Method and System for Controlled Distribution of Profile Information and Related Data Objects

• US 20090049049A1
• Filed: 10/24/2008
• Published: 02/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/1998
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Cheah, Chris
• Application Number:
  US12/258,295
• Publication Number:
  US 20090049049A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4535 using an address exchange platform which sets up a session between two nodes, e.g. rendezvous servers, session initiation protocols [SIP] registrars or H.323 gatekeepers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

An information management and distribution system is disclosed. The information management and distribution system includes a client-side application and a server application that interact to facilitate the controlled exchange of contact information over a network. The client-side application can provide creation and design, rolodex, exchange, and update features. The information management and distribution system can also include a corporate administrator application. Still another aspect of the invention is that contact information can be distributed to registered users in a common format.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for exchanging certain profile information over a network, the profile information being stored in a database and pertaining to a plurality of registered users, said method comprising the acts of:

(a) identifying a particular one of the registered users with which a requesting user desires to exchange profiles with;

(b) informing the identified registered user via the network that the requesting user has requested to exchange profiles;

(c) receiving instructions from the identified registered user via the network on whether to permit the exchange of profiles with the requesting user;

(d) thereafter exchanging profiles between the requesting user and the identified registered user from the database via the network in accordance with the instructions; and

(e) causing the display of the profile of at least the identified registered user, the displayed profile comprising textual profile information associated with the identified registered user and at least one data object, each data object comprising a representation of additional content accessible through the profile of the identified registered user, wherein the additional content comprises one or more data types selected by the identified registered user from a plurality of different available data types.

2. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one data object represents additional multimedia content and has predefined run time execution behaviors.

3. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one data object represents additional multimedia content and presents controls to the requesting user to enable the requesting user to interact with the multimedia content.

4. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the additional content comprises at least one of video data, image data, audio data, textual data and a graphic object.

5. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one data object is packaged within a HTML wrapper.

6. The computer-method as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one data object represents an executable application.

7. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the additional content associated with at least one data object comprises audio content and the data object presents the audio content to the requesting user with interactive controls.

8. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the additional content associated with at least one data object comprises video content and the data object presents the video content to the requesting user with interactive controls.

9. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the additional content associated with at least one data object comprises digital images and the data object is programmed with run time properties that present the digital images as a slide show to the requesting user with interactive controls.

10. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the data type associated with at least one data object comprises a link to access, via the network, the additional content.

11. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 10, wherein the link accesses at least one of video content and digital images available via a remote website.

12. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the displayed profile comprises a plurality data objects of differing data types.

13. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the data types comprise one or more of video data, image data, audio data, textual data, graphic object, HTML object, XML object, applet, text object, container element and a link to remotely stored content.

14. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the profile when displayed to the requesting user further comprises a visual indicator of one or more communication mechanisms, where each of the one or more of the communication mechanisms is adapted to initiate communication with the identified registered user in response to a selection by the requesting user of a corresponding communication mechanism.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein the one or more indicated communication mechanisms comprise communication mechanisms authorized by the identified registered user and available to initiate communication at the time the profile is displayed.

16. A computer-implemented method for creating and exchanging information over a network, said method comprising the acts of:

registering a plurality of users, each of the users providing profile information that is stored in a data repository;

for each user, establishing and maintaining at least one profile stored in the data repository;

the profile comprising textual profile information about the associated user and at least one data object comprising additional content associated with the user, the additional content comprises one or more data types selected by the registered user from a plurality of different available data types;

permitting controlled exchange of the profiles between the users through the network;

permitting each user to update the textual profile information and the at least one data object of a profile associated with the user; and

subsequently updating, through the network, one or more of the profiles that have been previously exchanged with at least one recipient user, in response to textual profile information or one or more data objects of the one or more of the profiles having been updated.

17. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 16, wherein the additional content comprises multimedia content that is further cooperated with predefined behavior properties and run time execution behaviors.

18. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 17, wherein said updating is performed in response to the multimedia content of one or more profiles having been updated.

19. In a network-based information access system, a computer-implemented method of providing access to electronic content information in a controlled manner, said method comprising:

(a) receiving, from a requester, a designation of a requested party for which the requestor desires to access content information associated with the requested party;

(b) providing the requestor with access, in response to receiving the request, to at least a portion of the content information, over a network, to the extent permitted by the requested party; and

(c) causing to be displayed, in response to providing the access, the at least the portion of the content information associated with the requested party for use by the requester, and wherein the content information is displayed with a plurality of regions containing the at least the portion of the content information, where the plurality of regions comprise a first region that includes textual information about the requested party and at least one second region that includes a data object comprising a representation of additional content accessible over the network.

20. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 20, wherein the data object further comprises controls presented to the requestor that are configured to enable the requestor to interact with the additional content.

21. A method of maintaining a user profile of a first registered entity that is accessible by a plurality of other entities, the method comprising:

receiving, from over a distributed network, a request from a first user to register the first user;

requesting from the first user, via the distributed network, user profile information associated with the first user;

establishing and electronically storing a user profile comprising textual data of the user profile information associated with the first user;

receiving, via the distributed network, a request from the first user to associate a data object with the user profile;

receiving, via the distributed network, a selection by the first user of the data object from a plurality of different available data types and additional content information associated with the data object; and

in response to receiving the selection, associating the data object with the user profile such that the data object and associated additional content, upon distribution of the user profile to a requesting second user in response to receiving authorization from the first user to allow the second user to access the user profile, is accessible to the second user through the user profile.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the associating the data object with the user profile comprises embedding a representation of the data object into the user profile such that the data object, upon distribution of the user profile to a requesting second user, is accessible to the second user through a selection by the second user of the representation of the data object.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the additional content is available from a remote storage via the network.