Apparatus and methods for automated aggregation and delivery of and transactions involving electronic personal information or data

• US 6,317,783 B1
• Filed: 10/27/1999
• Issued: 11/13/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Yodlee Incorporated (Envestnet Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: VerticalOne Corp. (Envestnet Incorporated)
• Inventors: Freishtat, Gregg, Rajan, Palaniswamy
• Primary Examiner(s): Coulter, Kenneth R.
• Application Number:
  US09/428,511
• Time in Patent Office: 748 Days
• Field of Search: 707/10, 709/217, 709/218
• US Class Current: 709/218
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/102 applying security measure for e-commerce data processing systems or methods, specially adapted for e-commerce G06Q30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/564 Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/567 Integrating service provisioning from a plurality of service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 : in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 : Network security protocols

Abstract

A system for delivering personal information according to the present invention includes a user store including end user data, a provider store including information provider data, a personal information store including personal information and a processor that communicates with these data stores. The processor selects an end user for personal infonmation aggregation. The processor connects with one or more information providers. The processor then proceeds to retrieve personal information for the selected end user from the connected information providers. This retrieval is based on end user data associated with the selected end user and provider data associated with the connected information providers. The retrieved personal information is stored in the personal information store.

Claims

1. A method for delivering non-public personal information relating to an end user via a wide-area computer network to an end user from at least one of a plurality of information providers securely storing the personal information under control of a processor located remotely from the information providers and the end user, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) the processor connecting with at least one information provider;

(b) for a selected end user, the processor retrieving personal information for the selected end user from the connected at least one information provider based on end user data associated with the selected end user and information provider data associated with the connected one or more information providers, the end user data including information identifying the plurality of information providers securely storing the personal information relating to the end user, the provider data including a protocol for instructing the processor how to access the securely stored personal information via the network, the information accessible to the processor using the protocol also being accessible by the end user via the network independently of the system for delivering personal information; and

(c) the processor storing the retrieved personal information in a personal information store for access by the selected end user.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of monitoring information providers for changes.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of updating the provider store to conform with requirements of the information provider.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of executing a transaction for the selected end user with a selected information provider based on the accessed end user and the accessed information provider data associated with the selected information provider.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the execution step is triggered according to the accessed end user data.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of outputting the personal information associated with the selected end user from the personal information store.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the outputting step outputs the personal information to a delivery platform specified in the accessed end user data.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the specified delivery platform is selected from the group consisting of electronic mail, facsimile, pager, telephone, wireless device, ftp server, Web server, gopher server and Web client.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the outputting step outputs the personal information via a world wide web site.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the outputting step outputs personal information as a formatted Web page to the world wide web site.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the outputting step outputs personal information as formatted Web elements to the world wide web site.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the outputting step outputs personal information data to the world wide web site.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the connecting step comprises the substeps of:

(i) accessing the end user data associated with the selected end user;

(ii) identifying information providers specified in the accessed end user data; and

(iii) establishing a communication link with each of the identified information providers.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of outputting the retrieved personal infonmation to an intermediary web site, wherein the intermediary web site has an associated user interface format.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the retrieved personal information is output to the intermediary web site in a format other than the format associated with the intermediary web site.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the intermediary web site outputs the retrieved personal information to a web client, and the web client displays the retrieved personal infonmation.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the web client displays the retrieved personal information in the format associated with the intermediary web site.

18. A computer-readable, digital storage device storing executable instructions which cause a processor to deliver non-public personal information relating to an end user from at least one of a plurality of information providers securely storing the personal information to the end user via a wide-area computer network by performing the steps comprising of:

(a) connecting with at least one information provider;

(b) for a selected end user, retrieving personal information for the selected end user from the connected at least one information provider based on end user data associated with the selected end user and information provider data associated with the connected one or more information providers, the end user data including information identifying the plurality of information providers securely storing the personal information relating to the end user, the provider data including a protocol for instructing the processor how to access the securely stored personal information via the network, the information accessible to the processor using the protocol also being accessible by the end user via the network independently of the system for delivering personal information; and

(c) storing the retrieved personal information in a personal information store.

19. The storage device of claim 18, further storing executable instructions to perform the connecting step by performing substeps comprising of:

(i) accessing the end user data associated with the selected end user;

(ii) identifying information providers specified in the accessed end user data; and

(iii) establishing a communication link with each of the identified information providers.

20. A system for delivering non-public personal information relating to an end user via a network from at least one of a plurality of information providers, the information providers securely storing the personal information, the system comprising:

(a) a user store for storing end user data associated with each end user, the user store including information identifying the plurality of information providers securely storing the personal information relating to the end user;

(b) a provider store for storing information provider data associated with each information provider, the provider data including a protocol for instructing the processor how to access the securely stored personal information via the network, the information accessible to the processor using the protocol also being accessible by the end user via the network independently of the system for delivering personal information;

(c) a personal information store for storing personal information associated with each end user retrieved from the information providers;

(d) a processor in communication with the user store, the provider store and the personal information store, for performing the steps of;

(i) connecting with at least one information provider;

(ii) for a selected end user, retrieving personal information for the selected end user from the connected at least one information provider based on end user data associated with the selected end user and information provider data associated with the connected one or more information providers; and

(iii) storing the retrieved personal information in the personal information store for accessible to the selected end user.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the processor performs the additional step of monitoring information providers for changes.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein the processor performs the additional step of updating the provider store to conform with requirements of the information provider.

23. The system of claim 20, wherein the processor performs the additional step of executing a transaction for the selected end user with a selected information provider based on the end user data associated with the selected end user and the information provider data associated with the selected information provider.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the processor automatically performs the transaction execution step according to end user data in the user store.

25. The system of claim 20, wherein the processor performs the additional step of outputting the personal information associated with the selected end user from the personal information store.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the outputting step performed by the processor outputs the personal information to a delivery platform specified in the end user data associated with the selected end user.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the specified delivery platform is selected from the group consisting of electronic mail, facsimile, pager, telephone, wireless device, ftp server, Web server, gopher server and Web client.

28. The system of claim 25, wherein the outputting step of the processor outputs the personal information via a world wide web site.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the outputting step of the processor outputs personal information as a formatted Web page to the world wide web site.

30. The system of claim 28, wherein the outputting step of the processor outputs personal information as formatted Web elements to the world wide web site.

31. The system of claim 28, wherein the outputting step outputs personal information data to the world wide web site.

32. The system of claim 20, wherein the connecting step of the processor performs the following substeps:

(A) accessing the end user data associated with the selected end user;

(B) identifying information providers specified in the accessed end user data; and

(C) establishing a communication link with each of the identified information providers.

33. The system of claim 20, further including an intermediary web site having an associated user interface format, wherein the processor performs the additional step of outputting the retrieved personal information to the intermediary web site.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the retrieved personal information is output by the processor to the intermediary web site in a format other than the format associated with the intermediary web site.

35. The system of claim 33, further including a web client, wherein the intermediary web site outputs the retrieved personal information to the web client, and the web client displays the retrieved personal information.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein the web client displays the retrieved personal information in the format associated with the intermediary web site.