Descriptive-profile mercantile method

• US 6,925,440 B1
• Filed: 06/14/2000
• Issued: 08/02/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: AlmondNet, Inc.
• Original Assignee: AlmondNet, Inc.
• Inventors: Shkedi, Roy
• Primary Examiner(s): Weiss, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): OUELLETTE, JONATHAN P
• Application Number:
  US09/593,993
• Time in Patent Office: 1,875 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/37, 364/408
• US Class Current: 705/1.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes

Abstract

A descriptive-profile mercantile method, for use at a juncture in a data-communications topology having associated therewith a maintained databank of partial profiles, is disclosed. The method includes the steps of: from a user, receiving a transaction having therein a first partial profile; using the first partial profile, searching a databank having a plurality of second partial profiles, wherein is included in said databank at least one null profile so that said searching will always yield at least one proximate second partial profile to the first partial profile; and between the user and the databank, contracting: (I) for the databank to own or represent a right to a first mutually agreed portion of the first partial profile, and substantially thereafter said databank incorporating the agreed portion of the first profile into at least one second partial profile; or (II) for the user to own or represent a right to a second mutually agreed portion of at least one said proximate second partial profile, and substantially thereafter the databank transmitting to the user the second mutually agreed portion of the second profile. The present invention operates best on a brokerage representation model; and thereby provides a means for making viable the economic commerce in information attributes.

Claims

1. A descriptive-profile mercantile method, for use at a juncture in a data-communications topology having associated therewith a maintained databank of partial profiles, the method including the steps of:

a) from a entity who owns or represents a right to multiple profiles, electronically receiving a transaction having therein a first partial profile of a single visitor to the entity, said transaction including real-time access to the single visitor wherein an identifier is recognized or placed on the single visitor;

b) using the first partial profile, electronically searching a databank having a plurality of second partial profiles, wherein is included in said databank at least one null profile so that said electronic searching will always yield at least one proximate second partial profile to the first partial profile;

c) i) between the entity and the databank, electronically contracting for a royalty payment for the databank to own or represent a right to a first mutually agreed portion of the first partial profile, and substantially thereafter said databank incorporating the agreed portion of the first profile into at least one second partial profile;

or

ii) between the entity and the databank, electronically contracting for a royalty payment for the entity to own or represent a right to a second mutually agreed portion of at least one said proximate second partial profile, and substantially thereafter the databank transmitting to the user entity the second mutually agreed portion of the second profile.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein electronically receiving a transaction includes extracting at least one predetermined key portion of the first partial profile, wherein at least one of these extracted predetermined key portions is then used as the first partial profile for the electronic searching of the databank.

3. The method according to claim 2 wherein extracting includes constructing at least one composite key for the electronic searching of the databank using a combinatorial of at least two of the predetermined key portions of the first partial profile.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein electronically contracting includes selecting a pricing structure according to a rating of the entity.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein electronically contracting a right includes accepting an obligation to pay for substantially each use or transfer of the agreed portion.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein incorporating the agreed portion includes assigning a credibility weighting to the agreed portion of the first profile.

7. The method according to claim 6 wherein incorporating includes convoluting the assigned credibility weighting of the first profile with a preexisting credibility weighting of a substantially like agreed portion of a proximate second profile;

and storing the convoluted new credibility weighting for the agreed portion in the databank.

8. The method according to claim 7 wherein electronically contracting includes selecting a pricing structure according to a result of a computation comparing the new credibility weighting with the pre-existing credibility weighting.

9. The method according to claim 1 wherein electronically receiving a transaction includes consulting an external database.

10. The method according to claim 1 further including

i) electronically searching at least one external database for a partial profile or portion thereof which complements a at least one second partial profile of the databank, and

ii) between the database and the databank, electronically contracting for the databank to own or represent a right to a first mutually agreed portion of the complementing first partial profile, and substantially thereafter said databank incorporating the agreed portion of the first profile into at least one second partial profile.

11. A computer program product including a computer usable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein for facilitating descriptive profile mercantile activities, the computer readable program code including:

a) first computer readable program code for causing a computer to receive a transaction from a entity who owns or represents a right to multiple profiles, the transaction having therein a first partial profile of a single visitor to the entity, said transaction including real-time access to the single visitor wherein an identifier is recognized or placed on the single visitor;

b) tied to the first computer readable program code, second computer readable program code for causing the computer to use the first partial profile to search a databank having a plurality of second partial profiles, wherein is included in said databank at least one null profile so that said searching will always yield at least one proximate second partial profile to the first partial profile; and

c) tied to the second computer readable program code, third computer readable program code;

i) for causing the computer to contract for a royalty payment between the entity and the databank for the databank to own or represent a right to a first mutually agreed portion of the first partial profile, and substantially thereafter for said databank to incorporate the agreed portion of the first profile into at least one second partial profile;

or

ii) for causing the computer to contract for a royalty payment between the entity and the databank for the entity to own or represent a right to a second mutually agreed portion of at least one said proximate second partial profile, and substantially thereafter for the databank to transmit to the entity the second mutually agreed portion of the second profile.

12. A program storage device readable by machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for a descriptive-profile mercantile method, for use at a juncture in a data-communications topology having associated therewith a maintained databank of partial profiles, said method steps including:

a) from a entity who owns or represents a right to multiple profiles, receiving a transaction having therein a first partial profile of a single visitor to the entity said transaction including real-time access to the single visitor wherein an identifier is recognized or placed on the single visitor;

b) using the first partial profile, searching a databank having a plurality of second partial profiles, wherein is included in said databank at least one null profile so that said searching will always yield at least one proximate second partial profile to the first partial profile;

c) i) between the entity and the databank, contracting for a royalty payment for the databank to own or represent a right to a first mutually agreed portion of the first partial profile, and substantially thereafter said databank incorporating the agreed portion of the first profile into at least one second partial profile;

or

ii) between the entity and the databank, contracting for a royalty payment for the entity to own or represent a right to a second mutually agreed portion of at least one said proximate second partial profile, and substantially thereafter the databank transmitting to the entity the second mutually agreed portion of the second profile.

13. A computer system for facilitating a descriptive-profile mercantile method, the system including:

a) a computer installed at a juncture in a data-communications topology;

b) associated with said computer, a storage device for keeping a maintained databank of partial profiles; and

c) associated with the internal functionality components of the computer, appurtenances for performing method steps including;

i) from a entity who owns or represents a right to multiple profiles, receiving a transaction having therein a first partial profile of a single visitor to the entity, said transaction including real-time access to the single visitor wherein an identifier is recognized or placed on the single visitor;

ii) using the first partial profile, searching a databank having a plurality of second partial profiles, wherein is included in said databank at least one null profile so that said searching will always yield at least one proximate second partial profile to the first partial profile;

iii) (1) between the entity and the databank, contracting for a royalty payment for the databank to own or represent a right to a first mutually agreed portion of the first partial profile, and substantially thereafter said databank incorporating the agreed portion of the first profile into at least one second partial profile;

or

(2) between the entity and the databank, contracting for a royalty payment for the entity to own or represent a right to a second mutually agreed portion of at least one said proximate second partial profile, and substantially thereafter the databank transmitting to the entity the second mutually agreed portion of the second profile.