Methods, Systems and Machines for Identifying Geospatial Compatibility Between Consumers and Providers of Goods or Services

Abstract

Geospatial compatibility between consumers and providers of goods or services is identified. The system allows consumers to find service providers with service areas encompassing their location or merchants within a desired shopping area, and allow consumers to query about consumers within a specified area, for example to identify a potential customer base or consider regional advertising. A digital map interface allows users to enter one or more locations or areas of interest and later performs location or area additions, modifications or removals. The system provides the geospatially matched consumers and vendors with information on how to contact one another, but is kept simple by leaving actual contact between the matched parties to separate outside communication channels independent of the system. Processing requirements are reduced by pre-calculating an inner rectangle for complex polygon geographical areas so that simple point-rectangle calculations can confirm locations within the area as being within the polygon.

1 . A method of identifying geospatial compatibility between consumers and providers of goods or services, the method comprising:
 (a) providing a server accessible through a data network by users who include consumers and providers of goods or services and who are each presented with a user interface that is displayed on a respective electronic device and provides said each user with an option for selecting between a providing mode of the user interface and a locating mode of the user interface,   (b) receiving, by the server from the respective electronic device of each one of one or more providers who have selected the providing mode, data on an offered good or service available from said each one of said one or more providers and data on a respective geographical area of interest to said each one of said one or more providers;   (c) receiving, by the server from the respective electronic device of each one of one or more consumers who have selected the locating mode, data on a desired good or service of interest to said each one of said one or more consumers and data on a respective geographical location associated with said each one of said one or more consumers;   (d) determining, by the server using the data received thereby, that the geographical location associated with at least one consumer is within the geographical area of interest to one of said providers and that the desired good or service of interest to said at least one consumer corresponds in type to the offered good or service available from said one of said providers, and transmitting, by the server, of first output data to the respective electronic device of said one of said providers to cause the providing mode of the user interface of the respective electronic device of said one of said providers to display an indication of a presence of at least one potential customer in the respective geographical area of interest of said one of said providers; and   (e) determining, by the server using the data received thereby, that the desired good or service of interest to one of said consumers corresponds in type to the offered good or service available from at least one of said one or more providers, and transmitting, by the server, of second output data to the respective electronic device of said one of said consumers to cause the locating mode of the user interface of the respective electronic device of said one of the consumers to display information on said at least one of the providers.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein step (b) further comprises receiving, by the server, data on a geographical location of the provider, step (c) further comprises receiving, by the server, data on a geographical shopping area specified by said each one of said consumers, and step (e) includes determining that the geographical location of said at least one of said providers is within the geographical shopping area of interest to said one of said consumers. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the geographical area of interest to said at least one of said providers is a service area served by said at least one of said providers and the determination in step (e) includes determining that the geographical location of said one of said consumers lies within the service area of said at least one of said providers. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the geographical location associated with said each one of said consumers is a location of a residence of said each one of said consumers. 
     
     
         5 . A system for identifying geospatial compatibility between consumers and providers of goods or services, the system or machine comprising:
 at least one server computer having a processor for executing computer instructions and a memory coupled to said processor for storing instructions and data during said processing;   a communications interface coupled with the at least one computer for connecting to a data network that supports communication between the at least one server computer and external electronic devices remote therefrom;   a data store integral with or coupled to the at least one computer and defining a database for storing information; and   a computer readable medium coupled to the processor and having executable statements and instructions stored thereon for execution by the processor to:
 (a) for each user among a group of users who include consumers and providers of goods or services and who are each presented with a user interface that is displayed on a respective electronic device and provides said each user with an option for selecting between a providing mode of the user interface and a locating mode of the user interface, (i) receive data on an offered good or service available from each one of one or more providers who have selected the providing mode and data on a respective geographical area of interest to said each one of said one or more providers; and (ii) receive data on a desired good or service of interest to each one of one or more consumers who have selected the locating mode and data on a respective geographical location associated with said each one of said one or more consumers; 
 (b) determine, using the data received, whether the geographical location associated of any one of said one or more consumers is within the geographical area of interest to said each of said one more providers and whether the desired good or service of interest to said any one of said one or more consumers corresponds in type to the offered good or service available from said each one of said one more providers, and if so, transmit first output data to the respective electronic device of said each one of said one more providers to cause the providing mode of the user interface of the respective electronic device of said each one of said one or more providers to display an indication of a presence of at least one potential customer in the respective geographical area of interest to said each one of said one or more providers; and 
 (c) determine, using the data received, whether the desired good or service of interest to said each one of said one or more consumers corresponds in type to the offered good or service available from any one of said one or more providers, and if so, transmit second output data to the respective electronic device of said each one of said one or more consumers to cause the locating mode of the user interface of the respective electronic device of said each one of said one or more consumers to display information on said any one of said one or more providers. 
   
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 5  wherein the executable statements and instructions stored on the computer readable medium are configured such that in step (a)(i) the server also accepts data on a geographical location of said each one of said one or more providers, in step (a)(ii) the server also accepts data on a geographical shopping area specified by said each one of said one or more consumers, and step (c) includes determination of whether the geographical location of said any one of said one or more providers is within the geographical shopping area of interest to said each one of said one or more consumers. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 5  wherein the executable statements and instructions stored on the computer readable medium are configured such that the server accepts details of a service area served by said each one of said one or more providers in step (a)(i), and step (c) includes determination of whether the geographical location of said each one of said one or more consumers lies within the service area of said any one of said providers. 
     
     
         8 . A method of identifying geospatial compatibility between consumers and providers of goods or services, the method comprising:
 (a) providing a server accessible through a data network by users including a plurality of consumers and a plurality of providers of goods or services through respective electronic devices operated by said users;   (b) (i) for at least a first group of said users, from the respective electronic devices of said first group, which respectively prompt each user of said first group to specify a respective geographic area through said respective electronic device of said each user of said first group, receiving of data, by the server via the data network, on the respective geographic area of said each user of said first group and automatic storing of said data, by the server, on the respective geographic area of said each user of said first group; and
 (ii) for at least a second group of said users, from the respective electronic devices said second group, which respectively prompt each user of said second group to specify a respective geographic location respective electronic device of said each user of said second group, receiving of data, by the server via the data network, on the respective geographic location and automatic storing of said data, by the server, on the respective geographic area of said each user of said second group; 
 (iii) for at least some users of the first and second groups, receiving of data, by the server via the data network, on both a respective geographic location and a respective geographic area from the respective electronic devices of said at least some users, and automatically storing of said data, by the server, on both said respective geographic location and said respective geographic area at the server; 
   (c) for said each user of step (b)(iii), performing of calculations by the server to determine whether the respective geographic location of any other users falls within the geographic area of said user of step (b)(iii) and whether the geographic location of said user of step (b)(iii) falls within the geographic area of said any other users; and through said calculations, automatically determining a first compatible group of one or more other users whose geographic locations are located within the respective geographic area of one user from step (b)(iii), and a second compatible group of one of more other users whose geographic areas contain the respective geographic location of said one user of step (b)(iii); and   (d) from the server, conveying a first set of output data to the respective electronic device of said one user from step (b)(iii) to display to said one user from step (b)(iii) a first indication of geo spatial compatibility of one or another of the first or second compatible group in relation, respectively, to the respective geographic area or respective geographic location of said one user from step (b)(iii);   (e) from the server, conveying a second set of output data to the respective electronic device of said one user from step (b)(iii) to display to said one user from step (b)(iii) a second indication of geospatial compatibility of the other of the first or second compatible group in relation, respectively, to the respective geographic location or respective geographic area of said one user from step (b)(iii).   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8  wherein step (d) comprises receiving, by the server, of a first request from the respective electronic device of said one user from step (b)(iii) for a first mode of output and conveying the first set of output data in response to said first request, and step (e) comprises receiving, by the server, of a second request from said one user from step (b)(iii) for a second mode of output and conveying the second set of output data in response to said second request. 
     
     
         10 . A system for identifying geospatial compatibility between consumers and providers of goods or services, the system or machine comprising:
 at least one server computer having a processor for executing computer instructions and a memory coupled to said processor for storing instructions and data during said processing;   a communications interface coupled with the at least one server computer for connecting to a data network that enables communication between the at least one server computer and external electronic devices that are respectively operated by remote users, which include a plurality of consumers and a plurality of providers of goods or services;   a data store integral with or coupled to the at least one computer and defining a database for storing information; and   a computer readable medium coupled to the processor and having executable statements and instructions stored thereon for execution by the processor to:   (a) (i) for at least a first group of said remote users, from the respective electronic devices thereof, which respectively prompt each user of said first group to specify respective a geographic area, receive data on the respective geographic area via the data network and automatically store said data on the respective geographic area in the data store; and
 (ii) for at least a second group of said remote users, from the respective electronic devices thereof, which respectively prompt each user of said second group to specify a respective geographic location, receive data on the respective geographic location via the data network and automatically store said data on the respective geographic area in the data store; 
 (iii) for at least some users of the first and second groups, receive data at the server via the data network on both a respective geographic location and a respective geographic area from the respective electronic devices of said at least some users, and automatically store said data on both said respective geographic location and said respective geographic area in the data store; 
   (b) for said each user in step (a)(iii), perform calculations to determine whether the respective geographic location of any other users falls within the respective geographic area of said each user in step (a)(iii) and whether the geographic location of said each user in step (a)(iii) falls within the geographic area of said any other users; and through said calculations, automatically determine whether there any compatible users of a first type whose respective geographic locations are located within the respective geographic area of said each user in step (a)(iii), and whether there are any compatible users of a second type whose respective geographic areas contain the respective geographic location of said each user in step (a)(iii); and   (c) subject to a positive determination of at least one compatible user of the first or second type for at least one user from step (a)(iii), conveying output data to the respective electronic device of said at least one user from step (a)(iii) to display an indication of a geospatial compatibility of each of said at least one compatible user in relation to the respective geographic area or respective geographic location of said at least one user from step (a)(iii).