Systems and methods for permission arbitrated transaction services

• US 8,744,956 B1
• Filed: 08/24/2012
• Issued: 06/03/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Experian Information Solutions Incorporated (Experian plc)
• Original Assignee: Experian Information Solutions Incorporated (Experian plc)
• Inventors: DiChiara, Christer J., Mitchum, Randall P., LeFevre, Kristin M., Ferguson, Mindy, Jackson, James Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Jagdish
• Application Number:
  US13/594,448
• Time in Patent Office: 648 Days
• Field of Search: 705/38, 705/35, 705/37, 705/39
• US Class Current: 705/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/126 the source of the received data

Abstract

Systems and methods disclosed enable a permitting party to share credit data and/or personal information with a receiving party, such as an individual with whom the permitting party has established a trusted connection. In some embodiments, the permitting party may define how much of the permitting party'"'"'s personal information or other data is shared. In some embodiments, data sharing may be enabled, in part, by generating an identifier that may be provided to the receiving party in order to access the shared data.

Claims

1. A system for electronically sharing credit data, the system comprising:

a user data store configured to store information associated with a plurality of users, the information including connection information that indicates a connection established between a first user and each of two or more of the plurality of users;

a credit data store configured to store credit data associated with each of a plurality of individuals, wherein the plurality of individuals includes the plurality of users;

a computing system comprising one or more computing devices, said computing system configured to electronically communicate with the user data store and the credit data store, the computing system programmed via executable instructions to at least;

generate a user interface for display, the user interface comprising information identifying at least a subset of the plurality of users for which a connection has been previously established with the first user based at least in part on the information stored in the user data store, the user interface further comprising an element configured to enable the first user to select at least one of the users of the subset in order to request sharing of credit data with the selected user;

receive a credit data sharing request associated with a selection by the first user of at least one of the users for which a connection has been established with the first user, wherein the credit data sharing request includes information identifying the selected at least one user and information identifying credit data of the first user to be shared with the selected at least one user;

provide an electronic notification to the selected at least one user indicating that credit data has been selected to be shared with the at least one user;

receive a request from the at least one user to review the credit data that has been selected to be shared with the at least one user; and

in response to the request;

retrieve, from the credit data store, the credit data of the first user to be shared with the selected at least one user; and

electronically provide the retrieved credit data of the first user to the at least one user.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the credit data sharing request includes an indication of a purpose for sharing data.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the purpose includes at least one of tenant screening or a loan application.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing system is further configured to, prior to electronically providing the retrieved credit data of the first user to the at least one user, determine whether a time limit associated with the credit data sharing request has expired.

5. A computer-implemented method for electronically sharing credit data, the computer-implemented method comprising:

as implemented by one or more computing devices configured with specific executable instructions;

presenting generating a user interface for display to a first user, the user interface comprising information identifying at least a subset of a plurality of users for which a connection has been previously established with the first user, the user interface further comprising an element configured to enable the first user to select at least one of the users of the subset in order to request sharing of credit data with the selected user;

receiving, from a computing device, a credit data sharing request associated with a selection by the first user of at least one of the users for which a connection has been established with the first user, wherein the credit data sharing request includes information identifying the selected at least one user and information identifying credit data of the first user to be shared with the selected at least one user;

providing an electronic notification to the selected at least one user indicating that credit data has been selected to be shared with the at least one user;

receiving a request from the at least one user to review the credit data that has been selected to be shared with the at least one user; and

in response to the request;

retrieving credit data of the first user to be shared with the selected at least one user; and

providing a report of the retrieved credit data of the first user to the at least one user.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, further comprising, prior to generating the user interface, establishing the connection between the first user and the selected at least one user, wherein establishing the connection comprises:

receiving a connection request from the first user, the connection request including information identifying the at least one user;

electronically sending a connection invitation to the at least one user; and

receiving an acceptance of the connection from the at least one user.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the report includes a credit score.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein providing the report comprises generating an abstraction of the retrieved credit data.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the abstraction comprises an icon that ranges from a smile to a frown.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein providing the report of the retrieved credit data comprises providing an indication of whether the first user would be a suitable tenant or an indication of whether the first user would be romantically compatible with the at least one user.

11. A system, comprising:

a server system that provides functionality for users to register with a service, and to establish connections with other users of the service;

a computer data repository maintained by the server system, the computer data repository configured to store information associated with a plurality of users, the information including connection information that indicates trusted relationships established between a first user and each of two or more of the plurality of users, wherein the computer data repository further stores credit data associated with each of a plurality of users of the service; and

an application program executed by the server system, the application program configured to;

cause the server system to use the connection information to enable the first user to select at least one user with which a connection has been established with the first user in order to request sharing of selected credit data with the selected at least one user;

provide an electronic notification to the selected at least one user indicating that credit data has been selected to be shared with the at least one user;

receive a request from the at least one user to review the credit data that has been selected to be shared with the at least one user; and

electronically provide credit data of the first user to the at least one user based at least in part on the received request.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the computer data repository further stores credit data associated with each of a plurality of users of the service.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein electronically providing the credit data includes generating a credit report of the first user for electronic delivery to the at least one user.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the application program is further configured to:

receive a second request from the at least one user to review the credit data that has been selected to be shared with the at least one user; and

electronically provide updated credit data of the first user to the at least one user based at least in part on the received second request.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the application program is further configured to verify an identity of the at least one user prior to electronically providing the credit data of the first user to the at least one user.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein verifying the identity of the at least one user comprises requiring the at least one user to provide login information associated with an account of the user maintained by the server system.

17. Non-transitory computer storage that stores executable instructions that direct a computing system to perform a process that comprises:

generating a user interface for display to a first user, the user interface comprising information identifying at least a subset of a plurality of users for which a connection has been previously established with the first user, the user interface further comprising an element configured to enable the first user to select at least one of the users of the subset in order to request sharing of credit data with the selected user;

receiving a credit data sharing request associated with a selection by the first user of at least one of the users for which a connection has been established with the first user, wherein the credit data sharing request includes information identifying the selected at least one user and information identifying credit data of the first user to be shared with the selected at least one user;

providing an electronic notification to the selected at least one user indicating that credit data has been selected to be shared with the at least one user;

receiving a request from the at least one user to review the credit data that has been selected to be shared with the at least one user; and

in response to the request;

retrieving credit data of the first user to be shared with the selected at least one user; and

providing the retrieved credit data of the first user to the at least one user.

18. The non-transitory computer storage of claim 17, wherein the retrieved credit data is provided to the first user with an indication that the provided credit data has been verified by a credit bureau.