System and method for collecting and accessing product information in a database

• US 10,096,054 B2
• Filed: 01/11/2010
• Issued: 10/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Melissa Schmidt
• Original Assignee: Gregory P. Benson
• Inventors: Benson, Amanda, Benson, Gregory P., Heller, Melissa
• Primary Examiner(s): Chbouki, Tarek
• Application Number:
  US12/685,614
• Publication Number:
  US 20100114957A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,193 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations

Abstract

A database system is disclosed. The database system includes a matching module configured to query a database for users which have data matching an interest of another user and to selectively grant to one or more of the users access to data of the other user based at least in part on a result of the query and on an access control list.

Claims

1. A networked database management system (DBMS), comprising:

a computer accessible data storage, comprising a database remotely located from a plurality of consumers and a plurality of merchants, wherein the remote database comprises;

a plurality of records including user data for the plurality of consumers, each record comprising a plurality of logically separable fields for data related to one of the consumers, the plurality of fields comprising;

user profile information of the one consumer,

a user defined interest of the one consumer, and

access control list data, wherein the access control list is specified by the one consumer and comprises identification information for the plurality of merchants comprising at least one of a manufacturer, a vendor, and a provider which market or sell types of products or services that are relevant to one or more user defined interests, and

a plurality of additional records, each additional record including inventory data of one of the plurality of merchants;

a communication module in data communication with the data storage and configured to receive user profile information and user defined interest from the one consumer for storage in the remote database; and

a matching module in data communication with the data storage and configured to perform a search on the remote database for merchants which have inventory data matching the user defined interest of the one consumer and to selectively grant to one or more of the merchants access to the user profile information and the user defined interest of the one consumer stored in the remote database, based at least in part on the search on the remote database for the merchants which have inventory data matching the user defined interest and, for only those merchants having been found by the search, a comparison of the found merchants with the identification information of merchants in the access control list specified by the one consumer, wherein the communication and matching modules are executable by a processor.

2. The DBMS system of claim 1, wherein the user profile information comprises at least one of age, marital status, number of children, ages of children, household income, contact information, name, phone number, address, email address, financial information, credit card balances, investment information, clothing sizes, body measurements, weight, hair color, eye color, education courses, education degree, past travel destinations, hobbies, awards, vehicle make, vehicle model, and residence attributes.

3. The DBMS system of claim 1, wherein the user defined interests comprise at least one of a general interest, a desired product, and an anticipated purchase.

4. The DBMS system of claim 1, wherein the user data further comprises a consumer transaction history, and wherein the matching module is further configured to allow access based at least in part on the consumer transaction history.

5. The DBMS system of claim 1, wherein the user data further comprises an inventory of consumer possessions, and the matching module is further configured to allow access based at least in part on the inventory.

6. The DBMS system of claim 1, further comprising a charge module configured to calculate a charge to the merchant as a result of the merchant being allowed access to the remote database.

7. The DBMS system of claim 1, wherein the communication module is configured to send information to the consumer, the information being selected based at least in part on the user data.

8. The DBMS system of claim 7, wherein the selected information comprises information related to one or more products.

9. The DBMS system of claim 8, wherein the user data is sufficiently detailed that the matching module is further configured to select information related to no more than five products, the no more than five products being selected as being preferable over all other products having information accessible to the matching module.

10. The DBMS system of claim 8, wherein the one or more products are available from a plurality of merchants and the selected information comprises competing offers from the plurality of merchants.

11. The DBMS system of claim 10, wherein one or more of the competing offers is modified in response to another competing offer.

12. The DBMS system of claim 7, wherein the selected information comprises a query.

13. The DBMS system of claim 7, wherein the selected information comprises an advertisement or an offer to sell for one or more products.

14. The DBMS system of claim 7, wherein the selected information has a format which allows the selected information to be presented to the consumer according to rules defined by the consumer.

15. The DBMS system of claim 7, wherein the selected information comprises an alert based at least in part on at least one of a location, a price, an inventory, an item status.

16. The DBMS system of claim 7, further comprising an evaluation module, configured to generate an evaluation for the consumer based at least in part on the user data.

17. The DBMS system of claim 16, wherein the evaluation is based at least in part on actions taken by the consumer in response to past information received by the consumer.

18. The DBMS system of claim 16, wherein the selected information is based at least in part on the evaluation.

19. The DBMS system of claim 16, further comprising a charge module configured to calculate a charge to the merchant based at least in part on the evaluation.

20. A consumer communication device, comprising:

a data upload module configured to communicate user profile information for a consumer, one or more user defined interests of the consumer, and an access control list specified by the consumer to a networked database management system (DBMS) remotely located from the consumer and a plurality of merchants, wherein the access control list comprises identification information for the plurality of merchants comprising at least one of a manufacturer, a vendor, and a provider which market and sell types of products or services that are relevant to one or more user defined interests of the consumer, the DBMS comprising a matching module configured to selectively allow access to the user profile information and the user defined interest of the consumer by at least one merchant based at least in part on a search on the networked DBMS for merchants which have inventory data matching the one or more user defined interests and, for only those merchants having been found by the search, a comparison of the found merchants with identification information of merchants in the access control list;

a communication module configured to receive user profile information and user defined interest for storage in the networked DBMS; and

an interface module configured to present the information of the at least one merchant having been selectively allowed access to the consumer,

wherein the data upload, communication, and interface modules are executable by a processor of the consumer communication device.

21. The consumer communication device of claim 20, wherein the user defined interests comprise at least one of a desired product and an anticipated purchase.

22. The consumer communication device of claim 20, wherein the communication module is configured to communicate wirelessly.

23. The consumer communication device of claim 20, wherein the interface module comprises a display.

24. The consumer communication device of claim 20, wherein the selected information comprises information related to a product.

25. The consumer communication device of claim 20, further comprising a bar code scanner.

26. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium, comprising instructions, which, when executed cause the computer to perform a method, the method comprising:

communicating user profile information for a consumer, one or more user defined interests of the consumer, and an access control list specified by the consumer to a networked database management system (DBMS) remotely located from the consumer and a plurality of merchants, wherein the access control list comprises identification information for the plurality of merchants comprising at least one of a manufacturer, a vendor, and a provider which market and sell types of products or services that are relevant to one or more user defined interests of the consumer, the system comprising a matching service configured to selectively allow access to the user profile information and the user defined interest of the consumer by at least one merchant based at least in part on a search on the remote DBMS for merchants which have inventory data matching the one or more user defined interests and, for only those merchants having been found by the search, a comparison of the found merchants with identification information of merchants in the access control list;

receiving information of the at least one merchant having been selectively allowed access; and

presenting the information to the consumer.

27. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 26, wherein the user defined interests comprise at least one of a desired product and an anticipated purchase.

28. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 26, wherein the communication of the user profile information, the one or more user defined interests and the access control list is performed wirelessly.

29. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 26, wherein presenting the information to the consumer comprises presenting the information on a display.

30. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 26, wherein the received information comprises information related to a product.

31. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 26, wherein the method further comprises calculating a charge to the at least one merchant based at least in part on an evaluation generated for the consumer based at least in part on the accessed user data.

32. A networked database management system (DBMS), comprising:

a computer accessible data storage, comprising a database remote from a plurality of consumers and a plurality of merchants, wherein the remote database comprises;

user data for the plurality of consumers, the user data comprising;

user profile information of one of the consumers,

a plurality of user defined interests of the one consumer, and

an access control list for each user, wherein the access control list is specified by the one consumer and comprises identification information for a plurality of merchants comprising at least one of a manufacturer, a vendor, and a provider which market and sell types of products or services that are relevant to one or more user defined interests, and

inventory data of a plurality of merchants;

a communication module in data communication with the data storage and configured to receive information from the one consumer and from the plurality of merchants; and

a matching module in data communication with the data storage and configured to perform a search on the remote database for merchants which have inventory data matching at least one of the user defined interests of the one consumer and to selectivelygrant to one or more of the merchants access to the user profile information of the one consumer based at least in part on the search for merchants which have inventory data matching at least one of the user defined interests and, for only those merchants having been found by the search, a comparison of the found merchants with the identification information of merchants in the access control list specified by the one consumer, wherein the communication and matching modules are executable by a processor.

33. The DBMS system of claim 32, wherein the user data further comprises a consumer transaction history, and the matching module is further configured to allow access based at least in part on the consumer transaction history.

34. The DBMS system of claim 32, further comprising a charge module configured to calculate a charge to the merchant as a result of the merchant being allowed access to the user data.