Referral management method, apparatus and system
First Claim
1. A method of managing referrals from a referrer to a referee, the method comprising:
- in response to a first set of signals received from a referrer computer, causing a database to store information pertaining to a referral from said referrer to said referee, as a collection of linked information units, said information units including a referrer identifier identifying said referrer as originator of said information and a referee identifier identifying said referee as intended recipient of said information, said collection representing said referral and being accessible by said referrer computer and by a referee computer;
in response to a second set of signals received from one of said referrer and referee computers, causing collections of information units that satisfy a criterion, to be identified and causing identifications of said collections to be displayed, at said one of said referrer and referee computers, in response to a third set of signals received from said one of said referrer and referee computers, causing at least one information unit in a collection corresponding to a displayed identification, to be displayed at said one of said referrer and referee computers; and
in response to a fourth set of signals received from said one of said referrer and referee computers, causing at least one information unit in said collection corresponding to a displayed identification, to be modified.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A referral information communication and management method, apparatus and system, with related computer-readable media, signals, data-structures and program codes, involving, in response to signals received from respective client computers associated with a referrer and referee of a referral from the referrer to the referee: (1) storing information pertaining to the referral in a database as a collection of linked information units, the information units including a referrer identifier identifying the referrer as originator of the information and a referee identifier identifying the referee as intended recipient of the information, the collection representing the referral and being accessible by the respective client computers; (2) identifying collections of information units that satisfy a criterion, and displaying corresponding identifications at one of the client computers; (3) causing at least one information unit in a collection corresponding to a displayed identification, to be displayed at the client computer; and (4) causing at least one information unit in a collection corresponding to a displayed identification, to be modified.
74 Citations
76 Claims
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1. A method of managing referrals from a referrer to a referee, the method comprising:
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in response to a first set of signals received from a referrer computer, causing a database to store information pertaining to a referral from said referrer to said referee, as a collection of linked information units, said information units including a referrer identifier identifying said referrer as originator of said information and a referee identifier identifying said referee as intended recipient of said information, said collection representing said referral and being accessible by said referrer computer and by a referee computer;
in response to a second set of signals received from one of said referrer and referee computers, causing collections of information units that satisfy a criterion, to be identified and causing identifications of said collections to be displayed, at said one of said referrer and referee computers, in response to a third set of signals received from said one of said referrer and referee computers, causing at least one information unit in a collection corresponding to a displayed identification, to be displayed at said one of said referrer and referee computers; and
in response to a fourth set of signals received from said one of said referrer and referee computers, causing at least one information unit in said collection corresponding to a displayed identification, to be modified. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39)
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40. An apparatus to facilitate management of referrals from a referrer to a referee, the apparatus comprising:
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storing means, responsive to a first set of signals received from a referrer computer, for storing, in a database, information pertaining to a referral from said referrer to said referee, said information being stored as a collection of linked information units, said information units including a referrer identifier identifying said referrer as originator of said information and a referee identifier identifying said referee as intended recipient of said information, said collection representing said referral and being accessible by said referrer computer and a referee computer;
collection identification means, responsive to a second set of signals received from one of said referrer and referee computers, for identifying, in said database, collections of information units that satisfy a criterion, and for causing identifications to be displayed at said one of said referrer and referee computers, said identifications corresponding to respective collections of information units satisfying said criterion;
information display means, responsive to a third set of signals received from said one of said referrer and referee computers, for causing at least one information unit in a collection corresponding to a displayed identification, to be displayed at said one of said referrer and referee computers; and
information modification means, responsive to a fourth set of signals received from said one of said referrer and referee computers, for causing at least one information unit in said collection corresponding to a displayed identification, to be modified.
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41. An apparatus to facilitate management of referrals from a referrer to a referee, the apparatus comprising:
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a database interface operable to control a database, said database interface being operable to cause the database to store information from a referrer computer, said information pertaining to a referral from said referrer to said referee, said information being stored as a collection of linked information units, said information units including a referrer identifier identifying said referrer computer as originator of said information and a referee identifier identifying a referee computer as intended recipient of said information, said collection representing said referral;
a filter operable to cause said database interface to identify, in said database, collections of information units that satisfy a criterion, and to cause identifications to be displayed at one of said referrer and referee computers, said identifications corresponding to respective collections of information units satisfying said criterion; and
a client interface cooperating with said database interface and filter and operable to communicate with and be controlled from said referrer and referee computers, said client interface comprising;
a referral creation facility operable to facilitate causing said database interface to store said information as said collection in response to signals received from said referrer computer;
an information display facility operable to facilitating viewing, from said one of said referrer and referee computers, of at least one information unit in a collection identified by said filter; and
an information modification facility operable to facilitate causing a modification, from said one of said referrer and referee computers, of at least one information unit in a collection identified by said filter;
wherein said filter is operable to identify said collection when said collection satisfies said criterion and to cause an identification corresponding to said collection to be displayed at said one of said referrer and referee computers. - View Dependent Claims (42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69)
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70. A data structure facilitating the communication of information pertaining to a referral from a referrer to a referee, the structure comprising:
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a collection of linked information units pertaining to the referral, at least some of said information units of said collection being operable to be modified, said information units of said collection including;
a referrer identifier identifying a referrer computer as being originator of said collection, said referrer computer being associated with said referrer;
a referee identifier identifying a referee computer as an intended recipient of said collection, said referee computer being associated with said referee; and
a modification flag operable to indicate that a modification was made, from one of said referrer and referee computers, to at least one information unit of said collection. - View Dependent Claims (71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76)
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Specification