System, method, and medium for generating a map of a geographic region based on client location data

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016104232-A1
Application number	US-201514857460-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 17, 2015
Priority date	Nov 15, 2010
Publication date	Apr 14, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Described herein are technologies pertaining to presenting a map to a user that comprises graphical icons that are representative of retail stores. The user has provided a shopping list, wherein the shopping list includes a plurality of products that are desirably purchased by the user. Inventories of retail stores in a geographic region of interest to the user are searched, and a map is generated that includes graphical icons representative of the retail stores, data that indicates that product(s) in the shopping list are available at the retail stores, and price data that indicates prices of product(s) in the shopping list at the respective retail stores.

First claim

1 - 20 . (canceled)

21 . A method executed by at least one processor of at least one server computing device, the method comprising:
generating a computer-implemented map of a geographic area that is of interest to a user, the map generated responsive to receiving, from a client computing device and over a network connection, an identity of at least one product, wherein the user has expressed interest in purchasing the at least one product, the at least one product has a parameter corresponding thereto, and the parameter has a constraint corresponding thereto, the constraint being on one of price of the at least one product, brand name of the at least one product, or model of the at least one product, wherein generating the computer-implemented map comprises:
receiving, from the client computing device and over the network connection, location data that is indicative of the geographic area;
relaxing the constraint corresponding to the parameter of the product;
in response receipt of the location data that is indicative of the geographic area and the relaxing of the constraint, executing a search over data in a data repository based upon the geographic area of interest and the relaxing of the constraint, wherein executing the search comprises:
locating at least one retail store in the geographic area of interest;
searching an inventory of the at least one retail store to locate a recommended product, wherein the searching of the inventory is based upon the relaxing of the constraint corresponding to the parameter of the product; and
determining a price of the recommended product at the at least one retail store, wherein the computer-implemented map of the geographic area, when generated, comprises data that identifies a location of the at least one retail store,

data indicative of an identity of the at least one retail store, and the price of the recommended product; and
transmitting, to the client computing device and over the network connection, the computer-implemented map for presentment on a display of the client computing device.

22 . The method of claim 21 , wherein searching the inventory of the at least one retail store comprises locating the recommended product in the inventory based at least in part upon purchase patterns of the user.

23 . The method of claim 21 , wherein searching the inventory of the at least one retail store comprises locating the recommended product in the inventory based at least in part upon purchase patterns of other users.

24 . The method of claim 21 , wherein searching the inventory of the at least one retail store comprises locating the recommended product in the inventory based at least in part upon products in stock at the at least one retail store that are similar to the at least one product.

25 . The method of claim 21 , wherein the at least one constraint is on the price of the at least one product.

26 . The method of claim 21 , wherein the data that is indicative of the identity of the at least one retail store is a graphical icon that is representative of the at least one retail store, the graphical icon positioned on the map to identify the location of the at least one retail store in the geographic area, wherein generating the map further comprises providing a selectable link in relation to the graphical icon, the method further comprising transmitting driving directions to the client computing device for presentment on the display thereof, the driving directions being to the at least one retail store.

27 . The method of claim 21 , wherein executing the search comprises:
locating a plurality of retail stores in the geographic area of interest based upon a shopping list of products that are of interest to the user, wherein the shopping list comprises a plurality of products; searching inventories of the plurality of retail stores to identify which of the plurality of retail stores has at least one product in the plurality of products in inventory and to further identify prices of the plurality of products at the plurality of retail stores; wherein the map, when generated, comprises graphical icons that are respectively representative of the plurality of retail stores, prices pertaining to the products or prices pertaining to recommended products in the multiple retail stores are displayed in association with the graphical icons.

28 . The method of claim 27 , wherein generating the map comprises causing a plurality of selectable links to be displayed, wherein selection of a first selectable link causes a driving route to be output that directs the user to a subset of the multiple retail stores to purchase the plurality of products at a collectively cheapest price.

29 . The method of claim 28 , wherein generating the map comprises causing a plurality of selectable links to be displayed, wherein selection of a second selectable link causes a driving route to be output that directs the user to a subset of the multiple retail stores to purchase the plurality of products in a least amount of driving time.

30 . The method of claim 21 , wherein executing the search over the data in the data repository further comprises:
searching an inventory of an online retail store to locate the product and price of the product at the online retail store, the method further comprising causing the price of the product at the online retail store to be displayed in a side panel adjacent to the map.

31 . The method of claim 21 , wherein the location data is received from a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver of the client computing device, the method further comprising:
inferring the geographic are based upon the position data.

32 . The method of claim 21 , further comprising:
receiving an indication that the user has selected a graphical icon on the map that is representative of the at least one retail store; responsive to receiving the indication, transmitting graphical data corresponding to at least one other product that is in stock at the at least one retail store that is related to the at least one product.

33 . The method of claim 21 , further comprising:
receiving an indication that the user has selected a graphical icon on the map that is representative of the at least one retail store; responsive to receiving the indication, transmitting graphical data that indicates that the user is able to place the at least one product on hold at the at least one retail store; receiving an indication that the user wishes to place the at least one product on hold; and transmitting a message to a computing device of the at least one retail store that instructs the at least one retail store to place the at least one product on hold for a predefined amount of time responsive to receiving the indication that the user wishes to place the at least one product on hold.

34 . A system comprising:
a processor; and memory that comprises a plurality of components that are executable by the processor, the components comprising:
a search component that executes a search over data in a data repository based upon an identity of a product set forth in a query transmitted to the system over a network connection between the client computing device and the system, wherein the product has a parameter associated therewith, the data in the data repository comprises inventories of a plurality of retail stores in a geographic area of interest to the user, and the search component, when executing the search, relaxes a constraint pertaining to the parameter of the product to locate a recommended product that is in stock at a retail store amongst the plurality of retail stores, the constraint b

Assignees

• Microsoft Technology Licensing Llc

Inventors

• Perks Barbara Leigh
• Paushkina Anastasia
• Ioannides Nektarios
• Lam Lawrence
• Saxena Sonam

Classifications

• G06Q30/0639 Primary

  Locating goods or services, e.g. based on physical position of the goods or services within a shopping facility · CPC title

• G06Q30/0641

  utilising user interfaces specially adapted for shopping · CPC title

• G06Q30/0625

  by formulating product or service queries, e.g. using keywords or predefined options · CPC title

• G06Q30/0631

  Recommending goods or services · CPC title

• G01C21/005

  with correlation of navigation data from several sources, e.g. map or contour matching (G01C21/30 takes precedence) · CPC title