U.S. Patent Position Review — 19/476,586
DATA COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING TASK SCHEDULES TO SERVICE PROVIDERS
Published international application: PCT/AU2024/050370 / WO2024216337A1
Section 11 — AH-11
Handy Professional Matching
Who chooses the professional — the customer or the platform?
Executive Finding
Handy describes itself as connecting customers with pre-screened independent service professionals and has described its platform as instantly matching large numbers of customers with highly rated professionals. For certain services the customer selects a service and a date and time rather than first choosing a named professional.
Taskrabbit pattern
- Customer browses providers
- Customer selects a named provider
- Booking follows selection
Handy pattern (some workflows)
- Customer selects service and time
- Platform supplies the professional
- Assignment is a platform decision
Investigate carefully
- Which service categories are platform-assigned versus customer-selected?
- Is assignment made at booking time or closer to the appointment?
- What inputs drive the assignment decision?
Public Evidence
Each record exposes the source, publisher, date, direct link, relevant extract, what it establishes, what it does not establish and evidence confidence.
Classification language rule: "Not Publicly Established" records the limits of public evidence reviewed. It is not a finding that the company does not operate the technology. Forward-looking items are labelled: Potential Future Patent Development — Subject to Patent Attorney Review.