Abstract:
A computer implemented method of booking an appointment for services desired by a user comprising compiling a database of companies available for the user to search, the database comprising a profile about each company, including the category of services, the location of the company and the available appointments for the services, a search platform accessible by a user operating a computer or a mobile device, the platform allowing the user to search by a category of service, name of a company, location, or date and time available for an appointment, the platform comprising a chat option whereby the user can contact a platform agent to arrange an available appointment with a service company and advise the user of the appointment or the user can activate the chat option for any purpose.

Description:
[0001]    This application is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/872,023 filed Apr. 26, 2013, which is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/837,413 filed Mar. 15, 2013, both of which applications are incorporated herein by reference, in their entireties. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention comprises a platform that acts as a marketplace which empowers its users, the buyers of listed services and its establishments, the sellers of listed services, the capabilities to search, discover, schedule, share and store a user based schedule. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Technology has provided public and private establishments with many means for consumers to schedule appointments. Consumers can make an appointment with an establishment over the phone or via email. Some establishments even offer consumers an option to schedule appointments online by visiting the establishment&#39;s website. While technology has made this process easier, consumers who wish to make appointments with multiple establishments have to make several phone calls, and/or log onto several different websites for each establishment. Furthermore, most establishments still lack the means to allow consumers to make appointments online. These limitations waste valuable time and are mistake prone. There is a need to provide consumers with a single integrated platform, a “one stop shop”, which allows consumers to make, modify or cancel online appointments, all on one platform. 
         [0004]    There is also a need for a more effective search system that makes it easier for a user to find and learn about companies and businesses and book appointments with them. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    The invention described herein is an improvement over the system described in the two parent applications referred to above. The improvement adds to the platform described in the parent applications, a “chat” option, in which a consumer, user of the system, can request a chat with a platform agent/administrator, simply by clicking on a chat button on their mobile phone or smart phone or on the platform web site. The consumer, user, may choose to chat for any reason the user feels the need, such as when they are having any sort of problem using the system or because they are booking an appointment with a particular company or type of service, or they want to schedule an appointment through a platform agent. The chat may also be used to modify or cancel an appointment. The platform agent handles customer service and booking. 
         [0006]    The inventive system provides means to easily and effectively search using the platform web site or using a mobile phone or smartphone, to find a company for which the user has a need. This can be accomplished using the system search feature to search for a specific category, favorite company and/or previously purchased packages. The search can also be made by selecting category icons that represent the services that the companies offer through the platform. 
         [0007]    The search using a mobile phone or smartphone allows the user to search for a company by typing a specific service category or company name or by using a dropdown menu. The search can also be made based upon location using geo-location functions of the mobile device to locate the closest business establishment to the user&#39;s mobile device. The search can be directed to the current location or a selected other location or by accessing a previously searched or visited location. 
         [0008]    The search can also be based upon a selection of the day and/or time or by selecting a one-click category button which will access the businesses available in the search results. The flexibility of the different search options provides a much better user experience. 
         [0009]    The search results will be flexible in that the platform administrator can adjust the search results by enhancing a company&#39;s position in the listings based on, for instance, highest user reviews, most available time slots, most appointments booked, and other factors of importance to users. 
         [0010]    In addition, the platform has certain features that are available for the user, such as, find and search appointments, review appointment status, history of completed appointments and the ability to review prior receipts for appointment transactions, while also viewing the user&#39;s calendar along with any synced third party calendars. Once the user logs into the system there is a dashboard that is present on most all screens that gives quick access to the above mentioned features. 
         [0011]    Some of the search features outlined above, as well as the dashboard, may be available only for the users of the platform after a user has signed up and logged onto the platform. 
         [0012]    These search features are part of the single platform described in the first parent application which is capable of setting up various appointments with different establishments, described in detail in the parent application. By providing its users with a single platform capable of making appointments with different establishments, this system saves its users time spent on logging onto multiple websites or making several phone calls in order to make appointments with different establishments. The system also creates an online platform to help its users to organize their schedules. The system also allows its users to arrange group meetings, and create or schedule live events using a single integrated platform. 
         [0013]    The platform offers its users a convenient method to view the establishments&#39; availability calendar and an option for the user to superimpose the user&#39;s own third party calendars (such as Google Calendar, iCal or Facebook events) on top of the establishments&#39; availabilities. The user can also superimpose the establishment&#39;s availabilities over the user&#39;s own third party calendars. The platform also allows users to book appointments with the establishments directly through the platform. In addition, the platform allows users to create, schedule and initiate events with other users (such as play dates, rideshares, etc.) Also, the user can make an appointment for persons other than themselves, such as their spouse, children, relatives or friends. 
         [0014]    It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved search system for the platform which is capable to search, discover, schedule, share and/or store a user based schedule. It is a further object of the present invention to provide its users to be able to search and find one or more establishments that they need and to set up appointments with each establishment, on one calendar. 
         [0015]    The description of the platform is described in detail in the parent applications and is incorporated herein by reference, in its entirety. 
         [0016]    When a user searches and finds a company or establishment that may provide the needed services, a company profile page for each of the establishments found will be shown, with a built in clock and an integrated calendar. The company profile page includes a calendar with any and all available time slots, associated with specific services and in some cases, a specific employee of the company. In addition to the company&#39;s profile page calendar, there is a real world calendar which is divided into months, weeks, days, and may also have an agenda or list format. 
         [0017]    The platform contains a function which allows users to search the list of companies for a desired company to make an appointment, and search the list of available time slots of companies to make an appointment. The user can choose to make an appointment with any company on the list of companies by allotting an increment of time in the calendar for the designated company. If a user cannot find the type of company he or she is searching for, the platform contains a feature which allows the user to request that a company be added to the platform. 
         [0018]    The platform also contains a feature which allows its users to tag a company as the user&#39;s favorite company, resulting in listing the tagged favorite company in the user&#39;s “select a favorite” category, with a dropdown button for ease of use. 
         [0019]    This system offers its users the opportunity to book an appointment online with any service provider company of choice. Naturally, the appointment needs to be mutually accepted by both the user and the company based on pricing and availabilities. 
         [0020]    What makes this platform (known as the kuyam platform) so unique and interesting is that it gives flexibility to both the user and companies. The users get to see a list of availabilities and/or correspond with kuyam agent/administrators to find a time that works for them for any service provider of their choice. The companies get to list their availabilities for booking in multiple options: instantly live, deferred booking (where the company lists its available hours and the user requests an available time) and a kuyam agent connects the information between the user request and the company availabilities. 
       The Platform Lists Service Provider Company Availabilities in 4 Different Types: 
       [0021]    Company type 1—kuyam instant-book; this is a company that lists its hours on the platform. The user searches a service provider company&#39;s available hours and books one from the list of available time slots. The appointment is booked instantly and notices are sent to both the user and the service provider. 
         [0022]    Company type 2—kuyam book-it; some of the companies signed up on kuyam&#39;s platform do not offer instant booking but offer a deferred process where the user requests a listed timeslot, a kuyam agent (platform agent) reaches out to the company to confirm the availability of the timeslot, and once confirmed, or modified, the booking is passed on to the user; 
         [0023]    Company type 3—hybrid-kuyam; for companies that are not kuyam clients but list their availabilities online. This service is offered to kuyam users to provide them with more selections and options even though kuyam may not get compensated for the booking of the appointment; 
         [0024]    Company type 4—non-kuyam; this is for companies that are not kuyam clients, do not offer or list their available services online, and do not list much information about the specifics of their services. Kuyam agents chat both with the user and the service provider, back and forth, until a mutually acceptable appointment is scheduled. 
         [0000]    Regardless of whether the company is a kuyam instant book; kuyam book-it; hybrid-kuyam; or non-kuyam, a chat option is also available to the user. With the chat option, the user can bypass the process of looking for an appointment themselves and can start chatting directly with a kuyam agent. 
         [0025]    Table 1 and Table 2 below set forth the processing of an appointment depending upon the type of company involved. 
         [0000]    
       
         
               
               
               
             
           
               
                 TABLE 1 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 COMPANY TYPE 
                 KUYAM INSTANT-BOOK 
                 KUYAM BOOK-IT 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                 Who Manages the Company 
                 Company administrator 
                 Company administrator 
               
               
                 appointments? 
               
               
                 Booking an Appointment 
                 When the user books an 
                 When the user books an 
               
               
                 Confirmation Process 
                 appointment, the appointment 
                 appointment, the appointment 
               
               
                   
                 is confirmed by the system 
                 is in a pending status, until the 
               
               
                   
                 immediately. 
                 company confirms the 
               
               
                   
                   
                 appointment. 
               
               
                 Method of Payment: is ‘Pay- 
                 Yes, depending on company 
                 Yes, depending on company 
               
               
                 in-Person’ Allowed? 
                 settings 
                 settings 
               
               
                 Method of Payment: is 
                 Yes, from user to company; or 
                 Yes, from user to company; or 
               
               
                 ‘PayPal’ Allowed? 
                 user to kuyam/then kuyam to 
                 user to kuyam/then kuyam to 
               
               
                   
                 company 
                 company 
               
               
                 Sales of Packages Allowed? 
                 Yes 
                 Yes 
               
               
                 Kuyam Appointment Fees 
                 When the user pays company 
                 When the user pays company 
               
               
                   
                 via PayPal kuyam fees are 
                 via PayPal kuyam fees are 
               
               
                   
                 collected at the time when 
                 collected at the time when 
               
               
                   
                 funds are paid to the company. 
                 funds are paid to the company. 
               
               
                   
                 When the user pays company 
                 When the user pays Company 
               
               
                   
                 by Pay-in-Person, kuyam fees 
                 by Pay-in-Person, kuyam fees 
               
               
                   
                 are collected from the 
                 are collected from the 
               
               
                   
                 company&#39;s PayPal account on 
                 company&#39;s PayPal account on 
               
               
                   
                 file. 
                 file. 
               
               
                 Cancellation Process &amp; Fees 
                 The user can cancel any 
                 The user can cancel any 
               
               
                   
                 appointment before the 
                 appointment before the 
               
               
                   
                 appointment time. If user pays 
                 appointment time. If user pays 
               
               
                   
                 via PayPal, the user will be 
                 via PayPal, the user will be 
               
               
                   
                 refunded the amount paid 
                 refunded the amount paid 
               
               
                   
                 minus any applicable 
                 minus any applicable 
               
               
                   
                 cancellation fees. For both 
                 cancellation fees. For both 
               
               
                   
                 PayPal and Pay-in-Person, 
                 PayPal and Pay-in-Person, 
               
               
                   
                 kuyam fees are accounted for 
                 kuyam fees are accounted for 
               
               
                   
                 as well. 
                 as well. 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
         [0000]    
       
         
               
               
               
             
           
               
                 TABLE 2 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 COMPANY TYPE 
                 HYBRID KUYAM 
                 NON-KUYAM 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                 Who Manages the Company 
                 Kuyam agent 
                 Kuyam agent 
               
               
                 appointments? 
               
               
                 Booking an Appointment 
                 When user books an 
                 When user books an 
               
               
                 Confirmation Process 
                 appointment, a kuyam agent 
                 appointment, a kuyam agent 
               
               
                   
                 must use the admin site to 
                 must use the admin site to 
               
               
                   
                 “manage company” and 
                 “manage company” and 
               
               
                   
                 confirm the appointment. 
                 confirm the appointment. 
               
               
                 Method of Payment: is ‘Pay- 
                 Yes, depending on company 
                 Yes, depending on company 
               
               
                 in-Person’ Allowed? 
                 settings 
                 settings 
               
               
                 Method of Payment: is 
                 Yes, from user to kuyam/then 
                 Yes, from user to kuyam/then 
               
               
                 ‘PayPal’ Allowed? 
                 kuyam to company. 
                 kuyam to company, 
               
               
                 Sales of Packages Allowed? 
                 Company policy 
                 Company policy 
               
               
                 Kuyam Appointment Fees 
                 None 
                 None 
               
               
                 Cancellation Process &amp; Fees 
                 The user can cancel any 
                 The user can cancel any 
               
               
                   
                 appointment before the 
                 appointment before the 
               
               
                   
                 appointment time. These 
                 appointment time. These 
               
               
                   
                 companies will have a 
                 companies will have a 
               
               
                   
                 standard cancellation policy - 
                 standard cancellation policy - 
               
               
                   
                 no refund if the user cancels 
                 no refund if the user cancels 
               
               
                   
                 an appointment within 24 
                 an appointment within 24 
               
               
                   
                 hours of appointment start 
                 hours of appointment start 
               
               
                   
                 time, (subject to change) 
                 time. (Subject to change) 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
         [0026]    The basic steps the user takes are as follows: the user searches for a company he or she may want to book an appointment with; the user selects the company&#39;s profile page; depending on the type of company (internally tagged) the user will either be able to click a button to see availabilities and/or begin a chat session with a company agent directly from the company&#39;s profile page, with a chat button available on the page. 
         [0027]    There are two kinds of chat sessions available to the user: first, a general chat button where the user can ask any question or discuss any concern with a kuyam agent. The second chat type is where the chat button is available on the company profile page, where the user can chat with a kuyam agent to book an appointment with the company. 
         [0028]    Chat sessions can cover various processes. A user can be chatting with a kuyam agent that may cover other topics and end up booking an appointment through that process. And/or the user can be in a company profile page and ask for a chat with a kuyam agent that may cover other topics, whether the user ends up booking or not booking an appointment directly with the company. 
         [0029]    In addition to chatting between the user and a kuyam agent, SMS and/or instant messaging services can also be used between the user and the kuyam agent; or between a kuyam agent and the company; or between the user/kuyam agent/and the company; and/or between the user and the company directly. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0030]      FIG. 1  is a diagram illustrating the step by step operation of the platform; 
           [0031]      FIG. 2A  shows a mobile device search page for certain company profiles; 
           [0032]      FIG. 2B  shows a mobile device search results page for the  2 A company profiles; 
           [0033]      FIG. 2C  shows a mobile device search page for another company profile; 
           [0034]      FIG. 2D  shows a mobile device search page for the  2 C company profile; 
           [0035]      FIG. 3A  shows a mobile device chat dealing with a company; 
           [0036]      FIG. 3B  shows a mobile device checkout summary for the  3 A company; 
           [0037]      FIG. 4A  shows a mobile device with the start of a chat; and, 
           [0038]      FIG. 4B  shows a chat between a user and a platform agent. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0039]    Referring to the drawings,  FIG. 1  shows the steps taken to utilize the search system of the invention. Step  1  the user selects a company to book an appointment. Step  2  sets forth four different types of companies, the company selected by the user being one of those four types. 
         [0040]    If the company chosen by the user is a type 1 company, Step  3 , the user taps the “view  185  availability” button and the availability the availability results are listed. 
         [0041]    Step  4  the user taps a desired time. Step  5  the user taps on a preferred calendar and Step  6  the user taps on a preferred service. 
         [0042]    Then Step  11  the user is taken to appointment checkout and summary page for that time slot and Step  12  the payment process takes place and Step  13  the appointment is booked for the user for that time slot. 
         [0043]    Step  7  if the user does not see a desired time so he or she taps “can&#39;t find a time, let&#39;s chat” button. Step  8  a chat occurs with a kuyam agent and the kuyam agent finds out the preferred day, time and service. 
         [0044]    Step  9  the kuyam agent populates day, time and service for the user to book and if the user is satisfied Step  10  the user taps the “instant book” button to get the proposed day, time and service. The user then moves through Steps  11 ,  12  and  13 . 
         [0045]    If the company chosen by the user is a type 2 company, Step  14  the user taps “view availability” button and availability results are listed. Step  15  the user taps a desired time. Step  16  the user is taken to appointment checkout and summary page for that time slot. Step  17  is the payment process. Step  18  the appointment is pending and Step  19  the company confirms the appointment and Step  25  the appointment is booked for the user for that time slot. 
         [0046]    If the user does not see a desired time Step  21  the user taps “can&#39;t find a time? let&#39;s chat” button. Step  22  a chat takes place with the kuyam agent who finds out the preferred day, time and service. Step  23  the kuyam agent populates the day, time and service for the user to book. Step  24 , if the user is satisfied the user taps the “book it” button to the proposed day, time and service and the user goes through Steps  16  through  25 . 
         [0047]    If the company chosen by the user is a type 3 company Step  14  the user taps “view availability” button and availability results are listed. If the user finds and taps a desired time Step  15 , Steps  16  through  25  take place. If the user does not see a desired time Step  21  the user taps the “can&#39;t find a time? let&#39;s chat” button. Step  22  a chat takes place with the kuyam agent who finds out the preferred day, time and service. 
         [0048]    Step  23  the kuyam agent populates the day, time and service for the user to book. Step  24 , if the user is satisfied the user taps the “book it” button to the proposed day, time and service and the user goes through Steps  16  through  25 . 
         [0049]    If the company chosen by the user is a type 4 company, Step  26  the user taps the “chat to schedule now” button and goes directly to Step  22  where the user chats with a kuyam agent who finds out the preferred day, time and service. Step  24  if the user is satisfied the user taps the “book it” button to the proposed day, time and service and then the user goes through Steps  16  through  25 . 
         [0050]    Referring to  FIGS. 2A ,  2 B,  2 C and  2 D, there is shown the face of a mobile device, a mobile phone or smartphone  100 . On the face  100  there is menu  102 , a search tab  103 , a favorites tab  104 , and a live chat button  105 . 
         [0051]    There is also a clickable company name  106  and a heart  107  to put that company into the favorites list. There is also a series of stars  108  that shows the rating of the company. 
         [0052]    There is an information button about the company  110 , a description of the company button  112  and reviews of the company  114 , as well as the business hours  116 , the phone number  118  and the directions  120 . 
         [0053]    In  FIG. 2A , for company profiles 1, 2 and 3, there is a view availability button  122 . 
         [0054]      FIG. 2B , for company profiles 1, 2 and 3, shows a screen with dates and times available. The days of the week  124 , a specific day Monday, July 20,  126  and the name of a service provider, Monica  128 . 
         [0055]    There are several clickable available times  130  and a scroll  132  for more times. 
         [0056]    The user&#39;s synced personal calendar shows a morning breakfast  134  and there is also an appointment booked on kuyam for a yoga studio confirmed  136 . There is also a personal calendar lunch with Joe  138 . 
         [0057]    There is a “can&#39;t find a time? let&#39;s chat button  140 . 
         [0058]      FIG. 2C  for type 4 companies, there is a “chat to schedule now!” button  142 .  FIG. 2D  shows a chat screen  144 . The name of the company appears above  145  and a back button appears  146 . The kuyam agent said, “hello! how can we help?”. The reply is typed below  148  and a send button  150  to send the message. 
         [0059]    In  FIG. 3A  the chat continues in which the kuyam agent arranges the appointment and advises the user to hit the back button  150  to book the appointment. 
         [0060]      FIG. 3B  tells the user to confirm the appointment or it will be released  152 . The appointment is summarized with the date, time, description of the service, the cost, the name of the service person and the user&#39;s name at  154 . The total due less any discount codes are set forth at  156  and payment can be made using PayPal  157  or payment can be made in person  158 . 
         [0061]      FIGS. 4A and 4B  show a similar situation but the user is connecting through the Web on a computer. There is shown the computer screen  160 , on which appears the company name and address  162 , the place to type a message  164  and the send button  166  to send the message. 
         [0062]    When the kuyam agent arranges the appointment  170  the details are shown in  FIG. 4B ,  172 . When the appointment details have been populated at  172 , the “book it” button  168  can be tapped to proceed with finalizing the booking procedure, as set forth above. 
         [0063]    A user of the kuyam platform described herein, may want to schedule an appointment with a company by simply having a chat session with a kuyam agent. The user can access the chat feature to talk to a kuyam agent by tapping a button on their phone or smartphone or on the web site or by using voice recognition and text-to-speech technology, such as is available in today, where the user can make the appointment while driving, walking or sitting, without having to look at or touch their phone. Optionally, another button can be present to initiate voice communication for the user to speak with a kuyam agent. 
         [0064]    As an additional feature of the kuyam platform system, the system will locate through GPS technology, such as Google Directions API, the location of the user before the time of the appointment. Knowing the location of the user and the location of the appointment, the system can calculate the time it will take for the user to reach the appointment site. If the system determines that the time is close, the system will send a verbal and/or written message to the user to start heading for the appointment or they will be late. 
         [0065]    This kuyam reminder system (called “heads up”) tells the user that they better get started for the appointment or they will be late. The user can turn off this reminder feature if they so desire. The feature can be set up to check on the location of the user several times before the appointment time, for example, starting two hours before the appointment time or the feature can be set up to check when it is one hour or less before the appointment. 
         [0066]    While exemplary embodiments are described above, it is not intended that these embodiments describe all possible forms of the invention. Rather, the words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Additionally, the features of various implementing embodiments may be combined to form further embodiments of the invention.