Systems and methods for information transformation and exchange

• US 20110125393A1
• Filed: 11/17/2010
• Published: 05/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Joseph Williams, William Gaul
• Original Assignee: Joseph Williams, William Gaul
• Inventors: Gaul, William, Williams, Joseph
• Granted Patent: US 8,510,031 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/200
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0256 User search
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0273 Determination of fees for advertising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0603 Catalogue ordering
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0625 Directed, with specific intent or strategy
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/16 Real estate

Abstract

Systems and methods for sellers of goods and services for providing information relating to existence and features of what they provide, to buyers using a system as herein described that enables a buyer to identify and obtain collections of information that comprise a subset of the contents of a database having multiple records provided by a plurality of sellers. A seller may use a conventional home or office computer including without limitation PC'"'"'s and MACINTOSH™ computers to transmit information to a system as provided, which is accessible to users also via a conventional home or office computer. A user specifies desired criteria and the system provides the user a subset of information upon which further decisions by the user can be made. In some embodiments, systems and methods provided relate to information concerning the inventory of new home construction in a selected region, which region may include a general metropolitan area.

Claims

1. System for information transformation and exchange comprising:

a) a database containing a plurality of computer-readable records relating to real estate properties that are available for purchase, stored in computer-readable memory, wherein said records each contain a plurality of search engine query-searchable fields relating to features of a real estate property;

b) a communication port suitable for transmitting and receiving data and instructions in the form of electrical signals, to and from remote computers;

c) a database manager for creating user accounts and creating, modifying, and deleting entries present in said database, said database manager being connected to said computer-readable memory responsive to a plurality of said remote computers;

d) a database query engine operatively connected to said memory, said engine configured to permit a features-based search of said plurality of computer-readable records by system users;

e) a process controller operatively connected to at least one of said database manager and said search engine; and

f) a recorder for recording the number of times records are selected for viewing by users.

2. A system according to claim 1 wherein said recorder further records the identities of users who have selected each particular record.

3. A system according to claim 2 wherein said recorder is configured to associate at least some users with some of the records selected.

4. A system according to claim 1 further comprising a maps database operatively connected thereto.

5. A system according to claim 2 wherein said maps database is located external to said system and accessed over a computer network via a maps database port.

6. A system according to claim 1 wherein users are required to establish accounts with said system prior to being granted access to employ said search query engine in a property records database search query.

7. A system according to claim 6 wherein access requires a user to possess a license issued by a political jurisdiction.

8. A system according to claim 7 wherein access requires a user to be a licensed real estate agent.

9. A system according to claim 1 further comprising an auxiliary database operatively connected thereto.

10. A system according to claim 1 further comprising an accounting module for charging fees for use of said system to the account of a seller, based on the number of times that seller'"'"'s property records present in the property records database were viewed by a user that is not a seller.

11. A system according to claim 10 wherein said seller is a builder of new home construction.

12. A system according to claim 1 wherein each of said records in said property records database has associated with it a timestamp that reflects when the information present in each record was last updated.

13. A system according to claim 12 further comprising an automated call center operatively connected to said system, said automated call center being configured to automatically generate a telephone call to sellers of property who have listed at least one record in the property records database.

14. A system according to claim 13 wherein said telephone call provides the recipient with a touch-tone or voice selectable option, to indicate the seller either has updates to at least one record in the property records database, or that the seller has no updates to make to any of said records.

15. A system according to claim 14 wherein the timestamps of records present in the property records database associated with a particular seller who is the recipient of said telephone call are updated to the time at which said telephone call is made, for cases when the seller indicates by voice or touch-tone selection there are to be no changes or updates to any of the information contained in that seller'"'"'s records in the property records database.

16. A system according to claim 14 wherein the recipient of said telephone call is re-directed to a live telephone operator for cases when the seller indicates by voice or touch-tone selection that there are changes or updates to information contained in that seller'"'"'s records in the property records database.

17. System for information transformation and exchange comprising:

a) a database containing a plurality of computer-readable records relating to real estate properties that are available for purchase, stored in computer-readable memory, wherein said records each contain a plurality of search engine query-searchable fields relating to features of a real estate property;

b) a communication port suitable for transmitting and receiving data and instructions in the form of electrical signals, to and from remote computers;

c) a database manager for creating, modifying, and deleting entries present in said database, said database manager being connected to said computer-readable memory responsive to a plurality of said remote computers;

d) a database query engine operatively connected to said memory, said engine configured to permit a features-based search of said plurality of computer-readable records by system users;

e) a process controller operatively connected to at least one of said database manager and said search engine;

f) a recorder for recording the number of times records are selected for viewing by users;

g) a maps database operatively connected to at least one component selected from the group consisting of;

said process controller and said database manager; and

h) an accounting module for determining and charging fees for use of said system to the account of a seller, based on the number of times that seller'"'"'s property records present in the property records database were viewed by a user that is not a seller.

18. A system according to claim 17 wherein said accounting module is operatively connected to said recorder.

19. A system according to claim 17 wherein said system is configured to transmit driving instructions to a user who is not a seller, from a location effectively specified by said user who is not a seller, to any selected property described in records relating to real estate properties in said database.

20. A system according to claim 17 wherein a user stationed at a remote computer is provided with an option to select a desired human-readable language in which pages served by said system to said user are displayed on said user'"'"'s computer screen or monitor.

21. A system according to claim 17 wherein said system is configured to permit registered users at remote locations from one another to communicate with one another using a communication method selected from the group consisting of:

voice-over-internet and text-messaging methods.

22. Method for distribution of information comprising transformation, transmittal, and computer storage of collections of information containing records that relate to features of real property for sale, the process comprising:

providing a human-readable first collection of information relating to features of real property offered for sale;

transforming said information into electronic signals;

transmitting said electronic signals from a first computer to a second computer, said second computer being configured to store information based on said electronic signals in a database memory in a computer-readable format, to provide stored information;

performing a search query of said database memory from a third computer that is remotely located from said second computer;

transforming a subset of said stored information into electronic signals responsive to said search query;

transmitting said electronic signals responsive to said query to said third computer; and

transforming said electronic signals responsive to said query into a human-readable format,

to provide a second collection of information relating to features of real property that is offered for sale that comprises a subset of said first collection of information.

23. A method according to claim 22 wherein said database memory is a property records database.

24. A method according to claim 22 wherein said human readable format comprises characters printed on at least one sheet of paper.

25. A method according to claim 22 wherein said human readable format comprises characters displayed on a computer monitor.

26. A method according to claim 22 wherein said real property offered for sale contains a dwelling that is new home construction.

27. A method according to claim 22 wherein at least one of said first collection of information and said second collection of information are tangible collections of information.

28. A method according to claim 22 wherein both of said first collection of information and said second collection of information are tangible collections of information.

29. A method according to claim 22 wherein the contents of said second collection of information is tailorable by a person operating said third computer based on features of real property offered for sale.

30. A method according to claim 22 further comprising generating an invoice applicable to the operator of said first computer based on the number of times a property record caused to be resident in said database memory by said operator of said first computer is accessed by a person operating said third computer.

31. A method according to claim 22 wherein said human-readable format is a listing of properties in a search results table, further comprising arranging said second collection of information so that records having the most-recent timestamps are prioritized to appear more towards the top of the listing, than records having older timestamps.

32. A billing method for data communication services comprising:

maintaining in computer-readable memory records relating to goods or services provided by a seller, each record being associated with a descriptor representing a general description of a good or service, which descriptor is a clickable hyperlink that when clicked by a remote user causes a detailed record relating to a good or service to be displayed on the remote user'"'"'s computer;

permitting a plurality of unique remote users to access said records using a search query engine over a computer network connection, said users being able to decide whether to merely view said descriptor, or to click on the descriptor hyperlink to view a detailed record;

determining the number of times all unique remote users access detailed records in said memory provided by a single seller;

billing said single seller an amount proportional to the number of times all unique remote users access detailed records in said memory provided by that single seller, over any pre-determined billing period, subject to the proviso that said seller is not billed any additional amount for second or subsequent clicks by a given unique remote user on a descriptor hyperlink associated with a given unique record.

33. A method according to claim 32 wherein said pre-selected time frame is shorter than a billing cycle.

34. A method according to claim 32 wherein said pre-selected time frame is longer than a billing cycle.

35. A method according to claim 32 wherein said pre-selected time frame covers any interval of time within a billing cycle.

36. A billing method for data communication services comprising:

maintaining in computer-readable memory records relating to real estate properties provided by a seller, each record being associated with a descriptor representing a general description of a real estate property, which descriptor is a clickable hyperlink that when clicked by a remote user causes a detailed record of a property to be displayed on the remote user'"'"'s computer;

permitting a plurality of unique remote users to access said records using a search query engine over a computer network connection, said users being able to decide whether to merely view said descriptor, or to click on the descriptor hyperlink to view a detailed record;

determining the number of times all unique remote users access detailed records of property records in said memory provided by a single seller;

billing said single seller an amount proportional to the number of times all unique remote users access detailed records of property records in said memory provided by that single seller, over any pre-determined billing period, subject to the proviso that said seller is not billed any additional amount for second or subsequent clicks by a given unique remote user on a descriptor hyperlink associated with a given unique property record within a pre-selected time frame.

37. A method according to claim 36 wherein said pre-selected time frame is shorter than a billing cycle.

38. A method according to claim 37 wherein said pre-selected time frame is longer than a billing cycle.

39. A method according to claim 38 wherein said pre-selected time frame covers any interval of time within a billing cycle.

40. A method of advertising real estate properties for sale comprising:

providing a database in computer-readable memory, said database including a plurality of records, wherein each record is associated with a unique real estate property, said records each including searchable fields containing details relating to a real estate property;

providing a search engine configured to search said plurality of records based on features associated with real estate properties selected by a user of said search engine, said search engine being configured to output a listing comprising a subset of said plurality of records present in said database responsive to said features indicated by a remote user;

providing online access over a computer network connection to said search engine to a plurality of users remotely-located from said database, said plurality of users including both sellers and potential buyers of real estate property;

providing a display of a map to a user who is a potential buyer, said map indicating locations of properties present in said listing; and

optionally, providing driving instructions to said user who is a potential buyer to at least one of said properties present in said listing,

billing a seller an amount proportional to the number of unique potential buyers that access a record for a property owned or controlled by said seller and present in said database.

41. A method according to claim 40 wherein said plurality of records are uploaded to said database by a plurality of sellers present at remote locations from said database.

42. A method according to claim 41 wherein said search engine is configured to provide said listing arranged in chronological order, based on the date and times that records present in said database were last updated.

43. A method according to claim 40 wherein said seller is not billed additional amounts for repeated access to the same property record by a unique potential buyer over any time interval selected by the administrator of said method.

44. A method according to claim 40 wherein said map and said listing are provided as portions of a single display on a computer monitor.