Method and apparatus for operating and funding a question and answer interactive system

• US 7,596,578 B1
• Filed: 06/26/2000
• Issued: 09/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Year of The Dragon LLC
• Original Assignee: Expert Viewpoint LLC
• Inventors: Marks, James D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Trujillo, James
• Assistant Examiner(s): BURKE, JEFF A
• Application Number:
  US09/603,601
• Time in Patent Office: 3,382 Days
• Field of Search: 600/300, 600/301, 705/2, 705/14, 705/8, 345/758, 707/104.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 30/0217 involving input on products or services in exchange for incentives or rewards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/20 for electronic clinical trials or questionnaires
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

A method and system, executed by a server, is disclosed for receiving questions from users regarding one or more topics and providing answers from a set of experts. Users can direct questions to one or more specific experts, who in turn can answer the questions, refer the questions to other experts, or both. The server automatically organizes and stores questions and answers in various for a dedicated to one or more topics, such as medical treatment for specific health conditions. Responses generated by the experts to the questions asked by the users may, in turn, be reviewed by peer review personnel. The system may be deployed at multiple network sites to provide a question and answer forum to users who visit different sites. Each network site in which the system is deployed may selectively decide whether to post at its network site the responses by experts and/or peer review personnel to questions originating from other network sites. In addition, each network site can selectively decide whether the responses by experts and/or peer review personnel to questions originating at their network site should be permitted to be posted on other network sites. Methods for funding a network site according to the present invention include the provision of advertising banners, receiving subscription payments or fees from user/subscribers for receiving expert opinions, and receiving payments from third party sponsors. Users who access the site may, in turn, receive benefits in exchange for soliciting such expert opinions.

Claims

1. A method implemented on a server for funding at least one interactive network site, the at least one interactive network site hosted by the server, presenting questions submitted by at least one of a plurality of users to at least one of at least two experts, the questions being submitted via at least one client interface, each client interface being identified to the users as a forum on a predetermined subject matter of the forum, at least one forum presenting the at least two experts as experts on the predetermined subject matter of the forum, the method comprising the steps of:

the server receiving a question submitted by one of the plurality of users via the client interface of the at least one forum;

the server routing the submitted question for presentation to one of the at least two experts;

the server presenting the question to the one expert via one of a plurality of personal expert interfaces, each personal expert interface being uniquely associated with one of the at least two experts and in communication with the server;

the server receiving a first command via the personal expert interface of the one expert, the first command including an instruction for the server to route the question to another one of the at least two experts via a personal expert interface of the other expert; and

the server verifying receipt of a payment directed to fund access to the interactive network site by the one user, the payment being provided by a third party associated with a third party product or service.

2. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the third party provides an additional benefit for the one user, the additional benefit comprising at least one of a discount on a product, a medical treatment, a drug, an insurance premium, a deductible, or a co-payment contribution.

3. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the one user obtains access to the interactive network site by redeeming one or more points credited to the one user by the third party, wherein the one or more points have been credited to the one user as a result of the one user'"'"'s consumption of a third party product or a third party service.

4. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein:

the third party provides a benefit in addition to the access-funding payment, the additional benefit concerning a third party product or service and being provided to a fourth party other than the third party, the user, and the expert.

5. The method in accordance with claim 4, wherein the third party is a drug manufacturer and the fourth party is one of a health maintenance organization and a pharmacy.

6. The method in accordance with claim 5, wherein the benefit to the fourth party is a discount on a drug.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first command is identified as representing a request for a second opinion and the third party product or service is one of a medical product or a medical service, further comprising the step of:

the third party providing the one user with a discount on the third party product or service.

8. The method in accordance with claim 7, wherein the other expert is at least one of an insurance case manager, a representative of the third party or a medical professional.

9. The method in accordance with claim 8, wherein the other expert is at least one of an insurance case manager, a representative of the third party or a medical professional.

10. The method in accordance with claim 7, wherein the discount is applied to at least one of a medical insurance premium, a drug treatment, or a medical treatment.

11. The method in accordance with claim 7, further comprising the step of:

the server receiving an answer via the personal expert interface of the one expert, wherein the first command further includes an instruction for the server to route the answer to the personal expert interface of the other expert.

12. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the first command is identified as representing a request for peer review, further comprising the steps of:

the server receiving a first answer to the question via the personal interface of the one expert; and

the server routing the first question and the first answer to the personal expert interface of the other expert for peer review of the first.

13. A method implemented on a server for funding at least one interactive network site hosted by the server, the at least one interactive network site providing answers to questions presented by a plurality of users, the users communicating with the server via a plurality of client interfaces, each of the client interfaces being identified to the users as a forum on a predetermined subject matter of the forum, the forum enabling users to present questions and to view questions and answers relating to the predetermined subject matter of the forum, the method comprising the steps of:

generating at least two fora by the server on the at least one interactive network site;

receiving a question at the server presented by a user accessing a first forum at one of the at least one interactive network site;

posting the question by the server in a location on the server accessible to at least one expert;

presenting the question by the server to the at least one expert via a personal expert interface of the at least one expert, said interface being unique to the at least one expert and on which the question is displayed for the at least one expert to answer;

receiving at the server a command via the personal expert interface from the at least one expert in response to the question, wherein the command includes an answer responding to the question and an instruction;

wherein the server posts the answer to the first forum accessed by the user to present the question; and

the server further posts the answer to the question according to the instruction, wherein the instruction instructs that the answer be posted to at least a second one of the at least two forums at which the question was not presented by the user;

displaying a banner advertisement for a third party by the server on a page of at least one client interface accessed by the plurality of users; and

verifying receipt by the server of a payment for the banner advertisement by the third party, wherein an amount of the payment is determined by a monitoring of traffic on the network site by the server.

14. A method implemented on a server for funding at least one interactive network site hosted by the server, the at least one interactive network site providing answers to questions presented by a plurality of users, the users communicating with the server via a plurality of client interfaces, each of the client interfaces being identified to the users as a forum on a predetermined subject matter of the forum, the forum enabling users to present questions and to view questions and answers relating to the predetermined subject matter of the forum, the method comprising the steps of:

generating at least two fora by the server on the at least one interactive network site;

receiving a question at the server presented by a user accessing a first forum at one of the at least one interactive network site;

posting the question by the server in a location on the server accessible to at least one expert;

presenting the question by the server to the at least one expert via a personal expert interface of the at least one expert, said interface being unique to the at least one expert and on which the question is displayed for the at least one expert to answer;

receiving at the server a command via the personal expert interface from the at least one expert in response to the question, wherein the command includes an answer responding to the question and an instruction;

wherein the server posts the answer to the first forum accessed by the user to present the question; and

the server further posts the answer to the question according to the instruction, wherein the instruction instructs that the answer be posted to at least a second one of the at least two forums at which the question was not presented by the user; and

verifying receipt by the server of a payment by a third party, wherein the third party is a sponsor of at least one of the first forum or the second forum.

15. The method in accordance with claim 14, wherein the at least one expert is presented simultaneously as an expert in at least the first forum and the second forum.

16. The method in accordance with claim 15, wherein the question requests a second opinion in regard to a medical treatment being received by the user, and the at least one expert is a peer reviewer applying review criteria selected by the third party sponsor for providing the second opinion.

17. The method in accordance with claim 15, wherein the question requests a second opinion in regard to a medical treatment being received by the user, and the at least one expert is a peer reviewer applying review criteria established independently of the third party sponsor for providing the second opinion.

18. The method in accordance with claim 15, wherein the at least one expert is one of an employee or a contractor of the third party sponsor.

19. The method in accordance with claim 15, wherein the third party sponsor is a pharmaceutical manufacturer and the at least one interactive network site includes at least one of a drug retailer network site or a health maintenance organization network site.

20. A method implemented on a server for funding at least one interactive network sites site hosted by the server, the at least one interactive network site providing answers to questions presented by a plurality of users, the users communicating with the server via a plurality of client interfaces, each of the client interfaces being identified to the users as a forum on a predetermined subject matter of the forum, the forum enabling users to present questions and to view questions and answers relating to the predetermined subject matter of the forum, the method comprising the steps of:

the server generating at least two forums in the at least one interactive network site;

the server sending a question presented by a user accessing a first one of the at least two forums to a first expert via a personal expert interface of the first expert, the personal expert interface of the first expert being a web page unique to the first expert on which the question is displayed;

the server receiving a first response to the question from the first expert, the first response including an answer to the question and a first instruction to post the answer to the question;

the server posting the answer to the question to the first forum accessed by the user to present the question; and

in response to the first instruction, further posting the answer to the question, according to the first instruction, to a second one of the at least two forums, at which the question was not presented by the user; and

the server verifying receipt of a payment by a third party for funding the posting of the response, the third party identified as being associated with at least one of the at least two forums.

21. The method in accordance with claim 20, wherein the payment includes paying a fee for the user to access the forum.

22. The method in accordance with claim 20, further comprising the steps of:

the server receiving a second response to the question from the first expert, the second response including a second instruction to refer the question;

the server, in response to the second instruction, referring the question to a second one of the plurality of experts; and

the server receiving a response from the second expert that provides a-supplemental answer to the question.

23. The method in accordance with claim 22, wherein the second expert is a peer reviewer and the supplemental answer provides a review of the first response to the question from the first expert.

24. The method in accordance with claim 23, wherein the first instruction instructs that the response from the second expert be posted only on the first forum from which the question originated.

25. The method in accordance with claim 23, wherein the first instruction instructs that the response from the second expert be posted on the first forum from which the question originated and on at least one other forum on one other network site.

26. The method in accordance with claim 20, wherein:

the third party provides a benefit in addition to the funding payment, the additional benefit concerning a third party product or service and being provided to a fourth party other than the third party, the user, and the expert.

27. The method in accordance with claim 26, wherein the third party is a drug manufacturer and the fourth party is one of a health maintenance organization and a pharmacy.

28. The method in accordance with claim 27, wherein the benefit to the fourth party is a discount on a drug.