US20050187786A1 - Electronic commerce using personal preferences - Google Patents
Electronic commerce using personal preferences Download PDFInfo
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- US20050187786A1 US20050187786A1 US11/112,621 US11262105A US2005187786A1 US 20050187786 A1 US20050187786 A1 US 20050187786A1 US 11262105 A US11262105 A US 11262105A US 2005187786 A1 US2005187786 A1 US 2005187786A1
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- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G06Q30/00—Commerce
- G06Q30/02—Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
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- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G06Q30/00—Commerce
- G06Q30/06—Buying, selling or leasing transactions
- G06Q30/0601—Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
Definitions
- This invention relates to electronic commerce.
- Databases can be of many types.
- One type of database stores data in tabular form, e.g., relational databases.
- Other databases include hierarchical databases and flat-file structures that are similar to a table or a spreadsheet.
- Another type of database is the so-called object-oriented database.
- the world-wide-web stores information in resources that can be found through an address such as a uniform resource locator (URL).
- Wireless devices are also known for use with the Internet. Data exchange with wired of wireless devices involves transmission of data via E-mail address or web pages. Such data transmission can be secure, but data regarding personal preferences can be obtained by host systems whether or not intended.
- a method of notifying users of electronic services includes dynamically matching custom information stored on distributed databases with information that users hold in a user device on topics of interest.
- a client device includes a computing device that executes computer instructions and a database of personal interests.
- the client device also includes a process that either offers and/or requests services and information based on personal interests of a user.
- the process includes a process to wrap content with control information designating ownership of the content, the time span the content is valid, and rules specifying how content is to be matched.
- a system to enable a person to interact in both a physical world and an electronic world includes a server that delivers news and information.
- the electronic world has virtual stores and enables online interactions through wired and wireless networks.
- the system also includes a client user device.
- the client user device includes a database of personal interests and a process that either offers and/or requests services and information based on the personal interests.
- the process includes a process to wrap content with control information designating ownership of the content, the time span the content is valid, and rules specifying how content is to be matched.
- a server system includes a matching process that matches information from a client with information from other hosts that are also sending information to the server.
- the matching process includes matching wrapper information from a received capsule, the wrapper information including information that determines the use of the information content of the capsule.
- a method for conducting commerce where information and services are provided to customers includes selectively activating shareable database capsules from information contained in personalized, shared databases.
- the method also includes distributing the shareable capsules over a network communications medium as matchable capsules, matching the matchable capsules with other complementary matchable capsules and making the existence and results of a match of a pair of matchable capsules visible only if matched capsules have compatible visibility settings.
- a method for maintaining privacy in exchange of data includes attaching a directional visibility flag to a request or offer for information or services and distributing the request or offer.
- the method also includes matching the visibility setting of a request or offer to complementary items in a complementary one of the request or offer.
- the method also includes processing the match in accordance with the visibility specification to prevent any information about the existence or results of the match from being communicated to contrary to the visibility flags.
- a computer readable medium stores a data structure.
- the data structure represents a shareable database capsule including a content field that contains offers and requests for information and services and a transmittal information field that contains information to control the distribution, matching and privacy of the sharing of the database capsule.
- a system includes a server that includes a matching process that matches information from a client with information from other hosts that are also sending information to the server.
- the matching process includes a matching process to match wrapper information from a received capsule, where the wrapper information includes information that determines the use of the information content of the capsule.
- the system also includes a client user device to interact with the server device.
- the client user device includes a database of personal interests and a process that either offers and/or requests services and information based on the personal interests.
- the process includes a process to wrap content with control information designating ownership of the content, the time span the content is valid, and rules specifying how content is to be matched.
- One or more aspects of the invention may have one or more of the following advantages.
- the invention connects people and electronic services by dynamically matching custom information stored on distributed databases.
- Users hold information on topics of interest.
- the information can be accumulated and organized over time, produced or collected from various sources and carried on a fixed computing device, or portable computing device like a personal digital assistant (PDA) or cell phone.
- PDA personal digital assistant
- People can specify interests in hobbies, dining preferences, research topics, news, social and cultural interests, personal information like clothing sizes, or activities to participate in.
- Companies and other organizations can supply information on products and services, useful facts, and other information in response to requests for such information or as a general broadcast of information.
- the basic content of the information is wrapped with information about its owner, the time span it will be valid, its audience, what pieces of information are to be matched, what information is to be filled in, and what other actions are to occur if a match occurs.
- These data capsules can be expressed as small fragments of information used to locate and obtain further information.
- This system is suited, in particular, to mobile computing and communications situations because browsing, i.e., interacting with a device in a changing mobile environment is highly limited. Instead of browsing for information e.g., browsing the web, or receiving preset data channels, users (mobile and fixed) specify requests or offers for information and services by sharing pieces of personalized databases. The information shared in the course of interaction is shielded via privacy features.
- the invention enables users to control publication and dissemination of personal, e.g., profile information, thus preventing hosts from knowing preferences ahead of time and channeling information to the user.
- the invention enables users to manage their own databases of information and specify or focus information that is of interest.
- a user's temporal interest can be related to a user's current physical location.
- Information is sent to a matching process that tries to match the information with information that a host provides.
- the matching process can be an intermediary service or a peer-to-peer process.
- An intermediary matching server or process can be controlled such that the host may never see private information even though its been analyzed by the intermediary.
- FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an arrangement to interface a virtual world to a physical world.
- FIG. 2 is a flow chart of an information sharing process.
- FIG. 3 is a diagram depicting client device screens.
- FIG. 4 is a block diagram depicting a data distribution scheme.
- FIG. 5 is a block diagram of processing modules.
- FIG. 6A is a diagram of a conceptual exchange capsule.
- FIG. 6B is a diagram of an exchange data structure.
- FIG. 6C is a diagram of the details of the exchange data structure.
- FIGS. 7-12 are diagrams depicting details and examples of the data structure of FIG. 6 .
- FIG. 13 is a diagram depicting client device screens for setting up capsule transmittal data.
- FIG. 14A is a diagram depicting a plain text representation of an exemplary capsule implemented.
- FIG. 14B is a diagram depicting a plain text representation of an exemplary capsule implemented in XML.
- FIG. 15 is a flow chart of a match process.
- FIGS. 16-18 are flowcharts depicting aspects of a matching process.
- FIG. 19 is a flow chart depicting details of a visibility process.
- FIG. 20 is a diagram of a privacy process.
- FIG. 1 an arrangement 10 to enable a person to interact in both a physical world 12 and an electronic (virtual) world 14 is shown.
- the physical world 12 contains stores, products, machines, other people, offices, etc., generally 12 a .
- the electronic world 14 contains servers 15 that deliver news and information, and provide virtual stores and an online presence for the physical stores, products, machines, etc.
- the servers 15 also provide interactions with people, through wired and wireless networks.
- portable, digital client devices 16 are used to interface a person between virtual and physical worlds.
- the client devices 16 contain a database that can hold a person's preferences and interests.
- the database is stored in computer readable form within the device 16 .
- the electronic world 14 offers information or services to the person.
- the device 16 includes an executable process 20 that associates these three realms in a useful manner.
- the wireless client device e.g., a PDA 16 a
- the wireless client device is shown connected in a network comprised of servers 24 , desktop PCs 26 , networked appliances 31 , wireless receiver servers 28 , and smart telephones 30 . That is, the electronic world 14 includes wireless and fixed servers 24 , 26 and 28 on a network 29 .
- the devices 16 if wireless, have a wireless transmission 27 to the receiver servers 28 , which are connected to the internet.
- Each device 16 , 24 , 26 , 28 , etc. has shareable databases 36 .
- Each device 16 , 24 , 26 , and 28 either offers and/or requests services and information from others of the devices 16 , 24 , 26 , and 28 .
- Information capsules about each shared database are distributed across the network to client wired and wireless devices 16 .
- a server 34 with a match process 32 is shown, although this process can be run in any of the aforementioned devices.
- Devices 16 that are local to a person's physical location can communicate via close range bandwidths and protocols directly or over a local network in a peer to peer or client server manner.
- Devices 16 that connect into a global network can use standard communications transmissions for such devices, e.g., Internet and wireless Internet protocols.
- the physical location 17 of the client device 16 can be part of the information that informs the device or a matching process 32 on a matching server 34 what kind of services are provided or are relevant to the person.
- the location of a wireless client maybe known as part of the standard protocol for the device. Entities that comprise the physical environment such as stores, hospital, library and so forth have electronic presence also through servers 24 that exist in the virtual world 14 .
- Stores, machines and other people also have a physical location 17 ′, as well as an electronic'presence.
- the person's client device 16 via a communication process (described below), shares information about the person's interests and physical location, across the network 29 .
- the request for information is formed in a more general manner and matched to information offered over the network 29 .
- the responses may take into account the person's physical location, time and context, and relate to items in both physical and electronic realms.
- the client device 16 has a small screen 40 that displays topics of interest 41 , a reply item of interest 42 , with a small map 42 b to get to the place shown 42 a .
- a restaurant whose physical location is at the same general location as the person also has a server 24 that sends information to the display 40 on the client device 16 .
- the personal information that is stored on the client device 16 is communicated to the host telecommunications device 28 .
- the information can be stored in the client device 16 or could be stored on a private server and host machines could query the private server.
- a matching host 34 receives the communicated information.
- the matching host includes a matching process 32 that is coupled to the network 29 .
- Information is shared by composing 72 matchable items such as offers or requests for information or services.
- An offer or request is packaged 74 with parameters used to control distribution and privacy of the information as it is distributed among computers.
- the requests and offers are optionally stored 76 in personalized databases containing other topics.
- Each item within a collective can be selectively activated for sharing based on time, location or other factors.
- Selected offers and requests are actively distributed 80 into the computing environment. This can be a local interaction between two local devices or via a network.
- the offers and requests are collected by a variety of machines and compared 82 with information contained within these devices.
- a matching process 32 is conducted to match corresponding and/or complementary offers and requests.
- Responses 84 for matched offers and requests are sent to parties based on mutually compatible privacy and distribution settings.
- a process can be used to refine 83 a query back to the client or host/server systems until there is a suitable match. For example, if asking for restaurants, a refinement process can include sending a modified inquiry that requests information by subtype of restaurant to reduce the answer size.
- Very private information can be handled via local sensing 78 instead of distribution.
- the response can be transmitted and include information, a service, or a referral.
- the response typically comes from the host.
- the response is queued and results are displayed on the client device 16 . Items within the databases are focused, i.e., selected based on interests of the user expressed in the received capsule. The selection process can be performed automatically through time and location settings for any item.
- a client device 16 can share focused items over via trusted hosts that perform comparisons, as will be described below.
- content such as web pages, personal data, notes etc. are accumulated and edited to make up one's personalized content.
- a person's database can have topics 41 such as art exhibitions 41 a , lunch preferences 41 b , travel plans 41 c , social activities 41 d , information on hobbies, etc.
- the selected or activated topic “lunch”, expands to show collected information 42 on a matched restaurant name, such as telephone number, specials, address, directions, etc. Selecting the link to “reservations” can initiate a call to the restaurant using a voice connection, or a data message to make a reservation.
- Matches for shared topics 41 are the result of content 44 that has shareable, matchable, and fillable elements.
- the topic “Lunch” 41 b has contents 44 that are tabular 45 with attributes 45 a and blank field values (i.e., slots) to fill 45 b .
- the content setup record with attribute “Place” and blank value 45 c is matched and shown as “Place: Dan's Sea Grill”.
- the values for the attributes “Reservations” 45 d , “Location” 45 e , “Hours” 45 f , and “Specials” 45 g are filled in and shown in the match 42 , with lines 45 d ′, 45 e ′, 45 f ′, 45 g′ respectively.
- a second example match 42 ′ is shown with topic “Coffee for friends” 41 d .
- the match displayed for “Lunch” 41 b is tabular, with attributes and filled in values
- the match shown for 42 ′ is free form text 46 , also with tagged values 46 b filled in 46 c.
- the topic “Lunch” gets packaged 74 and submitted into a store of other requests and offers.
- offers and requests are collected. These offers and requests may refer back to other material such as on web sites.
- documents on web sites are primarily for reading by people who visit and browse the site, the offers and requests shown here are actively distributed 80 capsules that can be collected by a variety of machines and compared within various contexts. These offers and requests can come from servers belonging to electronic businesses or physical businesses, or from people who likewise send or request information to share. Unlike E-mail or other forms of messages, these capsules do not have to be directed to a specific audience or request a particular resource or product. There may be no match available at a time (t 1 ) but a match could occur at a later time (t 2 ) within the capsule's life span.
- Requests and offers shown may not be for information but for a service that can be rendered or arranged electronically.
- the device 16 a determines how and whether information is transmitted.
- the information is collected and personalized to specify information and services to request or offer.
- An offer or request is sent 80 in a peer-to-peer or client-server environment. Some information based on personalization in the client is sent from the device 16 a to the matching server 34 . The information is matched with a variety of different services from other hosts that are also sending information to the server 34 .
- the information sent by the servers can either be in the physical area of the client or they can be services that are generic services, which do not have a physical presence in the physical location occupied 17 the client.
- a person, a store, restaurant, museum, tourist bureau 24 e , and e-business each have shareable databases of information and services 36 stored in their PDA 16 and host computers 24 a , 24 b , 24 c , 24 d .
- the shareable data is sent a host's 34 matching process 32 for comparison.
- a participating device e.g., 16 can include a sense process 90 , an interpreter 92 and a relay process 94 .
- the device can also include a response process 96 and a process that can provide an optional array of services 98 such as to connect on an online chat.
- the device 16 includes a matching engine 100 that conducts a matching process, a data store and retrieval module 102 , and a module to automatically focus 104 items in the database based on context.
- Each device acts either as a host 32 to other devices without such functionality 33 or as a peer 32 ′.
- Each shared topic is a request or offer for information or service, on a particular topic and for an audience. For example, a person may request information on dining. In contrast, a person may also request to meet with a co-worker. The first is a request for information, the second example is a request for an activity to occur. Requests and offers may be satisfied, i.e., matched with information and services from sources that change with location or context.
- audience as will be described in detail later, is not limited to a specific person, company or URL, but in general terms that can be assigned during processing.
- information on dining may be filled by offers for information from restaurant guides, newspapers, individual restaurants, and even personal sources such as friends.
- the matches will depend on part on the narrowness or broadness of the audience allowed. This is set by each shared element's owner and is matched to a complementary element if found.
- companies and other public entities may target their information and services to a broad audience or a very specific audience—such as tourists or shoppers, while individuals may target their shared elements in a manner more selective and personal manner.
- Each shared offering or request is a small expression that can persist over time and is collected and disseminated electronically. As such, this data is an extension of a person or organization into an electronic arena, to be inspected 90 , matched 100 , stored 102 and relayed 94 .
- Various participants will make offerings and requests in varying degrees of privacy. For example, the offering of a store sale is a public announcement meant to reach a broad audience, while the interest of a potential customer is a private inquiry. A potential customer may even want to be totally anonymous and ‘window shop’. Privacy in this system has many facets, including the privacy of identity, of expressed interest, of transmission, information and processing. Methods for controlling the privacy during such a sharing process will be described below. TABLE 2 Dinner with 1.0 Person Requests Activity friends friends 1.1 Requests Information Popular places Restaurant to dine guide 1.2 Requests Information Cuisine friends preferences 1.3 Requests Activity Reservation Restaurant
- Table 2 shows how individual shared elements an be combined to make a more complex ‘scenario’. For example, a person's request for dinner with friends may break down to requests for information about places to dine, types of cuisine preferred, and reservations. These individual requests (or offers) may be directed to different audiences and have other different traits, but act as a unit.
- a shared capsule can offer information on a topic with a request for information on a topic (request to receive or offer to send).
- a shared capsule can also request to perform a transaction or offer to perform a particular transaction—such as a credit card transaction.
- the shared capsule can also offer a request to connect to a person, or a discussion group or organization or offer to satisfy this connection.
- the shared capsule can also request to relay information or offer to perform the associated service.
- the shared capsule can also offer or request to have information (contained in the contents) stored, and offer or request for a calculation to be performed.
- the arrangement 10 uses the shared capsule for sharing information and for matching requests and offers for information and/or services.
- the arrangement 10 breaks down these activities into small granular portions of information that can be acted on. Beyond sharing information, the arrangement 10 can be used to find an available computer to perform a calculation, or the best rate to finance a purchase and sale transaction, or a server to store information. Matching of requests and offers can be extended to the matching of any set of elements. Requests and offers for information and services is one example of a two-element pairing.
- the shareable capsule 120 contains contents 122 and transmittal data 123 used to control the distribution, matching and privacy of the sharing.
- the shareable capsule 120 possesses the properties of opacity 120 a , association 120 b , and materiality 120 c .
- Opacity or visibility is the degree to which its ownership is identifiable, its contents are readable, the processing of the data is visible, and the matching effect is made known to participants.
- the association property is the matching of the shared capsule's by its contents, location, active time periods, permitted hosting, permitted processing, and matching of categories and contexts.
- the materiality of the shared capsule expresses whether the capsule is an offer of existing information or service, or request for a desired information or service, and its specific type.
- a data structure 120 that represents a shareable ‘capsule’ used to contain information shared between devices is shown.
- the shareable capsule includes a wrapper 121 that encapsulates content information 122 with various parameters that are used to facilitate sharing of information content. These parameters include fields for specifying ownership 124 , location 126 , and life span 128 of the capsule represented by the data structure 120 .
- the data structure 120 also contains fields for specifying binding rules 130 and specifications that determine how the contents 122 can be associated with other information, how a response is handled when returned 132 , and transmittal details 134 on the nature of the capsule.
- the wrapper 121 (collectively fields 123 ) can be read and used without access to the content 122 .
- the content 122 can be encrypted separately from its wrapping to provide added security. Individual parts of the wrapper 121 can also be encrypted separately so that only particular audiences or hosts can use this information.
- the ownership can be specified via a handle, to provide anonymity to the owner except to a trusted provider. The resolution of the handle can be made known only the trusted provider.
- the location information is useful for mobile purposes.
- the data structure capsule is also encapsulated in information that pertains to a transmission protocol e.g., TCP/IP, etc., used to transmit the capsule to servers or other devices.
- a transmission protocol e.g., TCP/IP, etc.
- a data structure 122 that represents the shared capsule contents is shown with example data 122 ′.
- the type of contents is “XML” 122 a .
- the tags to be matched are listed 122 b .
- the place-marks for contents that are to be filled during a match are identified 122 c .
- the tagged contents data is specified 122 d.
- a data structure 124 that represents ownership is shown with example data 124 ′.
- the primary host specifies a host computer that represents the user.
- the ownership type field specifies whether the named owner is a name, an email address or a handle 124 a .
- a handle is a name that masks the identity of the owner and is known by the primary host 124 c .
- the data contained in the capsule is thereby disassociated with its actual owner via the handle.
- the identifier type is a handle.
- the identifier is a fictitious name known to resolve to an actual client's name by the specified primary host.
- a user's handle can be changed frequently and be resolved to its owner by its trusted hosts.
- a data structure 126 that represents location information is shown.
- the location information is useful for mobile client devices.
- the user's current location can be specified in a variety of ways, for example, by decreasing scale of country, state, city, neighborhood, and street fields 126 b .
- the scope 126 a is used to specify respondent location requirements. For example, only respondents with a physical location presence may be desired. Scope could also be within a micro area such as a room, or within an office building, a city, state, country or global bounds.
- the life span data structure 128 is used to test for automatic activation and distribution. After distribution, the life scan of the shared capsule specifies when the material is active or relevant.
- the life span data structure 128 includes fields 128 a - 128 e that specify date created, expires, starts, ends, and repeat cycling respectively.
- the time frame can be a period of time within each day, for a range of days. Activities such as lunch or business activities would fit into such repeating time periods.
- the binding data structure 128 specifies the audience 130 a to which the content information is directed.
- the audience field 130 a can be very specific, such as one person, or general such as anyone from a company.
- the audience can further specify the hosts that can perform the matching process.
- the audience 130 b can also be specified generally by topic. For example, the hierarchical topic “restaurants”, and a sub topic “seafood.” A topic or topic hierarchy can be specified from a particular source.
- the binding can also specify an audience not to allow binding to.
- the match process is expected to honor the audience specification of each capsule.
- the binding data structure 130 also includes fields for match rules 130 b .
- Match rules 130 b can specify the quality of match that is acceptable, for individual aspects of the wrapper and the content.
- the matching server can be specified in priority, such as first in the local (user) device and then using a trusted host. This can control the security of the processing.
- the data structure 130 also includes a field 130 c for rules on how material is to be filled. For example, only a summary of the contents may be filled and returned, or only a heading.
- a privacy setting field 130 d can include a visibility setting, ⁇ IN, OUT, BOTH, IN+, OUT+ ⁇ and an encryption setting. The contents and parts of the wrapper can be selectively encrypted to selectively protect its contents.
- a quick binding field 204 e can include agreed to identifiers between known parties that can be used to signify that the item can be matched with minimal evaluation of other information. This can be specified to allow or deny matching with a particular audience with a particular id without evaluation of other aspects of the capsule.
- the transmittal detailed information data structure 134 has a mode field 134 that identifies the shared data package as either a request or an offer. It further has a field 134 b that designates whether the mode is a request or an offer to receive, send, connect, run, transact, relay or store or calculate. The nature field is open to future modes via ‘other’.
- the transmittal info further identifies the package via an identifier field 134 c .
- the identifier can include a thread id to track a sequence within a set of information exchanges.
- a title field 206 d describes the request/offer.
- the setup of the shared capsule data structure 120 is shown as a series of screens suitable for a small computing device 50 .
- the major setup components of the listed 51 for a particular topic 41 Some setup items are general to the person while others are specific to a topic.
- the content setup 44 is shown here and described earlier in FIG. 4 .
- the setup for owner 52 , transmittal details 53 , binding 54 , location 55 , life span 56 and respond 57 are shown as small device screens.
- an example 120 ′ of a plain text representation of a shared capsule data structure 120 is shown.
- the capsule begins with a transmittal specification 134 ′.
- the capsule includes life span 128 ′ and location fields 126 ′.
- the capsule also includes binding 130 ′ and content 122 ′fields.
- the capsule 120 ′ is an offer to send information.
- parameters in the binding field are set to reach as wide an audience as possible, via the “Allow bind all.”
- the visibility setting is set to “Notify OUT+.” This visibility setting enables offering information outward with the option to receive notices back of matches.
- the binding further allows all hosts to be used for matching, and allows this information to be relayed to other hosts.
- the topic binding specifies sets of hierarchical topics that this information can fall under. For example, the information can be included under “restaurant” and also under “banquets”.
- the content information 122 ′ shown is specified as a “Fragment” as described below.
- the data specifies in a concise notation, “Royal Panda” as an instance of a Chinese restaurant with attributes such as the specialties and links to reservation information. This content could as well be represented in a tagged format such as HTML or XML, as shown in FIG. 14B .
- the match process 160 proceeds to evaluate the wrappers and process the contents of received capsules. Under some circumstances, quick binding, as described earlier in FIG. 11 204 e , can allow skipping the individual matching process 160 a , life span 160 c , transmittal 160 d , binding 160 e , and audience 160 f . Each match process 160 a - 160 f can have its own settings for using or not using particular aspects of the wrapper 101 . If the evaluation of the wrapper produces an adequate match, then the contents can be examined. The content matching 160 g may require subsequent interactions 160 h to refine the content. If there is material to supply and fill 160 i , then filling is performed. Filling of missing information can be requested depending on the type of request.
- a process 240 to match content is shown. Different types of offers and requests are matched and processed accordingly.
- the content matching process 240 determines 242 content type and obtains 244 match and fills methods based on content type.
- an information offer/request matches 246 content for request to receive information with an offer to supply information.
- a transaction offer/request matches 248 requests for transactions with an offer to process transactions.
- Other processes 250 - 256 for connection, relay, store, calculate, and so forth can be provided. Offers of information are only relevant to requests for information, for example.
- the process of matching requests and offers for information are elaborated below. Custom specified offers and requests for information and services can be specified beyond the ones shown.
- matching a request and offer to provide information 246 proceeds dependent on the type of content.
- the process 246 determines 246 a the type of content and retrieves 246 b corresponding match and fill methods.
- the process will have different actions depending on the type of content.
- tagged content 247 such as HTML or XML
- the process includes matching term usage 247 a , the tag structure 247 b and the tagged contents 247 c . This does not have to be as strict as an XML DTD (extended markup language data type definition) validation, in order to return a match.
- the process determines or identifies 247 d requested slotted areas to fill.
- the process compares 249 a the database schema of the content. Since schemas from different sources may be problematic, a flexible comparison of tables, fields, and relationships may enable a mapping 249 b in order to satisfy some requests.
- the process will run 249 c a query based on the mapped schemas.
- the content can also take the form of a fragment database 251 , as described below.
- a fragment database defines information as fragmented objects, in terms of classifications, instance names, attributes, values, actions, conditions and containers.
- the process 246 then evaluates 253 if the representation is su ted for sharing and matching information.
- the content matching 251 proceeds by reading 251 a match rules, standardizing 251 b terms and comparing primitives 251 c .
- Comparing primitives 251 c includes matching classification sequences, matching named items, matching memberships, i.e., parts and subparts, matching roles between objects, and matching activities. The general properties belonging to a classification and particular properties belong to an instance can be matched.
- TABLE 4 depicts for one embodiment allowable matches of visibility methods.
- “YES” entries are allowable matches, whereas “NO” entries are prohibited matches.
- parties can share information and services with user-selected visibility.
- TABLE 4 Internal ⁇ External IN IN+ OUT OUT+ BOTH IN NO NO YES YES NO IN+ NO NO NO YES YES YES OUT YES YES NO NO NO OUT+ YES NO NO YES BOTH NO YES NO YES YES YES
- selecting a visibility method includes determining 272 what visibility method type to send and setting that visibility value in the visibility field of a capsule to be sent.
- a person who wants to ‘window shop’ wants to receive information 274 . If such a person wants to be seen, the Notify IN+ setting is enabled 274 b . Otherwise the Notify IN setting is enabled 274 c , which indicates that the person does not want to be seen, i.e., identity or presence being made known to a responder.
- a store that wanted to know who would like to know information about visitors would set 276 c NOTIFY OUT+, to receive information if available. If a store or person desired a mutual exchange of information 278 , a sent capsule would have the more restricting NOTIFY BOTH visibility method set 278 a . This method would require an exchange of information.
- the visibility setting for each shared data package can be determined by its intended purpose. If the purpose is to receive information and services, then the visibility is to be directed IN-ward. If outside visibility is not permitted while receiving information, then the visibility is set to “IN.” If outside visibility is needed in order to receive information, then Visibility is set to “IN+.”
- the visibility is to be directed OUT-ward. If no information needs to be returned, i.e., the audience who receives such information is not identified, then visibility is set to “OUT.” If identification of audience is desired if allowed, then visibility is set to “OUT+.” If an exchange is desired between multiple parties with equal visibility, then visibility is set to “BOTH.”
- a client device 16 has a shared database 36 containing a capsule 120 with content 122 and transmittal parameters 123 . Some of this information is selectively encrypted such as the contents 122 .
- This capsule is distributed 80 to a primary host computer 24 a .
- the primary host computer knows the identity of the client device 16 user as “dan” and changes it to a handle 124 c “happyfrog” before disseminating the information. From then on, the capsule's owner is shielded.
- the data is disseminated and collected 82 by other host computers for comparison and matching.
- Within a matching server 34 there is a matching process 32 that is trusted, i.e., performs matches without allowing inspection of processing or results from outside the process 32 .
- the information from device 16 is matched with another device 24 b .
- a successful match is responded to 84 back to the device 16 , but not to the other user 24 b in this example, based on visibility rules as described in FIG. 22 and Table 4, as would be the case for a visibility flag of IN.
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Abstract
A system to enable a person to interact in both a physical world and an electronic world is described. The system includes a server that delivers news and information. The server includes a matching process that matches information from a client with information from other hosts that are also sending information to the server. The matching process includes matching wrapper information from a received capsule, the wrapper information including information that determines the use of the information content of the capsule. The system also includes a client user device. The client user device includes a database of personal interests and a process that either offers and/or requests services and information based on the personal interests. The process includes a process to wrap content with control information designating ownership of the content, the time span the content is valid, and rules specifying how content is to be matched.
Description
- This invention relates to electronic commerce.
- Computers are often used to store and maintain databases. Databases can be of many types. One type of database stores data in tabular form, e.g., relational databases. Other databases include hierarchical databases and flat-file structures that are similar to a table or a spreadsheet. Another type of database is the so-called object-oriented database.
- The world-wide-web stores information in resources that can be found through an address such as a uniform resource locator (URL). Wireless devices are also known for use with the Internet. Data exchange with wired of wireless devices involves transmission of data via E-mail address or web pages. Such data transmission can be secure, but data regarding personal preferences can be obtained by host systems whether or not intended.
- According to an aspect of the present invention, a method of notifying users of electronic services includes dynamically matching custom information stored on distributed databases with information that users hold in a user device on topics of interest.
- According to an additional aspect of the present invention, a client device includes a computing device that executes computer instructions and a database of personal interests. The client device also includes a process that either offers and/or requests services and information based on personal interests of a user. The process includes a process to wrap content with control information designating ownership of the content, the time span the content is valid, and rules specifying how content is to be matched.
- According to an additional aspect of the present invention, a system to enable a person to interact in both a physical world and an electronic world includes a server that delivers news and information. The electronic world has virtual stores and enables online interactions through wired and wireless networks. The system also includes a client user device. The client user device includes a database of personal interests and a process that either offers and/or requests services and information based on the personal interests. The process includes a process to wrap content with control information designating ownership of the content, the time span the content is valid, and rules specifying how content is to be matched.
- According to an additional aspect of the present invention, a server system includes a matching process that matches information from a client with information from other hosts that are also sending information to the server. The matching process includes matching wrapper information from a received capsule, the wrapper information including information that determines the use of the information content of the capsule.
- According to an additional aspect of the present invention, a method for conducting commerce where information and services are provided to customers includes selectively activating shareable database capsules from information contained in personalized, shared databases. The method also includes distributing the shareable capsules over a network communications medium as matchable capsules, matching the matchable capsules with other complementary matchable capsules and making the existence and results of a match of a pair of matchable capsules visible only if matched capsules have compatible visibility settings.
- According to an additional aspect of the present invention, a method for maintaining privacy in exchange of data includes attaching a directional visibility flag to a request or offer for information or services and distributing the request or offer. The method also includes matching the visibility setting of a request or offer to complementary items in a complementary one of the request or offer. The method also includes processing the match in accordance with the visibility specification to prevent any information about the existence or results of the match from being communicated to contrary to the visibility flags.
- According to an additional aspect of the present invention, a computer readable medium stores a data structure. The data structure represents a shareable database capsule including a content field that contains offers and requests for information and services and a transmittal information field that contains information to control the distribution, matching and privacy of the sharing of the database capsule.
- According to an additional aspect of the present invention, a system includes a server that includes a matching process that matches information from a client with information from other hosts that are also sending information to the server. The matching process includes a matching process to match wrapper information from a received capsule, where the wrapper information includes information that determines the use of the information content of the capsule. The system also includes a client user device to interact with the server device. The client user device includes a database of personal interests and a process that either offers and/or requests services and information based on the personal interests. The process includes a process to wrap content with control information designating ownership of the content, the time span the content is valid, and rules specifying how content is to be matched.
- One or more aspects of the invention may have one or more of the following advantages.
- The invention connects people and electronic services by dynamically matching custom information stored on distributed databases. Users hold information on topics of interest. The information can be accumulated and organized over time, produced or collected from various sources and carried on a fixed computing device, or portable computing device like a personal digital assistant (PDA) or cell phone. People can specify interests in hobbies, dining preferences, research topics, news, social and cultural interests, personal information like clothing sizes, or activities to participate in. Companies and other organizations can supply information on products and services, useful facts, and other information in response to requests for such information or as a general broadcast of information.
- The basic content of the information is wrapped with information about its owner, the time span it will be valid, its audience, what pieces of information are to be matched, what information is to be filled in, and what other actions are to occur if a match occurs. These data capsules can be expressed as small fragments of information used to locate and obtain further information.
- This system is suited, in particular, to mobile computing and communications situations because browsing, i.e., interacting with a device in a changing mobile environment is highly limited. Instead of browsing for information e.g., browsing the web, or receiving preset data channels, users (mobile and fixed) specify requests or offers for information and services by sharing pieces of personalized databases. The information shared in the course of interaction is shielded via privacy features.
- The invention enables users to control publication and dissemination of personal, e.g., profile information, thus preventing hosts from knowing preferences ahead of time and channeling information to the user. The invention enables users to manage their own databases of information and specify or focus information that is of interest. A user's temporal interest can be related to a user's current physical location. Information is sent to a matching process that tries to match the information with information that a host provides. The matching process can be an intermediary service or a peer-to-peer process. An intermediary matching server or process can be controlled such that the host may never see private information even though its been analyzed by the intermediary.
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FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an arrangement to interface a virtual world to a physical world. -
FIG. 2 is a flow chart of an information sharing process. -
FIG. 3 is a diagram depicting client device screens. -
FIG. 4 is a block diagram depicting a data distribution scheme. -
FIG. 5 is a block diagram of processing modules. -
FIG. 6A is a diagram of a conceptual exchange capsule. -
FIG. 6B is a diagram of an exchange data structure. -
FIG. 6C is a diagram of the details of the exchange data structure. -
FIGS. 7-12 are diagrams depicting details and examples of the data structure ofFIG. 6 . -
FIG. 13 is a diagram depicting client device screens for setting up capsule transmittal data. -
FIG. 14A is a diagram depicting a plain text representation of an exemplary capsule implemented. -
FIG. 14B is a diagram depicting a plain text representation of an exemplary capsule implemented in XML. -
FIG. 15 is a flow chart of a match process. -
FIGS. 16-18 are flowcharts depicting aspects of a matching process. -
FIG. 19 is a flow chart depicting details of a visibility process. -
FIG. 20 is a diagram of a privacy process. - Referring to
FIG. 1 , anarrangement 10 to enable a person to interact in both aphysical world 12 and an electronic (virtual)world 14 is shown. Thephysical world 12 contains stores, products, machines, other people, offices, etc., generally 12 a. Theelectronic world 14 containsservers 15 that deliver news and information, and provide virtual stores and an online presence for the physical stores, products, machines, etc. Theservers 15 also provide interactions with people, through wired and wireless networks. - A person occupies a
location 17 in the physical world and interacts with thevirtual world 14 through a computer, a cell phone or personal digital assistant (PDA) or other types of electronic devices collectively referred to as aclient device 16. In some embodiments, portable,digital client devices 16 are used to interface a person between virtual and physical worlds. Inarrangement 10, theclient devices 16 contain a database that can hold a person's preferences and interests. The database is stored in computer readable form within thedevice 16. Theelectronic world 14 offers information or services to the person. Thedevice 16 includes anexecutable process 20 that associates these three realms in a useful manner. - The wireless client device, e.g., a
PDA 16 a, is shown connected in a network comprised of servers 24,desktop PCs 26,networked appliances 31,wireless receiver servers 28, andsmart telephones 30. That is, theelectronic world 14 includes wireless and fixedservers network 29. Thedevices 16, if wireless, have awireless transmission 27 to thereceiver servers 28, which are connected to the internet. - Each
device shareable databases 36. Eachdevice devices wireless devices 16. Aserver 34 with amatch process 32 is shown, although this process can be run in any of the aforementioned devices. -
Devices 16 that are local to a person's physical location can communicate via close range bandwidths and protocols directly or over a local network in a peer to peer or client server manner.Devices 16 that connect into a global network can use standard communications transmissions for such devices, e.g., Internet and wireless Internet protocols. - The
physical location 17 of the client device 16 (or servers) can be part of the information that informs the device or amatching process 32 on a matchingserver 34 what kind of services are provided or are relevant to the person. For example, the location of a wireless client maybe known as part of the standard protocol for the device. Entities that comprise the physical environment such as stores, hospital, library and so forth have electronic presence also through servers 24 that exist in thevirtual world 14. - Stores, machines and other people also have a
physical location 17′, as well as an electronic'presence. In this scenario, the person'sclient device 16, via a communication process (described below), shares information about the person's interests and physical location, across thenetwork 29. Instead of asking a particular source for an answer, the request for information is formed in a more general manner and matched to information offered over thenetwork 29. The responses may take into account the person's physical location, time and context, and relate to items in both physical and electronic realms. - The
client device 16 has asmall screen 40 that displays topics ofinterest 41, a reply item ofinterest 42, with asmall map 42 b to get to the place shown 42 a. For example, a restaurant whose physical location is at the same general location as the person also has a server 24 that sends information to thedisplay 40 on theclient device 16. - The personal information that is stored on the
client device 16 is communicated to thehost telecommunications device 28. The information can be stored in theclient device 16 or could be stored on a private server and host machines could query the private server. A matchinghost 34 receives the communicated information. The matching host includes amatching process 32 that is coupled to thenetwork 29. - Referring to
FIG. 2 , a process 70 of sharing information is shown. Information is shared by composing 72 matchable items such as offers or requests for information or services. - An offer or request is packaged 74 with parameters used to control distribution and privacy of the information as it is distributed among computers. The requests and offers are optionally stored 76 in personalized databases containing other topics. Each item within a collective can be selectively activated for sharing based on time, location or other factors. Selected offers and requests are actively distributed 80 into the computing environment. This can be a local interaction between two local devices or via a network. The offers and requests are collected by a variety of machines and compared 82 with information contained within these devices. A
matching process 32 is conducted to match corresponding and/or complementary offers and requests.Responses 84 for matched offers and requests are sent to parties based on mutually compatible privacy and distribution settings. - As a result of matching 82, a process can be used to refine 83 a query back to the client or host/server systems until there is a suitable match. For example, if asking for restaurants, a refinement process can include sending a modified inquiry that requests information by subtype of restaurant to reduce the answer size.
- Very private information can be handled via
local sensing 78 instead of distribution. Once the information is matched and filled either locally or remotely an adequate response is obtained 84. The response can be transmitted and include information, a service, or a referral. The response typically comes from the host. The response is queued and results are displayed on theclient device 16. Items within the databases are focused, i.e., selected based on interests of the user expressed in the received capsule. The selection process can be performed automatically through time and location settings for any item. Aclient device 16 can share focused items over via trusted hosts that perform comparisons, as will be described below. - Referring to
FIG. 3 , content such as web pages, personal data, notes etc. are accumulated and edited to make up one's personalized content. For example, a person's database can havetopics 41 such asart exhibitions 41 a, lunch preferences 41 b, travel plans 41 c, social activities 41 d, information on hobbies, etc. In this example, the selected or activated topic “lunch”, expands to showcollected information 42 on a matched restaurant name, such as telephone number, specials, address, directions, etc. Selecting the link to “reservations” can initiate a call to the restaurant using a voice connection, or a data message to make a reservation. - Matches for shared
topics 41 are the result ofcontent 44 that has shareable, matchable, and fillable elements. The topic “Lunch” 41 b hascontents 44 that are tabular 45 withattributes 45 a and blank field values (i.e., slots) to fill 45 b. In this example, the content setup record with attribute “Place” andblank value 45 c, is matched and shown as “Place: Dan's Sea Grill”. Similarly, the values for the attributes “Reservations” 45 d, “Location” 45 e, “Hours” 45 f, and “Specials” 45 g are filled in and shown in thematch 42, withlines 45 d′, 45 e′, 45 f′, 45 g′ respectively. - A
second example match 42′ is shown with topic “Coffee for friends” 41 d. Whereas the match displayed for “Lunch” 41 b is tabular, with attributes and filled in values, the match shown for 42′ isfree form text 46, also with taggedvalues 46 b filled in 46 c. - Thus, referring back to
FIG. 2 , in this example, the topic “Lunch” gets packaged 74 and submitted into a store of other requests and offers. Within amatching process 32 offers and requests are collected. These offers and requests may refer back to other material such as on web sites. Whereas documents on web sites are primarily for reading by people who visit and browse the site, the offers and requests shown here are actively distributed 80 capsules that can be collected by a variety of machines and compared within various contexts. These offers and requests can come from servers belonging to electronic businesses or physical businesses, or from people who likewise send or request information to share. Unlike E-mail or other forms of messages, these capsules do not have to be directed to a specific audience or request a particular resource or product. There may be no match available at a time (t1) but a match could occur at a later time (t2) within the capsule's life span. Requests and offers shown may not be for information but for a service that can be rendered or arranged electronically. - The
device 16 a determines how and whether information is transmitted. The information is collected and personalized to specify information and services to request or offer. An offer or request is sent 80 in a peer-to-peer or client-server environment. Some information based on personalization in the client is sent from thedevice 16 a to the matchingserver 34. The information is matched with a variety of different services from other hosts that are also sending information to theserver 34. The information sent by the servers can either be in the physical area of the client or they can be services that are generic services, which do not have a physical presence in the physical location occupied 17 the client. - Referring to
FIG. 4 , a person, a store, restaurant, museum,tourist bureau 24 e, and e-business each have shareable databases of information andservices 36 stored in theirPDA 16 andhost computers matching process 32 for comparison. - Referring to
FIG. 5 a participating device e.g., 16 can include asense process 90, aninterpreter 92 and arelay process 94. The device can also include a response process 96 and a process that can provide an optional array ofservices 98 such as to connect on an online chat. Thedevice 16 includes a matching engine 100 that conducts a matching process, a data store andretrieval module 102, and a module to automatically focus 104 items in the database based on context. Each device acts either as ahost 32 to other devices withoutsuch functionality 33 or as apeer 32′.TABLE 1 Entity Transmittal type Mode On (topic) Audience 1 Person Requests Information Place to dine Restaurant, tour guide, friends 2 Person Requests Activity Meeting with co-worker My company 3 Person Requests Information Train schedule Transit authority 4 Person Requests Connection Conversation with friend Friend 5 Person Offers Connection Conversation with friend Friend 6 Retail Store Offers Information Products for sale Person 7 Retail Store Offers Information Hours open Person 8 Retail Store Offers Information Store location person 9 Company Offers Information Catalog of products Person or company 10 Company Offers Information Services available Person or company 11 Company Requests Transaction Purchase of products Company 12 Museum Offers Information Exhibitions Person 13 Restaurant Offers Information Menu Person 14 Restaurant Requests Activity reservation Person or company 15 Restaurant Offers Information Specials of the day Person 16 Restaurant Offers Information location Person 17 Bank Offers Calculation Mortgage rate Person 18 Bank Offers Information Accounts available Person or company 19 Credit card Offers Transaction Credit purchase/sale Person or company company 20 Credit card Offers Information Promotional interest rate Person company 21 News Offers Information Financial news Person organization 22 News Requests Information Survey question Person organization 23 Hotel Offers Information Rooms for the night Person 24 Hotel Requests Activity Room reservation person 25 Transit Offers Information Train schedules anyone authority 26 Search engine Offers Information Web page links Person - Examples of shared topics are shown in TABLE 1. These topics are descriptive example listings within shared
databases 36 owned by people, stores, companies, museums, restaurants, and other traditional 12 a andelectronic entities 14. Each shared topic is a request or offer for information or service, on a particular topic and for an audience. For example, a person may request information on dining. In contrast, a person may also request to meet with a co-worker. The first is a request for information, the second example is a request for an activity to occur. Requests and offers may be satisfied, i.e., matched with information and services from sources that change with location or context. The specification of audience, as will be described in detail later, is not limited to a specific person, company or URL, but in general terms that can be assigned during processing. In the present example, information on dining may be filled by offers for information from restaurant guides, newspapers, individual restaurants, and even personal sources such as friends. The matches will depend on part on the narrowness or broadness of the audience allowed. This is set by each shared element's owner and is matched to a complementary element if found. In such a situation, companies and other public entities may target their information and services to a broad audience or a very specific audience—such as tourists or shoppers, while individuals may target their shared elements in a manner more selective and personal manner. - Each shared offering or request, as exemplified in Table 1, is a small expression that can persist over time and is collected and disseminated electronically. As such, this data is an extension of a person or organization into an electronic arena, to be inspected 90, matched 100, stored 102 and relayed 94. Various participants will make offerings and requests in varying degrees of privacy. For example, the offering of a store sale is a public announcement meant to reach a broad audience, while the interest of a potential customer is a private inquiry. A potential customer may even want to be totally anonymous and ‘window shop’. Privacy in this system has many facets, including the privacy of identity, of expressed interest, of transmission, information and processing. Methods for controlling the privacy during such a sharing process will be described below.
TABLE 2 Dinner with 1.0 Person Requests Activity friends friends 1.1 Requests Information Popular places Restaurant to dine guide 1.2 Requests Information Cuisine friends preferences 1.3 Requests Activity Reservation Restaurant - Table 2 shows how individual shared elements an be combined to make a more complex ‘scenario’. For example, a person's request for dinner with friends may break down to requests for information about places to dine, types of cuisine preferred, and reservations. These individual requests (or offers) may be directed to different audiences and have other different traits, but act as a unit.
- As shown in Table 3, various types of requests and offers for information and services are shown.
TABLE 3 Mode\Nature Request to Offer to Information Request to receive Offer to provide information information such as on a on topics. Sites and search topic or from a person or engines could provide this organization. content. Transact Request to perform a Offer to perform a transaction transaction between 2 or between 2 or more parties, more parties resulting in a resulting in a contractual contractual exchange. exchange. Connect Request to connect to a Offer to connect to a service. service, such as a news channel, discussion, or activity. Relay Request to relay Offer to act as intermediary information across to relay information from networks, to people, one party to another. machines across gateways. Store Request to have Offer to provide storage of information stored. information. Calculate Request to have a Offer to perform a calculation. calculation performed. Other Request for custom service. Offer for custom service. - For example, a shared capsule can offer information on a topic with a request for information on a topic (request to receive or offer to send). A shared capsule can also request to perform a transaction or offer to perform a particular transaction—such as a credit card transaction. The shared capsule can also offer a request to connect to a person, or a discussion group or organization or offer to satisfy this connection. The shared capsule can also request to relay information or offer to perform the associated service. The shared capsule can also offer or request to have information (contained in the contents) stored, and offer or request for a calculation to be performed.
- The
arrangement 10 uses the shared capsule for sharing information and for matching requests and offers for information and/or services. Thearrangement 10 breaks down these activities into small granular portions of information that can be acted on. Beyond sharing information, thearrangement 10 can be used to find an available computer to perform a calculation, or the best rate to finance a purchase and sale transaction, or a server to store information. Matching of requests and offers can be extended to the matching of any set of elements. Requests and offers for information and services is one example of a two-element pairing. - Referring to
FIG. 6A , theshareable capsule 120 containscontents 122 andtransmittal data 123 used to control the distribution, matching and privacy of the sharing. Theshareable capsule 120 possesses the properties ofopacity 120 a,association 120 b, andmateriality 120 c. Opacity or visibility is the degree to which its ownership is identifiable, its contents are readable, the processing of the data is visible, and the matching effect is made known to participants. The association property is the matching of the shared capsule's by its contents, location, active time periods, permitted hosting, permitted processing, and matching of categories and contexts. The materiality of the shared capsule expresses whether the capsule is an offer of existing information or service, or request for a desired information or service, and its specific type. - Referring to
FIGS. 6B and 6C , adata structure 120 that represents a shareable ‘capsule’ used to contain information shared between devices is shown. The shareable capsule includes a wrapper 121 that encapsulatescontent information 122 with various parameters that are used to facilitate sharing of information content. These parameters include fields for specifyingownership 124,location 126, andlife span 128 of the capsule represented by thedata structure 120. Thedata structure 120 also contains fields for specifyingbinding rules 130 and specifications that determine how thecontents 122 can be associated with other information, how a response is handled when returned 132, andtransmittal details 134 on the nature of the capsule. - The wrapper 121 (collectively fields 123) can be read and used without access to the
content 122. Thecontent 122 can be encrypted separately from its wrapping to provide added security. Individual parts of the wrapper 121 can also be encrypted separately so that only particular audiences or hosts can use this information. The ownership can be specified via a handle, to provide anonymity to the owner except to a trusted provider. The resolution of the handle can be made known only the trusted provider. - The location information is useful for mobile purposes. The data structure capsule is also encapsulated in information that pertains to a transmission protocol e.g., TCP/IP, etc., used to transmit the capsule to servers or other devices.
- Referring to
FIG. 7 , adata structure 122 that represents the shared capsule contents is shown withexample data 122′. The type of contents is “XML” 122 a. The tags to be matched are listed 122 b. The place-marks for contents that are to be filled during a match are identified 122 c. The tagged contents data is specified 122 d. - Referring to
FIG. 8 , adata structure 124 that represents ownership is shown withexample data 124′. The primary host specifies a host computer that represents the user. The ownership type field specifies whether the named owner is a name, an email address or ahandle 124 a. A handle is a name that masks the identity of the owner and is known by theprimary host 124 c. The data contained in the capsule is thereby disassociated with its actual owner via the handle. In the example, the identifier type is a handle. The identifier is a fictitious name known to resolve to an actual client's name by the specified primary host. A user's handle can be changed frequently and be resolved to its owner by its trusted hosts. - Referring to
FIG. 9 , adata structure 126 that represents location information is shown. The location information is useful for mobile client devices. The user's current location can be specified in a variety of ways, for example, by decreasing scale of country, state, city, neighborhood, andstreet fields 126 b. Thescope 126 a is used to specify respondent location requirements. For example, only respondents with a physical location presence may be desired. Scope could also be within a micro area such as a room, or within an office building, a city, state, country or global bounds. - Referring to
FIG. 10 , within a client database, the lifespan data structure 128 is used to test for automatic activation and distribution. After distribution, the life scan of the shared capsule specifies when the material is active or relevant. Thus, the lifespan data structure 128 includesfields 128 a-128 e that specify date created, expires, starts, ends, and repeat cycling respectively. The time frame can be a period of time within each day, for a range of days. Activities such as lunch or business activities would fit into such repeating time periods. - Referring to
FIG. 11 , the bindingdata structure 128 specifies theaudience 130 a to which the content information is directed. Theaudience field 130 a can be very specific, such as one person, or general such as anyone from a company. The audience can further specify the hosts that can perform the matching process. Theaudience 130 b can also be specified generally by topic. For example, the hierarchical topic “restaurants”, and a sub topic “seafood.” A topic or topic hierarchy can be specified from a particular source. The binding can also specify an audience not to allow binding to. The match process is expected to honor the audience specification of each capsule. The bindingdata structure 130 also includes fields formatch rules 130 b. Match rules 130 b can specify the quality of match that is acceptable, for individual aspects of the wrapper and the content. For example, location can require a precise match, preventing matches that are correct down to the city but not to the street level, for example. The matching server can be specified in priority, such as first in the local (user) device and then using a trusted host. This can control the security of the processing. Thedata structure 130 also includes afield 130 c for rules on how material is to be filled. For example, only a summary of the contents may be filled and returned, or only a heading. Aprivacy setting field 130 d can include a visibility setting, {IN, OUT, BOTH, IN+, OUT+} and an encryption setting. The contents and parts of the wrapper can be selectively encrypted to selectively protect its contents. A quick binding field 204 e can include agreed to identifiers between known parties that can be used to signify that the item can be matched with minimal evaluation of other information. This can be specified to allow or deny matching with a particular audience with a particular id without evaluation of other aspects of the capsule. - Referring to
FIG. 12 , the transmittal detailedinformation data structure 134 has amode field 134 that identifies the shared data package as either a request or an offer. It further has afield 134 b that designates whether the mode is a request or an offer to receive, send, connect, run, transact, relay or store or calculate. The nature field is open to future modes via ‘other’. The transmittal info further identifies the package via anidentifier field 134 c. The identifier can include a thread id to track a sequence within a set of information exchanges. A title field 206 d describes the request/offer. - Referring to
FIG. 13 , the setup of the sharedcapsule data structure 120 is shown as a series of screens suitable for asmall computing device 50. The major setup components of the listed 51 for aparticular topic 41. Some setup items are general to the person while others are specific to a topic. Thecontent setup 44 is shown here and described earlier inFIG. 4 . The setup forowner 52, transmittal details 53, binding 54,location 55,life span 56 and respond 57 are shown as small device screens. - Referring to
FIG. 14A , an example 120′ of a plain text representation of a sharedcapsule data structure 120 is shown. The capsule begins with atransmittal specification 134′. The capsule includeslife span 128′ andlocation fields 126′. The capsule also includes binding 130′ andcontent 122′fields. In this example, thecapsule 120′ is an offer to send information. As such, parameters in the binding field are set to reach as wide an audience as possible, via the “Allow bind all.” Furthermore, the visibility setting, as will be described in detail later, is set to “Notify OUT+.” This visibility setting enables offering information outward with the option to receive notices back of matches. The binding further allows all hosts to be used for matching, and allows this information to be relayed to other hosts. The topic binding specifies sets of hierarchical topics that this information can fall under. For example, the information can be included under “restaurant” and also under “banquets”. Thecontent information 122′ shown is specified as a “Fragment” as described below. The data specifies in a concise notation, “Royal Panda” as an instance of a Chinese restaurant with attributes such as the specialties and links to reservation information. This content could as well be represented in a tagged format such as HTML or XML, as shown inFIG. 14B . - Referring to
FIG. 15 , thematch process 160 proceeds to evaluate the wrappers and process the contents of received capsules. Under some circumstances, quick binding, as described earlier inFIG. 11 204 e, can allow skipping theindividual matching process 160 a,life span 160 c,transmittal 160 d, binding 160 e, andaudience 160 f. Eachmatch process 160 a-160 f can have its own settings for using or not using particular aspects of the wrapper 101. If the evaluation of the wrapper produces an adequate match, then the contents can be examined. The content matching 160 g may requiresubsequent interactions 160 h to refine the content. If there is material to supply and fill 160 i, then filling is performed. Filling of missing information can be requested depending on the type of request. - Referring to
FIG. 16 , aprocess 240 to match content is shown. Different types of offers and requests are matched and processed accordingly. Thecontent matching process 240 determines 242 content type and obtains 244 match and fills methods based on content type. Thus, as shown, an information offer/request matches 246 content for request to receive information with an offer to supply information. Similarly, a transaction offer/request matches 248 requests for transactions with an offer to process transactions. Other processes 250-256 for connection, relay, store, calculate, and so forth can be provided. Offers of information are only relevant to requests for information, for example. The process of matching requests and offers for information are elaborated below. Custom specified offers and requests for information and services can be specified beyond the ones shown. - Referring to
FIG. 17 , matching a request and offer to provideinformation 246 proceeds dependent on the type of content. Theprocess 246 determines 246 a the type of content and retrieves 246 b corresponding match and fill methods. The process will have different actions depending on the type of content. For taggedcontent 247, such as HTML or XML, the process includes matching term usage 247 a, thetag structure 247 b and the taggedcontents 247 c. This does not have to be as strict as an XML DTD (extended markup language data type definition) validation, in order to return a match. The process determines or identifies 247 d requested slotted areas to fill. - For
tabular content 249, the process compares 249 a the database schema of the content. Since schemas from different sources may be problematic, a flexible comparison of tables, fields, and relationships may enable amapping 249 b in order to satisfy some requests. The process will run 249 c a query based on the mapped schemas. - The content can also take the form of a
fragment database 251, as described below. Such a database defines information as fragmented objects, in terms of classifications, instance names, attributes, values, actions, conditions and containers. Theprocess 246 then evaluates 253 if the representation is su ted for sharing and matching information. - Referring to
FIG. 18 , for content represented as a fragment database, the content matching 251 proceeds by reading 251 a match rules, standardizing 251 b terms and comparingprimitives 251 c. Comparingprimitives 251 c includes matching classification sequences, matching named items, matching memberships, i.e., parts and subparts, matching roles between objects, and matching activities. The general properties belonging to a classification and particular properties belong to an instance can be matched. - Referring to
FIG. 19 , a set 270 of visibility methods are shown. TABLE 4 depicts for one embodiment allowable matches of visibility methods. In TABLE 4, “YES” entries are allowable matches, whereas “NO” entries are prohibited matches. By conforming to this visibility protocol, parties can share information and services with user-selected visibility.TABLE 4 Internal\External IN IN+ OUT OUT+ BOTH IN NO NO YES YES NO IN+ NO NO YES YES YES OUT YES YES NO NO NO OUT+ YES YES NO NO YES BOTH NO YES NO YES YES - As shown in
FIG. 19 , selecting a visibility method includes determining 272 what visibility method type to send and setting that visibility value in the visibility field of a capsule to be sent. A person who wants to ‘window shop’ wants to receiveinformation 274. If such a person wants to be seen, the Notify IN+ setting is enabled 274 b. Otherwise the Notify IN setting is enabled 274 c, which indicates that the person does not want to be seen, i.e., identity or presence being made known to a responder. - A store that wants to offer goods and
services 276 to as broad an audience as possible, would set 276 b the visibility method as “NOTIFY OUT.” A store that wanted to know who would like to know information about visitors would set 276 c NOTIFY OUT+, to receive information if available. If a store or person desired a mutual exchange ofinformation 278, a sent capsule would have the more restricting NOTIFY BOTH visibility method set 278 a. This method would require an exchange of information. - The visibility setting for each shared data package can be determined by its intended purpose. If the purpose is to receive information and services, then the visibility is to be directed IN-ward. If outside visibility is not permitted while receiving information, then the visibility is set to “IN.” If outside visibility is needed in order to receive information, then Visibility is set to “IN+.”
- If the purpose is to offer information and services, then the visibility is to be directed OUT-ward. If no information needs to be returned, i.e., the audience who receives such information is not identified, then visibility is set to “OUT.” If identification of audience is desired if allowed, then visibility is set to “OUT+.” If an exchange is desired between multiple parties with equal visibility, then visibility is set to “BOTH.”
- Referring to
FIG. 20 , aclient device 16 has a shareddatabase 36 containing acapsule 120 withcontent 122 andtransmittal parameters 123. Some of this information is selectively encrypted such as thecontents 122. This capsule is distributed 80 to aprimary host computer 24 a. The primary host computer knows the identity of theclient device 16 user as “dan” and changes it to ahandle 124 c “happyfrog” before disseminating the information. From then on, the capsule's owner is shielded. The data is disseminated and collected 82 by other host computers for comparison and matching. Within a matchingserver 34 there is amatching process 32 that is trusted, i.e., performs matches without allowing inspection of processing or results from outside theprocess 32. In this example, the information fromdevice 16 is matched with anotherdevice 24 b. A successful match is responded to 84 back to thedevice 16, but not to theother user 24 b in this example, based on visibility rules as described inFIG. 22 and Table 4, as would be the case for a visibility flag of IN. - Other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims.
Claims (25)
1-28. (canceled)
29. A method for conducting commerce where information and services are provided to customers comprises:
selectively activating shareable database capsules from information contained in personalized, shared databases, the shareable database capsules comprising fields that have property characteristics of the shareable capsule, including visibility and sharing settings, and a content field that includes information to be shared or match with other shareable database capsules;
distributing the shareable capsules over a network communications medium as matchable capsules;
matching the matchable capsules with other complementary matchable capsules; and
distributing an indication of the existence of and results of a match of a pair of matchable capsules according to visibility settings for the matched capsules.
30. The method of claim 29 wherein the shareable capsules include information in the content field pertaining to offers or requests for information or services.
31. The method of claim 29 wherein the visibility settings include a setting of IN, OUT, BOTH, IN+, OUT+ and the method further comprises:
determining allowable combinations of visibility settings of the matched capsules.
32. The method of claim 29 wherein the activation of shared items is based upon a geographic location of the customer.
33. The method of claim 29 wherein the activation of shared items is based upon the time of transmission of the shareable capsule.
34. The method of claim 29 wherein the activation of shared items is based upon personal and environmental conditions.
35. The method of claim 29 wherein the distribution of shared items is directly between local wireless or wired devices.
36. The method of claim 29 wherein the distribution of shared items is over the Internet.
37. The method of claim 29 wherein the property characteristics of the capsules have transmittal sections.
38. The method of claim 29 wherein the property characteristics of the capsules include ownership, location, life span, binding and transmittal details.
39. The method of claim 29 wherein matching compares transmittal and contents between capsules.
40. The method of claim 29 wherein matching screens visibility of the existence of a request or offer.
41. The method of claim 29 wherein matching screens visibility of the results of a request or offer.
42. The method of claim 29 wherein the capsule specifies the allowable audience and hosts to conduct a match with.
43-54. (canceled)
55. A computer program product residing on a computer readable medium, for conducting commerce where information and services are provided to customers, the computer program product comprises instructions to cause a computing device to:
selectively activate shareable database capsules from information contained in personalized, shared databases, the shareable database capsules comprising fields that have property characteristics of the shareable capsule, including visibility and sharing settings, and a content field that includes information to be shared or match with other shareable database capsules;
distribute the shareable capsules over a network communications medium as matchable capsules;
match the matchable capsules with other complementary matchable capsules; and
distribute an indication of the existence of and results of a match of a pair of matchable capsules according to visibility settings in the matched capsules.
56. The computer program product of claim 55 wherein the visibility settings include a setting of IN, OUT, BOTH, IN+, OUT+ and the computer program product further comprises instructions to:
determining allowable combinations of visibility settings of the matched capsules.
57. The computer program product of claim 55 further comprising instructions to activate shared items based upon a geographic location of the customer or the time of transmission of the shareable capsule or upon personal and environmental conditions.
58. The computer program product of claim 55 further comprising instructions to match the property characteristics of the capsules where the property characteristics of the capsules include ownership, location, life span, binding and transmittal details.
59. An apparatus, comprising:
a computing processing device;
a memory for executing a computer program product; and
the computer program product, for conducting commerce where information and services are provided to customers, the computer program product comprises instructions to cause the computing device to:
selectively activate shareable database capsules from information contained in personalized, shared databases, the shareable database capsules comprising fields that have property characteristics of the shareable capsule, including visibility and sharing settings, and a content field that includes information to be shared or match with other shareable database capsules;
distribute the shareable capsules over a network communications medium as matchable capsules;
match the matchable capsules with other complementary matchable capsules; and
distribute an indication of the existence of and results of a match of a pair of matchable capsules according to visibility settings in the matched capsules.
60. The apparatus of claim 59 wherein capsules include the visibility settings of IN, OUT, BOTH, IN+, OUT+ and the computer program product comprises instructions to:
determine allowable combinations of visibility settings of the matched capsules.
61. The apparatus of claim 59 wherein the computer program product further comprises instructions to activate shared items based upon a geographic location of the customer or the time of transmission of the shareable capsule or upon personal and environmental conditions.
62. The apparatus of claim 59 wherein the computer program product further comprises instructions to match the property characteristics of the capsules where the property characteristics of the capsules include ownership, location, life span, binding and transmittal details.
63. The apparatus of claim 59 wherein the computer program product wherein instructions to match further comprise instructions to:
compare transmittal and content fields between capsules.
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