Progressively discovering and integrating services

• US 8,713,453 B2
• Filed: 05/29/2009
• Issued: 04/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zhigu Holdings Limited
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Shahine, Omar, Kunins, Jeffrey C., Pearce, Douglas Ray, Hudspeth, Ann Marie
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): NABI, REZA U
• Application Number:
  US12/474,279
• Publication Number:
  US 20100306659A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,796 Days
• Field of Search: 715/733
• US Class Current: 715/753
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

Tools and techniques related to progressively discovering and integrating services are provided. These tools may receive electronic communications addressed to users of communications platform software. In turn, these tools may analyze the electronic communications, and generate upsells for presentation to the users. These upsells may relate to updating profile records associated with the users.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising at least one physical computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, when loaded into at least one hardware processor and executed, transform the at least one hardware processor to perform the following:

receive at least one electronic communication addressed to at least one user of communications platform software;

analyze the at least one electronic communication to identify at least one third-party service that sent the at least one electronic communication; and

generate at least one upsell service offer for presentation to the user based on analyzing the at least one electronic communication,

wherein the at least one upsell service offer comprises

at least one offer to the at least one user to log into at least one third-party website from within the communications platform software to access the at least one third-party service,

access information configured to allow the at least one user to access the at least one third-party service, the access information being integrated into a profile record associated with the at least one user upon acceptance by the at least one user of the at least one upsell service offer, and

at least one message indicating the at least one electronic communication from the at least one third-party service that led to generation of the at least one upsell service offer.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising instructions that transform the at least one hardware processor to instantiate the at least one profile record.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the instructions to receive the at least one electronic communication include instructions that transform the at least one hardware processor to receive at least one e-mail communication addressed to the at least one user.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the instructions to analyze the at least one electronic communication include instructions that transform the at least one hardware processor to identify at least one subject matter associated with the at least one electronic communication.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the instructions to analyze the at least one electronic communication include instructions that transform the at least one hardware processor to identify at least one user on whose behalf the at least one electronic communication is sent.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one electronic communication comprises comments from another user of the at least one third-party service.

7. An apparatus comprising at least one physical computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, when loaded into at least one hardware processor and executed, transform the at least one hardware processor to perform the following:

sign at least one user into communications platform software;

access at least one profile record associated with the at least one user; and

determine whether at least one upsell service offer has been generated for the at least one user, based on at least one electronic communication directed to the at least one user, wherein the at least one upsell service offer comprises

at least one offer to the at least one user to log into at least one third-party website from within the communications platform software to access at least one third-party service,

access information configured to allow the at least one user to access the at least one third-party service, the access information being integrated into a profile record associated with the at least one user upon acceptance by the at least one user of the at least one upsell service offer, and

at least one message indicating the at least one electronic communication from the at least one third-party service that led to generation of the at least one upsell service offer.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising instructions that transform the at least one hardware processor to determine that the at least one upsell service offer has been generated for the at least one user.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising instructions that transform the at least one hardware processor to determine that no upsell service offers have been generated for the at least one user.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising instructions that transform the at least one hardware processor to present at least one representation of the at least one upsell service offer.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising instructions that transform the at least one hardware processor to present at least one user interface tool that is responsive to user input to accept the at least one upsell service offer.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising instructions that transform the at least one hardware processor to update the at least one profile record in response to the at least one user accepting the at least one upsell service offer thereby creating at least one updated profile record.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising instructions that transform the at least one hardware processor to retrieve the at least one updated profile record, and to present at least one user interface tool that is responsive to input from the at least one user to sign the at least one user into the at least one third-party service from within the communications platform software.

14. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the at least one third-party website comprises at least one social networking website.

15. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the at least one third-party website comprises at least one media-sharing website.

16. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the at least one third-party website comprises at least one online merchant website.

17. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein at least one of the electronic communications comprises comments from another user of the at least one third-party service.

18. An apparatus comprising at least one physical computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, when loaded into at least one hardware processor and executed, transform the at least one hardware processor to perform the following:

instantiate respective profile records for a plurality of users of communications platform software;

receive a plurality of e-mail communications directed to respective ones of the plurality of users;

analyze the plurality of e-mail communications at least to identify subject matter referenced in the plurality of e-mail communications and to identify at least one third-party service sending at least one of the plurality of e-mail communications;

generate at least one upsell service offer to at least one user of the plurality of users, wherein the at least one upsell service offer comprises

at least one offer to the at least one user to log into at least one third-party website from within the communications platform software to access the at least one third-party service,

access information configured to allow the at least one user to access the at least one third-party service, the access information being integrated into a profile record associated with the at least one user upon acceptance by the at least one user of the at least one upsell service offer, and

at least one message indicating the at least one electronic communication from the at least one third-party service that led to generation of the at least one upsell service offer;

log the at least one user into the communications platform software;

access the at least one profile record associated with the at least one user;

present a representation of the at least one upsell service offer to the at least one user; and

receive a response to the at least one upsell service offer from the at least one user.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising instructions that transform the at least one hardware processor to:

in response to determining that the at least one user has accepted the at least one upsell service offer, update the at least one profile record associated with the at least one user; and

present at least one user interface to the least one user, wherein the at least one user interface includes at least one user interface tool that is responsive to user activation to log the at least one user into the at least one third-party website from within the communications platform software.