System and method of optimizing the routing and delivery of services and goods, and notifications related to same

Abstract

A system and method that provides for the routing and delivery of services to consumers by providers is disclosed. The system enables providers to advertise and list the products and services they provide, and customers to solicit bids or to otherwise seek to engage a provider to perform a service or from whom to purchase a good. The system may store customer and provider information in databases to be searched to identify a match between customer and provider. The system transmits navigation information to the provider's device to travel to the final destination. The navigation information includes an intermediary destination the provider must reach before being presented with the final destination. The system may include a notification feature to notify a customer or third party regarding the location of the provider or the status of a requested service or delivery.

1 . A method of routing providers to destinations, the method comprising:
 causing presentation, by a provider mobile electronic device operated by a first provider, of navigation information to an intermediary destination without identification of a final destination, the final destination which is a location at which at least one of services are to be performed or goods are to be delivered and the intermediary destination which is a first geofenced area that is larger than and encompasses the final destination;   on reaching the first geofenced area, causing a notification to be sent to a server that triggers sending of location information specifying the final destination to the provider mobile electronic device;   receiving, at the provider mobile electronic device, the location information sent by the server specifying the final destination; and   causing presentation, by the provider mobile electronic device, of navigation information to the final destination as specified by the location information sent by the server.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 on reaching the final destination, causing a notification to be provided to at least one electronic device.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 on reaching the final destination, causing a notification to be provided to at least one electronic device logically associated with an entity that is not the first provider.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 causing an electronic notification to be provided to at least one electronic device logically associated with an entity that requested the services or goods.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 causing an electronic notification to be provided to at least one electronic device logically associated with an entity identified by an entity that requested the services or goods and different from the entity that requested the services or goods.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 in response to a signal indicative of the provider mobile electronic device being within a specified proximity of an electronic device logically associated with an entity that requested the services or goods, causing a notification to be provided to at least one of the provider mobile electronic device and the electronic device logically associated with the entity that requested the services or goods. 
 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 at a first time, receiving location information via a first application executing on the provider mobile electronic device, the location information specifying only the intermediary destination and not the final destination.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7  wherein receiving, at the provider mobile electronic device, the location information sent by the server specifying the final destination includes at a second time, receiving location information via the first application executing on the provider mobile electronic device, the location information specifying the final destination, the first time occurring before the second time, and the second time occurring at or after the provider reaches the intermediary destination. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8  wherein causing presentation of navigation information to an intermediary destination without identification of a final destination includes causing, by at least a second application executing on the provider mobile electronic device, at least one of: a visual presentation of a first map with routing information to the intermediary destination without identification of a final destination or causing presentation of turn-by-turn routing information to the intermediary destination without identification of a final destination. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1  wherein causing presentation, by a provider mobile electronic device operated by a first provider, of navigation information to an intermediary destination without identification of a final destination, further includes:
 tracking a current location of the provider mobile electronic device via the first application. 
 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 determining whether the current location of the provider mobile electronic device has reached the intermediary destination; and   in response to determining that the current location of the provider mobile electronic device has reached the first geofenced area, causing the notification to be sent to a server that triggers the sending of the location information specifying the final destination to the provider mobile electronic device.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11  wherein causing presentation of navigation information to an intermediary destination without identification of a final destination includes causing, by at least a second application executing on the provider mobile electronic device, at least one of: a visual presentation of a first map with routing information to the intermediary destination without identification of a final destination or causing presentation of turn-by-turn routing information to the intermediary destination without identification of a final destination. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 at a first time, providing location information specifying the intermediary destination in an unencrypted form by the first application to a second application executing on the provider mobile electronic device, the second application separate and distinct from the first application; and   at a second time, providing location information specifying the final destination in an unencrypted form by the first application to the second application executing on the provider mobile electronic device, the first time occurring before the second time, and the second time occurring at or after the provider reaches the intermediary destination.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13  wherein the second application is a navigation application executable by at least one of a smartphone, tablet computer, or head unit of a vehicle, and the first application makes a series of application programming interface (API) calls to the second application. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14  wherein causing presentation of navigation information to an intermediary destination without identification of a final destination causing, by the second application executing on the provider mobile electronic device, includes at least one of: a visual presentation of a first map with routing information to the intermediary destination without identification of a final destination or causing presentation of turn-by-turn routing information to the intermediary destination without identification of a final destination. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1  wherein causing presentation of navigation information to an intermediary destination without identification of a final destination includes at least one of causing: a visual presentation of a first map with routing information to the intermediary destination without identification of a final destination or causing presentation of turn-by-turn routing information to the intermediary destination without identification of a final destination.