Connecting consumers with service providers

• US 7,818,183 B2
• Filed: 10/22/2008
• Issued: 10/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: American Well Corporation (Amwell Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: American Well Corporation (Amwell Incorporated)
• Inventors: Schoenberg, Roy
• Primary Examiner(s): O'Connor; Gerald J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Altschul; Amber
• Application Number:
  US12/256,216
• Publication Number:
  US 20090112623A1
• Time in Patent Office: 727 Days
• Field of Search: 705/2, 705/3, 705/26, 705/27
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

An animated representation of a consumer is enabled to interact with an animated representation of a point of service rendered in a user interface to select characteristics of a medical service provider; the selected characteristics of the medical service provider are received; an available medical service provider is identified based at least in part on the selected characteristics; and a communication channel is provided to establish an electronic, real-time communication between the consumer and the identified medical service provider.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method, the method comprising:

generating by one or more first computing systems a virtual world environment in which virtual representations of real world consumers can interact with virtual representations of real world medical service providers;

retrieving by the one or more first computing systems a list of characteristics associated with the real world medical service providers that have virtual representations in the virtual world environment;

sending to one or more second computing systems a graphical user interface that when rendered on a display device, renders in the virtual world environment a visual representation of the list of characteristics associated with the real world medical service providers;

receiving from a virtual representation of a real world consumer in the virtual world environment, a selection of one or more characteristics included in the list, with the selection being received from the one or more second computing systems;

identifying by one or more third computing systems a medical service provider available in the real world based at least in part on the received characteristics associated with the real world medical service providers; and

causing the one or more third computing systems to establish a real-time, real world communication channel between the real world consumer and the medical service provider available in the real world.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

enabling a virtual representation of the medical service provider available in the real world to interact with the virtual representation of the real world consumer by sending the virtual representation of the medical service provider available in the real world to the graphical user interface.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

enabling a virtual representation of the medical service provider available in the real world to interact with the virtual representation of the real world consumer by sending the virtual representation of the real world consumer to the graphical user interface.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

enabling a virtual representation of the medical service provider available in the real world to interact with the virtual representation of the real world consumer by sending an executable program to the graphical user interface.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a plurality of queries related to at least one of medical diagnosis and medical treatment.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the communication channel enables at least one of a voice-based communication, a video-based communication, or a text-based communication.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising providing the virtual representation of the real world consumer to the graphical user interface.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 7, wherein providing the virtual representation of the real world consumer to the graphical user interface comprises sending an executable file to the graphical user interface.

9. The computer implemented method of claim 7, wherein the virtual representation of the real world consumer is provided to the graphical user interface in response to at least one input received from the graphical user interface.

10. The computer implemented method of claim 7, wherein the virtual representation of the real world consumer is at least partially configurable by the real world consumer and at least partially controllable by the real world consumer.

11. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising providing modifications to the virtual representation of the real world consumer, the modifications based at least in part on an input received from the real world consumer.

12. The computer implemented method of claim 11, wherein the input is received from the real world consumer during an interaction between the virtual representation of the real world consumer and a virtual representation of the available medical service provider available in the real world.

13. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the one or more first computing systems and the one or more third computing systems are different computing systems.

14. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the one or more first computing systems and the one or more third computing systems are the same computing systems.

15. A computer program product embodied on a computer readable storage medium, the computer program product comprising instructions for causing a computer to:

generate a virtual world environment in which virtual representations of real world consumers can interact with virtual representations of real world medical service providers;

retrieve a list of characteristics associated with the real world medical service providers that have virtual representations in the virtual world environment;

send a graphical user interface that when rendered on a display device, renders in the virtual world environment a visual representation of the list of characteristics associated with the real world medical service providers;

receive from a virtual representation of a real world consumer in the virtual world environment, a selection of one or more characteristics included in the list;

identify a medical service provider available in the real world based at least in part on the received characteristics associated with the real world medical service providers;

and

establish a real-time, real world communication channel between the real world consumer and the medical service provider available in the real world.

16. The computer program product of claim 15 further comprising instructions for causing the computer to:

enable a virtual representation of the medical service provider available in the real world to interact with the virtual representation of the real world consumer by sending the virtual representation of the medical service provider available in the real world to the graphical user interface.

17. The computer program product of claim 15 further comprising instructions, for causing the computer to

enable a virtual representation of the medical service provider available in the real world to interact with the virtual representation of the real world consumer by sending the virtual representation of the real world consumer to the graphical user interface.

18. The computer program product of claim 15 further comprising instructions for causing the computer to:

enable a virtual representation of the medical service provider available in the real world to interact with the virtual representation of the real world consumer by sending an executable program to the graphical user interface.

19. The computer program product of claim 15 further comprising instruction for causing the computer to:

receive a plurality of queries related to at least one of medical diagnosis and medical treatment.

20. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the communication channel enables at least one of a voice-based communication, a video-based communication, or a text-based communication.

21. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising instructions to provide the virtual representation of the real world consumer to the graphical user interface.

22. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the instructions to provide the virtual representation of the real world consumer to the graphical user interface comprise instructions to send an executable file to the graphical user interface.

23. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the virtual representation of the real world consumer is provided to the graphical user interface in response to at least one input received from the graphical user interface.

24. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the virtual representation of the real world consumer is at least partially configurable by the real world consumer and at least partially controllable by the real world consumer.

25. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising instructions to provide modifications to the virtual representation of the real world consumer, the modifications based at least in part on an input received from the real world consumer.

26. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein the input is received from the real world consumer during an interaction between the virtual representation of the real world consumer and the virtual representation of a virtual representation of the available medical service provider available in the real world.

27. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a computer program product embodied on a computer readable storage medium comprising instructions for causing the processor to;

generate a virtual world environment in which virtual representations of real world consumers can interact with virtual representations of real world medical service providers;

retrieve a list of characteristics associated with the real world medical service providers that have virtual representations in the virtual world environment;

send a graphical user interface that when rendered on a display device, renders in the virtual world environment a visual representation of the list of characteristics associated with the real world medical service providers;

receive from a virtual representation of a real world consumer in the virtual world environment, a selection of one or more characteristics included in the list;

identify a medical service provider available in the real world based at least in part on the received characteristics associated with the real world medical service providers;

establish a real-time, real world communication channel between the real world consumer and the medical service provider available in the real world.