COMMUNITY HUB REVIEW

• US 20110213724A1
• Filed: 02/26/2010
• Published: 09/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Original Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Inventors: Cantley, Kerry, Nagarajan, Srinath, Mark, Timothy James
• Granted Patent: US 8,219,499 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/319
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0282 Rating or review of business operators or products
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

The business review application provides a customer with a bank-hosted business review platform that provides an advertising and feedback service for the bank'"'"'s business customers and provides a rating, review, feedback, and recommendation service for the bank'"'"'s individual and business customers. Thus, the bank'"'"'s customers can rate and review the bank'"'"'s business customers. The bank uses its authentication systems used by its customers to access online banking services to authenticate the identity of the customer creating a business review in the business review platform. In some embodiments, the business review application only permits its customers to make one review of a business within a certain period of time or one review after a transaction with that business shows up in the customer'"'"'s transaction information maintained by the bank. In this way, the bank can host a review platform that is much more accurate and trust-worthy than traditional business review platforms.

Claims

1. A local community hub review system for an online banking system comprising:

a memory device;

a communication device; and

a processing device operatively coupled to the memory device and the communication device, wherein the processing device is configured to execute computer-readable program code to;

receive input from a customer related to a business or event the customer wants to review;

access from a community hub the reviews of the business or event;

display on a community hub interface the reviews of the business or event;

receive input from a customer for assigning a review score associated with the business or event the customer wants to review.

2. The local community hub review system of claim 1, wherein the processing device configured to execute computer-readable program code to receive input from a customer related to a review score associated with the business or event the customer wants to review is further configured to only allow a customer to assign a review score if the customer is a bank customer, wherein the bank controls the online banking system.

3. The local community hub review system of claim 1, wherein the processing device configured to execute computer-readable program code to receive input from a customer related to a review score associated with the business or event the customer wants to review is further configured to only allow a customer to assign a score if the customer is not affiliated with the business or event being reviewed.

4. The local community hub review system of claim 1, wherein the processing device is further configured to execute computer-readable program code to calculate an average review score for the business or event based at least in part on the review score assigned by the customer and the review scores of other customers of the business or event.

5. The local community hub review system of claim 1, wherein the processing device is further configured to execute computer-readable program code to receive customer input related to a contact that the customer would like to add to the customer'"'"'s contacts list.

6. The local community hub review system of claim 1, wherein the processing device is further configured to execute computer-readable program code to receive customer input related to search criteria for identifying a contact the customer would like to identify, wherein the contact is another customer of a bank that operates the online baking system, and wherein the contact is a part of the community hub.

7. The local community hub review system of claim 1, wherein the processing device is further configured to execute computer-readable program code to receive customer input related to a contact in the customer'"'"'s contact list;

and to display in a review interface one or more businesses or events in the local community that the contact has reviewed.

8. The local community hub review system of claim 1, wherein the processing device is further configured to execute computer-readable program code to determine a certification status of the business in the community hub, wherein the business is a bank customer, wherein the bank controls the online banking system, and wherein the certification status of the business is based on the financial information the bank has regarding the business.

9. The local community hub review system of claim 1, wherein the processing device is further configured to provide a link in the customer'"'"'s online banking transaction statement to review the business associated with a transaction the customer made that is listed in the online banking transaction statement.

10. The local community hub review system of claim 1, wherein the processing device configured to execute computer-readable program code to display on a community hub interface the reviews of the business or event, is further configured to display the community hub interface in a separate window from the interface the customer is viewing.

11. A computer program product for a local community hub review system for an online banking system, the computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-readable program code portions embodied therein, the computer-readable program code portions comprising:

an executable portion configured for receiving input from a customer related to a business or event the customer wants to review;

an executable portion configured for accessing from a community hub the reviews of the business or event;

an executable portion configured for displaying on a community hub interface the reviews of the business or event;

an executable portion configured for receiving input from a customer for assigning a review score associated with the business or event the customer wants to review.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the executable portion configured for receiving input from a customer related to a review score associated with the business or event the customer wants to review is further configured for only allowing a customer to assign a review score if the customer is a bank customer, wherein the bank controls the online banking system.

13. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the executable portion configured for receiving input from a customer related to a review score associated with the business or event the customer wants to review is further configured for only allowing a customer to assign a score if the customer is not affiliated with the business or event being reviewed.

14. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising:

an executable portion configured for calculating an average review score for the business or event based at least in part on the review score assigned by the customer and the review scores of other customers of the business or event.

15. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising:

an executable portion configured for receiving customer input related to a contact that the customer would like to add to the customer'"'"'s contacts list.

16. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising:

an executable portion configured for receiving customer input related to search criteria for identifying a contact the customer would like to identify, wherein the contact is another customer of a bank that operates the online baking system, and wherein the contact is a part of the community hub.

17. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising:

an executable portion configured for receiving customer input related to a contact in the customer'"'"'s contact list; and

displaying in a review interface one or more businesses or events in the local community that the contact has reviewed.

18. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising:

an executable portion configured for determining a certification status of the business in the community hub, wherein the business is a bank customer, wherein the bank controls the online banking system, and wherein the certification status of the business is based on the financial information the bank has regarding the business.

19. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising:

an executable portion configured for providing a link in the customer'"'"'s online banking transaction statement to review the business associated with a transaction the customer made that is listed in the online banking transaction statement.

20. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the executable portion configured for displaying on a community hub interface the reviews of the business or event, is further configured to display the community hub interface in a separate window from the interface the customer is viewing.

21. A local community hub review method for an online banking system, the method comprises:

receiving input from a customer related to a business or event the customer wants to review, using a processing device operatively coupled to a memory device, and a communication device, and configured to execute computer-readable program code;

accessing from a community hub the reviews of the business or event, using the processing device;

displaying on a community hub interface the reviews of the business or event, using the processing device;

receiving input from a customer for assigning a review score associated with the business or event the customer wants to review, using the processing device.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein receiving input from a customer related to a review score associated with the business or event the customer wants to review further comprises only allowing a customer to assign a review score if the customer is a bank customer, wherein the bank controls the online banking system.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein receiving input from a customer related to a review score associated with the business or event the customer wants to review further comprises only allowing a customer to assign a score if the customer is not affiliated with the business or event being reviewed.

24. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

calculating an average review score for the business or event based at least in part on the review score assigned by the customer and the review scores of other customers of the business or event, using the processing device.

25. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

receiving customer input related to a contact that the customer would like to add to the customer'"'"'s contacts list, using the processing device.

26. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

receiving customer input related to search criteria for identifying a contact the customer would like to identify, using the processing device, wherein the contact is another customer of a bank that operates the online baking system, and wherein the contact is a part of the community hub.

27. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

receiving customer input related to a contact in the customer'"'"'s contact list, using the processing device; and

displaying in a review interface one or more businesses or events in the local community that the contact has reviewed, using the processing device.

28. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

determining a certification status of the business in the community hub, using the processing device, wherein the business is a bank customer, wherein the bank controls the online banking system, and wherein the certification status of the business is based on the financial information the bank has regarding the business.

29. The method of claim 21, further comprising

providing a link in the customer'"'"'s online banking transaction statement to review the business associated with a transaction the customer made that is listed in the online banking transaction statement.

30. The method of claim 21, wherein displaying on a community hub interface the reviews of the business or event, further comprises displaying the community hub interface in a separate window from the interface the customer is viewing.