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

摘要

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.

主权项

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.