METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR GROUP FILTERED REPORTS

• US 20080161944A1
• Filed: 12/27/2006
• Published: 07/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: CFPH LLC (Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P.)
• Original Assignee: CFPH LLC (Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P.)
• Inventors: Lutnick, Howard W.
• Application Number:
  US11/616,688
• Publication Number:
  US 20080161944A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/90
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

Systems and corresponding methods are provided that, in at least one embodiment, includes the act or acts of receiving a plurality of first representations; receiving a second representation of a first user; determining at least one group to which the first user belongs; determining at least one set of members of the at least one group; and filtering the plurality of first representations based, at least in part, on the at least one set of members. Each first representation represents a respective report

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a plurality of first representations, in which each first representation represents a respective report;

receiving a second representation of a first user;

determining at least one group to which the first user belongs;

determining at least one set of members of the at least one group; and

filtering the plurality of first representations based, at least in part, on the at least one set of members.

2. The method of claim 1, in which each of the plurality of first representations further represents a respective originator of the report represented by the respective first representation.

3. The method of claim 2, in which filtering the plurality of first representations includes excluding from the plurality of first representations at least one first representation that represents a report that was not originated by at least one member of the at least one set of members.

4. The method of claim 3, in which filtering the plurality of first representations includes excluding from the plurality of first representations at least one first representation that represents a negative report that was originated by at least one member of the at least one set of members.

5. The method of claim 1, in which each of the plurality of first representations further represents at least one of a target and a target type and filtering includes excluding from the plurality of first representations at least one first representation that represents at least one of an undesired target and an undesired target type.

6. The method of claim 1, in which at least one report represented by at least one first representation of the plurality of first representations includes at least one report on a service of a service provider.

7. The method of claim 6, in which the service includes a delivery service.

8. The method of claim 1, in which at least one report represented by at least one first representation of the plurality of first representations includes at least one report on a product of a merchant.

9. The method of claim 1, in which the at least one group includes a social network of the first user and the set of members includes the first user and at least one other member of the social network.

10. The method of claim 9, in which the first user includes a customer of at least one of a merchant and a service provider.

11. The method of claim 9, in which the first user includes at least one of a merchant and a service provider.

12. The method of claim 1, in which at least one member of the at least one group includes a reporter chosen by the first user.

13. The method of claim 1, in which the at least one group includes at least one member having at least one desired characteristic.

14. The method of claim 13, in which the at least one desired characteristic includes at least one of a profession, membership in an organization, and a geographic area.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting at least one third representation of the filtered plurality of first representations.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising presenting the filtered plurality of first representations to the first user.

17. The method of claim 16, in which presenting includes displaying the filtered plurality of first representations through a video display.

18. The method of claim 1, in the at least one second representation includes at least one of a name, an email address, a login name, a mailing address, a telephone number, and a user identifier.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising making at least one recommendation to the first user based, at least in part, on the filtered plurality of first representations.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising choosing at least one of a chosen product of a merchant and a chosen service of a service provider based, at least in part, on the filtered plurality of first representations.

21. An apparatus comprising:

a machine readable medium having stored thereon a plurality of machine instructions for controlling at least one computer system to perform a method according to claim 1.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, further comprising:

a processor configured to execute at least one instruction of the plurality of machine instructions.