Method and System for Controlled Distribution of User Customized Profiles Over a Network

• US 20090055730A1
• Filed: 10/24/2008
• Published: 02/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/1998
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Cheah, Chris
• Application Number:
  US12/258,299
• Publication Number:
  US 20090055730A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/255
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4535 using an address exchange platform which sets up a session between two nodes, e.g. rendezvous servers, session initiation protocols [SIP] registrars or H.323 gatekeepers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

An information management and distribution system is disclosed. The information management and distribution system includes a client-side application and a server application that interact to facilitate the controlled exchange of contact information over a network. The client-side application can provide creation and design, rolodex, exchange, and update features. The information management and distribution system can also include a corporate administrator application. Still another aspect of the invention is that contact information can be distributed to registered users in a common format.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for exchanging certain profile information over a network, the profile information being stored in a database and pertaining to a plurality of registered users, said method comprising the acts of:

(a) registering a plurality of users;

(b) for each registered user, maintaining in the database at least one user profile, where each user profile comprises content information provided by the respective user, the content information including profile information about the user;

(c) customizing a layout of a first user profile in accordance with commands received from a first user exclusively associated with the first user profile;

(d) receiving a request, from a requesting user, designating a desire to exchange profile information with the first user, the requesting user also being one of the registered users;

(e) identifying, from the request, the first user;

(f) informing the first user, via the network, that the requesting user has requested to exchange profile information;

(g) receiving instructions from the first user, via the network, on whether to permit the exchange of profile information with the requesting user; and

(h) thereafter exchanging at least a portion of the profile information between the requesting user and the first user from the database, via the network, in accordance with the instructions such that the first user profile of the first user, when displayed to the requesting user, is displayed in accordance with the customized layout as specified by the first user.

2. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein said customizing (c) the layout of the first user profile comprises receiving, from the first user via the network, a selection of a format template.

3. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 2, wherein said customizing (c) the layout comprises receiving an instruction designating a location within the selected format template where a portion of the content information is to be displayed.

4. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 3, wherein said customizing (c) the layout comprises receiving a graphic and a designation of a positioning within the selected format template where the graphic is to be displayed within the first user profile.

5. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 3, wherein said customizing (c) the layout comprises receiving designations of properties associated with the portion of the content information.

6. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein said exchanging (h) comprises supplying the first user profile to the requesting user where the first user profile comprises one or more authorized communication mechanisms configured to induce, when selected by the requesting user, a communication between the first user and the requesting user in accordance with a selected one of the communication mechanisms.

7. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 6, wherein said method further comprises:

(i) initiating communicating between the first user and the requesting user using a communications mechanism authorized in the first profile associated with the first user.

8. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein said customizing (c) the layout comprises incorporating within at least one region of the layout textual information descriptive of the first user and incorporating within at least one additional region additional information including at least one of a graphic object, a text object, a video object, an audio object or a link.

9. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein said customizing (c) the layout comprises incorporating within at least one region of the layout a link to multimedia content.

10. A method of providing access, over a network, to user profiles of a plurality of registered users, said method comprising:

(a) receiving, from a first user via the network, user information;

(b) configuring a user profile incorporating the user information, where the user profile is exclusively associated with the first user and is to be accessed by other users authorized by the first user to access the user profile;

(c) receiving a format designated by the first user that defines a presentation of the user profile;

(d) electronically storing in a database the received designated format in association with the user profile; and

(e) providing, via the network, the user profile to other users authorized by the first user, in response to requests from the other users, to access the user profile and to the extent permitted by the first user such that the user profile is displayed to the other users in accordance with the designated format.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said providing (e) comprises:

receiving a request from a requesting second user to access the user profile;

notifying the first user of the request from the second user; and

receiving instructions from the first user on whether to permit the second user to access the user profile.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein said receiving (c) the format comprises receiving a customized design format from the first user.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein said receiving (c) the format comprises identifying a selection by the first user of a format template from a plurality of format templates, where the plurality of format templates are defined prior to receiving the request to register the first user.

14. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein said providing (e) the user profile to the other users authorized by the first user comprises:

identifying, from instructions received from the first user, the profile of a plurality of profiles exclusively associated with the first user which the first user desires to allow access to; and

providing at least one of the other users with access, via the network, to the profile of the plurality of profiles exclusively associated with the first user in accordance with the instructions.

15. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein said providing (e) the user profile to the other users authorized by the first user comprises exchanging the user profile of the first user with a user profile of each of the other users such that the first user receives access, in response to the first user granting the other users the access to the user profile, to the user profiles of the other users.

16. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein said providing (e) the user profile to the other users authorized by the first user comprises identifying, from a request received from one of the other users, the first user with which the one of the other users desires to access profile information where the first user and the one of the other users are non-affiliated in the database at the time of the identification.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

receiving, from the first registered user via the network, a designation of a plurality of categories of users;

receiving, from the first registered user, a request to organize representations of other registered users to which the first registered user has been authorized access to respective profile information; and

associating, relative to the first registered user, at least a second registered user with a first category of the plurality of categories, and associating, relative to the first registered user, at least a third registered user with a second category of the plurality of categories.

17. A method of compiling user information of registered users, comprising:

(a) identifying a first format template to be utilized in presenting profile information of a first registered user;

(b) receiving, over a network, a customization to the first format template defining how the profile information of the first registered user is to be presented relative to the first format template;

(c) electronically storing in a data repository the customization to the first format template;

(d) receiving, via the network, the profile information associated with the first registered user; and

(e) electronically storing in the data repository, in response to receiving the profile information associated with the first registered user, the profile information relative to the first format template and the customization of the first format template.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

(f) receiving, via the network, an identification of image data to be incorporated into the first format template when displaying the profile information;

(g) identifying, in response to said receiving (b) the customization, a region of the first format template specified by the first registered user;

(h) associating the image data with the region of the first format template; and

(i) electronically storing in the database the image data, the region of the first format template and the association of the image data with the region of the first format template.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

(f) receiving instructions from the first registered user to associate a data object comprising a representation of additional content accessible through a first profile comprising at least part of the profile information, wherein the additional content is selected by the first registered user from a plurality of different available data types; and

(g) embedding the data object within the first profile defined by the first format template and the customization such that the data object is available through the first profile when the first profile is accessed by an authorized user authorized by the first registered user to access the at least the portion of the profile information.