PROGRESSIVELY DISCOVERING AND INTEGRATING SERVICES

• US 20100306659A1
• Filed: 05/29/2009
• Published: 12/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zhigu Holdings Limited
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Pearce, Douglas Ray, Kunins, Jeffrey C., Shahine, Omar, Hudspeth, Ann Marie
• Granted Patent: US 8,713,453 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/733
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

Tools and techniques related to progressively discovering and integrating services are provided. These tools may receive electronic communications addressed to users of communications platform software. In turn, these tools may analyze the electronic communications, and generate upsells for presentation to the users. These upsells may relate to updating profile records associated with the users.

Claims

1. Apparatus comprising at least one physical computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, when loaded into at least one hardware processor and executed, transform the hardware processor to perform the following:

receive at least one electronic communication addressed to at least one user of communications platform software;

analyze the electronic communication; and

generate at least one upsell for presentation to the user based on analyzing electronic communication, wherein the upsell relates to updating a profile record associated with the user.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising instructions that transform the hardware processor to instantiate the profile record.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the instructions to receive at least one electronic communication include instructions that transform the hardware processor to receive at least one e-mail communication addressed to the at least one user.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the instructions to analyze the electronic communication include instructions that transform the hardware processor to identify at least one third-party service that transmitted the electronic communication.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the instructions to analyze the electronic communication include instructions that transform the hardware processor to identify a subject matter associated with the electronic communication.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the instructions to analyze the electronic communication include instructions that transform the hardware processor to identify at least one user on whose behalf the electronic communication is sent.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the instructions to generate at least one upsell include instructions that transform the hardware processor to generate an upsell offer to integrate information relating to at least one third-party service into the profile record.

8. Apparatus comprising at least one physical computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, when loaded into at least one hardware processor and executed, transform the hardware processor to perform the following:

sign at least one user into communications platform software;

access a profile record associated with the at least one user; and

determine whether any upsell offers have been generated for the user, based on electronic communications directed to the user, wherein the upsell offers relate to updating the profile record.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising instructions that transform the hardware processor to determine that at least one upsell offer has been generated for the user.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising instructions that transform the hardware processor to determine that no upsell offers have been generated for the user.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising instructions that transform the hardware processor to present at least one representation of at least one upsell offer.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising instructions that transform the hardware processor to present at least one user interface tool that is responsive to user input to accept the at least one upsell offer.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising instructions that transform the hardware processor to update the profile record in response to the user accepting the at least one upsell offer.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the upsell offer relates to integrating into the profile record representations of at least one third-party service that is associated with the electronic communications.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising instructions that transform the hardware processor to retrieve the updated profile record, and to present at least one user interface tool that is responsive to input from the at least one user to sign the user into the third-party service from within the communications platform software.

16. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising instructions that transform the hardware processor to present a representation of at least one upsell offer relating to a social networking website.

17. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising instructions that transform the hardware processor to present a representation of at least one upsell offer relating to a media-sharing website.

18. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising instructions that transform the hardware processor to present a representation of at least one upsell offer relating to an online merchant website.

19. Apparatus comprising at least one physical computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, when loaded into at least one hardware processor and executed, transform the hardware processor to perform the following:

instantiate respective profile records for a plurality of users of communications platform software;

receive a plurality of e-mail communications directed to respective ones of the users;

analyze the e-mail communications at least to identify subject matter referenced in e-mail communications and to identify a third-party service sending the e-mail communications;

generate at least one upsell to at least one user, wherein the upsell offers to integrate a representation of the third-party service into a profile record associated with the at least one user;

log the at least one user into the communications platform software;

access the profile record associated with the user;

present a representation of the upsell to the user; and

receive a response to the upsell from the user.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising instructions that transform the hardware processor to:

in response to determining that the at least one user has accepted the upsell, update the profile record associated with the user;

present at least one user interface to the least one user, wherein the user interface includes at least one user interface tool that is responsive to user activation to sign the at least one user into the third-party service from within the communications platform software.