Methods, systems, devices and computer program products for collecting and sharing selected personal data

• US 20060156242A1
• Filed: 10/19/2005
• Published: 07/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bedingfield, James Carlton
• Granted Patent: US 7,676,753 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/738
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

Methods, systems, devices and computer program products obtain and share personal data of celebrities and others over a communications network. The methods include; (a) electronically capturing personal data associated with a plurality of celebrities; (b) electronically storing the captured data in a database of electronic personal data records, the records being correlated to a respective celebrity; (c) accepting user input to request data of interest for a particular celebrity; (d) electronically automatically extracting records in the historical data base related to the user input; and (e) electronically publishing celebrity personal data to the user based on the extracting step.

Claims

1. A method of sharing personal data of celebrities over a communications network the method comprising:

providing a service that electronically captures personal data associated with a plurality of celebrities;

electronically storing the captured data in a database of electronic personal data records, the records being correlated to a respective celebrity;

accepting user input to request data of interest for a particular celebrity;

electronically automatically extracting records in the historical data base related to the user input; and

electronically publishing celebrity personal data to the user based on the extracting step.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising hosting a service that electronically automatically extracts selected personal data from a plurality of celebrity computers to provide data for the capturing data step.

3. A method according to claim 2, further comprising electronically blocking or filtering selected private data from being extracted from the respective celebrity computers and/or from being transmitted to the hosting service.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein the blocking or filtering step comprises allowing each celebrity to define a privacy level that defines data that is private and data that is public, and wherein the capturing step captures only the public data.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the capturing personal data step comprises electronically accessing charge card records and extracting purchase data of respective celebrities.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein the extracted purchase data includes the name and location of restaurants, the name and location of lodging, and the name and location of stores associated the charge card records.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the capturing personal data step comprises electronically monitoring activity of a respective celebrity and identifying a plurality of the following:

digital songs stored on a respective celebrity computer;

digital songs downloaded to a digital player;

websites visited and time spent thereat;

browser favorites;

online auction activities;

computer configuration;

computer applications; and

electronic games stored or used by the celebrity.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the personal record database is a chronological personal record database with time and date data associated with captured data, and wherein the method further comprises generating an electronic itinerary of a time frame of a respective celebrity.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein the electronic itinerary includes the names and locations of places that a respective celebrity visited.

10. A method according to claim 7, the method further comprising generating an electronic summary of digital songs identified in personal records of a celebrity.

11. A method according to claim 1, further comprising accepting manual input of data regarding a celebrity and correlating the manual input to the respective celebrity in the history database.

12. A method according to claim 1, further comprising allowing a sponsor of a celebrity to monitor the products or services that a respective celebrity uses based on the captured data.

13. A method according to claim 1, further comprising identifying the playlist of electronic songs associated with a respective celebrity.

14. A method according to claim 13, further comprising generating a web page that allows a user to download the electronic song playlist associated with a respective celebrity.

15. A method according to claim 14, wherein the playlist is electronically monitored and updated as the playlist of a respective celebrity changes, and wherein the method further comprises electronically transmitting updates of the playlist to at least some users periodically.

16. A method according to claim 15, wherein the transmitting is via email and/or text messaging.

39. A computer program product for providing a multimedia information service over a communications network, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therein configured to carry out the method of claim 1.

17. A system for collecting and providing personal data of celebrities, comprising:

a celebrity database contains personal data associated with a plurality of celebrities in communication with a plurality of celebrity computers;

a server in communication with the celebrity database; and

a plurality of celebrity electronic interfaces in communication with the server,

at least one for each respective participating celebrity.

18-38. -38. (canceled)

40. A system for obtaining and sharing personal data associated with a trip, comprising:

a plurality of portable travel data capturing devices, one for a respective traveler user, the devices having a Global Positioning System, a digital camera, an audio recorder, and an electronic time date identifier circuit associated therewith,

wherein a respective one of the portable devices is configured to electronically capture travel data associated with a respective user'"'"'s trip, the travel data including a plurality of the following group;

at least one travel destination, at least one tourist attraction visited, images taken during the trip with the device, the name and location of lodgings patronized, and the name and location of restaurants patronized,

wherein the portable devices include a trip publication module that electronically generates a retrospective travel itinerary based on the captured travel data; and

wherein the captured travel data is electronically transferable to an electronic network for sharing the captured travel data with others.

41. A method for obtaining and sharing personal data associated with a trip, comprising:

providing a plurality of portable travel data capturing devices, one for a respective traveler user, the devices having a Global Positioning System, a digital camera, an audio recorder, and an electronic time date identifier circuit associated therewith;

electronically capturing travel data associated with different user'"'"'s trips using respective ones of the portable devices, the travel data including at least one travel destination, any tourist attraction visited, images taken during the trip with the device, the name and location of lodgings used and restaurants visited;

electronically generating a retrospective travel itinerary based on the captured travel data; and

electronically sharing the retrospective travel itinerary with others over a network.

42-44. -44. (canceled)