METHODS OF COLLECTING AND VISUALIZING GROUP INFORMATION

• US 20090319314A1
• Filed: 06/05/2009
• Published: 12/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: OurGroup, Inc.
• Original Assignee: OurGroup, Inc.
• Inventors: Hagen, Markus, Good, Bradley Lawrence
• Application Number:
  US12/479,562
• Publication Number:
  US 20090319314A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0279 Fundraising management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass

Abstract

A system and methods allow groups to be managed. Various methods of collecting and visualizing group information are described. A group head and various members of organizations can organize fundraising activities or groups based on a common purpose. Group performance can be rated and displayed. Various group successes can be reported.

Claims

1. A method of facilitating a grant application process, the method comprising:

receiving a grant application template from a potential grantor;

storing the grant application template in a collected data repository accessible by a social investment website, the website storing information on potential grantees and potential grantors;

in response to a request for a grant application from a potential grantee, providing the grant application to the potential grantee including information regarding the potential grantor.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the information regarding the potential grantor includes a history of previous grants.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the history of previous grants includes funding amounts.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the history of previous grants includes groups receiving funding.

5. A method of facilitating a grant application process, the method comprising:

transmitting a grant application to a potential grant applicant, the grant applicant being a member of a group having an account with a social investment website, the website storing data describing the past grant application activity and group history in using funds for philanthropic causes;

in response to receiving information from the potential grant applicant, adding the information to the grant application;

adding the data describing the past grant application activity and group history in philanthropic causes to the application; and

submitting the grant application to a potential grantor.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising preparing potential grant applicant data, the potential grant applicant data including the past grants that the grant applicant has received.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising preparing potential grant applicant data, the potential grant applicant data including the past successes of the potential grant applicant.

8. A method of facilitating a grant approval and funding process, the method comprising:

submitting a grant application to a grantor, the grant application including a plan for expending funds by a grantee, the grant application received at a social investment website;

receiving an approval of the grant application from the grantor;

receiving funds for the grantee from the grantor;

extracting fees from the funds; and

transmitting the remaining funds to the grantee.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising receiving instructions on the expenditure of the funds from the grantor;

and providing the instructions to the grantee.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the funds are stored on behalf of the grantee in an account for the grantee.

11. A system for facilitating a grant application process, the system comprising:

a grant application management engine;

a group knowledge repository;

a grant applications repository;

wherein, in operation,

the grant application management engine receives a request for a grant application from a potential grantee, the grant application being stored in the grant applications repository;

in response to the request, the grant application management engine retrieves the grant application from the grant application and transmits the application to the potential grantee;

the grant application management engine receives a request to submit the grant application, the request including information used to fill out the grant application;

the grant application management engine retrieves past history information describing the potential grantee the group knowledge repository and adds the past history information to the grant application; and

the grant application management engine submits the grant application to a potential grantor.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising a grant application receiving module,

wherein, in operation,

the grant application receiving module receives a grant application template from a potential grantor and stores the grant application template in a grant application repository.

13. A method for storing and retrieving data comprising:

providing a website facilitating social investment, the website having a plurality of user pages and a dock, the dock displayed as either a closed mode static image or an expanded mode graphical user interface operable to collect data from pages;

in response to logging a first user into the website, displaying an instance of the dock associated with the first user, the dock displayed as the closed mode static image, the dock partially covering the website while a first user browses through the plurality of user pages;

in response to an interaction by the first user with the closed mode static image, expanding the dock to display the expanded mode graphical user interface, the expanded mode graphical user interface partially covering the website; and

in response to a request initiated through the expanded mode graphical user interface, saving a unit of data to a collected data repository associated with the first user.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising maintaining display of the expanded mode graphical user interface over a second website when navigating away from the website facilitating social investment.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the second website includes a second unit of data;

further comprising saving the second unit of data to the collected data repository associated with the first user.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the unit of data is a contact.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising rating the contact and storing the rating in association with the contact in the collected data repository associated with the first user.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising receiving a message for the first user, and storing the message in the collected data repository associated with the first user.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the message is received from a second user of the website, the message being identified as originating from a member of a group with which the second user is associated.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising identifying previous messages the first user has received from the second user.

21. The method of claim 13, further comprising receiving entry of a message from the first user in the expanded mode graphical user interface and transmitting the message to a recipient.

22. The method of claim 13, further comprising retrieving the unit of data from the collected data repository and displaying the unit of data in the expanded mode graphical user interface.

23. The method of claim 13, further comprising, in response to receiving an instruction in the expanded mode graphical user interface to close the expanded mode graphical user interface, reducing the expanded mode graphical user interface to display only the closed mode static image.

24. A dock system comprising:

a social investment engine configured to perform data management tasks;

a closed mode static image configured to expand into an expanded mode graphical user interface upon receiving a user input;

the expanded mode graphical user interface configured provide tools for collecting data from a website and display the data; and

a collected data repository associated with a first user configured to store units of data from the website specified by the first user;

wherein, in operation,

in response to logging the first user into the website, the social investment engine displays the closed mode static image while the first user browses through a plurality of user pages;

in response to the user input from the first user with the closed mode static image, the social investment engine expands the closed mode static image to partially cover the website with the expanded mode graphical user interface; and

in response to receiving a request to save a unit of data, the request initiated through the expanded mode graphical user interface, the social investment engine saves the unit of data to the collected data repository associated with the first user.

25. The system of claim 24, further comprising a rating module,

wherein, in operation,

the expanded mode graphical user interface receives a rating associated with the unit of data;

and

the social investment engine stores the rating in association with the unit of data in the collected data repository associated with the first user.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the unit of data is a contact.

27. The system of claim 24, further comprising a messaging module,

wherein, in operation,

the messaging module receives a message for the first user,

stores the message in the collected data repository associated with the first user;

and

displays the message to the first user.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the message is received from a second user of the website, the message being identified as originating from the second user including an association of the second user with a group with which the second user is associated.

29. The system of claim 27, wherein the messaging module identifies previous messages received from a second user transmitting the message.

30. The system of claim 27, wherein the messaging module retransmits a message generated in the expanded mode graphical user interface.

31. The system of claim 24, wherein while the first user browses through a second website the expanded mode graphical user interface remains displayed over the second website.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the second website includes a second unit of data;

further comprising saving the second unit of data to the collected data repository associated with the first user.

33. The system of claim 24, wherein the social investment engine retrieves the unit of data from the collected data repository and displays the unit of data in the expanded mode graphical user interface.

34. The system of claim 24, wherein, in response to a close instruction received at the expanded mode graphical user interface, the expanded mode graphical user interface shrinks to display only the closed mode static image.

35. A computer-implemented method of storing and retrieving information from websites accessed through a web browser, comprising:

in response to a user logging into a dock application, displaying an instance of a closed mode static image of a dock, wherein the dock is located in a portion of a display screen while the user accesses one or more websites through the web browser;

in response to an interaction by the user with the closed mode static image, expanding the dock to display an expanded mode graphical user interface, wherein the expanded mode graphical user interface partially covers the web browser;

in response to a save request initiated through the expanded mode graphical user interface, saving a first unit of data from the one or more websites to a collected data repository associated with the user;

in response to a retrieve request initiated through the expanded mode graphical user interface, retrieving a second unit of data from the collected data repository and displaying the second unit of data.

36. The computer-implemented method of claim 35 wherein the second unit of data is displayed in the expanded mode graphical user interface.

37. The computer-implemented method of claim 35 wherein the second unit of data is displayed in a window in the web browser.

38. A dock system, comprising:

a social investment engine configured to perform data management tasks;

a closed mode static image configured to expand into an expanded mode graphical user interface upon receiving a user input;

the expanded mode graphical user interface configured to provide tools for collecting data from a plurality of webpages accessed through a web browser and display the data; and

a collected data repository associated with a first user configured to store units of data specified by the first user from the plurality of webpages;

wherein, in operation,

in response to logging the first user into the dock system, the social investment engine displays the closed mode static image while the first user accesses the web browser;

in response to an interaction from the first user with the closed mode static image, the social investment engine expands the closed mode static image to partially cover the web browser with the expanded mode graphical user interface;

in response to receiving a request to save a first unit of data from a webpage accessed through the web browser, the request initiated through the expanded mode graphical user interface, the social investment engine saves the first unit of data to the collected data repository associated with the first user; and

in response to a close instruction received at the expanded mode graphical user interface, the expanded mode graphical user interface shrinks to display only the closed mode static image.

39. The dock system of claim 38, further wherein, in response to receiving a request to retrieve a second unit of data from the collected data repository, the social investment engine retrieves the second unit of data from the collected data repository and displays the second unit of data in the expanded mode graphical user interface or in a window in the web browser.