System and method for introducing individuals over the internet to establish an acquaintance

• US 20060031121A1
• Filed: 10/07/2005
• Published: 02/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/1996
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Gregory J. Speicher
• Original Assignee: Gregory J. Speicher
• Inventors: Speicher, Gregory J.
• Application Number:
  US11/246,333
• Publication Number:
  US 20060031121A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.730
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0271 Personalized advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/60 Medium conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4878 Advertisement messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4938 comprising a voice browser which renders and interprets, e.g. VoiceXML
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0054 where the data service is an electronic mail service

Abstract

A system for introducing individuals over the internet to establish an acquaintance for the purpose of dating includes a first processor, a database and a second processor. The first processor maintains an internet website that interfaces with a plurality of computing devices via a first network comprising the internet. The internet website receives a plurality of personal advertisements, receives search criteria, identifies personal advertisements meeting the search criteria, transmits the identified personal advertisements, receives a response to a selected personal advertisement, stores the response in the database in a mailbox assigned to the selected advertiser, receives a password from the selected advertiser and communicates the response to the selected advertiser. The second processor is also adapted to receive a password from the selected advertiser via a second network comprising a telephone network and to communicate the response via the second network to the selected advertiser.

Claims

1. A system for introducing individuals over the internet to establish an acquaintance for the purpose of dating comprising:

at least one first processor that maintains an internet website that interfaces with a plurality of computing devices via a first network comprising the internet, the internet website adapted to receive personal advertisements including a digital image, age information and gender information from advertisers via the first network, to receive search criteria from a searching individual via the first network, to identify a set of personal advertisements meeting the search criteria, to transmit at least a portion of the identified personal advertisements to the searching individual via the first network, to receive from the searching individual via the first network a response to a selected personal advertisement placed by a selected advertiser, to store the response, to receive a password from the selected advertiser via the first network and to communicate the response via the first network to the selected advertiser;

a database operably connected to the first processor, the database adapted to store the response to the selected personal advertisement in a mailbox assigned to the selected advertiser; and

at least one second processor operably connected to the database and the second processor adapted to receive the password from the selected advertiser via a second network comprising a telephone network and to communicate the response via the second network to the selected advertiser.

2. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein the telephone network is a publicly switched telephone network.

3. The system as recited in claim 2 wherein the second network is a publicly switched telephone network.

4. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein at least one of the computing devices is a mobile computing device.

5. The system as recited in claim 4 wherein the mobile computing device is a notebook computer.

6. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein the first processor is adapted to receive contact information from the selected advertiser and to notify the selected advertiser using the contact information when a response is received to the selected advertiser'"'"'s personal advertisement.

7. The system as recited in claim 6 wherein the contact information comprises an email address.

8. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein the response comprises a text message.

9. The system as recited in claim 8 wherein at least a portion of the text message is communicated over the telephone network.

10. The system as recited in claim 9 wherein at least a portion of the text message is converted to audio via a text-to-speech algorithm.

11. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein the response comprises an audio message.

12. A method for introducing individuals over the internet to establish an acquaintance for the purpose of dating, the method comprising:

interfacing a plurality of computing devices to a website via a first network comprising the internet;

receiving a plurality of personal advertisements including a digital image, age information and gender information from advertisers via the first network;

receiving search criteria from a searching individual via the first network;

identifying a set of personal advertisements meeting the search criteria;

transmitting at least a portion of the identified personal advertisements to the searching individual via the first network;

receiving from the searching individual via the first network a response to a selected personal advertisement placed by a selected advertiser;

storing the response;

receiving a password from the selected advertiser via the first network;

communicating the response via the first network to the selected advertiser;

receiving a password from the selected advertiser via a second network comprising a telephone network; and

communicating the response via the second network to the selected advertiser.

13. The method as recited in claim 12 wherein the telephone network is a publicly switched telephone network.

14. The method as recited in claim 13 wherein the second network is a publicly switched telephone network.

15. The method as recited in claim 12 wherein at least one of the computing devices is a mobile computing device.

16. The method as recited in claim 15 wherein the mobile computing device is a notebook computer.

17. The method as recited in claim 12 further comprising the step of receiving contact information from the selected advertiser and the step of notifying the selected advertiser using the contact information when a response is received to the selected advertiser'"'"'s personal advertisement.

18. The method as recited in claim 17 wherein the contact information comprises an email address.

19. The method as recited in claim 12 wherein the response comprises a text message.

20. The method as recited in claim 19 wherein at least a portion of the text message is communicated over the telephone network.

21. The method as recited in claim 20 wherein at least a portion of the text message is converted to audio via a text-to-speech algorithm.

22. The method as recited in claim 12 wherein the response comprises an audio message.

23. A system for introducing individuals over the internet to establish an acquaintance for the purpose of dating comprising:

means for interfacing with a plurality of computing devices via a first network comprising the internet;

means for receiving a plurality of personal advertisements comprising digital images, age information and gender information from advertisers via the first network;

means for receiving search criteria from a searching individual via the first network;

means for identifying a set of identified personal advertisements meeting the search criteria;

means for transmitting at least a portion of the identified personal advertisements to the searching individual via the first network;

means for receiving from the searching individual via the first network a response to a selected personal advertisement placed by a selected advertiser;

means for storing the response;

means for receiving a password from the selected advertiser via the first network;

means for communicating the response via the first network to the selected advertiser;

means for receiving a password from the selected advertiser via a second network comprising a telephone network; and

means for communicating the response via the second network to the selected advertiser.

24. The system as recited in claim 23 wherein the telephone network is a publicly switched telephone network.

25. The system as recited in claim 24 wherein the second network is a publicly switched telephone network.

26. The system as recited in claim 23 wherein at least one of the computing devices is a mobile computing device.

27. The system as recited in claim 26 wherein the mobile computing device is a notebook computer.

28. The system as recited in claim 23 further comprising means for receiving contact information from the selected advertiser and means for notifying the selected advertiser using the contact information when a response is received to the selected advertiser'"'"'s personal advertisement.

29. The system as recited in claim 28 wherein the contact information comprises an email address.

30. The system as recited in claim 23 wherein the response comprises a text message.

31. The system as recited in claim 30 wherein at least a portion of the text message is communicated over the telephone network.

32. The system as recited in claim 31 wherein at least a portion of the text message is converted to audio via a text-to-speech algorithm.

33. The system as recited in claim 23 wherein the response comprises an audio message.