Automated system and method for managing a process for the shopping and selection of human entities

• US 7,212,985 B2
• Filed: 10/08/2001
• Issued: 05/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intragroup Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intragroup Inc.
• Inventors: Sciuk, David N.
• Primary Examiner(s): ZEENDER, FLORIAN M
• Application Number:
  US09/973,251
• Publication Number:
  US 20030093322A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,031 Days
• Field of Search: 705/8, 705/9, 705/26, 705/37, 705/1, 705/11, 707/6, 707/104.1, 707/5, 700/103, 700/104
• US Class Current: 705/7.33
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1053 Employment or hiring
• 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 30/0202 Market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0203 Market surveys; Market polls
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0204 Market segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access

Abstract

This invention is a system and method for automatically managing a multi-step process in which human providers are selected for some purpose. Typical applications include the selection process associated with employment and dating services. The invention is directed to linking and coordinating the various steps of the selection process through automated sequencing, coordinating, tracking and status reporting processes. The interviewee answers questions that are printed, displayed, or spoken by an automated mechanism or questions are printed or displayed for use by a tester or interviewer. Answers can be written, spoken, or entered directly into a system by the interviewee.

The invention provides a system and method for automatically scoring and ranking human providers with respect to selection criteria, making use of expert system concepts. Human shoppers are matched up and the usefulness of each match is scored on the basis of stated selection criteria of each human shopper.

Claims

1. A matching system wherein a user places at least one order for at least one provider and a degree of matching between each order-provider pairing is computed and recomputed using responses to a cascading series of requests for additional information generated by the matching system in a fully automated way so that subjective bias from humans in generating the requests for additional information is substantially eliminated and the degree of matching is improved thereby, the matching system comprising:

input means for inputting program code and user information, order information, and provider information;

a data storage device to receive and store said program code and said user information, order information, and provider information;

a knowledge base which is stored in a data storage device which may be said data storage device, which is substantially separate from program code that references said knowledge base either directly or indirectly, and which contains facts and rules for iteratively convergent problem solving;

wherein the iteratively convergent problem solving includes instructions for iteratively computing the degree of matching, including instructions for performing steps comprised of;

(a) constructing representations of attributes of the user, the at least one order, and the at least one provider,

(b) matching representations of respective attributes of a particular order with representations of attributes of a particular provider, and

(c) computing an initial degree of matching between each order-provider pairing of representations of respective attributes,

(d) cyclically generating requests for additional information from at least one of the user, respective providers, and respective third parties as a cascading series of requests for additional information generated by the program code by referencing the knowledge base in a fully automated way, and cyclically receiving responses,

(e) reconstructing the representations of respective attributes of the user, the at least one order, and the at least one provider based on responses received, and

(f) recomputing the degree of matching between each order-provider pairing of reconstructed representations of respective attributes so that subjective bias from humans in generating the requests for additional information is substantially eliminated and the degree of matching is improved thereby; and

output means for reporting matching results to the user.

2. The matching system of claim 1, wherein the knowledge base is substantially separate from the user information, the order information, and the provider information, and wherein the data storage device for the knowledge base is separate from the data storage device which receives and stores the user information, the order information, and the provider information.

3. The matching system of claim 1, wherein said representations of attributes of at least one of the user, the at least one order, and the at least one provider share at least one of symbolism and vocabulary.

4. The matching system of claim 1, further comprising a device to request information which is one of (a) an avatar which is an animated image generated automatically by the system or (b) a simulated interviewer.

5. The matching system of claim 1, further comprising a device to accept verbal input, and wherein information is provided as verbal input and the system converts the verbal input to digital form.

6. The matching system of claim 1, further comprising a reporting system that at least one of (a) sends status messages to the user regarding the status of a particular order in the system, and (b) sends status messages to respective ones of the at least one provider.

7. The matching system of claim 1, further comprising a billing system that bills the user based on at least one of (a) number of providers that have been matched with respective ones of the at least one order placed by said user, and (b) number of orders placed during a period of time by said user.

8. The matching system of claim 1, wherein the user is a prospective employer and the at least one provider is one of a prospective employee or independent contractor.

9. The matching system of claim 1, wherein the user is a prospective patient and the at least one provider is one of a prospective doctor or dentist.

10. The matching system of claim 1, wherein the user is a human shopper and the at least one provider is a supplier of one of companionship, goods, or services.

11. The matching system of claim 1, wherein the initial degree of matching and the iteratively recomputed degree of matching between each order-provider pairing is computed without elimination of any order-provider pairings.

12. The matching system of claim 1, wherein the knowledge base is substantially separate from said program code but may have supporting programs stored therein including at least one of components, sections, and sub-routines.

13. The matching system of claim 1, wherein said representations of attributes of at least one of the user, the at least one order, and the at least one provider respectively contain at least one attribute, and wherein each attribute is constructed independently from any other attribute using said facts and rules for iteratively convergent problem solving.

14. The matching system of claim 1, wherein the requests for information comprise at least one of questionnaires, application forms, interview scripts, third party reference check requests, and verification tests.

15. The matching system of claim 1, wherein said cascading series of requests for information are organized in a plurality of well defined steps so that a response to one or more requests for information in one step generates one or more requests for information in another step.

16. The matching system of claim 1, wherein the matching system makes at least one request for information from at least one entity, receives at least one response from a respective entity, and determines which particular request for information was satisfied without the respective entity identifying itself.

17. The matching system of claim 16, wherein the matching system includes a plurality of hidden codes to identify the respective entity who is responding.

18. The matching system of claim 1, further comprising a knowledge base system that updates the information contained in the knowledge base automatically so that the knowledge base is an adaptive knowledge base.

19. The matching system of claim 18, wherein the knowledge base is automatically updated to provide updates, and wherein the updates may be used as a basis for requesting additional information.

20. The matching system of claim 19, further comprising a reporting system that at least one of (a) sends status messages to the user regarding the status of a particular order in the system, and (b) sends status messages to respective ones of the at least one provider, wherein the reporting system advises at least one of the user and the at least one provider when the knowledge base is automatically updated, and wherein at least one of the user and the at least one provider input additional information into the system in response to the advisories.

21. The matching system of claim 1, further comprising a scoring system that compares the provider information and the order information of one said order-provider pairing, and that determines a score for said order-provider pairing based upon the initial degree of matching and the iteratively recomputed degree of matching between the provider information and the order information.

22. The matching system of claim 21, wherein the score is computed from a predetermined formula which includes at least one of user-specified criteria, user-specified weighting factors, and user-specified relative importance of said user specified criteria.

23. The matching system of claim 21, wherein the scoring system determines scores based at least in part on degree of clustering of keywords in information provided.

24. The matching system of claim 23, wherein the information provided is at least one of (a) user information, (b) order information, and (c) provider information, which information includes at least one of a job description, an application, a biography, and a resume.

25. The matching system of claim 21, wherein the scoring system considers the initial degree of matching and the iteratively recomputed degree of matching through multiple steps including receiving additional information and optionally requesting said additional information.

26. The matching system of claim 21, further comprising a rescoring system that automatically corrects the scores based on correction factors.

27. The matching system of claim 26, wherein the correction factors are derived from at least one of interviewing the provider, objective testing of the provider, and reference checking of the provider information.

28. The matching system of claim 26, wherein the correction factors are derived from at least one of interviewing respective ones of the at least one provider, testing of respective ones of the at least one provider, and reference checking regarding the provider information.

29. The matching system of claim 25, further comprising a management system that tracks each order-provider pairing through the multiple steps;

and a sequencing system that specifies contents of each step of the multiple steps.

30. The matching system of claim 29, further comprising a timer that allocates a pre-determined time to complete at least one of the multiple steps.

31. The matching system of claim 30, wherein the matching system sends an alarm indicating that a predetermined time period has lapsed without requisite action.

32. The matching system of claim 31, wherein the alarm is sent to at least one individual recipient selected from the group consisting of the user, at least one of the at least one provider, a third party, and an operator of the system, wherein the alarm is classified as either a warning alarm or an urgent alarm, and wherein the alarm is sent to the at least one individual recipient based on whether the respective at least one individual recipient has been granted access to warning alarms or to urgent alarms.

33. The matching system of claim 29, wherein the contents of each step of the multiple steps at least includes instructions to at least one of (a) the user regarding the input of additional information including at least one of (1) user information and (2) order information and (b) respective ones of the at least one provider regarding the input of additional provider information, and wherein the sequencing system provides default content of a step.

34. The matching system of claim 33, wherein the default content is modified by the user.

35. The matching system of claim 27, further comprising a device to request information which is one of (a) an avatar which is an animated image generated automatically by the system or (b) a simulated interviewer.

36. The matching system of claim 27, further comprising a device to accept verbal input, and wherein information is provided as verbal input and the system converts the verbal input to digital form.

37. A matching system wherein a user places at least one order for at least one provider and a degree of matching between each order-provider pairing is computed and recomputed using responses to a cascading series of requests for additional information generated by the matching system in a fully automated way so that subjective bias from humans in generating the requests for additional information is substantially eliminated and the degree of matching is improved thereby, the matching system comprising:

input means for inputting program code and user information, order information, and provider information;

a data storage device to receive and store said program code and said user information, order information, and provider information;

a knowledge base which is stored in a data storage device which may be said data storage device, which is substantially separate from program code that references said knowledge base either directly or indirectly, and which contains facts and rules for iteratively convergent problem solving;

wherein the iteratively convergent problem solving includes instructions for iteratively computing the degree of matching, including instructions for performing steps comprised of;

(a) constructing representations of attributes of the user, the at least one order, and the at least one provider,

(b) matching representations of respective attributes of a particular order with representations of attributes of a particular provider, and

(c) computing an initial degree of matching between each order-provider pairing of representations of respective attributes,

(d) cyclically generating requests for additional information from at least one of the user, respective providers, and respective third parties as a cascading series of requests for additional information generated by the program code by referencing the knowledge base in a fully automated way, and cyclically receiving responses,

(e) reconstructing the representations of respective attributes of the user, the at least one order, and the at least one provider based on responses received, and

(f) recomputing the degree of matching between each order-provider pairing of reconstructed representations of respective attributes so that subjective bias from humans in generating the requests for additional information is substantially eliminated and the degree of matching is improved thereby, and

wherein the knowledge base contains a plurality of different categories of facts and rules for iteratively convergent problem solving including;

(a) basic facts and rules used by the matching system to create initial requests for information to construct said representations of attributes of the user, the at least one order, and the at least one provider; and

(b) additional facts and rules used by the matching system for misrepresentation detection by;

(1) constructing verification materials comprising requests for information designed to measure actual abilities and character traits of respective ones of the at least one provider for verification of the representations of attributes thereof,

(2) obtaining verification results, and

(3) carrying out correction of the representations of attributes of respective ones of the at least one provider in light of the verification results; and

output means for reporting matching results to the user.

38. The matching system of claim 37, wherein the facts and rules includes facts and rules by which questions are constructed for use in one of said initial requests for information and said verification materials.

39. The matching system of claim 38, wherein one of said initial requests for information and said verification materials are constructed in a real time manner by the matching system, and wherein answers to previous questions influence choice of subsequent questions.

40. The matching system of claim 38, wherein said verification materials include verification tests comprised of questions and a plurality of answers to each respective question.

41. The matching system of claim 37, wherein said requests for additional information continue until an acceptable result is obtained.