Comprehensive information market exchange

• US 8,346,594 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2008
• Issued: 01/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Begeja, Lee, Gibbon, David C., van Vleck, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Jasmin, Lynda
• Assistant Examiner(s): Koneru, Sujay
• Application Number:
  US12/206,809
• Publication Number:
  US 20100063863A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,575 Days
• Field of Search: 705 711- 742, 705/20
• US Class Current: 705/7.32
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass

Abstract

Systems and techniques for collecting information as authorized by information providers and sharing the information with information recipients according to criteria specified by the information providers. Information is collected from one or more of a variety of sources and stored in a provider profile, with the provider profile also specifying criteria for sharing the information, including payment required for sharing the information with particular categories of recipients. An exchange system is maintained allowing recipients to request or to otherwise specify needs for particular categories of information and payments to be provided by the information, and needs or requests of recipients for information are matched with criteria specified by providers, with information being transferred or used to provide results for a recipient and payment being transferred from the recipient to a provider or providers when a match between information needs and criteria for sharing information is identified.

Claims

1. A method of management of information sharing, comprising:

in a processor of an information management center, collecting provider information associated with one or more of a plurality of information providers, the provider information being associated with specifications of two or more criteria for sharing of the provider information, the criteria including payment required by a provider for sharing the provider information of that provider, the criteria further including a first payment amount required for sharing the provider information wherein the provider information includes information personally identifying the information provider, and a second payment amount, different from the first payment amount, required for sharing the provider information wherein the provider information does not include the information personally identifying the information provider;

in a processor of the information management center, collecting information recipient data from one or more of a plurality of information recipients, the information recipient data including recipient needs of each recipient for provider information and payment that each recipient is willing to provide for provider information meeting those needs;

in a processor of the information management center, periodically surveying the information recipient data and the provider information in the absence of a specific request from the recipients between periodic surveys to select provider information meeting specified recipient needs, selection of provider information including identifying provider information meeting recipient needs based on the criteria for sharing of the provider information, selection of provider information including identifying the payments required by providers that meet the payments that recipients are willing to provide; and

delivering provider information to recipients based on identified recipient needs and provider information;

wherein, when recipient needs include information from a plurality of providers and wherein information is available from more providers than required, selecting information from those providers from whom required payment is lowest until the recipient needs are satisfied;

wherein collecting provider information associated with one or more of a plurality of information providers comprises;

tracking a position of an information provider using data from a global positioning system receiver;

determining a visit to an establishment by the information provider by determining that the position of the information provider has stopped at a particular location; and

after the visit by the information provider, presenting to the information provider a reminder including a name of the establishment and a request to provide a rating of the establishment.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein collecting provider information includes providing a registration facility allowing a provider to register for information sharing, to specify sources of information relating to that provider, and to specify criteria for sharing of information for that provider.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein criteria for sharing provider information include different criteria for different classes of recipients.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein criteria for sharing provider information include levels of protection based on provider selections.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein criteria for sharing provider information include default levels of protection that apply unless explicitly changed by a provider.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein criteria for sharing provider information include protection of sensitive categories of information from disclosure to recipients that have not been determined with a specified assurance to be reliable.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein criteria for sharing provider information include sharing information related to an interest of the provider with a provider'"'"'s fellow members of an interest group in exchange for information of those fellow members related to the same interest.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein collecting provider information includes receiving information collected by a mobile device recording a provider'"'"'s movements and activities.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising aggregating information from a plurality of providers and computing results based on that information for delivery to one or more recipients.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising removing provider information before delivery to a recipient.

11. A non-transitory computer-usable medium having computer readable instructions stored thereon for execution by a processor to perform operations for management of information sharing, comprising:

collecting provider information associated with one or more of a plurality of information providers, the provider information being associated with specifications of two or more criteria for sharing of the provider information, the criteria including payment required by a provider for sharing the provider information of that provider, the criteria further including a first payment amount required for sharing the provider information wherein the provider information includes information personally identifying the information provider, and a second payment amount, different from the first payment amount, required for sharing the provider information wherein the provider information does not include the information personally identifying the information provider;

collecting information recipient data from one or more of a plurality of information recipients, the information recipient data including recipient needs of each recipient for provider information and payment that each recipient is willing to provide for provider information meeting those needs;

periodically surveying the information recipient data and the provider information in the absence of a specific request from the recipients between periodic surveys to select provider information meeting specified recipient needs, selection of provider information including identifying provider information meeting recipient needs based on the criteria for sharing of the provider information, selection of provider information including identifying the payments required by providers that meet the payments that recipients are willing to provide; and

delivering provider information to recipients based on identified recipient needs and provider information;

wherein, when recipient needs include information from a plurality of providers and wherein information is available from more providers than required, selecting information from those providers from whom required payment is lowest until the recipient needs are satisfied;

wherein collecting provider information associated with one or more of a plurality of information providers comprises;

tracking a position of an information provider using data from a global positioning system receiver;

determining a visit to an establishment by the information provider by determining that the position of the information provider has stopped at a particular location; and

after the visit by the information provider, presenting to the information provider a reminder including a name of the establishment and a request to provide a rating of the establishment.

12. The non-transitory computer-usable medium of claim 11, wherein collecting provider information includes providing a registration facility allowing a provider to register for information sharing, to specify sources of information relating to that provider, and to specify criteria for sharing of information for that provider.

13. The non-transitory computer-usable medium of claim 11, wherein criteria for sharing provider information include different criteria for different classes of recipients.

14. The non-transitory computer-usable medium of claim 13, wherein criteria for sharing provider information include sharing information related to an interest of the provider with a provider'"'"'s fellow members of an interest group in exchange for information of those fellow members related to the same interest.

15. The non-transitory computer-usable medium of claim 11, wherein criteria for sharing provider information include levels of protection based on provider selections.

16. The non-transitory computer-usable medium of claim 15, wherein criteria for sharing provider information include default levels of protection that apply unless explicitly changed by a provider.

17. The non-transitory computer-usable medium of claim 11, wherein criteria for sharing provider information include protection of sensitive categories of information from disclosure to recipients that have not been determined with a specified assurance to be reliable.

18. The non-transitory computer-usable medium of claim 11, wherein collecting provider information includes receiving information collected by a mobile device recording a provider'"'"'s movements and activities.

19. The non-transitory computer-usable medium of claim 11, further comprising aggregating information from a plurality of providers and computing results based on that information for delivery to one or more recipients.

20. The non-transitory computer-usable medium of claim 11, further comprising removing provider information before delivery to a recipient.