PERSONAL DATA SUBSCRIBER SYSTEMS AND METHODS

• US 20100185546A1
• Filed: 01/20/2009
• Published: 07/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Titanium Fire Ltd Executive Pension Scheme
• Original Assignee: Titanium Fire Ltd.
• Inventors: Pollard, Stephen M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,296,323 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/80
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0637 Strategic management or analysis, e.g. setting a goal or target of an organisation; Planning actions based on goals; Analysis or evaluation of effectiveness of goals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/188 Electronic negotiation

Abstract

Methods and systems for facilitating the propagation of personal data are provided. Example embodiments provide a Personal Data Propagation Environment (“PDP environment”), which facilitates the propagation of personal data items between secure personal data stores and various consumers of the personal data items. In one embodiment, the PDP environment includes a personal data manager and a personal data subscriber. The personal data manager manages personal data items on a secure data store associated with a user computing device. The personal data manager provides access to personal data items stored on the secure data store in accordance with a personal data subscription associated with the personal data subscriber. This abstract is provided to comply with rules requiring an abstract, and it is submitted with the intention that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.

Claims

1. A personal data subscriber computing system configured to facilitate propagation of personal data, comprising:

a memory; and

a personal data subscriber module stored on the memory and configured, when executed, to;

obtain a personal data subscription that entitles the personal data subscriber computing system to access a plurality of personal data items stored on a secure data store communicatively coupled to a personal data manager computing device;

cause the personal data manager computing device to determine whether access by the personal data subscriber computing system to at least one of the plurality of personal data items stored on the secure data store is in accord with the personal data subscription; and

when access by the personal data subscriber computing system to the at least one personal data item is determined to be in accord with the personal data subscription,

receive from the personal data manager computing device the at least one personal data item; and

initiate an electronic transaction based on the received personal data item.

2. The personal data subscriber computing system of claim 1 wherein the secure data store includes a plurality of data items that include at least one of a personal name, an address, financial information, a user name, a password, a government identifier, a communication preference, or contact information.

3. The personal data subscriber computing system of claim 1 wherein the personal data subscriber module is further configured, when executed, to:

receive an indication that one or more data items have been modified on a data store associated with the personal data subscriber computing system; and

in response to the received indication, automatically propagate the one or more modified data items to the personal data manager computing device, based at least in part on one of the one or more modified personal data items being one of the plurality of personal data items to which the personal data subscription entitles access, thereby causing the personal data manager computing device to store the one or more modified data items as personal data items on a secure personal data store.

4. The personal data subscriber computing system of claim 3 wherein the personal data subscriber module automatically propagates the one or more modified data items by transmitting the modified data items to the personal data manager computing device.

5. The personal data subscriber computing system of claim 3 wherein the one or more modified personal data items include at least one of account information associated with a user of the personal data manager computing device, transaction information associated with a user of the personal data manager computing device, contact information for an entity associated with the personal data subscriber computing system, marketing information for an entity associated with the personal data subscriber computing system, or terms and conditions associated with use of the personal data subscriber computing system.

6. The personal data subscriber computing system of claim 1 wherein the computing system is operated by an electronic commerce entity.

7. The personal data subscriber computing system of claim 1 wherein the personal data subscriber module includes instructions for execution by the computing system.

8. A computer-readable storage medium whose contents include instructions that, when executed, cause a personal data subscriber computing system to facilitate propagation of personal data, by performing a method comprising:

obtaining a personal data subscription that entitles the personal data subscriber computing system to access a plurality of personal data items stored on a secure data store communicatively coupled to a personal data manager computing device;

causing the personal data manager computing device to determine whether access by the personal data subscriber computing system to at least one of the plurality of personal data items stored on the secure data store is in accord with the personal data subscription; and

when access by the personal data subscriber computing system to the at least one personal data item is determined to be in accord with the personal data subscription,

receiving from the personal data manager computing device the at least one personal data item; and

initiating an electronic transaction based on the received personal data item.

9. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 wherein causing the personal data manager computing device to determine whether access by the personal data subscriber computing system to at least one of the plurality of personal data items is in accord with the personal data subscription includes requesting the at least one personal data item from the personal data manager computing device.

10. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 wherein causing the personal data manager computing device to determine whether access by the personal data subscriber computing system to at least one of the plurality of personal data items is in accord with the personal data subscription includes acknowledging a request received from the personal data subscriber computing device.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 wherein the at least one personal data item reflects information about an identity of a person associated with the secure data store.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 wherein the method further comprises:

initiating storage of a personal data item on the secure data store.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12 wherein initiating storage of the personal data item on the secure data store includes transmitting a personal data item to the personal data manager computing device.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 wherein the transmitted personal data item includes at least one of contact information for an entity associated with the personal data subscriber computing system, financial information associated with a user of the personal data manager computing device, or transaction information associated with the initiated transaction.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 wherein obtaining the personal data subscription comprises:

communicating with a personal data propagation service computing system; and

causing the personal data propagation service computing system to associate an identifier of the personal data subscriber computing system with the personal data subscription.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 wherein the personal data subscription indicates each of the plurality of personal data items.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 wherein the personal data subscription indicates at least one of a type of personal data item, a category of personal data items, a class of personal data items, or a group of personal data items.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 wherein the personal data subscription specifies access rights to the received personal data item.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 wherein the electronic transaction includes at least one of an account operation, a purchase of goods and/or services, a licensing operation, an offer provision, or an acceptance of an offer.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 wherein the method further comprises:

receiving an indication that one or more data items have been modified on a data store associated with the personal data subscriber computing system; and

in response to the received indication, automatically propagating the one or more modified data items to the personal data manager computing device, based at least in part on one of the one or more modified data items being one of the plurality of personal data items to which the personal data subscription entitles access, thereby causing the personal data manager computing device to store the one or more modified data items as personal data items on the secure data store.

21. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 20 wherein automatically propagating the one or more modified personal data items includes transmitting the modified personal data items to the personal data manager computing device.

22. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 20 wherein automatically propagating the one or more modified personal data items includes receiving from a remote personal data propagation service an indication that the personal data manager computing device is associated with the personal data subscription.

23. A method in a personal data subscriber computing system for facilitating propagation of personal data, the method comprising:

receiving an indication of an update to a data item stored in a data store communicatively coupled to the personal data subscriber computing system; and

automatically propagating the updated data item to multiple personal data manager devices that are remote from the personal data subscriber computing system, by;

interacting with a remote personal data propagation service to determine that the personal data manager computing devices are each associated with a personal data subscription that entitles the personal data subscriber computing system to access the updated data item; and

automatically initiating transmission of the updated data item to the multiple personal data manager computing devices, thereby causing each of the personal data manager computing devices to store the updated data item as a personal data item on a respective secure data store.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein interacting with the remote personal data propagation service includes receiving from the remote personal data propagation service indicators of the multiple personal data manager computing devices.

25. The method of claim 23 wherein interacting with the remote personal data propagation service includes requesting the remote personal data propagation service to provide information about personal data manager computing devices associated with the personal data subscription.

26. The method of claim 23 wherein the automatically propagating the updated personal data item occurs in response to a user interaction with the personal data subscriber computing system, the user operating one of the multiple personal data manager computing devices.

27. The method of claim 23 wherein the automatically propagating the updated data item occurs in response to the received indication of the update to the data item and without intervening interaction from a user between the update to the data item and the automatic propagation of the updated data item.

28. The method of claim 23 further comprising:

determining that at least one of the multiple personal data manager computing device is offline; and

recording an indication to transmit the updated data item to the at least one personal data manager computing device at a later time.

29. The method of claim 23 wherein the updated data item includes at least one of contact information for an entity associated with the personal data subscriber computing system, marketing information for and entity associated with the personal data subscriber computing system, financial information associated with users of the multiple personal data manager computing device, or transaction information associated with the multiple personal data manager computing devices.

30. The method of claim 23 wherein initiating transmission of the updated data item to the multiple personal data manager computing devices includes causing each of the multiple personal data manager computing devices to store the updated personal data item on a secure data store that is communicatively coupled to the multiple personal data manager computing device.