System and method for managing and controlling accounts with profile information

• US 7,212,990 B1
• Filed: 05/31/2000
• Issued: 05/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Simons, Alex A., Castro, Alexander, Smith, Scott A., Lee, Se-Wai, Scheer, Susan P., Greden, Daniel J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith; Jeffrey A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dunham; Jason B.
• Application Number:
  US09/584,232
• Time in Patent Office: 2,526 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/14, 705/26, 705/27, 705/2, 707/6, 707/10, 709/202, 709/232, 709/224
• US Class Current: 705/26.7
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0204 Market segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0224 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• 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

Abstract

The present invention is embodied in a system and method for managing and controlling accounts with generated profile information. The system includes a data generator, a database and a search agent. The data generator generates, collects and processes data about potential buyers and generates customer profiles. Data can be collected and processed by any suitable means for generating profiles, such as a data gathering session. In one example, a potential buyer can be provided with an interactive browsing environment and allowed to select information related to products or services. The search agent is used to create the database, which comprises buyers having organized profiles that define specific criteria. A profile of the buyer can be created by inferring criteria desired by the buyer based on the interactive browsing and the selections made by the buyer. The profile and the inferred criteria can be compared with criteria of the products or services to match specific products or services of subscribing sellers that the buyer has a potential interest in based on the created profile of the buyer.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for finding a prospective buyer and providing the identity of the buyer to agents offering for sale at least one of products and services, the method comprising using a computer to perform the following process actions:

providing the buyer with an interactive environment having information relating to the products or services offered by the agents;

creating a profile of the buyer by inferring criteria desired by the buyer by gathering statistics of products or services previously browsed or selected based on the buyer'"'"'s interaction with the interactive environment, wherein the statistics are analyzed to determine the most common characteristics;

creating a database of buyer profiles and defining groups of specific criteria based on the characteristics for specific buyers;

comparing the profile with criteria of products or services offered by the agents to match a suitable agent with a suitable buyer based on the created profile of the buyer by automatically matching specific products or services of the agents that the buyer has a potential interest in based on the created profile of the buyer; and

automatically providing the identity of the suitable buyer that would allow direct contact of the buyer by the suitable agent to the suitable agent without the suitable agent having to request additional information.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the interactive environment includes allowing the buyer to graphically interact with information relating to the products or services.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 2, wherein the buyer selects information relating to the products or services.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the interactive environment includes providing an interactive questionnaire to the buyer.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising the process action of providing agents access to the database to allow the agents to locate specific buyers based on criteria defined by the agents.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the buyer is provided with selections relating to real estate offered by the agents during interaction with the interactive environment.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the identity of the buyer includes name, and email address or telephone number.

8. A computer system for target marketing prospective buyers, comprising:

an interactive browsing environment that allows the prospective buyers to browse information relating to at least one of products or services, each represented by discreet criteria and offered by agents;

a profile generator that creates and stores profiles of the buyers by inferring criteria desired by the buyers by gathering statistics of products or services previously browsed or selected based on the interactive browsing of the buyers, wherein the statistics are analyzed to determine the most common characteristics;

a comparator that;

creates a database of buyer profiles and defines groups of specific criteria based on the characteristics for specific buyers;

matches the profiles with criteria of products and services offered by the agents to match a suitable agent with a suitable buyer based on the created profile of the buyer by automatically matching specific products or services of the agents that the buyer has a potential interest in based on the created profile of the buyer; and

automatically provides an identity of matching prospective buyers that would allow direct contact of the buyers by an agent for the sale of at least one of the products and services to the agent without the agent having to request additional information.

9. The computer system of claim 8, wherein the interactive browsing environment is a graphical user interface.

10. The computer system of claim 8, wherein the profile is created based on the browsing habits of the buyer during interaction with the interactive environment.

11. The computer system of claim 8, wherein the buyers are provided with selections relating to the products or services during interaction with the interactive environment.

12. The computer system of claim 8, wherein the interactive environment is a graphical interactive questionnaire.

13. The computer system of claim 8, wherein the agents are provided with access to the database to allow the agents to locate specific buyers based on criteria defined by the agents.

14. The computer system of claim 8, wherein the identity of the buyer includes name, and email address or telephone number.