Spatial marketplace system

Abstract

A method of managing the delivery of offers from suppliers to members via a spatial marketplace system involves registering potential customers as members of the spatial marketplace system by recording their names and contact details in a database. A spatial identifier is assigned to each database record, the spatial identifier being sourced from the contact details supplied during a registration process. Each member nominates one or more attributes corresponding to a commodity in relation to which the member is interested in receiving offers. Each supplier defines a geographic region in which the supplier wishes to do business and nominates one or more attributes corresponding to commodities, which the supplier wishes to sell. A spatial identifier location algorithm is used to identify the database records with spatial identifiers located within the geographical region defined by the supplier. Delivery of offers from a supplier is restricted to members associated with the identified database records which have nominated attributes matching the attributes nominated by the supplier.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A computer implemented method of establishing a database of potential customers for delivery of offers, the method including the following steps:
 (a) third party organizations maintaining a membership database to introduce members of the organizations to a spatial marketplace system as members in return for a percentage of revenue;   (b) offering members an incentive in exchange for registering, providing a spatial identifier, nominating attributes corresponding to commodities in relation to which the member consents to receiving offers;   (c) each member nominating one or more attributes corresponding to a commodity in relation to which the member is interested in receiving offers and each member requesting offers the member is interested in receiving;   (d) granting suppliers access to a register of members which are categorized according to their spatial identifiers and attribute profiles;   (e) using a time nominating component by a processor to specify a point in time and a time interval when the member's request for offers will be presented to suppliers; and   (f) associating a range of numeric qualifiers with one or more attributes relating to the commodity the member is interested in, the numeric qualifiers specifying a quantity, size, or length of the one or more attributes, wherein the delivery of offers is further restricted to members which have nominated the numeric qualifier for the commodity which matches or falls within the range of the numeric qualifiers nominated for the commodity by the supplier,   thereby enabling advertisers to target members whose spatial identifiers and attribute profiles correspond to criteria predetermined by the supplier.   
     
     
         2 . A method of establishing a database of potential customers according to  claim 1 , wherein the incentive offered to members is use of a personal website.