IP Library › Granted Patent US 9,177,056

Granted Patent B2

US 9,177,056 · App. 12/652,728 · Granted Nov 3, 2015

Method and apparatus for a trusted localized peer-to-peer services marketplace

Inventors: Marco Zappacosta (San Francisco, CA); Jeremy Tunnell (San Francisco, CA); Alexander Daniels (Washington, DC); Jonathan Swanson (San Francisco, CA)

Assignee: THUMBTACK, INC.

G06F17/30864 G06Q30/00

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Quick Facts

Patent No.: US 9,177,056
App. No.: 12/652,728
Granted: Nov 3, 2015
Kind: B2

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Abstract

A trusted localized peer-to-peer services marketplace including an available search module to search an available services database for available services responsive to receiving a search query from a potential service buyer, a wanted services search module to search a wanted services database for wanted services responsive to a receiving a search query from a service seller, and a display module coupled with the available services search module and the wanted services search module, the display module to display the results of the search queries, the display module further to display an option for the potential service buyer to automatically populate the wanted services database based on the received available services search query, and to display an option for the service seller to automatically populate the available services database based on the received wanted services search query.

Claims (96)

1. A machine-readable storage medium that provides instructions that, if executed by a processor, will cause said processor to perform operations for a trusted localized peer-to-peer services marketplace, the operations comprising:

receiving a search query from a potential service buyer, the search query including a plurality of parameters, wherein the potential service buyer is associated with a profile for the trusted localized peer-to-peer services marketplace that is associated with at least the following:

a set of one or more reviews submitted by one or more service sellers, and

a rating of that potential service buyer that is based on the set of reviews submitted by the one or more service sellers including a total number of reviews of the potential service buyer, a number of negative reviews of the potential service buyer, a number of positive reviews of the potential service buyer, and a number of neutral reviews of the potential service buyer;

wherein negative reviews are given a score less than neutral reviews, wherein neutral reviews are given a score less than positive reviews, and wherein a first portion of the first set of reviews that are made earlier in time as compared to a second portion of the first set of reviews is weighed less heavily in the rating of the potential service buyer;

wherein the first portion of the first set of reviews is given a value at least based on,

the sum of, the score given for the number of negative reviews of the first portion of the first set of reviews, the score given for the number of neutral reviews of the first portion of the first set of reviews, and the score given for the number of positive reviews of the first portion of the first set of reviews,

that sum divided by the number of reviews of the first portion of the first set of reviews thereby generating a first intermediate number, and

that first intermediate number multiplied by a number greater than one;

wherein the second portion of the first set of reviews is given a value at least based on,

the sum of, the score given for the number of negative reviews of the second portion of the first set of reviews, the score given for the number of neutral reviews of the second portion of the first set of reviews, and the score given for the number of positive reviews of the second portion of the first set of reviews,

that sum divided by the number of reviews of the second portion of the first set of reviews thereby generating a second intermediate number, and

that second intermediate number multiplied by a number greater than one;

wherein the rating of that potential service buyer includes a combination of the value given to the first portion of the first set of reviews and the value given to the second portion of the first set of reviews;

parsing the search query to identify the plurality of parameters, the plurality of parameters at least including a category of service wanted and a location where the service wanted is desired;

searching an available services database based on the plurality of parameters of the search query, wherein the available services database is populated with available services provided by a plurality of service sellers, wherein each one of the service sellers has a service seller profile for the trusted localized peer-to-peer services marketplace that is associated with at least the following:

a description of a service that service seller offers,

contact information for that service seller,

a location of the service seller,

a location where the service offered by the service seller is provided, and a set of one or more reviews submitted by one or more other service buyers;

transmitting one or more notifications to one or more service sellers that offer a service that matches at least the category of service wanted and the location where the service wanted is desired based on a result of the searching of the available services database; and

communicating, to the potential service buyer, information regarding one or more service sellers that match at least the category of service wanted and the location where the service wanted is desired based on a result of the searching of the available services database, wherein the communicated information includes, for each of the one or more services sellers that match at least the category of service wanted and the location where the service wanted is desired, at least the following:

the description of the service that service seller offers,

contact information for that service seller,

the location of the service seller,

the location where the service offered by the service seller is provided, and

a rating of that service seller that is based on the set of reviews submitted by the one or more other service buyers including a total number of reviews of that service seller, a number of negative reviews of that service seller, and a number of positive reviews of that service seller.

2. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a selection of one of the services offered by one of the service sellers from the potential service buyer;

displaying an interactive calendar that indicates the availability of the selected service seller for the selected service;

receiving a reservation request for the selected service during one of the available times of the selected service seller from the potential service buyer;

reserving the requested time for the service seller to provide the selected service to the potential service buyer to create a service appointment; and

notifying the selected service seller of the service appointment.

3. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the communicated information further includes, for each of the one or more services sellers that match at least the category of service wanted and the location where the service wanted is desired, the following:

an estimate of a price for the service offered by that service seller; and

one or more reviews of that service seller submitted by one or more other service buyers.

4. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein each service seller profile for each service seller is further associated with a completed background check for the trusted localized peer-to-peer services marketplace.

5. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 4 , wherein the background check includes a sexual offender database check.

6. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the contact information for each service seller is verified as being accurate.

7. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of parameters further includes a price that the potential service buyer wants to spend for the service wanted.

8. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the rating of that service seller is further based on a number of neutral reviews of that service seller, wherein negative reviews are given a score less than neutral reviews, wherein neutral reviews are given a score less than positive reviews, wherein a first portion of the second set of reviews that are made earlier in time as compared to a second portion of the second set of reviews is weighed less heavily in the rating of that service seller,

wherein the first portion of the second set of reviews is given a value at least based on,

the sum of, the score given for the number of negative reviews of the first portion of the second set of reviews, the score given for the number of neutral reviews of the first portion of the second set of reviews, and the score given for the number of positive reviews of the first portion of the second set of reviews,

that sum divided by the number of reviews of the first portion of the second set of reviews,

wherein the second portion of the second set of reviews is given a value at least based on,

the sum of, the score given for the number of negative reviews of the second portion of the second set of reviews, the score given for the number of neutral reviews of the second portion of the second set of reviews, and the score given for the number of positive reviews of the second portion of the second set of reviews,

that sum divided by the number of reviews of the second portion of the second set of reviews, and

wherein the rating of that service seller incorporates the value given to the first portion of the second set of reviews and the value given to the second portion of the second set of reviews.

9. A method performed on a trusted localized peer-to-peer services marketplace computing system, comprising: