METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TARGETED EVENT NETWORKING

• US 20090018903A1
• Filed: 10/28/2005
• Published: 01/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Trendy Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Trendy Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Iyer, Mangala
• Granted Patent: US 7,966,194 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.140
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0212 Chance discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0226 Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement

Abstract

A method and apparatus that eliminates blind networking and allows targeted networking amongst event attendees, both for personal as well as professional reasons, while also making events ubiquitously available anytime anywhere beyond the physical limitations of time and space, such that anyone anywhere in the world can not only attend the event from the comfort of his office desk or home but also network with the other event attendees without physically attending the event is disclosed. Event hosts can be any non-profit/for-profit organization or entity hosting events of any nature in any realm. Another embodiment of the invention provides enhanced, multiple levels of profile content privacy that give complete freedom, control, and flexibility to the users to express themselves fearlessly by controlling the specific chosen contents in their profiles for input, storage, analysis, retrieval, and/or display to specific chosen authorized users or groups. Another embodiment of the invention provides integration in a chat/instant messaging to allow a user to set up an online meeting with one or more participants in the chat and/or that allows a user to find a meeting place where one or more participants can decide to meet in person locally or globally in various parts of the world. Another embodiment of the invention is related to sales and revenue generation, particularly for e-commerce/e-services companies whose products or services, which include but not limited to, yellow page, directory, or business information databases by area, reach large numbers of users directly.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for targeted networking amongst event attendees, comprising the steps of:

an organization hosting an event and a primary event manager for said event getting registered into an event networking system;

said event networking system providing means for attendees to sign-up directly and/or providing means for said event host to upload said attendees'"'"' information into said event networking system;

said event host or said attendees providing any of professional and personal information for inclusion in said attendees'"'"' profiles in said event networking system; and

said event manager providing access to at least some event information to allow targeted networking between registered attendees at any of before, during, or after said event.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

said event networking system creating a login account with a username and a password for each attendee;

said event networking system providing said username and said password to each attendee; and

said event networking system creating any of, a professional profile and a personal profile, for said attendees with said attendee'"'"'s respective professional and personal information currently available in said event networking system.

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

said event networking system detecting an event which said attendee is authorized to attend;

said attendee entering any additional information desired or required in said profile and attaching said profile to the event; and

said event networking system providing said attendee with access to other event attendees'"'"' profiles.

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

said attendee selecting another event to network from a list of events available in said events networking area of said event networking system;

said attendee submitting an authorization code and completing and submitting any of a professional and personal profile to be attached to the event; and

said event networking system immediately providing said attendees with access to other event attendee profiles.

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

said attendees providing any of voice and video information to said event networking system;

responsive thereto, said event networking system creating a voice and/or video profile for said attendees, wherein said profile can be viewed and/or listened to before, during, and/or after said event; and

said system optionally converting voice to text and/or text to voice to allow searching of specific fields in an attendee profile.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

providing remote event access to make said event ubiquitously available anytime, anywhere, beyond physical limitations of time and space, wherein anyone, anywhere can both attend said event from a location that is remote from said event and/or, network with other event attendees without physically attending said event.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

providing in-depth panel and/or session level networking.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

said event host using any of the following options during said event for attendee identification;

a barcode scanner with bar-coded badges;

a plain badge and a business card scanner; and

an RFID badge.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of:

scanning attendee badges and/or business cards during said event, when attendees enter panel and/or session rooms.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of:

said event networking system obtaining attendee information from said attendee'"'"'s badge or business card, wherein said attendee'"'"'s profile is accessed to identify attendee-specific panel and/or session attendance information.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of:

performing panel and/or session level information data entry, storage, and exchange amongst event attendees by the steps of;

said event host submitting said panel and/or session information to said event networking system, wherein said information is viewable by any attendee or prospect worldwide;

after entering attendee profile information, said event networking system returning a form to said attendees that allows said attendees to provide information before, during, or after said event about panels and/or sessions they plan to attend or have already attended; and

said event networking system providing said attendees with access to other attendees'"'"' profiles for each session or/and panel.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

said event host opting-in to make said event ubiquitous, wherein anyone, anywhere worldwide is allowed to do any of;

attend said event in real-time;

participate via chat rooms or discussion boards;

receive any of video and audio-streams during or after said event; and

network from a location remote from the event with any of event attendees who are physically present at said event and ubiquitous event attendees.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

providing professional networking and personal networking, while keeping the two separate from each other.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of:

providing a mechanism that allows either of physically present and ubiquitous event attendees to invite others to attend and/or network at said event using the said event networking system.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

within a facility for filling out said profile, any of;

providing a sub-navigation area that allows an attendee to select and/or pay for priority listing features;

providing a sub-navigation area that allows said attendee to store invitations and/or introductions sent and corresponding profiles sent with each invitation or introduction;

providing a sub-navigation area that allows said attendee to store invitations and/or introductions received and corresponding replies and profiles as sent with each received invitation or introduction;

providing a sub-navigation area that allows said attendee to invite other individuals, view accepted and rejected invitations, and view individuals in any of said attendee'"'"'s professional and personal network;

providing a sub-navigation area for exchanging messages between network members; and

providing a sub-navigation area that allows said attendee to store references from any of professional and personal contacts.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of:

creating sub-networks.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising any of the steps of:

an event networking system proprietor retaining a percentage of revenues generated by event hosts using the event networking system;

allowing event hosts to subscribe to event networking services using a flat fee contract model;

allowing event hosts to provide an event networking system which is partly or entirely paid by the sponsors or sponsored by companies in return for placement of their hyperlinks or advertisements in the event networking system;

partnerships of the event networking system proprietor and online ticketing providers;

revenue sharing partnerships of the event networking system proprietor with service providers including, but not limited to, online registrations and event services;

providing either of fee-based directory services and local listings with information concerning any of events, event attendees, and related services; and

providing a win-n-redeem points program, wherein points are allotted to attendees based on attendee actions.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

allowing individuals worldwide to post events of any nature in any realm and extend invitations to view and network at any of before, during, and after said events.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

providing a substantially real time communications facility to allow an attendee to meet online with at least one event participant, allowing said attendee to establish a meeting place where said participants can meet in person.

20. A computer implemented method for establishing and maintaining privacy, comprising the steps of:

providing multiple levels of profile content privacy by allowing individual'"'"'s to control specific chosen contents in their profiles for input, storage, analysis, retrieval, and/or display to specific chosen authorized users or groups;

at the time of input of an individual'"'"'s chosen profile information, providing said individual with multi-level privacy settings, said multi-levels comprising horizontal and vertical levels, said horizontal levels comprising any, many, or all fields in said individual'"'"'s profile with corresponding privacy selection options to control display of each field content specifically to vertical levels, said vertical levels comprising access and privacy levels, said horizontal level comprising profile field-level settings, said vertical levels comprising groups; and

said individual controlling access to said individual'"'"'s profile content at both a profile level and a field level, with multiple horizontal and vertical privacy levels for each field and/or multiple fields and/or an entire profile, wherein access permission is provided by said individual to any, multiple, or all horizontal and vertical privacy levels to read a defined group of records, but not necessarily all fields in each record.