Method and apparatus for conducting an information brokering service

• US 20120150664A1
• Filed: 09/12/2011
• Published: 06/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sermo, Inc. (Worldone Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Sermo, Inc. (Worldone Incorporated)
• Inventors: Palestrant, Daniel, Gardner, Graham
• Granted Patent: US 8,626,561 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.73
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06375 Prediction of business process outcome or impact based on a proposed change
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06395 Quality analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/101 Collaborative creation, e.g. joint development of products or services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0202 Market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0203 Market surveys; Market polls
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

A system and method is provided that provides an early indication of consensus of opinion among a number of users regarding an event or observation indicated by a user. Such an opinion may be interesting to an information consumer, who may be interested in determining the outcome of the consensus relating to the event or observation, or may otherwise desire to perform surveillance or survey of a particular issue or subject. Such recognition of early events or observations may be useful in different areas, such as healthcare, finance, etc., where initial observations, if provided early, allow resulting decisions to be made much earlier. The opinion may, for instance, be used as an early indicator of problem with a product, company, etc. that would permit an information consumer to perform an action at a much earlier point than if he/she relied on traditional sources of information. Thus, such opinion information may be invaluable as a tool for monitoring events.

Claims

1. A method for conducting an online information brokering service, the method comprising acts of:

permitting a creation of a ticket by at least one user, the ticket comprising at least one observation generated by a user;

presenting, by a computer system, the ticket to at least one other user; and

accepting, from the at least one other user, an opinion of the at least one other user regarding the at least one ticket.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising an act of presenting, to the at least one user, an interface that permits the at least one user to selectively create the ticket.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising an act of presenting, to the at least one other user, an interface that permits the at least one other user to submit an opinion relating to the created ticket.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising an act of providing for the at least one other user to submit a vote with respect to the observation.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising an act of providing for the at least one other user to submit an alternative opinion with respect to the observation.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the computer system accepts a plurality of user opinions relating to the created ticket.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein a length of time by which the computer system accepts the plurality of user opinions is determined based on a determination of consensus among the plurality of user opinions.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the length of time is determined without intervention by an operator of the online information brokering service.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising an act of determining a value of the ticket.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the act of determining the value of the ticket comprises an act of determining the value by a bid process.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the bid process includes an act of permitting at least one information consumer to bid on the ticket.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein the act of determining the value of the ticket further comprises an act of classifying the observation in a predetermined class, the predetermined class having a predetermined value, and determining the value of the ticket based on the predetermined value of the predetermined class.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising an act of providing an incentive, by an operator of the online information brokering system, to users to submit tickets relating to a particular predetermined class.

14. The method according to claim 1, further comprising an act of permitting the at least one user to send the created ticket to the at least one other user.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising an act of sending the created ticket to a group of users to which the at least one user has a relationship.

16. The method according to claim 9, wherein the act of determining a value of the ticket further comprises an act of valuing the ticket at a higher value than a later-created ticket that relates to a similar subject as the ticket.

17. The method according to claim 1, further comprising acts of permitting a user to create a proposed ticket and determining whether the proposed ticket is similar to the created ticket.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising an act of presenting to the user, the created ticket if the proposed ticket is similar to the created ticket.

19. The method according to claim 1, further comprising an act of rewarding the at least one other user based on the opinion of the at least one other user regarding the at least one ticket.

20. The method according to claim 19, further comprising an act of determining a reward based on a ranking of the at least one other user.

21-60. -60. (canceled)