System and method for using social networks to facilitate business processes

• US 20060026033A1
• Filed: 07/28/2005
• Published: 02/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dun & Bradstreet Corp., DUN & Bradstreet Incorporated (Dun & Bradstreet Corp.), Hoover's Incorporated (Dun & Bradstreet Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: DUN & Bradstreet Incorporated (Dun & Bradstreet Corp.)
• Inventors: Brydon, Antony, Patterson, Jeff
• Granted Patent: US 7,877,266 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/9
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

The present invention provides methods and systems for facilitating business processes in an enterprise application. The method according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises obtaining information regarding one or more entities and analyzing the information regarding the one or more entities to determine one or more paths between the one or more entities and one or more members of an enterprise. Information regarding the one or more entities is distributed to the one or more members of the enterprise where one or more paths exist between the one or more members of the enterprise and the one or more entities.

Claims

1. A method for facilitating business processes in an enterprise application, the method comprising:

obtaining information regarding one or more entities;

analyzing the information regarding the one or more entities to determine one or more paths between the one or more entities and one or more members of an enterprise; and

distributing the information regarding the one or more entities to the one or more members of the enterprise where one or more paths exist between the one or more members of the enterprise and the one or more entities.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein a given entity includes an entity selected from the group comprising an individual and an organization.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein obtaining information comprises searching for information regarding one or more entities on the basis of user supplied criteria.

4. The method of claim 3 comprising saving the information regarding the one or more entities returned from the search as a result set.

5. The method of claim 4 comprising sharing the result set among one or more members of the enterprise.

6. The method of claim 1 comprising presenting a visual representation of the one or more entities.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein presenting a visual representation is based on the information regarding the one or more entities.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein presenting a visual representation comprises presenting the one or more paths between the one or more members of the enterprise and the one or more entities.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein presenting a visual representation comprises presenting a strength of the one or more paths between the one or more members of the enterprise and the one or more entities.

10. The method of claim 1 comprising prioritizing the one or more entities.

13. The method of claim 1 comprising selecting a given one of the one or more members of the enterprise with a path to a given entity to distribute the information regarding the given entity.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein selecting a given one of the one or more members comprises selecting according to a strength for the one or more paths between the one or more members of the enterprise and the one or more entities.

15. The method of claim 1 comprising displaying the information regarding the one or more entities in conjunction with an application selected from the group comprising a CRM application, a SFA application, an HCM application and a messaging application.

11. The method of 10 wherein prioritizing comprises prioritizing according to the one or more paths between the one or more members of the enterprise and the one or more entities.

12. The method of 10 wherein prioritizing comprises prioritizing according to a strength for the one or more paths between the one or more members of the enterprise and the one or more entities.

16. A method for facilitating business processes in an enterprise application, the method comprising:

obtaining information regarding one or more entities;

analyzing the information regarding the one or more entities to determine one or more paths between the one or more entities and one or more members of an enterprise; and

prioritizing the information regarding the one or more entities according to a strength of the paths between the one or more members of the enterprise and the one or more entities.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein a given entity includes an entity selected from the group comprising an individual and an organization.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein obtaining information comprises searching for information regarding one or more entities on the basis of user supplied criteria.

19. The method of claim 18 comprising saving the information regarding the one or more entities returned from the search as a result set.

20. The method of claim 19 comprising sharing the result set among one or more members of the enterprise.

21. The method of claim 16 comprising presenting a visual representation of the one or more entities.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein presenting a visual representation is based on the information regarding the one or more entities.

23. The method of claim 21 wherein presenting a visual representation comprises presenting the one or more paths between the one or more members of the enterprise and the one or more entities.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein presenting a visual representation comprises presenting a strength of the one or more paths between the one or more members of the enterprise and the one or more entities.

25. The method of claim 16 comprising selecting a given one of the one or more members of the enterprise with a path to a given entity to distribute the information regarding the given entity.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein selecting a given one of the one or more members comprises selecting according to a strength for the one or more paths between the one or more members of the enterprise and the one or more entities.

27. The method of claim 16 comprising displaying the information regarding the one or more entities in conjunction with an application selected from the group comprising a CRM application, a SFA application and an HRM application.