Doordash, Inc.

Square, Inc.

Jeffrey Frank Iacono

Jesse Lee Reiss

Ajit Kalidindi Varma

Richard David Din

Michael Paul Thole

Benjamin R Bernstein

Derek Hammer

Keith Chu

Jevin C Bhorania

Xingjie Liu

Joey Lu

Fion Lam

Sang Zhang

Alexander Soong

Dane Rowland Johnson

David S Howland

Ryan Gerard

In some examples, a computing device sends, to an application on a user device, item information to cause the application to present a user interface including information about items available from a merchant. In response to receiving a user input via the user interface to select an item from the merchant, the computing device determines that a likelihood that the item will be unavailable exceeds a threshold. The computing device sends a communication that causes the application to present a plurality of selectable options to indicate actions to perform when the item is unavailable. The computing device receives a request to place the order for the item, and an indication of the action to perform. In response to receiving a communication from the merchant device indicating that the item is unavailable, the computing device sends an instruction to the merchant device indicating the action to perform.

Processing and notifications for missing and unavailable items

In some examples, a processor may access past order information for a plurality of merchants to determine, for an upcoming time period, a number of orders predicted to be received by the merchants. The processor may determine geographic locations of delivery agent devices, each associated with a respective delivery agent. The processor may compare, for the upcoming time period, a number of active delivery agents with the number of orders predicted to be received. Based at least on determining a predicted shortage of active delivery agents for the upcoming time period, the processor selects a first delivery agent of the plurality of delivery agents to pick up a first order from a first pickup location of a first merchant and a second order from a second pickup location of a second merchant, and sends a message to a first delivery agent device associated with the first delivery agent.

Delivery agent network management

In some examples, a computing device may receive, from a plurality of merchant devices associated with a plurality of merchants, respectively, electronic communications indicating pickup locations associated with the respective merchants. The computing device may access map information to determine a group of the respective pickup locations within a threshold distance of each other, the group of respective pickup locations corresponding to a group of the merchants. The computing device may send, to a buyer device, based at least on the pickup locations determined to be within the threshold distance of each other, merchant information that causes, at least in part, an application on the buyer device to present a user interface including information about the group of merchants, the information about the group of merchants including an indication that items ordered from the merchants in the group of merchants are available for combined delivery.

Determining user interface information based on location information

Integrating a fulfillment service provider into a third-party application via an Application Programming Interface (API) is described. In an example, a computing device associated with a fulfillment service provider can determine, based at least in part on an indication of an interaction between a user and a third-party application, that the fulfillment service provider has been initialized. In one example, functionality associated with the fulfillment service provider can be accessible to the third-party application via an API. In at least one example, the computing device can generate, based at least in part on the interaction with the third-party application and while the fulfillment service provider is initialized, a recommendation of at least one of a service, a merchant, or an item associated with the fulfillment service provider. The computing device can cause the recommendation to be presented via at least one of the third-party application or the fulfillment service provider.

Method, medium, and system for integration of functionality of a fulfillment service provider into third-party application

In some examples, a computing device may receive, from a user device, user input indicating selection of a first item to place an order with a merchant. The computing device may analyze a plurality of transaction records for past orders to determine a likelihood that the first item will be unavailable for the order. The computing device may send a communication that causes the user interface on the user device to display a notification including a request for an action to perform in the event that the first item is unavailable. The computing device may receive a response including an instruction for the action to perform. The computing device may cause the order to be placed with the merchant. In response to receiving subsequently an indication from the merchant that the first item is unavailable, the computing device may send a communication to cause the action to be performed.

Some examples include a processor that accesses past order information for a plurality of past orders received in the past for a plurality of merchants and delivered by delivery agents. Further, for an upcoming time period, based on the past orders received by individual merchants over a past period of time, the processor may determine a predicted number of orders to be received for an upcoming time period for the individual merchants. The processor may execute delivery agent management logic to compare, for the upcoming time period, a number of active delivery agents with the predicted number of orders, and may send a message to a first delivery agent device associated with a first delivery agent to cause one of: activation of the first delivery agent from inactive status to active status, or deactivation of the first delivery agent from active status to inactive status.

Courier network management

Integration of functionality of a fulfillment service provider into third-party application

In some examples, a computing device exposes, to a merchant device, one or more Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) for accessing a delivery service. The computing device receives, from the merchant device, via the one or more APIs, a request regarding delivery of an order specified by a customer for delivery from the merchant. The computing device may send a communication to a courier to instruct the courier to deliver the order. The computing device may receive, from the merchant device, via the one or more APIs, a request for a delivery status of the order received via a user interface. The computing device may determine the delivery status of the order based at least partially on location information received from the courier, and sends the delivery status to prompt the merchant device to present the delivery status in the user interface.

Application programming interfaces for fulfilment services

In some examples, a service provider may determine that multiple merchants are within a threshold distance of each other. The service provider may send, to a buyer, item information about items offered by the multiple merchants. Further, based at least in part on the multiple merchants having been determined to be within the threshold distance of each other, the item information sent to the buyer may indicate that orders for items provided by the multiple merchants are available for combined delivery, e.g., as a single combined order. A first courier stationed near the merchants may pick up the items from the merchants and may handoff the items to a second courier who delivers the items to the buyer. Additionally, in some cases, the preparation of the multiple items may be timed to so that the items are ready for pickup at approximately the same time.

Managing communications for combined orders

In some examples, a service provider may determine, for a time of day and a day of a week, orders received by individual merchants of a plurality of merchants over a past period of time. The service provider may further determine, for the time of day and day of the week, based at least in part on the orders received over the past period of time, a first merchant predicted to receive an order. Based at least in part on a pickup location of the first merchant, the service provider may send a communication to a first courier device associated with a first courier of a plurality of couriers. For example, the communication may include location information for a recommended location to which the first courier is to move to be in position for picking up an order from the merchant that is predicted to receive the order.

In some examples, a service computing device may receive, from respective mobile devices of a plurality of mobile devices, an indication of a communication availability condition of each respective mobile device. The service computing device may determine, for a delivery job, based at least in part on the indication of the communication availability condition received from each of the respective mobile devices, that a first mobile device of the plurality of mobile devices is likely to have a greater communication availability for a duration of the delivery job than a second mobile device of the plurality of mobile devices. Based at least partially on the determination, the service computing device may send, to the first mobile device, a communication to assign the delivery job to a courier associated with the first mobile device.

System management based on device information

Techniques described herein are directed to utilizing an interposing phone number and associated phone tree to direct phone calls intended for a merchant to a customer-facing user interface that facilitates online requests to integrate multiple input channels (e.g., requests made by phone and requests made online) into a single output workflow. An interposing phone number provided by a third-party service can be associated with a merchant profile and an interposing phone tree can be implemented in association with an incoming call directed to the interposing phone number. A path of the interposing phone tree can cause a message including a link to be sent to a mobile device associated with the incoming call. Responsive to receiving an indication of activation of the link, an instruction can be sent to the mobile device causing a customer-facing user interface to be presented to enable a customer to interact with the merchant.

Call redirection to customer-facing user interface

In some examples, a service provider may receive, from a buyer device, a first order for a first item to be prepared by a first merchant. The service provider may determine a second item offered by the first merchant, or another merchant, that can be added on to the first order by determining a preparation time for the first item, and determining that the second item offered by the first merchant, or the other merchant, has a preparation time less than the preparation time for the first item. The service provider may further determine a threshold time for ordering the second item based on a difference between the preparations time for the first item and the second item. The threshold time may be presented on the buyer device to indicate an amount of time the buyer has to add the second item to the first order.

Add-on orders for delivery

A system and environment to enable entities to utilize courier services provided by a service provider are described herein. In some examples, the service provider exposes the courier services to a computing device associated with a merchant, buyer, and/or others using one or more Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) provided by the service provider. The one or more APIs may enable merchants and/or others to automatically integrate the courier services into technologies used by the merchants and/or others in order to facilitate delivery of items that are offered for acquisition by the merchants.

Growing community of inventors

San Francisco, CA, United States of America

Jeffrey Frank Iacono