Systems and methods for selective sharing of business performance information
First Claim
1. A method for selectively sharing business performance information of a submitter business with one or more requester businesses, comprising the steps of:
- generating at least one business performance report based on data associated with a submitter business on a computer system;
uploading the at least one business performance report to a data center computer system via a communications network;
converting, using an automated process executed by said data center computer system, said as least one business performance report from a first data format to a second data format; and
receiving an instruction from said submitter business, said instruction including an indication of at least one receiver business authorized to view said at least one business performance report associated with said submitter business in said second format over said communications network.
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Abstract
An automated system for allowing a submitter business to selectively share business performance information with requestor businesses through a business performance information sharing data center computer system over the Internet. A submitter business uploads a data file including business performance information such as a trial balance report generated by the business'"'"' own accounting software program. The uploaded file is converted from the submitter-defined format to a standardized format. Various business performance data analyses are performed on the standardized data including generating standardized business performance reports and analyzing the data in accordance with financial metrics. After the business performance data has been formatted and analyzed, the submitter will specify one or more companies authorized to view the business performance data including specifying a level of business performance detail, from a plurality of levels of detail, and/or a business performance time period for which that company may view business performance information.
86 Citations
69 Claims
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1. A method for selectively sharing business performance information of a submitter business with one or more requester businesses, comprising the steps of:
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generating at least one business performance report based on data associated with a submitter business on a computer system;
uploading the at least one business performance report to a data center computer system via a communications network;
converting, using an automated process executed by said data center computer system, said as least one business performance report from a first data format to a second data format; and
receiving an instruction from said submitter business, said instruction including an indication of at least one receiver business authorized to view said at least one business performance report associated with said submitter business in said second format over said communications network. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method for sharing business performance data of a submitter business with one or more requester businesses comprising:
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generating, with a software program executing on a computer system, at least one business performance report comprising business performance data of a submitter business in a first data format;
using a graphical user interface, uploading said at least one report to a data center computer system via the Internet;
converting, using an automated process executed by said data center computer system, said at least one report from said first data format into a second data format; and
receiving an indication from said submitter business, through said graphical user interface, of at least one receiver business authorized to view said at least one report in said second data format over the Internet. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. A system for automated submitter controlled sharing of business performance information between a submitter business and one or more requestor businesses comprising:
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at least one data center computer system configured to;
operate at least one Internet web site displaying one or more Internet web pages;
receive business performance information associated with a submitter business via data upload of at least one business performance information file from said submitter business over the Internet, said at least one business performance information file formatted in a first data format;
using software instructions executing on said data center computer system, converting said at least one business performance report into a second data format;
receive an indication from said submitter business of at least one requestor business authorized to view said at least one business performance report;
notify said requestor business that they have been authorized by the submitter business; and
display said at least one business performance report to said at least one requester in said second data format over the Internet based on said indication. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39)
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40. In an environment comprising a plurality of submitter businesses, each submitter business associated with at least one submitter business computer system, a data center computer system, and a plurality of requester businesses, each requestor business associated with at least one requestor computer system, said submitter business computer systems and said requester business computer systems connected to said data center computer system via a communications network, a system for selectively sharing business performance information of a submitter business with a requestor business, the system comprising:
at least one data center computer system comprising;
means for electronically receiving over a communications network at least one business performance information file associated with a submitter business, said at least one business performance information file in a first data format;
automated means for converting said at least one business performance information file into a second data format;
means for receiving an indication from said submitter business of at least one requestor business authorized to view said information;
means for notifying said requestor business that they have been authorized by the submitter business; and
means for displaying information contained in said at least one business performance information file to said authorized requestor in said second data format over said communications network. - View Dependent Claims (41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51)
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52. A method for encouraging submitter businesses to share business performance information with requestor businesses through a business performance information sharing network comprising:
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receiving at a data center computer system a request for business performance information of at least one submitter business;
sending an electronic request to at least one submitter business requesting authorization for the requester business to view business performance information corresponding to the at least one submitter business;
notifying said requestor business of a response to said electronic request; and
allowing said requester to view said business performance information based on submitter instructions included in a received response to said request. - View Dependent Claims (53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59)
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60. In a data center computer system, a computer readable storage medium containing computer readable instructions executable by a processor, said instructions configured to enable a submitter business to share business performance information with a requestor business comprising:
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instructions for receiving a data upload comprising a file containing business performance data corresponding to a submitter in the form of a business performance information file in a first data format;
instructions for converting said business performance data in said business performance information file into a second data format;
instructions for requesting and receiving an indication of a requestor business authorized by said submitter business to view said business performance data;
instructions for notifying said requestor business that they have been authorized by the submitter business; and
instructions for displaying said business performance data to said authorized requestor business in said second data format. - View Dependent Claims (61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69)
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Specification