Collections of linked databases and systems and methods for communicating about updates thereto

• US 8,190,681 B2
• Filed: 07/27/2006
• Issued: 05/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 3degrees LLC
• Original Assignee: Within3, Inc.
• Inventors: Markus, Michael J., Smith, Brian N., Markus, Heather A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Whipple, Brian P
• Application Number:
  US11/989,039
• Publication Number:
  US 20090055476A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,133 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 709/206
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

This technology is generally directed to one or more methods or systems relating to personal communication networks. This technology is further directed to methods and systems for communicating about updates to the profiles associated with members of personal communication networks. Still further, this technology is generally directed to informing members of the personal communication network about accolades and historical search data of other members in the personal communication network, thereby giving the members a broader knowledge base in order to determine how much to trust the other members of the personal communication network and to inform members about additional expertise areas of members of the personal communication network.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method of communicating to a first member of a personal communication network of professionals about an accolade pertaining to a second member of the personal communication network of professionals, the method comprising the steps of:

establishing the second member as a contact of the first member in the personal communication network of professionals, the personal communication network of professionals being a type of social network for professional persons that is based upon communication links between professional persons;

updating a second member'"'"'s profile in the personal communication network of professionals with information pertaining to an accolade of the second member, the accolade being information related to a professional accomplishment;

acquiring the information pertaining to the accolade from the second member'"'"'s profile; and

presenting the acquired information pertaining to the accolade to the first member for visual notification of the updating, wherein the acquiring and the presenting occur automatically upon the updating of the second member'"'"'s profile with the information pertaining to the accolade of the second member.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the personal communication network of professionals is a type of social network for professional persons that is based upon communication links between electronically stored databases that are associated with professional persons.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the accolade is at least one of a publication by the second member, a newly-acquired skill, an award, a promotion, a change in the second member'"'"'s knowledge base, an advanced degree, and a speaking engagement.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

acquiring information about an accolade pertaining to a third person who has previously received an invitation to join the personal communication network of professionals;

presenting the information pertaining to the accolade to the first member;

wherein the third person is selected by the first member.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:

formatting the information pertaining to the accolade of the second member into a newsletter to be occasionally transmitted to the first member or received by the first member.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the newsletter is e-mailed to the first member or is made available to the first member through a website interface dedicated to the personal communication network.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:

establishing a hyperlink to an electronic document that can be retrieved over a network and that provides details of the information pertaining to the accolade of the second member;

wherein the hyperlink is automatically presented to the first member upon the updating of the second member'"'"'s profile with the information pertaining to the accolade of the second member.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of acquiring information comprises the step of:

spooling a notice including the information pertaining to an accolade of the second member in the second member'"'"'s profile, the notice being automatically transmitted upon entry of the information pertaining to the accolade in the second member'"'"'s profile.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the second member'"'"'s profile in the personal communication network of professionals is updated with historical search data, the historical search data including a search term that was entered in a search engine and information describing an association between the search term and the second member.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the association is that the second member was designated by a member of the personal communication network of professionals as being likely to possess information on the search term.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the information pertaining to the accolade may be viewed by the first member and affect the first member'"'"'s trust of the second member, or inform the first member of an additional area of expertise of the second member.

12. A computer implemented method of updating a first member of a personal communication network with historical search data that is associated with a second member of the personal communication network, the method comprising the steps of:

acquiring historical search data, the historical search data including a search term that was entered in a search engine and information describing an association between the search term and the second member;

updating the second member'"'"'s profile in the personal communication network with the historical search data;

retrieving the historical search data from the second member'"'"'s profile; and

presenting the historical search data in electronic format to the first member for visual notification of the updating, where the retrieving and the presenting occurs automatically upon the updating of the second member'"'"'s profile in the personal communication network with the historical search data.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the association is that the second member was designated by a member of the personal communication network as being likely to possess information on a particular subject that is being searched for.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the historical search data also indicates which personal communication network member designated the second member as a person likely to have information about the search term.

15. The method according to claim 12, wherein the association is that the second member'"'"'s profile was linked to as a result of the search term being entered in the search engine.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the historical search data also indicates which personal communication network member linked to the second member for the particular search term.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein the historical search data further comprises the total number of links to the second member.

18. The method according to claim 12, wherein the association is that the second member has performed a search on the search engine that includes the search term.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the association further includes a number of links that the second member has traversed as a result of the search.

20. The method according to claim 12, wherein the personal communication network is a type of social network that is based upon communication links between electronically stored databases that are associated with persons.

21. The method according to claim 12, wherein the step of assembling the historical search data in an electronic format comprises the step of:

formatting the historical search data into a newsletter to be transmitted to the first member or received by the first member.

22. The method according to claim 12, further comprising the step of:

establishing a hyperlink from the electronic format presented to the first member to an electronic document that provides details of the historical search data.

23. The method according to claim 12, wherein the step of assembling historical search data includes acquiring data from searches performed on a search engine dedicated to searching the profiles of members of the personal communication network.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein the step of assembling historical search data further includes acquiring data from searches performed on web search engines.

25. The method according to claim 12, wherein the step of assembling historical search data includes acquiring data from searches performed on web search engines.

26. The method according to claim 12, wherein the step of presenting the historical search data to the first member includes making the historical search data available to the first member through a website interface.

27. The method according to claim 12, wherein the step of updating is triggered by one of the following occurrences:

a search and link to the second member, a certain threshold of searches and links are reached, or the user logs on to their account in the personal communication network.

28. The method according to claim 12, wherein the historical search data is displayed as part of a display of the second member'"'"'s profile, and the profile is accessible for viewing through an internet interface.

29. The method according to claim 12, wherein a visual or textual description of how the first member is connected to the second member in the personal communication network is also presented to the first member.

30. The method according to claim 12, wherein in the personal communication network the members are associated with one another based on trust, and presenting the historical search data functions to affect the first member'"'"'s trust of the second member on a topic associated with the search term.

31. The method according to claim 12, wherein the historical search data apprises the first member of an additional area of expertise of the second member.

32. A system for communicating to a first member of a personal communication network about an accolade pertaining to a second member of the personal communication network, the accolade being information related to a professional accomplishment, the system comprising:

a network that includes a server in communication with a remotely-located computer terminal over a communication link;

wherein at least one of the server and the computer terminal comprises;

means for establishing the second member as a first-degree contact of the first member in the personal communication network;

means for updating a second member'"'"'s profile in the personal communication network with information pertaining to an accolade of the second member;

means for acquiring the information pertaining to the accolade from the profile of the second member;

means for presenting the acquired information pertaining to the accolade to the first member for visual notification of the updating, wherein the acquiring the information pertaining to the accolade of the second member occurs automatically, and wherein the presenting the acquired information pertaining to the accolade to first member happens automatically upon the acquiring.

33. The system according to claim 32, wherein at least one of the server and the computer terminal further comprises means for establishing a hyperlink to be presented to the first member, wherein the hyperlink directs the first member to an electronic document that can be retrieved over the network and that provides details of the accolade, and wherein the hyperlink is automatically presented to the first member upon the updating of the second member'"'"'s profile with the information pertaining to the accolade of the second member.

34. The system according to claim 32, further comprising:

means for formatting the acquired information into a newsletter to be occasionally received by or transmitted to the first member of the communication network.

35. The system according to claim 32, wherein the means for acquiring the information comprises computer readable logic that controls the recording of information that was added to the second member'"'"'s profile since a previous presentation of the assembled information to the first network member.

36. The system according to claim 32, wherein the accolade is at least one of a publication, a newly-acquired skill, an award, a promotion, a change in the second member'"'"'s knowledge base, an advanced degree, and a speaking engagement.

37. The system according to claim 32, further comprising means for directing the first member to an electronic document that can be retrieved over the network that provides details of the accolade pertaining to the second member, and wherein the means for directing the first member to an electronic document is automatically presented to the first member upon the updating of the second member'"'"'s profile with the information pertaining to the accolade of the second member.

38. The system according to claim 32, further comprising means for updating the second member'"'"'s profile with historical search data, the historical search data including a record that the second member'"'"'s profile was linked to as a result of a search term being entered in a search engine, and a record of the search term that was entered.

39. The system according to claim 38, wherein the historical search data further includes a record that the second member was designated by a member of the personal communication network as being likely to possess information on a particular subject that is being searched for.

40. The method system according to claim 32, further comprising means for presenting a description of how the first member is connected to the second member in the personal communication network.