PROVIDER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT SYSTEM THAT FACILITATES INTERACTION BETWEEN AN INDIVIDUAL AND ORGANIZATIONS

• US 20110047147A1
• Filed: 04/23/2010
• Published: 02/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Doxo, Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Doxo, Incorporated
• Inventors: Parks, Roger, Goris, Mark, Shivers, Steve
• Granted Patent: US 8,862,575 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/722
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/123 Shopping for digital content
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

A provider relationship management system (“PRM system”) is disclosed that enables an individual to manage information about and electronically interact with organizations. The PRM system presents an individual with a list of organizations that the individual may have a relationship with. The individual selects one or more organizations from the list to add the selected organizations to a personal provider directory. The individual uses the personal provider directory to manage information associated with each organization. The individual may seek to establish an interactive connection with one or more organizations in the personal provider directory. If a selected organization agrees to establish an interactive connection with the individual, the organization is permitted to communicate with and send electronic documents to the individual. Each document is associated with a document type, and the document type is associated with certain actions that may be taken with respect to the corresponding document.

Claims

1. A method for adding an organization to an organization directory that is associated with an individual, the method performed by a computing system having a processor and a memory, the method comprising:

receiving a request from an individual to find an organization to add to a provider directory associated with the individual;

identifying a plurality of organizations that are responsive to the request of the individual;

prioritizing the identified plurality of organizations for display to the individual, wherein those organizations that are more likely to be selected by the individual for addition to the provider directory associated with the individual are prioritized ahead of those organizations that are less likely to be selected by the individual for addition to the provider directory associated with the individual;

displaying to the individual the plurality of organizations in prioritized order;

receiving a selection from the individual of an organization from the displayed plurality of organizations; and

adding the selected organization to the provider directory associated with the individual.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving from the individual a request to establish an interactive connection with the selected organization;

transmitting to the selected organization an indication of the individual'"'"'s request to establish an interactive connection;

receiving from the selected organization an approval of the individual; and

establishing an interactive connection between the individual and the selected organization.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the request from the individual to find an organization to add to the provider directory associated with the individual is a search query.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the request from the individual to find an organization to add to the provider directory associated with the individual is a browse command.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the prioritization is based on a geographic location of an individual and geographic locations of the plurality of organizations, and wherein organizations at geographic locations closer to the geographic location of the individual are prioritized ahead of organizations at geographic locations farther from the geographic location of the individual.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the prioritization is based on a popularity of the plurality of organizations, and wherein more popular organizations are prioritized ahead of less popular organizations.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein a popularity of an organization is measured across all consumers having relationships with the plurality of organizations.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein a popularity of an organization is measured across those consumers having relationships with the plurality of organizations that have similar characteristics to the individual.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the characteristics are demographic characteristics.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the characteristics are past purchase behavior characteristics.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the prioritization takes into account whether the individual already has an existing relationship with any of the plurality of organizations.

12. A system for adding an organization to an organization directory that is associated with an individual, the system comprising:

a user interface module that is configured to;

receive a request from an individual to find an organization to add to a provider directory associated with the individual;

display to the individual a plurality of organizations in prioritized order; and

receive a selection from the individual of an organization from the displayed plurality of organizations; and

an organization account module that is configured to;

identify the plurality of organizations that are responsive to the request of the individual;

prioritize the identified plurality of organizations for display to the individual, wherein those organizations that are more likely to be selected by the individual for addition to the provider directory associated with the individual are prioritized ahead of those organizations that are less likely to be selected by the individual for addition to the provider directory associated with the individual;

a user account module that is configured to add the selected organization to the provider directory associated with the individual.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the user interface module is further configured to receive from the individual a request to establish an interactive connection with the selected organization;

and wherein the system further comprises;

an organization interface module that is configured to;

transmit to the selected organization an indication of the individual'"'"'s request to establish an interactive connection; and

receive from the selected organization an approval of the individual; and

an interaction management module configured to establish an interactive connection between the individual and the selected organization.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the request from the individual to find an organization to add to the provider directory associated with the individual is a search query.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the request from the individual to find an organization to add to the provider directory associated with the individual is a browse command.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the prioritization is based on a geographic location of an individual and geographic locations of the plurality of organizations, and wherein organizations at geographic locations closer to the geographic location of the individual are prioritized ahead of organizations at geographic locations farther from the geographic location of the individual.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the prioritization is based on a popularity of the plurality of organizations, and wherein more popular organizations are prioritized ahead of less popular organizations.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein a popularity of an organization is measured across all consumers having relationships with the plurality of organizations.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein a popularity of an organization is measured across those consumers having relationships with the plurality of organizations that have similar characteristics to the individual.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the characteristics are demographic characteristics.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the characteristics are past purchase behavior characteristics.

22. The system of claim 12, wherein the prioritization takes into account whether the individual already has an existing relationship with any of the plurality of organizations.

23. A computer-readable medium containing instructions for execution by a processor, the instructions causing the processor to implement a method for adding an organization to an organization directory that is associated with an individual, the method comprising:

receiving a request from an individual to find an organization to add to a provider directory associated with the individual;

identifying a plurality of organizations that are responsive to the request of the individual;

prioritizing the identified plurality of organizations for display to the individual, wherein those organizations that are more likely to be selected by the individual for addition to the provider directory associated with the individual are prioritized ahead of those organizations that are less likely to be selected by the individual for addition to the provider directory associated with the individual;

displaying to the individual the plurality of organizations in prioritized order;

receiving a selection from the individual of an organization from the displayed plurality of organizations; and

adding the selected organization to the provider directory associated with the individual.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the prioritization is based on a geographic location of an individual and geographic locations of the plurality of organizations, and wherein organizations at geographic locations closer to the geographic location of the individual are prioritized ahead of organizations at geographic locations farther from the geographic location of the individual.

25. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the prioritization is based on a popularity of the plurality of organizations, and wherein more popular organizations are prioritized ahead of less popular organizations.