Method and apparatus for conducting an online information service

• US 20070061218A1
• Filed: 07/07/2006
• Published: 03/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sermo, Inc. (Worldone Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Sermo, Inc. (Worldone Incorporated)
• Inventors: Gardner, Graham, Palestrant, Daniel
• Granted Patent: US 8,019,639 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06375 Prediction of business process outcome or impact based on a proposed change
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06395 Quality analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/101 Collaborative creation, e.g. joint development of products or services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0202 Market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0203 Market surveys; Market polls
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

A system and method is provided that provides an early indication of consensus of opinion among a number of users regarding an event or observation indicated by a user. Such an opinion may be interesting to an information consumer, who may be interested in determining the outcome of the consensus relating to the event or observation, or may otherwise desire to perform surveillance or survey of a particular issue or subject. Such recognition of early events or observations may be useful in different areas, such as healthcare, finance, etc., where initial observations, if provided early, allow resulting decisions to be made much earlier. The opinion may, for instance, be used as an early indicator of problem with a product, company, etc. that would permit an information consumer to perform an action at a much earlier point than if he/she relied on traditional sources of information. Thus, such opinion information may be invaluable as a tool for monitoring events.

Claims

1. A method for conducting an online information service, the method comprising acts of:

collecting opinion information from a plurality of users, the opinion information relating to an event defined by at least one user; and

providing the opinion information to at least one information consumer.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising an act of defining a trigger by the at least one information consumer, the trigger being activated by at least one parameter associated with the event defined by the at least one user.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising an act of activating the trigger upon the creation of an event including the at least one parameter.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the event relates to a product, and wherein the trigger, when activated, provides an indication to the at least one information consumer.

5. The method according to claim 3, further comprising providing an indication to the at least one information consumer that the trigger was activated.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising acts of compensating the plurality of users for the opinion information and selling the opinion information to the at least one information consumer.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising an act of conducting a bid process to determine the at least one information consumer to which the opinion information is sold.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising an act of determining a consensus of the collected opinion information.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the act of providing the opinion information to at least one information consumer is responsive to the act of determining a consensus of the collected opinion information.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of users include information providers that are identified experts in a subject field to which the opinion information relates.

11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising an act of maintaining a profile of at least one of the plurality of users.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising an act of sending the event defined by at least one user to at least one user based on the maintained profile.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising an act of targeting the at least one user to receive the event, wherein the act of targeting is performed responsive to a parameter associated with the maintained profile.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the parameter measures an ability of the at least one user to predict event outcomes.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein the parameter measures an ability of the at least one user to recognize trends in opinions.

16. The method according to claim 13, wherein the parameter measures an ability of the at least one user to influence opinions of other users.

17. The method according to claim 1, further comprising an act of permitting at least one of the plurality of users to change their opinion.