Virtual electronic card based networking

• US 7,921,167 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2007
• Issued: 04/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Digivation Digital Solutions PVT Limited
• Original Assignee: Digivation Digital Solutions PVT Limited
• Inventors: Shroff, Kaushal, Shroff, Keyur
• Primary Examiner(s): Chankong; Dohm
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hussain; Tauqir
• Application Number:
  US12/004,702
• Publication Number:
  US 20090164589A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,201 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

The computer implemented method and system disclosed herein enables online networking based on exchange of virtual electronic cards between a plurality of users. An online networking environment is provided to a user. The user creates a personal profile in the online networking environment. Further, the user may create a company profile or link with an existing company profile. A virtual electronic card of the user is automatically created in the online networking environment. The virtual electronic card is one of a personal electronic card and a company electronic card. A personal contact network of the user is established in the online networking environment by exchanging personal electronic cards between the user and the plurality of users. Further, a company contact network of the company of the user is established by exchanging company electronic cards between the company of the user and a plurality of companies.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method of online networking based on exchange of virtual electronic cards between a plurality of users, comprising the steps of:

providing a computer system connected to a communication network;

providing an online networking environment accessible through a graphical user interface of said computer system;

accessing said online networking environment using an electronic device, wherein said electronic device allows a user to interact with said graphical user interface to access said online networking environment;

creating a personal profile by said user for creation of a virtual electronic card in said online networking environment, wherein said personal profile of the user comprises user information and personal electronic card, and wherein said personal electronic cart is created automatically based on said user information;

creating a company profile of a company by said user for creation of said virtual electronic card, wherein said company profile comprises company information and a company electronic card, wherein said company electronic card is created automatically based on said company information, and wherein said step of creating said company profile comprises;

searching for an existing company in the online networking environment;

associating the user with said existing company, wherein the user is an employee of the existing company;

linking the virtual electronic card of the user with the virtual electronic cards of existing employees of the existing company;

establishing a personal contact network of the user in the online networking environment, comprising;

searching for a potential match from a plurality of users based on information in personal electronic cards of said users;

providing a view of degrees of separation between said personal electronic card of said user initiating the search and said personal electronic cards of said users, wherein said degrees of separation indicates the smallest number of users that the user is away from said potential match, and wherein said users between said user and said potential match comprise one or more common linkers that are already in the personal contact network of the user;

sending an invitation request to said potential match; and

exchanging the personal electronic cards between the user and said potential match after accepting said invitation, wherein said step of exchanging further comprises linking the personal electronic card of the user with the personal electronic card of the potential match and vice versa;

establishing a company contact network of the company of the user by exchanging company electronic cards between the company of the user and a plurality of companies;

whereby said exchange of said virtual electronic cards enables said online networking between the plurality of users and said plurality of companies.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the virtual electronic cards and associated information of the users are stored on an electronic device.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein said company profile includes an organizational chart comprising multiple personal electronic cards of employees of the company in a predefined order.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the virtual electronic cards are searched based on one or more of keywords, companies, location, and title.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein said personal electronic card is one of an image and a multimedia card comprising user information.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein said company electronic card is one of an image and a multimedia card comprising company information.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of users view said personal profile by clicking said personal electronic card and said company profile by clicking said company electronic card.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the virtual electronic card of a larger size is displayed by scrolling over a smaller sized virtual electronic card.

9. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the user edits and formats the virtual electronic card by one or more steps of selecting background, formatting text, uploading an image, and editing styles and information of the virtual electronic card.

10. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein said personal electronic card includes a list with options for the user to perform the steps of:

said exchanging of said personal electronic cards with one or more of said users;

deleting the personal electronic card of one or more of the users from said personal contact network;

forwarding the personal electronic card of one or more of the users of the personal contact network to one or more users in the personal contact network and one or more companies in said company contact network;

sending messages to one or more of the users of the personal contact network; and

inviting one or more of the users of the personal contact network to one or more of online meetings, business network, events, groups, advice section, jobs section, and leads section.

11. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein said company electronic card includes a list with options for the user to perform the steps of:

said exchanging of said company electronic cards with one or more of said companies;

deleting one or more of the company electronic cards from said company contact network;

forwarding the company electronic card of one or more of the companies to one or more of the companies in the company contact network and one or more users in said personal contact network;

sending messages to the companies in the company contact network;

inviting company representatives of the companies to online meetings; and

inviting company employees of the company contact network to one of more of events, groups, online meetings, advice section, jobs section, and leads section.

12. The computer implemented method of claim 11, wherein said step of exchanging the company electronic cards comprises automatically sending invitation messages to said company representatives of the companies to approve and join the company contact network.

13. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the user uploads an image and multimedia of a scanned business card, wherein said scanned business card is used as the personal electronic card by the user.

14. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the user sends the virtual electronic card to one or more of existing users and non users of the online networking environment via an electronic mail.

15. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein one or more of events, groups, advice section, leads section, jobs section, business network, online meetings, the company profile of the company and the user, the personal profile of the user, and company section appear in the online networking environment.

16. The computer implemented method of claim 15, wherein said events, said groups, said advice section, said leads section, said jobs section, said business network, said online meetings, the company profile of the company and the user, the personal profile of the user, and said company section display one of personal electronic cards and company electronic cards.

17. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the virtual electronic cards in the online networking environment are accessed from one of a web browser, a personal digital assistant, and other electronic devices.

18. A computer implemented system for online networking based on exchange of virtual electronic cards between a plurality of users, comprising:

a computer system connected to a communication network, wherein said computer system comprises;

a memory;

an online graphical user interface for enabling a user to create a personal profile and a company profile in an online networking environment;

a linking module stored on the memory for linking said user with one or more of an existing company, employees of said company, and a potential match from said users;

a virtual electronic card control module for administering processes associated with a virtual electronic card, comprising;

a virtual electronic card creation engine for creating said virtual electronic card automatically;

a virtual electronic card management and exchange module stored on the memory for one or more of exchanging a personal electronic card between the user and said plurality of users, deleting said personal electronic card, setting online meetings, forwarding the personal electronic card, inviting the plurality of users, and sending messages in said online networking environment; and

a virtual electronic card customization tool for editing and formatting information and style of the virtual electronic card by the user;

a search engine for performing searches in the online networking environment, based on one or more of keywords, companies, location, industry, and title;

said online graphical user interface for providing a view of degrees of separation between said personal electronic card of said user initiating the search and said personal electronic cards of said users;

a virtual electronic card based user activity module stored on the memory for managing common linkers and number of said users that are away from said user by one or more of said degrees of separation;

a virtual electronic card database in communication with said computer system for storing said personal electronic cards, said company electronic cards, and data related to said virtual electronic cards.

19. The computer implemented system of claim 18, wherein said virtual electronic card management and exchange module is further used for one or more of exchanging a company electronic card between a company and a plurality of companies, deleting said company electronic card, setting online meetings, forwarding the company electronic card, inviting the plurality of users, and sending messages in the online networking environment.

20. A computer program product comprising computer executable instructions embodied in a non-transitory computer-readable medium, wherein said computer program product comprises a plurality of computer parsable codes for causing a computer to:

provide an online networking environment accessible through a graphical user interface of said computer system;

access said online networking environment using an electronic device that allows a user to interact with said graphical user interface to access said online networking environment;

create a personal profile by said user for creation of a virtual electronic card in said online networking environment, wherein said personal profile of the user comprises user information and said personal electronic card, and wherein said personal electronic card is created automatically based on said user information;

create a company profile of a company by said user for creation of said virtual electronic card, wherein said company profile comprises company information and said company electronic card, wherein said company electronic card is created automatically based on said company information, and wherein said computer parsable codes further cause said computer to;

search for an existing company in the online networking environment;

associate the user with said existing company, wherein the user is an employee of the existing company;

link the virtual electronic card of the user with the virtual electronic cards of existing employees of the existing company;

establish a personal contact network of the user in the online networking environment, comprising;

search for a potential match from a plurality of users based on information in personal electronic cards of said users;

provide a view of degrees of separation between said personal electronic card of said user initiating the search and said personal electronic cards of said users, wherein said degrees of separation indicates the smallest number of users that the user is away from said potential match, and wherein said users between said user and said potential match comprise one or more common linkers that are already in the personal contact network of the user;

send an invitation request to said potential match; and

exchange the personal electronic cards between the user and said potential match after accepting said invitation, wherein said step of exchanging further comprises linking the personal electronic card of the user with the personal electronic card of the potential match and vice versa;

establish a company contact network of the company of the user by exchanging company electronic cards between the company and a plurality of companies; and

link virtual electronic cards with respective events, groups, advice section, leads section, jobs section, business network, online meetings, company profile of the company and the user, personal profile of the user, and company section in the online networking environment.