent by the server to the consumer may include pictures, drawings, pictures, links, and / or audio attachments.

In the foregoing specification, numerous details are set forth for purposes of explanation in order to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the invention. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that these specific details are not required to practice the present invention.

The invention described herein may include one, several, all, or various combinations of the embodiments provided above. The above-described embodiments of the present invention are intended for illustrative purposes only. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, and adaptations may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is defined only by the appended claims.

Claims (18)

A method for providing instant suggestion messages, anonymous geographical proximity and category searches,
Through a merchant computer device, from a geographically located seller, i) receiving a suggestion message indicative of a proposal of a product or service made by the seller, and ii) selecting a target category from a selection among a plurality of target categories, Placing the proposal message indicating a product or service proposed by the seller in an appropriate target category, iii) selecting a time for posting the proposal message, and iv) selecting a delivery time for starting delivery of the proposal message And the selected delivery time is one of a) immediately and b) a specific time at which the proposal message is to be displayed, and v) preparing a proposal message package by causing the proposal message package to be transmitted to the system server step; Wherein the system server is operatively connected to the merchant computer device via a communications network, the proposal message package including a proposal message, a selected target category, a period selected to deliver the proposal message, and initiating delivery of the proposal message Includes delivery time for;
Wherein the system server receives the proposal message package sent from the vendor computer device through the network and starts at the selected delivery time and during the selected period of time and transmits the proposal message of the received proposal message package to the system server Adding to a collection of posted proposal messages managed in the system, removing the proposal message from a collection of posted proposal messages as soon as the selected term expires;
Through a consumer computer device operatively connected to the system server through a network, the consumer is selected from i) a search distance from a group of search distances, and ii) from a selection of a plurality of target categories, Selecting a desired target category to be searched, and iii) executing a search command to transmit the selected search distance, the selected desired target category, and the location of the consumer computer device to the system server;
Wherein the system server is further configured to: i) determine a geographic search area using the selected search distance and the location of the consumer computer device, ii) obtain a series of posted offer messages meeting the determined geographic search area and the selected target category, Searching for a collection of posted proposal messages managed in the system server using the selected desired target category and the determined geographic search area; Iii) transmitting to the consumer computer device a series of posted offer messages meeting the determined geographic search region and the selected desired target category; And
Displaying on the consumer computer device the series of posted proposed messages meeting the determined geographic search region and the selected desired target category;
≪ / RTI > The method according to claim 1,
The merchant computer device may be a smart phone, a network-connected tablet, or a network-connected personal computer,
Wherein the consumer computer device is another smartphone, a network-connected tablet, or a network-connected personal computer. The method of claim 1, wherein the search distance is selected from the group of search distances comprising 1/4 mile, 1/2 mile, 1 mile, 5 miles, 50 miles, and 100 miles from the consumer. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein a search distance is selected from a group of search distances including receiving an instant distance from the consumer. The method of claim 1, wherein the target category is selected from the group comprising restaurants, theaters, clothing stores, hotels, bakeries and supermarkets. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of selecting a desired target category to be searched from a selection among a plurality of target categories is selected from a plurality of desired target categories to be searched from the consumer. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected serving time of the proposal message is immediately upon transmission of the proposal message package to the system server. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected delivery time of the proposal message is i) a specified future time or ii) a specified future date and time. The method according to claim 1,
Through the seller computer apparatus, to cause the seller to edit the posted message located in the collection of posted proposal messages managed by the system server, to change certain characteristics of the posted proposal message to update the proposal message ≪ / RTI > And
The system server sending the updated offer message to a consumer as a refresh update;
≪ / RTI > The method of claim 1, wherein when the received offer message is removed from the set of posted offer messages by the seller, the removed offer message is immediately deleted from the consumer device. The method according to claim 1,
Selecting a proposal message package to be deleted with a future delivery time from the seller through the seller computer device and transmitting a deletion message to a server identifying the proposal message to be deleted; And
Upon receiving the deletion message sent from the merchant computer device, the server deletes the suggestion message to be deleted from the system server;
≪ / RTI > The method of claim 1, further comprising causing the consumer to delete suggestion messages individually posted from the consumer computer device. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the location of the consumer computer device is automatically determined by retrieving location information from a location tracking device associated with the consumer computer device. 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the location tracking device is a GPS (Global Positioning System) included in a consumer computer device. The method of claim 1, wherein the location of the consumer computer device is manually determined by an input by a consumer at the consumer computer device. The method of claim 1, wherein the posted suggestion messages sent by the system server to a consumer from a vendor include at least one of pictures, drawings, pictures, links and audio attachments . Computer executable code that is assembled into a computer program that, as soon as it is run on a computer server, causes the computer server to perform the method of claim 1 for posting and sending instant suggestion messages, anonymous geographical proximity and category searches. Storing non-transient computer readable media. Store computer-executable code assembled into a computer program that, as soon as it is run on a network-connected computer server, causes the computer server to perform a method of delivering and sending instant suggestion messages, anonymous geographic proximity and category searches. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon,
The method comprises:
One or more ports in one or more network interfaces of a computer server operatively connected to one or more networks to receive communications from a network of geographically located merchants -connected merchant computer devices and network-connected consumer computer devices; Making available;
The method comprising the steps of: sending, via any one or more of the one or more networks, a proposal message, a selected target category indicating a product or service offered by the merchant, a selected period for posting the proposal message, Receiving a proposal message package from the merchant computer device; Wherein the selected delivery time is one of: a) immediate and b) a specific time at which the proposal message is to be delivered;
Adding the proposed message of the received proposal message package to a compilation of posted proposal messages managed at the computer server, starting at the selected delivery time and during the selected time period;
Removing the proposal message from the collection of proposed proposal messages as soon as the selected period expires;
Receiving, via the one or more networks, a search command from the consumer computer device, the search command including a consumer-selected search distance, one or more consumer-selected desired target categories, and a location of the consumer computer device;
Determining a geographic search area using the consumer-selected search distance and the location of the consumer computer device;
Selected desired target category or categories and a posted offer managed by the server using the determined geographic search region to obtain a series of posted offer messages meeting the determined geographic search region and the selected target category or categories Retrieving a collection of messages; And
Transmitting to the consumer computer device a series of posted proposed messages meeting the determined geographic search region and the selected desired target category, to be displayed on the consumer computer device;
Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > computer-readable medium. ≪ / RTI >

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