ADVICE PROVIDED FOR OFFERING HIGHLY TARGETED ADVICE WITHOUT COMPROMISING INDIVIDUAL PRIVACY

• US 20080010352A1
• Filed: 07/12/2007
• Published: 01/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Donoho, David, Lippincott, Lisa, Hindawi, David
• Granted Patent: US 8,914,507 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

The invention disclosed herein enables a collection of computers and associated communications infrastructure to offer a new communications process which allows information providers to broadcast information to a population of information consumers. The information may be targeted to those consumers who have a precisely formulated need for the information. This targeting may be based on information which is inaccessible to other communications protocols. The targeting also includes a time element. Information can be brought to the attention of the consumer precisely when it has become applicable, which may occur immediately upon receipt of the message, but may also occur long after the message arrives. The communications process may operate without intruding on consumers who do not exhibit the precisely-specified need for the information, and it may operate without compromising the security or privacy of the consumers who participate.

Claims

1. A method for remotely and anonymously inspecting one or more communicating devices for information of a personal nature, comprising the steps of:

providing an inspector library containing executable code which is invoked as part of a continual relevance evaluation process;

providing one or more remote inspector methods for remotely performing any of mathematico-logical calculations, executing computational algorithms, returning the results of system calls, accessing the contents of storage devices, and querying said communicating devices;

providing a client for transmitting queries;

providing a server on which at least part of said one or more remote inspector methods are hosted for receiving said queries;

said server searching a database for a relevant entry;

said server returning a response string; and

said client receiving said response string.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said client comprises an advice consumer;

and wherein said server comprises an advice provider.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said advice concerns prescription drug interaction, the method further comprising the steps of:

said advice provider gathering information regarding said prescription drug interaction from one or more sources; and

said remote inspector method applying advice consumer queries to said server to determine relevance of said prescription drug interaction information to an advice consumer.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein said advice is provided by a consolidator that authors an advisory that asserts the existence of a consumer in a travel agency customer database who has reserved passage between one location and another on or near a particular date, said method further comprising the steps of:

placing said advisory at an advice site of said consolidator;

said advice consumers comprising various travel agencies that subscribe to said consolidator'"'"'s advice site;

said advice consumers maintaining a remote inspector method in their computer which searches said travel agency customer database for customers with certain travel plans;

providing advisories to said advice consumer'"'"'s computers;

said remote inspector method automatically inspecting said advisories for relevance; and

said travel agencies offering a traveler passage, as provided by said consolidator, if relevance of said advisory is established.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein said advice is provided by a transport entity in the form of advisories that assert the existence, in a user profile, of an expressed desire to obtain transportation to a certain location, wherein said advisory is placed at an advice site of said transport entity, said method further comprising the steps of:

said advice consumers comprising potential transportation users;

said advice consumers maintaining a remote inspector method in their computer that is set to subscribe to said transport entity'"'"'s advice site;

said advice consumers adding expressions of special interest to user profiles indicating locations to which transportation is desired;

providing advisories to said advice consumer'"'"'s computer;

automatically inspecting said advisories for relevance; and

said transport entity offering transportation to said potential transportation user based upon said advice consumer'"'"'s profile.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein an offeror submits an advisory to a market maker offering a transaction concerning an item, the method further comprising the steps of:

said market maker posting one or more advisories regarding said item on said market maker'"'"'s advice site;

one or more users subscribing to said market maker'"'"'s advice site;

said one or more user'"'"'s inputting information about interests to a corresponding user profile, wherein relevant advisories comprise items meeting said user'"'"'s interests;

a user'"'"'s advice reader gathering advisories from said market maker'"'"'s advice site; and

performing relevance evaluation in accordance with said user profile, as inspected by a user profile inspector method.

7. The method of claim 2, further comprising the steps of:

an offeror submitting an advisory to an advice site, said offeror offering a balance transfer to individuals having sufficient balances and/or incomes;

posting said advisory at said advice site;

a user subscribing to said advice site;

said user providing information with regard to any of credit card balance, existing interest rate on balance, and income, said information being used in a user profile;

using a remote inspector method for verifying said information; and

using said information to determine if said user is approved;

wherein relevant advisories have credit preapproved.

8. The method of claim 2, further comprising the steps of:

an offeror submitting an advisory to an advice site, said advisory providing variables associated with principal, current interest, and term of an existing loan;

posting said advisory at said advice site;

a user subscribing to said advice site;

said user providing information for use in a user profile; and

using a remote inspector method for evaluating relevance;

wherein said advisory is relevant if it provides a set of better terms than an existing loan.

9. An apparatus for remotely and anonymously inspecting one or more communicating devices for information of a sensitive or private nature, comprising:

an inspector library containing executable code which is invoked as part of a continual relevance evaluation process;

one or more remote inspector methods for remotely performing any of mathematico-logical calculations, executing computational algorithms, returning the results of system calls, accessing the contents of storage devices, and querying said communicating devices;

a client for transmitting queries; and

a server on which at least part of said one or more remote inspector methods are hosted for receiving said queries;

wherein said server searches a database for a relevant entry;

wherein said server returns a response string; and

wherein said client receives said response string.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said client comprises an advice consumer;

and wherein said server comprises an advice provider.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said advice concerns prescription drug interaction, said apparatus further comprising:

said advice provider further comprising means for gathering information regarding said prescription drug interaction from one or more sources; and

said remote inspector method further comprising means for applying advice consumer queries to said server to determine relevance of said prescription drug interaction information to an advice consumer.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said advice is provided by a consolidator that authors an advisory that asserts the existence of a consumer in a travel agency customer database who has reserved passage between one location and another on or near a particular date, said apparatus further comprising:

means for placing said advisory at an advice site of said consolidator;

said advice consumers comprising various travel agencies that subscribe to said consolidator'"'"'s advice site;

a remote inspector method maintained by said advice consumers in their computer which searches said travel agency customer database for customers with certain travel plans;

one or more advisories that are provided to said advice consumer'"'"'s computers;

said remote inspector method further comprising means for automatically inspecting said advisories for relevance; and

said travel agencies further comprising means for offering a traveler passage, as provided by said consolidator, if relevance of said advisory is established.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said advice is provided by a transport entity in the form of advisories that assert the existence, in a user profile, of an expressed desire to obtain transportation to a certain location, wherein said advisory is placed at an advice site of said transport entity, said apparatus further comprising:

said advice consumers comprising potential transportation users;

a remote inspector method maintained by said advice consumers in their computer that is set to subscribe to said transport entity'"'"'s advice site;

means for said advice consumers adding expressions of special interest to user profiles indicating locations to which transportation is desired;

one or more advisories that are provided to said advice consumer'"'"'s computer; and

means for automatically inspecting said advisories for relevance;

wherein said transport entity offers transportation to said potential transportation user based upon said advice consumer'"'"'s profile.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein an offeror submits an advisory to a market maker offering a transaction concerning an item, the apparatus further comprising:

means for said market maker posting one or more advisories regarding said item on said market maker'"'"'s advice site;

one or more users subscribing to said market maker'"'"'s advice site;

means for said one or more user'"'"'s inputting information about interests to a corresponding user profile, wherein relevant advisories comprise items meeting said user'"'"'s interests;

a user'"'"'s advice reader for gathering advisories from said market maker'"'"'s advice site; and

means for performing relevance evaluation in accordance with said user profile, as inspected by a user profile inspector method.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising:

an offeror for submitting an advisory to an advice site, said offeror offering a balance transfer to individuals having sufficient balances and/or incomes;

means for posting said advisory at said advice site;

a user subscribing to said advice site;

means for said user providing information with regard to any of credit card balance, existing interest rate on balance, and income, said information being used in a user profile; and

a remote inspector method for verifying said information;

wherein said information to determine if said user is approved; and

wherein relevant advisories have credit preapproved.

16. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising:

an offeror submitting an advisory to an advice site, said advisory providing variables associated with principal, current interest, and term of an existing loan;

means for posting said advisory at said advice site;

a user subscribing to said advice site;

means for said user providing information for use in a user profile; and

a remote inspector method for evaluating relevance;

wherein said advisory is relevant if it provides a set of better terms than an existing loan.