Maplebear was granted a patent for matching orders with available pickers.

{
  "signal_id": "2da20f5e-4d92-5332-bd5f-a3ae846cf59b",
  "signal_type": "patents-company",
  "signal_subtype": "patentGrant",
  "detected_at": "2026-09-30T17:21:34+00:00",
  "company": {
    "name": "Instacart",
    "domain": "instacart.com"
  },
  "data": {
    "cpc": [
      {
        "code": "G06Q 10/06316",
        "label": "Data processing systems for administrative, commercial, financial, managerial or supervisory purposes"
      }
    ],
    "tags": [
      "Intellectual Property",
      "Research & Development",
      "Machine Learning",
      "Logistics / Supply Chain",
      "eCommerce"
    ],
    "detail": "In September 2026 Maplebear patented a system for expanding the picker area for less attractive orders in its online grocery fulfillment marketplace.",
    "summary": "Maplebear was granted a patent for matching orders with available pickers.",
    "event_at": "2026-09-29",
    "inventors": [
      {
        "name": "Rahul Makhijani",
        "status": "unresolved",
        "is_primary": true
      },
      {
        "name": "Pak Tao Lee",
        "status": "resolved",
        "is_primary": false,
        "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/leepaktao"
      },
      {
        "name": "Shang Li",
        "status": "resolved",
        "is_primary": false,
        "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/shang-li-columbia"
      }
    ],
    "tech_area": "business methods / CRM / fintech",
    "event_kind": "grant_date",
    "grant_date": "2026-09-29",
    "source_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US12749036",
    "cpc_primary": {
      "code": "G06Q 10/06316",
      "label": "Data processing systems for administrative, commercial, financial, managerial or supervisory purposes"
    },
    "patent_title": "Order-specific expansion of an area encompassing pickers available for accepting orders placed with an online system",
    "patent_number": "US12749036",
    "uspto_assignee": "Maplebear Inc.",
    "patent_abstract": "Embodiments relate to order specific expansion of an area that encompasses pickers available for accepting an order placed with an online system. The online system accesses a computer model trained to predict an attractiveness metric for the order and applies the computer model to predict a value of the attractiveness metric for a first order. The online system classifies the first order into a first set or a second set, based on the value of the attractiveness metric and a threshold. Based on the classification, the online system expands over time a size of an area that encompasses a set of pickers available for accepting the first order. The online system causes a device of each picker in the set of available pickers located within the area of the expanded size to display an availability of the first order for acceptance by each picker in the set of available pickers.",
    "precision_class": "structural",
    "invention_explanation": "A model scores how appealing an order is to pickers and expands the eligible pickup area when the score falls below a set threshold.",
    "technologies_mentioned": [
      "online marketplaces",
      "machine learning",
      "order fulfillment",
      "workforce optimization"
    ]
  }
}

curl https://signals.autobound.ai/v1/signals/2da20f5e-4d92-5332-bd5f-a3ae846cf59b \
  -H "X-API-KEY: $AUTOBOUND_API_KEY"

curl -X POST https://signals.autobound.ai/v1/companies/enrich \
  -H "X-API-KEY: $AUTOBOUND_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"domain":"instacart.com","limit":20}'