Benefits services privacy architecture

• US 8,150,791 B2
• Filed: 10/16/2008
• Issued: 04/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hartwell Brown
• Original Assignee: Hartwell Brown
• Inventors: Brown, Hartwell
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Hung
• Application Number:
  US12/253,180
• Publication Number:
  US 20090106300A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,265 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 706/48
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/188 Electronic negotiation

Abstract

A system and method of presenting benefits to a user of a computing device is provided. The method may include detecting user activities via a computer program executed on the computing device, storing a list of detected user activities in a user history in the computing device, and receiving a list of predefined benefits from at least one remote server. Each of the predefined benefits may include an associated trigger user activity. The method may further include storing the list of predefined benefits in the computing device, and determining a predefined benefit to present to the user based at least on the presence of a trigger user activity for the predefined benefit in the user history, via the computer program in the computing device. The method may further include presenting a matched predefined benefit to the user.

Claims

1. A method of presenting benefits to a user of a computing device, comprising:

detecting user activities via a computer program executed on the computing device, the user activities detected by a plug-in module associated with an application program and configured to communicate with the computer program and the application program;

storing a list of detected user activities in a user history in the computing device;

receiving a list of predefined benefits from at least one remote server, each of the predefined benefits including an associated trigger user activity;

storing the list of predefined benefits in the computing device;

determining a predefined benefit to present to the user based at least on the presence of a trigger user activity detected by the plug-in module for the predefined benefit in the user history, via the computer program in the computing device; and

presenting a matched predefined benefit to the user;

wherein determining a predefined benefit to present to the user and presenting a matched predefined benefit to the user are performed in the computing device without transmitting information regarding the user activities to a remote server.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising encrypting and password-protecting the user history.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising enabling the user to view, edit, or delete the user history.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer program is executed by a user'"'"'s command.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising sharing revenue between a benefit presenter that operates a third party server that serves benefits, and a benefit provider.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the user activities includes receiving a notice of a predefined user activity in the application program from the plug-in module.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the plug-in module is one of a plurality of plug-in modules, each being associated with a respective application program, and configured to send notifications of predefined user activities in each of the application programs to the computer program.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

assigning a user activity reference tag to each of the user activities; and

assigning a benefit reference tag to each of the benefits;

wherein determining a predefined benefit to present to the user includes cross-referencing user activity tags and the benefit tags to determine a match between a user activity and a benefit.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving a user response to the presented benefit; and

assigning a response reference tag to the user response, wherein the response reference tag is associated with the benefit reference tag so that the benefits are matched with a response with the same reference tag for an appropriate presentation to the user.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the predefined benefit to present to the user comprises matching a set of user activities with the predefined benefit.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the benefit is selected from the group consisting of an offer for a deal, discount, coupon, promotional code, advertising, information, knowledge, computer program, functionality, software, hardware, product, component, or item.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the user activity is to check emails and the benefit is to eliminate spam to present desired emails to the user.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the benefit further includes reducing false positive emails.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the user activity is to organize work and the benefit is to group the work to facilitate work retrieval, editing, viewing and deletion.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the user activity is an undesired result in performing work and the benefit is to offer a solution to perform the work.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the user activity is to request a desired outcome for a task to be performed, the task is undertaken, and the result presented to the user.

17. A system for presenting benefits to a user of a computing device, comprising:

a user history data store to record a user history including a list of user activities detected via a computer program in the computing device;

a benefit data store to record a list of predefined benefits received from at least one remote server, each of the predefined benefits including an associated trigger user activity; and

a plug-in module associated with an application program, the plug-in module being configured to detect a trigger user activity occurring in an associated application program, and to send a notice of the trigger user activity to the computer program, for storage in the user history;

wherein the computer program in the computing device is configured to determine a predefined benefit to present to the user based at least on the presence of the trigger user activity for the predefined benefit in the user history, and is configured to present a matched predefined benefit to the user; and

wherein determining a predefined benefit to present to the user and presenting a matched predefined benefit to the user are performed in the computing device without transmitting information regarding the user activities to a remote server.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising:

a response data store to record user responses to presented benefits;

wherein the computer program is configured to determine a predefined benefit to present to the user based additionally on the stored user responses.

19. A method of presenting benefits to a user of a computing device, comprising:

detecting user activities via a computer program executed on the computing device, wherein the user activities are detected by a plug-in module associated with an application program and configured to communicate with the computer program and the application program;

storing a list of detected user activities in a user history in the computing device;

receiving a list of predefined benefits from at least one remote server, each of the predefined benefits including an associated trigger user activity;

storing the list of predefined benefits in the computing device;

determining a predefined benefit to present to the user based at least on the presence of a trigger user activity for the predefined benefit in the user history, via the computer program in the computing device;

presenting a matched predefined benefit to the user;

receiving a user response to the presented benefit and storing the user response; and

presenting a newly matched benefit to the user based on a previous user response to a similar benefit;

wherein determining a predefined benefit to present to the user and presenting a matched predefined benefit to the user are performed in the computing device without transmitting information regarding the user activities to a remote server.