METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR CONTROLLED DISTRIBUTION OF INFORMATION OVER A NETWORK

• US 20120016939A1
• Filed: 08/01/2011
• Published: 01/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Cheah, Chris
• Granted Patent: US 8,407,285 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/205
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4535 using an address exchange platform which sets up a session between two nodes, e.g. rendezvous servers, session initiation protocols [SIP] registrars or H.323 gatekeepers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

An information management and distribution system is disclosed. The information management and distribution system includes a client-side application and a server application that interact to facilitate the controlled exchange of contact information over a network. The client-side application can provide creation and design, rolodex, exchange, and update features. The information management and distribution system can also include a corporate administrator application. Still another aspect of the invention is that contact information can be distributed to registered users in a common format.

Claims

1. A computer system that provides a service for controlled access over a network to user profiles having associated messages from registered users of the service, comprising:

a networked server system accessible by remote user devices via the network, the networked server system comprising at least one processor and at least one memory; and

at least one database accessible by the networked server system and configured to store user profiles of registered users, messages provided by the registered users, and relationship data that specifies access relationships established between the registered users;

said networked server system being programmed, via executable program instructions, to;

allow users to register with the service and to create a user profile comprising profile information about the respective registered user;

allow a first registered user to identify other registered users via a user interface and to indicate a desire to establish an access relationship with the other registered users, wherein each access relationship allows the first registered user to access a user profile of an identified other registered user via the user interface and receive messages from the identified other registered user via the user interface, each of the messages comprising a text string;

establish the access relationships between the first registered user and the other registered users;

allow the first registered user to select via the user interface the user profile of another registered user with respect to which an access relationship has been established with the first registered user, in response to which the networked server system provides the selected user profile for display to the first registered user in a profile display area of the user interface, and

allow the other registered users to provide the messages, wherein the messages are displayed automatically to the first registered user via the user interface.

2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the messages comprises an image associated with a respective other registered user who provided the message.

3. The computer system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the messages comprises a link to a website having additional content associated with a respective message.

4. The computer system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the messages comprises a link to a website associated with a respective other registered user who provided the message.

5. The computer system of claim 1, wherein respective messages provided by respective other registered users are reflected automatically in the user interface of the respective other registered users.

6. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the networked server system is programmed to allow persons to register with the service and to create user profiles containing information about themselves and provide messages the persons desire to distribute to the other registered users, each of the messages comprising a text string.

7. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the networked server system is programmed to allow representatives of business entities to register with the service and to create user profiles containing information about the respective business entities and provide messages associated with the business entities for distribution to the other registered users, each of the messages comprising a text string.

8. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the networked server system is programmed to allow representatives of groups to register with the service and to create user profiles containing information about the respective groups and provide messages associated with the groups for distribution to other registered users, each of the messages comprising a text string.

9. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the networked server system is programmed to allow registered users to pre-authorize all other registered users for access to their respective user profile and their respective messages and establish access relationships permitting such access without requiring the registered users to individually approve the access relationships.

10. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the networked server system is programmed to allow registered users to selectively permit or deny requests for access to their respective user profile and their respective messages.

11. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the networked server system is programmed to allow the first registered user to select via the user interface one of the other registered users with respect to which the access relationship is established and to initiate a communication mechanism via the user interface for transmitting a communication to the selected other registered user.

12. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the networked server system is programmed to provide user profiles for display by the remote user devices in a common display format.

13. The computer system of claim 12, wherein the common display format includes one or more regions for displaying the messages.

14. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the networked server system is programmed to allow the first registered user to provide additional multimedia content in the first registered user'"'"'s user profile selectable from data types corresponding to one or more of graphics, images or http links.

15. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the networked server system is programmed to allow registered users to interact with the messages via the user interface.

16. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the networked server system is programmed to dynamically provide additional multimedia content of data types corresponding to one or more of graphics, images, audio, video, HTML code, XML code, applications, Applets or http links for display with the user profile of the first registered user displayed via the user interface.

17. The computer system of claim 16, wherein the dynamically provided additional content comprises one or more advertisements.

18. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the networked server system is programmed to allow one or more of the other registered users to request access to the user profile of the first registered user and messages provided by the first registered user;

and establish an access relationship permitting such access to the user profile of the first registered user and the messages without requiring the first registered user to individually permit such request for access.

19. The computer system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the other registered users is a representative of a business entity or group and at least one of the messages comprises an announcement associated with the business entity or the group.

20. The computer system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the other registered users is a representative of a business entity or group and at least one of the messages comprises an advertisement associated with the business entity or the group.

21. A method of providing a service for controlled access over a network to user profiles having associated messages from registered users of the service, the service provided using a networked server system comprising at least one processor and at least one memory and accessible by remote user devices via the network, the method comprising:

(a) allowing users to register with the service and to create a user profile comprising profile information about the respective registered user;

(b) allowing a first registered user to identify other registered users via a user interface and to indicate a desire to establish an access relationship with the other registered users, wherein each access relationship allows the first registered user to access a user profile of an identified other registered user via the user interface and receive messages from the identified other registered user via the user interface, each of the messages comprising a text string;

(c) establishing the access relationships between the first registered user and the other registered users;

(d) storing in at least one database accessible by the networked server system (i) user profiles of registered users, (ii) messages provided by the registered users and (iii) relationship data that specifies access relationships established between the registered users;

(e) allowing the first registered user to select via the user interface the user profile of another registered user with respect to which an access relationship has been established with the first registered user, in response to which the networked server system provides the selected user profile for display to the first registered user in a profile display area of the user interface, and

(f) allowing the other registered users to provide the messages, wherein the messages are displayed automatically to the first registered user via the user interface.