Common user profile server and method

• US 6,944,677 B1
• Filed: 05/09/2000
• Issued: 09/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Aspect Communications Corporation (Alvaria Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Aspect Communications Corporation (Alvaria Incorporated)
• Inventors: Zhao, Yan
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim, Krisna
• Application Number:
  US09/567,255
• Time in Patent Office: 1,953 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/206, 709/244, 707/10
• US Class Current: 709/244
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/01 Customer relationship services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0229 Multi-merchant loyalty card systems

Abstract

A method and apparatus is provided for facilitating the exchange of user profile information between an information provider and an application system. The invention allows a user to create and edit user profile information stored by an information provider. The information provider stores the information and provides a mechanism for providing the user profile information, or portions thereof, to various application systems. When a user initiates a registration or similar process with an application system, the present invention facilitates the exchange of information between the application system and the information provider to streamline the registration process.

Claims

1. A method of providing user profile data to a remote system, the method including:

storing the user profile data in a data repository for at least one user;

upon receiving a request, providing user profile information corresponding to a user to the remote system; and

notifying the user when the remote system requires more user profile information than previously provided.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the request comes from the remote system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the request comes from the user.

4. The method of claim 1, further including allowing the at least one user to edit the user profile data stored in the data repository.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the request includes authentication information.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the user profile information is only provided to the remote system if the request includes valid authentication information for the user.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the remote system is connected to the Internet.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the remote system is a web server.

9. A method to register a user with a web site during a web site registration process, the method including:

storing user profile information, associated with the user, in a data repository;

communicating the user profile information to the web site during the web site registration process; and

notifying the user when the web site requires more user profile information than previously communicated.

10. The method of claim 9, further including providing a user profile server to provide a link between the data repository and the web site.

11. The method of claim 10, further including:

using an Internet browser to access the web site;

initiating the registration process; and

providing information to the web site relating to the user profile server.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the information includes authentication information.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the information is provided by selecting an option on the web site.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the user controls the content of the user profile information communicated to the web site.

15. The method of claim 14, further including updating the user profile information before communicating the user profile information to the web site.

16. A user profile server to provide user profile information to a remote system, the user profile server including:

a data repository to store user profile information relating to a plurality of users;

a service engine to communicate the user profile information to the remote system responsive to a request from the remote system; and

a notification agent to notify users when the remote system requires additional information.

17. The user profile server of claim 16, wherein the request includes authentication information.

18. The user profile server of claim 17, wherein the remote system obtains the authentication information from a user.