System and method for the automated notification of compatibility between real-time network participants

• US 8,417,729 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2011
• Issued: 04/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/29/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Jedi Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Jedi Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Baker, Benjamin D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fleurantin, Jean B
• Application Number:
  US13/018,344
• Publication Number:
  US 20110137951A1
• Time in Patent Office: 799 Days
• Field of Search: 707600-831, 707/922, 707/966, 709/204, 709/207, 709217-219, 709227-228, 715/751, 715/753, 715/758
• US Class Current: 707/794
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/20 of structured data, e.g. relational data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/105 Human resources
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1818 Conference organisation arrangements, e.g. handling schedules, setting up parameters needed by nodes to attend a conference, booking network resources, notifying involved parties
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/185 with management of multicast group membership
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/02 using automatic reactions or user delegation, e.g. automatic replies or chatbot-generated messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/043 using or handling presence information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99937 Sorting
• 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

The present invention is a method and system for using predetermined preferences/characteristics to ascertain personal compatibility between network or chat room participants based upon profile information. When the system determines that these preferences are favorable for interpersonal compatibility, the system will automatically notify or page the participants so as to facilitate their introduction. Further functionality, aside from the compatibility based upon profile information, includes e-mail and other electronic notification of personal compatibility as well as geographic compatibility.

Claims

1. A method for determining compatibility of at least two participants of a network based upon predetermined criteria and notifying the compatible participants, comprising:

collecting human participant-specific data for a plurality of the participants;

storing, in memory, the human participant-specific data collected;

sorting said human participant-specific data from a plurality of participants by compatibility criteria, said compatibility criteria including at least one pre-designated location;

processing the stored human participant specific data, using the compatibility criteria to calculate interpersonal compatibility between at least two participants;

automatically determining the compatibility of at least two participants using the calculated interpersonal compatibility, including monitoring the positions of the participants to determine whether at least one participant is at the at least one pre-designated location, wherein at least one participant is further determined to be a family member based solely upon the at least one pre-designated location, and where the system records the location, and further including notifying the participant when other family members are located at the at least one pre-designated location; and

notifying at least one compatible participant of the compatibility.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein notifying the at least one participant when other family members are located at the at least one pre-designated location includes notifying the at least one participant of the compatibility of the other family members.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the at least one pre-designated location is designated by a participant.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein compatibility criteria includes a plurality of pre-designated locations for at least one participant.

5. The method according to claim 2, further including notifying the at least one compatible participant when another participant is nearby the pre-designated location.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one pre-designated location is collected from the at least one participant.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein compatibility criteria includes a plurality of pre-designated locations for at least one participant.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein a time designated by a-participant-at the at least one pre-designated location is stored in the memory.

9. The method according to claim 1, further including notifying the at least one compatible participant when another participant is nearby the pre-designated location.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one other family member is automatically notified when the participant is present at the pre-designated location.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein collecting human participant-specific data includes a time for a participant at the at least one pre-designated location.

12. The method according to claim 1 where collecting human participant-specific data includes collecting pre-existing data associated with at least one participant.

13. The method according to claim 12, where the pre-existing data includes a relationship that the at least one participant has formed with a participant in another network.

14. The method according to claim 1 wherein monitoring includes collecting a place for a participant to indicate as a pre-designated location, and recording the location.

15. The method according to claim 1 wherein notifying further includes communicating a visual representation of at least one compatible participant.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein a family member is determined by a selection of an alternative place by at least one compatible participant.

17. The method according to claim 1, where notifying further includes communicating to at least one friend of the at least one participant determined to be present at the at least one pre-designated location.

18. The method according to claim 1, where the at least one pre-designated location is stored as part of the participant'"'"'s specific data and is exchanged with another database.

19. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one participant is determined to be a family member based upon a pre-designated location that is an alternative place selected by the at least one participant.

20. A method for determining compatibility of at least two participants of a network based upon predetermined criteria and notifying the compatible participants, comprising:

collecting human participant-specific data for a plurality of the participants;

storing, in memory, the human participant-specific data collected;

sorting said human participant-specific data from a plurality of participants by compatibility criteria, said compatibility criteria including a plurality of pre-designated locations for at least one participant;

processing the stored human participant specific data, using the compatibility criteria to calculate interpersonal compatibility between at least two participants;

automatically determining the compatibility of at least two participants using the calculated interpersonal compatibility, including monitoring the positions of the participants to determine whether at least one participant is at the at least one pre-designated location; and

notifying at least one compatible participant of the compatibility, where at least one participant is notified of the compatibility of participants determined to be present at the plurality of pre-designated locations.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein collecting human participant-specific data includes a time for a participant at the at least one pre-designated location.

22. The method according to claim 20 where collecting data for a plurality of participants includes accessing pre-existing data associated with at least one participant.

23. A method for determining compatibility of at least two participants of a network based upon predetermined criteria and notifying the compatible participants, comprising:

collecting human participant-specific data for a plurality of the participants;

storing, in memory, the human participant-specific data collected;

sorting said human participant-specific data from a plurality of participants by compatibility criteria, said compatibility criteria including at least one pre-designated location;

processing the stored human participant specific data, using the compatibility criteria to calculate interpersonal compatibility between at least two participants;

automatically determining the compatibility of at least two participants using the calculated interpersonal compatibility, including monitoring the positions of the participants to determine whether at least one participant is at the at least one pre-designated location; and

notifying at least one compatible participant of the compatibility, including notifying the at least one compatible participant when another participant is nearby the pre-designated location, wherein participants may adjust a threshold distance used to determine nearby the pre-designated location.

24. A method for determining compatibility of participants of a network based upon predetermined criteria, comprising:

collecting human participant-specific data for a plurality of the participants;

storing, in memory, the human participant-specific data collected;

sorting said human participant-specific data from a plurality of participants by compatibility criteria;

processing the stored human participant specific data, using the compatibility criteria to calculate interpersonal compatibility between at least two participants, said compatibility criteria being further used to identify participants as members of a family, wherein the compatibility criteria used to determine if a participant is a member in at least one family includes participant-specified preferences and where at least one of said compatibility criteria further includes a future time when the participant will be at one of a plurality of pre-designated locations;

determining at least one participant'"'"'s location using cellular phone technology; and

notifying at least one member of the family of the identity of at least one other family member and further including notifying at least one participant that is a member of the family when another member of the family is in proximity, wherein at least one participant is able to specify the level of proximity at which the participant is notified of a family member.

25. The method according to claim 24 wherein at least one of said familiar places are identified as participant-specified preference by at least one member of the family.

26. A method for the automated display of human participant-specific data to a human participant of a real-time network, comprising:

collecting human participant specific data for a plurality of network participants, wherein said step of collecting human participant-specific data includes presenting to the human participant an on-line survey comprising a plurality of questions; and

detecting and recording the human participant responses to the questions;

storing, in memory, the human participant specific data collected, wherein said step of storing the collected human participant-specific data includes creating at least one data table within a database that includes data for a plurality of human participants, and within said table storing at least one record containing information indicative of the human participant responses to the questions;

processing the stored human participant specific data, using the compatibility criteria, to determine interpersonal compatibility between at least two network participants, wherein said step of processing the stored human participant-specific data includes retrieving at least one compatibility criteria, wherein the compatibility criteria includes at least one characteristic and a threshold, and applying the compatibility criteria to a plurality of records containing information indicative of the human participant responses in the data table within a database so as to determine the compatibility of the human participants;

sorting said human participant specific data from a plurality of network participants by interpersonal compatibility; and

automatically displaying at least a portion of the sorted human participant specific data to at least one participant in association with the network, wherein the participant-specific data includes a chat time a first participant is available to chat, and notifying compatible participants including prompting a compatible participant.

27. The method according to claim 26, wherein sorting includes identifying participants that are logged into the network.

28. The method according to claim 27 wherein the chat time includes a period of time.

29. The method according to claim 27 wherein the chat time includes immediately.

30. The method according to claim 26 wherein the human participant specific data further includes a participant'"'"'s interaction with the network and where notifying includes communicating the participant'"'"'s interaction.

31. The method according to claim 26 where collecting data for a plurality of participants includes accessing pre-existing data associated with at least one participant.

32. The method according to claim 31, where the pre-existing data includes a relationship that the at least one participant has formed with a participant in another network.