METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DEVELOPING USER PROFILE ON A NETWORK

• US 20080306956A1
• Filed: 06/05/2008
• Published: 12/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Quantia Communications, Inc. (WebMD Health Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Quantia Communications, Inc. (WebMD Health Corporation)
• Inventors: Schultz, Eric V., Werthessen, Nicholas
• Application Number:
  US12/134,039
• Publication Number:
  US 20080306956A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/9
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation

Abstract

In an on-line networking community, a method and corresponding system develops detailed user profiles using basic information provided by the user. In one example embodiment, a web server accepts user submitted information from a user and correlates the user submitted information with available databases to retrieve supplemental information about the individual user. Using the supplemental information, the system creates and outputs for community viewing a compound user profile.

Claims

1. A computer method for developing user profiles on a website, the method comprising:

accepting user submitted information from a user;

correlating user submitted information with available databases to retrieve supplemental information associated with the user;

creating a compound user profile of the supplemental information.

2. A method of claim 1 wherein the available databases include information available on a global computer network.

3. A method of claim 1 wherein the available databases include a privately accessible database.

4. A method of claim 1 wherein creating a compound profile further includes filtering supplemental information into predetermined information fields.

5. A method of claim 1 wherein the user submitted information includes any combination of a First Name, Last Name, Zip Code, and professional credentials.

6. A method of claim 5 wherein professional credentials further include medical institution affiliations, medical specialties, or medical board certifications.

7. A method of claim 1 further comprising:

making the compound user profile available for viewing on the website at a relatively early stage.

8. A method of claim 7 further comprising:

limiting to registered community users the availability for viewing the compound user profile.

9. A system for developing user profiles on a website, the system comprising:

a network interface configured to receive user submitted information from a user;

a profile database communicating with the network interface to store the user submitted information in a user profile;

a processor configured to correlate user submitted information with available databases to retrieve supplemental information corresponding to the user and to update the user profile in the profile database to create a compound user profile using the supplemental information.

10. A system of claim 9 wherein the available databases include information available on a global computer network.

11. A system of claim 9 wherein the available databases includes a privately accessible database.

12. A system of claim 9 wherein creating a compound profile further includes filtering supplemental information into predetermined information fields.

13. A system of claim 9 wherein the user submitted information includes any combination of a First Name, Last Name, Zip Code, and professional credentials.

14. A system of claim 13 wherein professional credentials further include medical institution affiliations, medical specialties, or medical board certifications.

15. A system of claim 9 further comprising:

making the compound user profile available for viewing on the website at a relatively early stage.

16. A system of claim 15 further comprising:

limiting to registered users the availability for viewing the compound user profile.

17. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon sequences of instructions, the sequences of instructions including instruction, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform:

accepting user submitted information from a user;

correlating user submitted information with available databases to retrieve supplemental information corresponding to the user; and

creating and outputting to a community of users a compound profile of the supplemental information.