System, method and program product for sharing information

• US 7,024,391 B2
• Filed: 12/05/2000
• Issued: 04/04/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kraft Foods Global Brands LLC (Mondelez International, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Kraft Foods Holdings Incorporated (Altria Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Burich, Joseph A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Worjloh, Jalatee
• Application Number:
  US09/730,144
• Publication Number:
  US 20020069175A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,946 Days
• Field of Search: 705 50- 80, 705/28, 705/29, 705/1, 705/26, 705/7, 705/27, 707/10
• US Class Current: 705/51
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0609 Buyer or seller confidence or verification

Abstract

A member accessible information system for managing member information, and selectively providing member information to individual members. The members, typically belong to a common industry, such as the food industry and connect through remotely connected networked computers, such as over the Internet. Members may be food industry members include suppliers, manufacturers and customers, each accessing information supplied by members and maintained by the system. Members may search through previously authorized member provided information. The system includes a central storage which may be located on a database server and which stores product information, e.g., food product information and specifications. Members access the system through a web server. A security policy server verifies what product information and which specifications are to be available to each member. Specifications may be stored centrally or, distributed to member locations. An app server stores and selectively executes applications used by members. User security profiles are stored on and managed by a policy server. Each member'"'"'s security profile indicate the level of authorization of the corresponding member. A personalization server may be included to record user member characteristics, i.e., content viewed by the member, and personalizes content to subsequently automatically make similar content available to the member. An ad server may be included to schedule, serve and track advertising content provided to members. Orders may be generated and placed automatically. Member use may be tracked to generate member bills automatically and bill individual members.

Claims

1. A member accessible information system for managing member information regarding products, and selectively providing the member information to individual members, said system comprising:

a plurality of remotely connected computers connected together over a network, wherein member information regarding products is accessible by members over ones of said remotely connected computers, and wherein at least some member information regarding at least one product resides within at least one of the remotely connected computers;

means for maintaining said member information regarding products including a database server storing said member information regarding products, said database server managing said stored member information and providing selected portions of said member information regarding products responsive to appropriate requests from authorized members;

means for searching through member information regarding products responsive to an information request from a member; and

means for selectively allowing members to request said member information regarding products.

2. A member accessible information system as in claim 1, wherein the means for selectively allowing members to request member information regarding products comprises:

login means for receiving a member identification and corresponding password and, providing a logging-in member portions of said member information responsive to a request.

3. A member accessible information system as in claim 1, wherein the means for maintaining member information regarding products further comprises:

a webserver storing static content information and serving said static content to members;

an appserver storing applications for use by members and selectively executing stored applications responsive to selected requests from members; and

a policy server storing user security profiles and managing said stored user security profiles, each of said members'"'"' security profile indicating a level of authorization of a corresponding member.

4. A member accessible information system as in claim 1, wherein the means for searching member information regarding products comprises:

a search engine having full text indexing and searching capability for searching member supplied documents regarding products stored in said system; and

a crawler searching and indexing searched said member supplied documents regarding products,

said search engine searching and retrieving documents regarding products indexed by said crawler responsive to member requests.

5. A member accessible information system as in claim 1, wherein said system further comprises a personalization server, said personalization server recording characteristics of content viewed by members and personalizing content, personalized content automatically being made available to corresponding members thereafter.

6. A member accessible information system as in claim 1, said system further comprising an ad server providing advertising content to members.

7. A member accessible information system as in claim 6, wherein said ad server manages ad content scheduling, serving and tracking.

8. A member accessible information system as in claim 1 further comprising:

billing means for tracking member use, deriving member bills from member use and billing individual ones of said members.

9. A member accessible information system as in claim 8, said billing means collecting revenues from billed members.

10. A member accessible information system as in claim 1, wherein members of said system are members of a common industry.

11. A member accessible information system as in claim 10, wherein members of said common industry include suppliers, manufacturers and customers.

12. A member accessible information system as in claim 11, wherein said common industry is the food industry.

13. A member accessible information system as in claim 1, wherein member information regarding products is stored on member computers, member computers being ones of said remotely connected computers.

14. A member accessible information system as in claim 1, wherein at least a portion of said member information regarding products is located on a central computer with a database server.

15. An information management system for managing product information distribution, said system comprising:

a central storage storing product information for products related to a common industry wherein said central storage is on a database server, said database server storing and managing member information and providing selected stored information responsive to appropriate requests from authorized members;

a web server interfacing members with selected product information stored in said central storage and as stored in remotely connected computers through which members interface to the information management system;

a security policy server, selecting product information available to each member;

an app server storing applications for use by members and selectively executing stored applications responsive to selected member requests from said web server;

a policy server storing user security profiles and managing said stored user security profiles, each of said members'"'"' security profile indicating a level of authorization of a corresponding member;

a personalization server recording characteristics of content viewed by members and personalizing content, personalized content automatically being made available to corresponding members thereafter; and

a specification storage storing specifications for ones of said products, stored said specifications being selectively provided to ones of said interfacing members.

16. An information system as in claim 15 further comprising an ad server providing advertising content to members.

17. An information system as in claim 16, said ad server scheduling, serving and tracking ad content.

18. An information system as in claim 15 further comprising a billing unit tracking member use, deriving member bills from member use and billing individual ones of said members.

19. An information system as in claim 18, wherein said billing unit collects revenues from billed members.

20. An information system as in claim 18, wherein members of said system are members of the food industry.

21. An information system as in claim 20, wherein said food industry members include suppliers, manufacturers and customers.

22. An information system as in claim 18, wherein one or more specifications are stored on member computers, member computers being remotely connected to said information system, the location of remotely stored said specifications being stored on said information system.

23. An information system as in claim 22 further comprising:

a search engine having full text indexing and searching capability for searching member supplied documents stored in said central storage; and

a crawler searching and indexing searched said member supplied documents,

said search engine searching and retrieving documents indexed by said crawler responsive to member requests.

24. An information system as in claim 22, wherein one or more specifications are stored in said central storage.

25. An information system as in claim 18, wherein one or more specifications are stored in said central storage.

26. An information management system for managing product information distribution, said system comprising:

a central storage storing product information for products related to a common industry;

a web server interfacing members with selected product information stored in said central storage and as stored in remotely connected computers through which members interface to the information management system;

a security policy server, selecting product information available to each member;

a billing unit tracking member use, deriving member bills from member use and billing individual ones of said members;

a search engine having full text indexing and searching capability for searching member supplied documents stored in said central storage; and

a crawler searching and indexing searched said member supplied documents,

said search engine searching and retrieving documents indexed by said crawler responsive to member requests;

a specification storage storing specifications for ones of said products, stored said specifications being selectively provided to ones of said interfacing members; and

wherein one or more specifications are stored on member computers, member computers being remotely connected to said information system, the location of remotely stored said specifications being stored on said information system.

27. An information system as in claim 26, further comprising:

an app server storing applications for use by members and selectively executing stored applications responsive to selected member requests from said web server; and

a policy server storing user security profiles and managing said stored user security profiles, each of said members'"'"' security profile indicating a level of authorization of a corresponding member.

28. An information system as in claim 27, wherein said central storage is on a database server, said database server storing and managing member information and providing selected stored information responsive to appropriate requests from authorized members.

29. An information system as in claim 28 further comprising an ad server providing advertising content to members.

30. An information system as in claim 29, said ad server scheduling, serving and tracking ad content.

31. An information system as in claim 26 wherein said billing unit collects revenues from billed members.

32. An information system as in claim 26, wherein members of said system are members of the food industry.

33. An information system as in claim 32, wherein said food industry members include suppliers, manufacturers and customers.

34. An information system as in claim 26, wherein one or more specifications are stored in said central storage.