System for providing information to a plurality of users

• US 8,886,713 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2011
• Issued: 11/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ProspX, Inc.
• Original Assignee: ProspX, Inc.
• Inventors: Agrawal, Purusharth, Young, Todd
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Thu
• Assistant Examiner(s): WIDHALM, ANGELA M
• Application Number:
  US13/076,138
• Publication Number:
  US 20110246564A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,322 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709217-219
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements

Abstract

A method to provide information items to a user includes providing, to a user through a user information handling system (IHS), a first task information update that is associated with the user, wherein the first task information update includes a first information item. The method further includes receiving a second information item through a network from an information provider and storing the second information item in an information database. The method further includes receiving task data and storing the task data in a task database, wherein the task data includes a plurality of tasks, at least one attribute associated with each of the plurality of tasks, and a first task that is one of the plurality of tasks and that is associated with the user. The method further includes retrieving the second information item from the information database. The method further includes retrieving the task data from the task database. The method further includes transforming the first task information update into a second task information update by associating the first information item and the second information item with the first task in response to determining that the first information item and the second information item are related to the at least one attribute associated with the first task, and prioritizing the first information item relative to the second information item. The method further includes providing, to the user through the user IHS, the second task information update that is associated with the user in response to determining that the user is associated with the first task.

Claims

1. A system to provide an information item to a user, comprising:

an information handling system (IHS) coupled to a network;

an information database and a task database coupled to the IHS; and

a computer-readable medium located in the IHS, the computer-readable medium comprising computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the IHS, cause the IHS to;

provide, to a first user through a first user IHS, a first task information update that is associated with the first user;

provide, to a second user through a second user IHS, a second task information update that is associated with the second user;

receive an information item through the network from each of a plurality of information providers and store the information items in the information database, wherein the information items include a first information item that is associated with at least one first information item detail;

receive task data and store the task data in the task database, wherein the task data includes;

a plurality of tasks that are each associated with a different sales opportunity;

at least one attribute that is associated with each of the plurality of tasks and that includes at least one of a name of a company involved in the sales opportunity, a person in a company who may facilitate the sales opportunity, an industry operated in by a company for which the sales opportunity exists, a size of a company for which the sales opportunity exists, and a product sold by a company for which the sales opportunity exists;

a first task that is one of the plurality of tasks and that is associated with the first user; and

a second task that is one of the plurality of tasks and that is associated with the second user;

retrieve the first information item from the information database;

retrieve the task data from the task database;

transform the first task information update into a third task information update by associating the first information item with the first task in response to determining that the at least one first information item detail associated with the first information item matches the at least one attribute associated with the first task;

transform the second task information update into a fourth task information update by associating the first information item with the second task in response to determining that the at least one first information item detail associated with the first information item matches the at least one attribute associated with the second task;

provide, to the first user through the first user IHS, the third task information update that is associated with the first user in response to determining that the first user is associated with the first task; and

provide, to the second user through the second user IHS, the fourth task information update that is associated with the second user in response to determining that the second user is associated with the second task.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a feedback database coupled to the IHS, wherein the computer-readable medium further comprises computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the IHS, cause the IHS to;

receive feedback data from at least one of the first user IHS and the second user IHS and store the feedback data in a feedback database, wherein the feedback data is related to the first information item.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the computer-readable medium further comprises computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the IHS, cause the IHS to:

retrieve the feedback data from the feedback database and use the feedback data to prioritize the first information item relative to a second information item.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer-readable medium further comprises computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the IHS, cause the IHS to:

provide the first information item to a plurality of screener IHSs; and

receive screener data from the screener IHSs and store the screener data in the feedback database, wherein the screener data is related to the first information item.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the computer-readable medium further comprises computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the IHS, cause the IHS to:

retrieve the screener data from the feedback database and use the screener data to prioritize the first information item relative to a second information item.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer-readable medium further comprises computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the IHS, cause the IHS to:

modify the task data in the task database by disassociating at least one of the first user with the first task and the second user with the second task.

7. A method to provide information items to a user, comprising:

providing, to a first user through a first user information handling system (IHS), a first task information update that is associated with the first user, wherein the first task information update includes a first task that is associated with a first information item that is associated with at least one first information item detail;

providing, to a second user through a second user information handling system (IHS), a second task information update that is associated with the second user, wherein the second task information update includes a second task that is associated with a second information item that is associated with at least one second information item detail;

receiving a third information item through a network from an information provider and storing the third information item in an information database, wherein the third information item is associated with at least one third information item detail;

receiving task data and storing the task data in a task database, wherein the task data includes;

a plurality of tasks that are each associated with a different sales opportunity;

at least one attribute that is associated with each of the plurality of tasks and that includes at least one of a name of a company involved in the sales opportunity, a person in a company who may facilitate the sales opportunity, an industry operated in by a company for which the sales opportunity exists, a size of a company for which the sales opportunity exists, and a product sold by a company for which the sales opportunity exists;

the first task that is one of the plurality of tasks and that is associated with the first; and

the second task that is one of the plurality of tasks and that is associated with the second user;

retrieving the third information item from the information database;

retrieving the task data from the task database;

transforming the first task information update into a third task information update by associating the first information item and the third information item with the first task in response to determining that the at least one first information item detail associated with the first information item and the at least one third information item detail associated with the third information item match the at least one attribute associated with the first task;

transforming the second task information update into a fourth task information update by associating the second information item and the third information item with the second task in response to determining that the at least one second information item detail associated with the second information item and the at least one third information item detail associated with the third information item match the at least one attribute associated with the second task;

providing, to the first user through the first user IHS, the third task information update that is associated with the first user, wherein the third task information update includes the first task that is associated with a first information item and the third information item; and

providing, to the second user through the second user IHS, the fourth task information update that is associated with the second user, where in the fourth task information update includes the second task that is associated with the second information item and the third information item.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving feedback data from at least one of the first user IHS and the second user IHS and storing the feedback data in a feedback database, wherein the feedback data is related to the third information item.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

retrieving the feedback data from the feedback database and using the feedback data to prioritize the third information item relative to at least one of the first information item and the second information item.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

providing the third information item to a plurality of screener IHSs; and

receiving screener data from the screener IHSs and storing the screener data in the feedback database, wherein the screener data is related to the third information item.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

retrieving the screener data from the feedback database and using the screener data to prioritize the third information item relative to at least one of the first information item and the second information item.

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

modifying the task data in the task database by disassociating at least one of the first user with the first task and the second user with the second task.

13. A method to provide information items to a user, comprising:

providing, to a first user through a first user IHS, a first aggregated task information update that is associated with the first user, wherein the first aggregated task information update includes a plurality of tasks and at least one information item associated with each of those tasks;

providing, to a second user through a second user IHS, a second aggregated task information update that is associated with the second user, wherein the second aggregated task information update includes a plurality of tasks and at least one information item associated with each of those tasks;

receiving a first information item through a network from an information provider and storing the first information item in an information database, wherein the first information item is associated with at least one first information item detail;

retrieving the first information item from the information database;

retrieving a plurality of task data from a task database, wherein the task data includes;

the plurality of tasks that are included in the first aggregated task information update and the second aggregated task information update, wherein

the plurality of task are each associated with a different sales opportunity;

at least one attribute that is associated with each of the plurality of tasks and that includes at least one of a name of a company involved in the sales opportunity, a person in a company who may facilitate the sales opportunity, an industry operated in by a company for which the sales opportunity exists, a size of a company for which the sales opportunity exists, and a product sold by a company for which the sales opportunity exist;

that the first user is associated with a first task that is one of the plurality of task; and

that the second user is associated with a second task that is one of the plurality of tasks;

transforming the first aggregated task information update into a third aggregated task information update by associating the first information item with the first task in response to determining that the at least one first information item detail associated with the first information item matches the at least one attribute associated with the first task, and prioritizing the first information item relative to at least one other information item that is associated with the first task;

transforming the second aggregated task information update into a fourth aggregated task information update by associating the first information item with the second task in response to determining that the at least one first information item detail associated with the first information item matches the at least one attribute associated with the second task, and prioritizing the first information item relative to at least one other information item that is associated with the second task;

providing, to the first user through the first user IHS, the third aggregated task information update that is associated with the first user in response to determining that the first user is associated with the first task; and

providing, to the second user through the second user IHS, the fourth aggregated task information update that is associated with the second user in response to determining that the second user is associated with the second task.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving feedback data from at least one of the first user IHS and the second user IHS and storing the feedback data in a feedback database, wherein the feedback data is related to the first information item.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

retrieving the feedback data from the feedback database and using the feedback data to prioritize the first information item relative to the at least one other information item that is associated with at least one of the first task and the second task.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

providing the first information item to a plurality of screener IHSs; and

receiving screener data from the screener IHSS and storing the screener data in the feedback database, wherein the screener data is related to the first information item.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

retrieving the screener data from the feedback database and using the screener data to prioritize the first information item relative to the at least one other information item that is associated with at least one of the first task and the second task.