Interactive method and system for ordering and marketing wine and other products
Patent No. US10127585 (titled "Interactive method and system for ordering and marketing wine and other products") on Dec 8, 2011. The application was issued on Nov 13, 2018.
What is this patent about?
’585 is related to the field of digital hospitality services and automated marketing systems. Specifically, it addresses the technical challenge of providing localized, brand-specific content to mobile devices within a restaurant environment while simultaneously leveraging consumer behavior data to drive social media engagement and search engine optimization for both venues and beverage vendors.
The underlying idea behind ’585 is to replace static digital menus with a dynamic, location-aware platform that serves as both a sommelier-style recommendation engine and a marketing funnel. By utilizing geolocation-triggered skins, the system allows a single mobile application to transform its interface to match the specific branding and inventory of a restaurant the moment a patron walks through the door, effectively bridging the gap between a generic service and a bespoke in-house experience.
The claims of ’585 focus on a networked architecture that synchronizes a central service provider database with localized restaurant data to generate an interactive wine list. The system requires a mobile device to determine its own location via a GPS detection unit, which then triggers the server to transmit a specific graphical presentation and wine-food pairing logic unique to that venue. This ensures that the user interface and the recommendation engine are contextually locked to the physical restaurant location.
In practice, the invention functions by cross-referencing a master database of wine attributes with a restaurant’s specific inventory and menu items. When a patron selects a food item, the system filters the wine list to suggest pairings based on flavor profiles or price points. This interaction is not just a utility for the patron; it acts as a data collection point where every selection and search query is tracked to generate market research reports for vendors.
This approach differs from prior digital menus by integrating a consumer-driven advertising loop directly into the ordering process. By prompting for user contact information and generating automated social media posts based on the specific wine and venue, the system converts a private dining choice into public-facing marketing content. Furthermore, it introduces a vendor-side auction and badge system that allows wineries to bid for premium placement or visual highlights within the search results of the interactive list.
How does this patent fit in bigger picture?
Technical Landscape
In the early 2010s when ’585 was filed, the digitization of hospitality services was transitioning from static terminal displays to mobile interfaces at a time when digital menus were typically implemented using simple electronic replicas of physical documents. While portable computing devices were becoming more prevalent, systems commonly relied on local, siloed data storage rather than integrated cloud-based synchronization between service providers, vendors, and social networks. During this era, hardware and software constraints made the real-time integration of consumer-driven marketing, social media automation, and dynamic inventory promotion non-trivial within a unified mobile application architecture.
Prosecution Position
The disclosed invention represents a meaningful technical advancement through the architectural integration of an interactive selection engine with a multi-tiered marketing and social media automation framework. By transforming a standard electronic product list into a dynamic data-gathering and distribution node, the system enables a novel capability for automated post-transaction engagement and search engine optimization driven by consumer interactions. The technical solution overcomes the limitations of static digital menus by establishing a networked feedback loop between the point-of-sale selection process, vendor-side promotional auctions, and external social platforms, thereby achieving a technical effect where consumer selection data is converted into actionable marketing assets and optimized search visibility.
Claims
The patent contains a total of 15 claims, with claim 1 being the sole independent claim. This independent claim focuses on a computer-based system that utilizes a network, server, and database to create and transmit interactive wine lists across multiple restaurants, integrating wine description data, food pairings, and location-based graphical presentation to facilitate patron selections via electronic devices. The dependent claims serve to elaborate on specific system functionalities, including email-based review prompts and coupon distribution, the creation of patron and vendor accounts, the implementation of wine auctions and badges, and the sharing of wine data and pricing information among the network participants.
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US10127585
- Application Number
- US13314864A
- Filing Date
- Dec 8, 2011
- Publication Date
- Nov 13, 2018
- External Links
- Slate, USPTO , Google Patents