Contact information marketplace

• US 20060064436A1
• Filed: 08/12/2005
• Published: 03/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Sien, Peng Chong, Fowler, James F., Fattahi, Saaed, Lenga, Kenneth R., Madhavan, Rajan, Moulton, Garth B.
• Application Number:
  US11/203,037
• Publication Number:
  US 20060064436A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0208 Trade or exchange of goods or services in exchange for incentives or rewards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0231 Awarding of a frequent usage incentive independent of the monetary value of a good or service purchased, or distance travelled

Abstract

There is provided a method and system to incentivize provision of contact information. The system includes an interface to receive first contact information pertaining to a first entity. The first contact information is received from a first user and via a communications network at the interface. The system also includes a stored value module that responds to receipt of the first contact information to award a first predetermined value to the first user. The first predetermined value is redeemable for second contact information pertaining to a second entity. The awarding of the first predetermined value to the first user includes adding the first predetermined value to a total stored value for the first user maintained by the contact information computer system.

Claims

1. A contact information computer system to incentivize provision of contact information, the system including:

an interface to receive first contact information pertaining to a first entity, the first contact information being received from a first user and via a communications network at the interface; and

a stored value module, responsive to receipt of the first contact information, to award a first predetermined value to the first user, the first predetermined value being redeemable for second contact information pertaining to a second entity, the awarding of the first predetermined value to the first user including adding the first predetermined value to a total stored value for the first user maintained by the contact information computer system.

2. The contact information system of claim 1, wherein the first predetermined value and the total stored value for first user comprise points that are exchangeable for contact information maintained by the contact information computer system.

3. The contact information system of claim 1, wherein the interface is to receive a request from the first user for the second contact information pertaining to the second entity and to communicate the second contact information to the first user, and wherein the stored value module is to deduct a second predetermined value from the total stored value for the first user responsive to the communication of the second contact information to the first user.

4. The contact information system of claim 3, including a database module to store the second contact information in a personal contact list of the first user.

5. The contact information system of claim 1, wherein the stored value module is to immediately award a first portion of the first predetermined value responsive to receipt of the first contact information, and to award a second portion of the first predetermined value subsequent to a verification time period.

6. The contact information system of claim 1, wherein the stored value module is to determine whether the first contact information has been previously received by the system, and is to award the first predetermined value to the first user only if the first contact information has not been previously received by the system.

7. The contact information system of claim 1, wherein the first contact information includes both personal contact information regarding an individual and corporate contact information regarding a corporate entity, the stored value module being to:

determine whether contact information for the corporate entity is previously stored by the system; and

responsive to a determination that the contact information for the corporate entity is not previously stored by the system to;

store the contact information for the corporate entity at a storage facility associated with the system; and

determine the first predetermined value based on receipt of the contact information for the corporate entity.

8. The contact information system of claim 1, wherein the first contact information includes both personal contact information regarding an individual and corporate contact information regarding a corporate entity, the stored value module being to:

determine whether contact information for the individual is previously stored by the system; and

responsive to a determination that the contact information for the individual is not previously stored by the system to;

store the contact information for the individual at a storage facility associated with the system; and

determine the first predetermined value based on receipt of the contact information for the individual, wherein the first predetermined value based on receipt of the contact information of the individual is different from the first predetermined value based on the receipt of the contact information for the corporate entity.

9. The contact information system of claim 7, wherein the first contact information includes a contact address and the stored value module is to determine whether the contact information for the corporate entity is previously stored based on the contact address.

10. The contact information system of claim 9, wherein the contact address is an e-mail address, including a domain, of the individual, and the stored value module is to determine whether the contact information for the corporate entity is previously stored utilizing the domain of the e-mail address.

11. The contact information system of claim 1, wherein the interface is to receive a sell request, from the first user, to sell an identified value of the total stored value for the first user maintained by the system, and wherein the stored value module, responsive to receipt of the sell request, is to make the identified value of the total stored value of the first user available for purchase to a further user of the contact information computer system.

12. The contact information system of claim 11, wherein the interface is to receive a purchase request, from a further user, to purchase at least a portion of the identified value of the total stored value of the first user, and the stored value module, responsive to receipt of the purchase request, is to reduce the total stored value of the first user by the portion, to credit a total stored value of the further user by the portion, and to credit a financial account of the first user with a monetary value based on the portion.

13. The contact information system of claim 1, wherein the interface is to receive a purchase request, from the first user, to purchase a value of stored value maintained by the system, and the stored value module, responsive to receipt of the purchase request, is to debit a financial account of the first user with a monetary value based on the purchase value, and is to credit the total stored value of the first user with the purchase value.

14. A computer-implemented method to incentivize publication of contact information, the method including:

at a contact information computer system, receiving first contact information pertaining to a first entity, the first contact information being received from a first user and via a communications network at the contact information computer system; and

responsive to receipt of the first contact information, awarding a first predetermined value to the first user, the first predetermined value being redeemable at the contact information computer system for second contact information pertaining to a second entity, the awarding of the first predetermined value to the first user including adding the first predetermined value to a total stored value for the first user maintained by the contact information computer system.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein the first predetermined value and the total stored value for first user comprise points that are exchangeable for contact information maintained by the contact information computer system.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, including:

receiving, at the contact information computer system, a request from the first user for the second contact information pertaining to the second entity;

communicating the second contact-information to the first user; and

deducting a second predetermined value from the total stored value for the first user.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein the awarding of the first predetermined value to the first user includes awarding a first portion of the first predetermined value immediately, responsive to receipt of the first contact information, and awarding a second portion of the first predetermined value subsequent to a verification time.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein the first predetermined value is a first value if the first entity is a corporate entity and a second value in the first entity is an individual.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein the first contact information includes both personal contact information regarding an individual and corporate contact information regarding a corporate entity, the computer-implemented method including:

determining whether contact information for the corporate entity is previously stored by the contact information computer system; and

responsive to a determination that the contact information for the corporate entity is not previously stored by the contact information computer system;

storing the contact information for the corporate entity at the contact information computer system; and

determining the first predetermined value based on receipt of the contact information for the corporate entity.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein the first contact information includes both personal contact information regarding an individual and corporate contact information regarding a corporate entity, the computer-implemented method including:

determining whether contact information for the individual is previously stored by the contact information computer system; and

responsive to a determination that the contact information for the individual is not previously stored by the contact information computer system;

storing the contact information for the individual at the contact information computer system; and

determining the first predetermined value based on receipt of the contact information for the individual, wherein the first predetermined value based on receipt of the contact information of the individual is different from the first predetermined value based on the receipt of the contact information for the corporate entity.

21. The computer-implemented method of claim 19, wherein the first contact information includes a contact address and the determination of whether the contact information for the corporate entity is previously stored by the contact information computer system is performed based on the contact address.

22. The computer-implemented method of claim 21, wherein the contact address is an e-mail address, including a domain, of the individual, and the determination of whether the contact information for the corporate entity is previously stored on the contact information computer system is performed utilizing the domain of the e-mail address.

23. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, including:

receiving a sell request, at the contact information computer system and from the first user, to sell an identified value of the total stored value for the first user maintained by the contact information computer system;

responsive to receipt of the sell request, malting the identified value of the total stored value of the first user available for purchase to a further user of the contact information computer system;

receiving a purchase request, at the contact information computer system and from a further user, to purchase at least a portion of the identified value of the total stored value of the first user; and

responsive to receipt of the purchase request, reducing the total stored value of the first user by the portion, crediting a total stored value of the further user by the portion, and crediting a financial account of the first user with a monetary value based on the portion.

24. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, including:

receiving a purchase request, at the contact information computer system and from the first user, to purchase a purchase value of stored value maintained by the contact information computer system; and

responsive to receipt of the purchase request, debiting a financial account of the first user with a monetary value based on the purchase value, and crediting the total stored value of the first user with the purchase value.

25. A system, the system including:

at a contact information computer system, a first means for receiving first contact information pertaining to a first entity, the first contact information being received from a first user and via a communications network at the contact information computer system; and

responsive to receipt of the first contact information, a second means for awarding a first predetermined value to the first user, the first predetermined value being redeemable at the contact information computer system for second contact information pertaining to a second entity, the awarding of the first predetermined value to the first user including adding the first predetermined value to a total stored value for the first user maintained by the contact information computer system.

26. A machine readable medium storing a set of instructions that, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to:

receive first contact information pertaining to a first entity, the first contact information being received from a first user and via a communications network at the interface; and

responsive to receipt of the first contact information, award a first predetermined value to the first user, the first predetermined value being redeemable for second contact information pertaining to a second entity, the awarding of the first predetermined value to the first user including adding the first predetermined value to a total stored value for the first user maintained by the contact information computer system.