System and method for regulated collaboration marketplace

• US 8,955,146 B1
• Filed: 05/30/2012
• Issued: 02/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CBANC Network, Inc.
• Original Assignee: CBANC Network, Inc.
• Inventors: Rodgers, William B., Dupuy, Jason Myers, Karp, Donald Gerald
• Primary Examiner(s): Zecher, Dede
• Assistant Examiner(s): Avery, Jeremiah
• Application Number:
  US13/484,055
• Time in Patent Office: 986 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 726/27
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/101 Collaborative creation, e.g. joint development of products or services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0208 Trade or exchange of goods or services in exchange for incentives or rewards
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0209 Architectural arrangements, e.g. perimeter networks or demilitarized zones
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles

Abstract

A collaboration system includes a banker collaboration platform offering a first degree of access, and a vendor collaboration platform that offers a second degree of access to the banker collaboration platform. Vendors are not allowed to directly contact bankers and bankers'"'"' identities are maintained secret from the vendors. The two platforms can be part of a network site hosted on one or more server machines in a network environment.

Claims

1. A system for online information exchange between users, comprising:

a first party platform on a network and collaboration site, the network and collaboration site being hosted on one or more server machines, the first party platform maintaining one or more private workflows, the one or more private workflows being accessible by registered first party users of the network and collaboration site and defining predetermined workflows through which the registered first party users of the network and collaboration site can collaborate, wherein information associated with identification of the registered first party users available to others of the registered first party users in at least some of the one or more private workflows is restricted according to first predetermined criteria;

a second party platform on the network and collaboration site, the second party platform regulating access by registered second party users to the registered first party users of the first party platform and to posts in predetermined ones of the one or more private workflows of the first party platform; and

a control logic embodied on the one or more server machines and communicatively coupled to the first party platform and the second party platform for registering the first and second party users and for controlling access to the network and collaboration site.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein regulating access to the posts in the predetermined ones of the one or more private workflows of the first party platform comprises prohibiting all access by the second party users to one or more of the predetermined workflows for the registered first party users.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the one or more of the predetermined workflows for the registered first party users comprise assessments by the registered first party users of products or services associated with the registered second party users.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the second party platform further regulates access by the registered second party users to reports generated from data associated with one or more of the predetermined workflows.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the registered first party users represent registered and vetted financial institution users.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the registered second party users represent registered vendors.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the control logic further comprises a private messaging function through which a registered second party user is able to send one or more private messages to a predetermined number of the registered first party users and wherein one or more incentives are awarded the registered first party responsive to opening the one or more private messages.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the control logic further comprises a linking function through which a registered second party user is able to place one or more links in one or more private workflows for the registered first party users.

9. A method for online information exchange between users, comprising:

forming one or more private workflows on a network and collaboration site, the one or more private workflows being accessible by registered first party users of the network and collaboration site and defining predetermined workflows through which the registered first party users of the network and collaboration site can collaborate, the network and collaboration site being hosted on one or more server machines, the forming performed by a control logic embodied on the one or more server machines wherein information associated with identification of the registered first party users available to others of the registered first party users in at least some of the one or more private workflows is restricted according to first predetermined criteria; and

the control logic regulating access by registered second party users to the information associated with the identification of the registered first party users and to posts in predetermined ones of the one or more private workflows, wherein the regulating access is according to at least second predetermined criteria and wherein the regulating access comprises allowing and disallowing access to at least portions of the information or posts.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising prohibiting the registered second party users from accessing one or more of the predetermined workflows for the registered first party users.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the one or more of the predetermined workflows comprise assessments by the registered first party users of products or services associated with the registered second party users.

12. The method according to claim 10, further comprising allowing the registered second party users to access one or more reports generated from data associated with the one or more of the predetermined workflows for the registered first party users.

13. The method according to claim 9, wherein the registered first party users represent registered and vetted financial institution users.

14. The method according to claim 9, wherein the registered second party users represent registered vendors.

15. A computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions translatable by one or more computers to perform:

forming one or more private workflows on a network and collaboration site, the network and collaboration site being hosted on the one or more computers, the one or more private workflows being accessible by registered first party users of the network and collaboration site and defining predetermined workflows through which the registered first party users of the network and collaboration site can collaborate, wherein information associated with identification of the registered first party users available to others of the registered first party users in at least some of the one or more private workflows is restricted according to first predetermined criteria; and

regulating access by registered second party users to the information associated with the identification of the registered first party users and to posts in predetermined ones of the one or more private workflows, wherein the regulating access is according to at least second predetermined criteria and wherein the regulating access comprises allowing and disallowing access to at least portions of the information or posts.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the instructions are further translatable by the one or more computers to perform:

prohibiting the registered second party users from accessing one or more of the predetermined workflows for the registered first party users.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the one or more of the predetermined workflows comprise assessments by the registered first party users of products or services associated with the registered second party users.

18. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the instructions are further translatable by the one or more computers to perform:

allowing the registered second party users to access one or more reports generated from data associated with the one or more of the predetermined workflows for the registered first party users.

19. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the registered first party users represent registered and vetted financial institution users.

20. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the registered second party users represent registered vendors.