IP Library Granted Patent US 11,379,938
Granted Patent B1
US 11,379,938 · App. 17/078,941 · Granted Jul 5, 2022

System and method for managing real estate listing showings based on multiple factors

Inventors: Scott E Woodard (New Buffalo, MI); Michael P Caputo (Aurora, IL); Paul G Bergman (Chicago, IL); David C Bernhard (Downers Grove, IL)
Assignee: ShowingTime.com, Inc.
G06Q50/16G06Q10/1095G07C9/00309G07C9/215G07C9/27G07C9/28H04W4/021G07C2009/00484
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,379,938
App. No.
17/078,941
Granted
Jul 5, 2022
Kind
B1
Abstract

A specialized server within a real estate showing management system creates a showing appointment for a showing agent to show a listing and a set of geo-fences around the listing when the appointment is created, At a particular time before the showing, the specialized server notifies a showing agent mobile device to download the set of geo-fences and, when requested, provides the set to the mobile device. The mobile device notifies the specialized server when it breaches a geo-fence within the set. The specialized server determines that the showing has started when the notification and the beginning time of the showing appointment are within a predetermined time range. The specialized server then notifies property electronic devices to turn on.

Claims (43)

1. A real estate showing management system comprising:

i) a database storing and providing data;

ii) a specialized server having a processor, a specialized server software application running on said processor, a memory, and a network interface coupled to said processor and adaptively coupled to said database and the Internet;

iii) said specialized server software application adapted to:

1) receive a request for making a showing appointment of a listing for a showing agent, said showing agent associated with a showing agent mobile device adapted to communicate with said specialized server over said Internet;

2) create said showing appointment;

3) create a set of geo-fences around said listing, said set of geo-fences corresponding to said showing appointment and including a first geo-fence;

4) determine a geo-fence notification time to notify said showing agent mobile device of said set of geo-fences;

5) at said geo-fence notification time, send a geo-fence notification to said showing agent mobile device;

6) receive a request from said showing agent mobile device for said set of geo-fences;

7) provide said set of geo-fences to said showing agent mobile device;

8) receive a geo-fence breach notification from said showing agent mobile device after said showing agent mobile device has breached said first geo-fence, wherein said geo-fence breach notification indicates a showing agent identifier of said showing agent;

9) based on said showing appointment, said geo-fence breach notification and a time of said geo-fence breach notification, determine that said showing agent should have access to said listing;

10) send an access code for a key controller associated with said listing to said showing agent mobile device;

11) based on said showing appointment, said geo-fence breach notification and said time of said geo-fence breach notification, determine that said showing agent has started a showing of said listing corresponding to said showing appointment; and

12) send a property electronic device notification to a property electronic device inside said listing to turn itself on after said showing is determined to have started, wherein:

a) said set of geo-fences includes a second geo-fence that is different from said first geo-fence;

b) said geo-fence notification time is a predetermined amount of time before a beginning time of said showing appointment;

c) said geo-fence notification is a push notification;

d) said request is a geo-fence download request; and

f) said showing agent is determined to have started said showing corresponding to said showing appointment when said beginning time of said showing appointment, and a time of said geo-fence breach notification are within a predetermined time range.

2. A real estate showing management system comprising:

i) a database storing and providing data;

ii) a specialized server having a processor, a specialized server software application running on said processor, a memory, and a network interface coupled to said processor and adaptively coupled to said database and the Internet;

iii) said specialized server software application adapted to:

1) receive a request for making a showing appointment of a listing for a showing agent, said showing agent associated with a showing agent mobile device adapted to communicate with said specialized server over said Internet;

2) create said showing appointment;

3) create a set of geo-fences around said listing, said set of geo-fences corresponding to said showing appointment and including a first geo-fence;

4) determine a geo-fence notification time to notify said showing agent mobile device of said set of geo-fences;

5) at said geo-fence notification time, send a geo-fence notification to said showing agent mobile device;

6) receive a request from said showing agent mobile device for said set of geo-fences;

7) provide said set of geo-fences to said showing agent mobile device;

8) receive a geo-fence breach notification from said showing agent mobile device after said showing agent mobile device has breached said first geo-fence, wherein said geo-fence breach notification indicates a showing agent identifier of said showing agent;

9) based on said showing appointment, said geo-fence breach notification and a time of said geo-fence breach notification, determine that said showing agent should have access to said listing;

10) send an access code for a key controller associated with said listing to said showing agent mobile device; and

11) based on said showing appointment, said geo-fence breach notification and said time of said geo-fence breach notification, determine that said showing agent has started a showing of said listing corresponding to said showing appointment when a beginning time of said showing appointment and said time of said geo-fence breach notification are within a predetermined time range.

3. The real estate showing management system of claim 2 wherein said specialized server software application is further adapted to send a property electronic device notification to a property electronic device inside said listing to turn itself on after said showing is determined to have started.

4. The real estate showing management system of claim 2 wherein said set of geo-fences includes a second geo-fence that is different from said first geo-fence.

5. The real estate showing management system of claim 2 wherein said geo-fence notification time is a predetermined amount of time before said beginning time of said showing appointment.

6. The real estate showing management system of claim 2 wherein said geo-fence notification is a push notification.

7. The real estate showing management system of claim 2 wherein said request is a geo-fence download request.

8. The real estate showing management system of claim 2 wherein said specialized server software application is further adapted to send a showing in session message to an appointment contact mobile device after said showing is determined to have started.

9. The real estate showing management system of claim 2 wherein said specialized server software application is further adapted to send a showing ended message to an appointment contact mobile device after said showing is determined to have ended.

Assignments (6)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 15, 2022
From: SHOWINGTIME.COM, LLC
To: ZILLOW, INC.
Reel/Frame 062117/0600 →
MERGER AND CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Dec 15, 2022
From: PUSH SUB I, INC.; MFTB HOLDCO, INC.
To: MFTB HOLDCO, INC.
Reel/Frame 062117/0822 →
ENTITY CONVERSION Recorded Dec 15, 2022
From: SHOWINGTIME.COM, INC.
To: SHOWINGTIME.COM, LLC
Reel/Frame 062137/0690 →
ENTITY CONVERSION Recorded Dec 15, 2022
From: ZILLOW, INC.
To: ZILLOW, LLC
Reel/Frame 062137/0808 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 15, 2022
From: ZILLOW, LLC
To: PUSH SUB I, INC.
Reel/Frame 062138/0001 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 23, 2020
From: WOODARD, SCOTT E; CAPUTO, MICHAEL P; BERGMAN, PAUL G; BERNHARD, DAVID C
To: SHOWINGTIME.COM, INC.
Reel/Frame 054153/0052 →