WO2000065761A2 - Procede et systeme permettant aux demandeurs de services de selectionner un fournisseur de services - Google Patents

Procede et systeme permettant aux demandeurs de services de selectionner un fournisseur de services Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2000065761A2
WO2000065761A2 PCT/US2000/011029 US0011029W WO0065761A2 WO 2000065761 A2 WO2000065761 A2 WO 2000065761A2 US 0011029 W US0011029 W US 0011029W WO 0065761 A2 WO0065761 A2 WO 0065761A2
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
service
proposals
computer readable
requester
readable means
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US2000/011029
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English (en)
Other versions
WO2000065761A3 (fr
Inventor
Bradley J. Inman
Kristina S. Inman
Original Assignee
Homegain.Com
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Homegain.Com filed Critical Homegain.Com
Priority to AU44872/00A priority Critical patent/AU4487200A/en
Publication of WO2000065761A2 publication Critical patent/WO2000065761A2/fr
Publication of WO2000065761A3 publication Critical patent/WO2000065761A3/fr

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Classifications

    • 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

Definitions

  • This invention relates to a method and system for facilitating communication between people, and in particular, to providing a method and system for service requesters to select a service provider.
  • the method includes creating a personal profile for a service requester, including the type of service that is requested, storing the personal profile in a database, creating an anonymous request for service from the personal profile, and sending the anonymous request for service to one or more service providers.
  • a method of selecting a service provider includes sending an anonymous request for service to one or more service providers; receiving proposals from the one or more service providers; organizing the information in the proposals according to a personal profile of a service requester, to create organized proposals; displaying the organized proposals to the service requester; and sending a message of acceptance from the service requester to one of the service providers.
  • FIGURE 1 shows an embodiment of a client server network in which the present invention may be implemented.
  • FIGURE 2 shows an embodiment of the system used to request and receive proposals.
  • FIGURE 3 shows one embodiment of the method for requesting proposals.
  • FIGURE 4 shows an example of a welcome message.
  • FIGURE 5 shows one embodiment of a proposal inbox.
  • FIGURE 6 shows an example of a service library.
  • FIGURE 7 shows an example of a service tool.
  • FIGURE 8 shows an example of information that a requester may ask a provider.
  • FIGURE 9 shows an alternative embodiment of the method for requesting proposals.
  • FIGURE 10 shows one embodiment for service providers to send proposals.
  • FIGURE 11 shows an alternative embodiment of the system used to request and receive proposals.
  • the present invention also relates to apparatus for performing the operations herein.
  • This apparatus may be specially constructed for the required purposes, or it may comprise a general purpose computer selectively activated or reconfigured by a computer program stored in the computer.
  • a computer program may be stored in a computer readable storage medium, such as, but is not limited to, any type of disk including floppy disks, optical disks, CD-ROMs, and magnetic-optical disks, read-only memories (ROMs), random access memories (RAMs), EPROMs, EEPROMs, magnetic or optical cards, or any type of media suitable for storing electronic instructions, and each coupled to a computer system bus.
  • the emerging use of electronic networking is enabling this type of selection to be made electronically and anonymously from a remotely located computer (e.g., a home computer).
  • a remotely located computer e.g., a home computer
  • a person who needs the services of a service provider can fill out an electronic request for service by using a personal computer 110, as shown in FIGURE 1. Then, the requester can send this information over the internet 120, where it is received by a server 130.
  • a service provider on the computer 140 connected to the server can then review the request and respond immediately with a proposal for service.
  • FIGURE 2 shows one embodiment for the service provider and service requester matching system.
  • Client system 210 contains a user interface 215, a browser 221 stored in a computer readable medium 220, and a central processing unit 222.
  • the client 210 connects to the server 240 through remote connection 230, which may be an internet or other network connection, for example.
  • the client 210 may be either a service requester to
  • the server 240 contains a computer readable medium that includes software programs that can be executed by the central processing unit (CPU) 241. Although only one CPU is shown, the client system 210 may have multiple CPUs or other processing devices. These programs interact with the client, and include software modules that allow a service requester to enroll, via enrollment module 243, and store a personal profile in the database 250.
  • the server 240 can create an anonymous request for service, via anonymous request module 244, to service providers in the database 250.
  • the software modules also allow service providers to receive the anonymous request, via service provides distribution module 245, and respond with a proposal that is then organized by the server, via organized proposed module 246, and displayed to the requester in a proposal inbox, via proposal inbox module 247.
  • FIGURES 3A and 3B One exemplary embodiment of a method for requesting the services of a service provider is shown in FIGURES 3A and 3B.
  • a person uses a client, such as a personal computer, to connect with a server through a remote connection such as the internet, for example.
  • the server displays a welcome page, step 310, explaining the process of selecting a service provider to the user.
  • the welcome message will explain the process of selecting a real estate agent online, as shown in FIGURE 4.
  • the user after reading the welcome message, may then decide to use this process to select a broker.
  • the user registers into the system.
  • One way for the user to register is to select a register link that is displayed on the web. site. Any other method of sending an enrollment signal or indication to the server can be used, step 320.
  • the server sends an enrollment form to the client, where it is displayed to the user, step 330.
  • this enrollment form has multiple information fields that are displayed to a user.
  • the user, or service requester creates a personal profile by submitting information into the information fields, then sending this information through the server to a control center, step 340.
  • the information contained in the personal profile may include personal information about the service requester and information about the service that is needed.
  • the information sent by the requester may also include questions that the service requester would like the service providers to answer in any response or proposal that they make. Examples of this" type of information are shown in FIGURE 8.
  • the information fields may include fields for specifying the details of the house, such as a description of the house.
  • the information fields may also include the services that the user wants the agent to provide, such as having an open house.
  • the information fields may also include the qualifications that the service providers, in this case real estate agents, must or should have. For example, the requester may want to know if the agent has experience in this neighborhood or what the agent's fees will be for selling the house.
  • the enrollment information When the enrollment information reaches the control center, it is stored in the database of the control center, step 350.
  • an identifier (ID) and password is then created for the service requester by the control center.
  • the requester selects this information. This ID and password are used to establish an anonymous account for the requester. They are sent to the requester, so that only the requester can return to the control center and access the personal profile that he or she has created.
  • An anonymous request for service is created from the requester's profile, step
  • This feature of anonymity greatly benefits the service requester. For example, if the service requester is selling a house, the seller may receive a large number of unwanted solicitations from real estate agents if the agents know that the seller needs a broker. By keeping the seller's identity a secret, the seller will be spared from the trouble of handling unwelcome solicitations. Also, because the service requester's anonymity is maintained in this process, all responses from the service provider must come through a control center. Therefore, the responses can be presented in an organized manner that allows the service requester to make an objective evaluation.
  • a database contains information for prospective service providers, including their standard profiles that describe the types of service that they provide, and the geographic regions that they serve.
  • the database may contain information for real estate agents.
  • the profile for each agent may include a description of the professional qualifications of the agent. This information may indicate whether the agent's license is in good standing, whether the agent works full time, and the education and experience the agent has.
  • the request is a request for a real estate agent, then the request for service is sent to the agents in the database.
  • One way of sending the anonymous request for service is by electronic mail.
  • the request may be sent to all service providers in the database.
  • the service providers may be filtered by certain criteria, such as geographic region, or experience, for example, and the request may be sent only to providers that meet the criteria. 13
  • the service providers receive the request and decide if they want to respond. For example, suppose a request to find an agent to sell a house is received by all agents in the database. The real estate agents that provide service to the geographic location and type of property listed in the request can choose to submit a proposal to the anonymous requester.
  • the electronic mail only notifies prospective agents that a request has been submitted, and in response to the email, the prospective agent contacts a control center, such as via, a browser, to review a more detailed version of the request (e.g., in its entirety except for the identification information).
  • Service providers respond to the request by completing a response form.
  • the response from the provider will include basic information about the provider, as well as specific answers to questions asked in the request for service. For example, if a service provider or agent does respond, the service provider may include the price or fee for providing the service, the provider's knowledge of a certain geographic area, the number of sellers the agent represents, and whether the agent or the agent's assistant perform most of the work.
  • the completed response form with the response data is then submitted to a response data processor, step 380.
  • the response data processor receives the response form, and organizes the data into an organized proposal, step 390.
  • the proposal is organized so that the service requester can view the data in a format that enables the requester to make an objective evaluation of the proposals submitted by the service providers.
  • This organized response data is then stored in the control center database. 14
  • the service requester may access the proposals by connecting to the control center through a user interface such as a personal computer or a client, for example, step 395.
  • the requester sends the previously assigned ID and password to the control center over a remote connection.
  • the control center grants the requester access to the personal account. The requester can then view any proposals that are stored in the account.
  • the information in a response form is displayed to the user.
  • the responses can be organized and displayed in a proposal inbox.
  • the service requester can modify the inbox so that specific information from each received proposal is automatically displayed by the inbox.
  • the requester has the inbox display the name of each service provider, the service that is provided, the amount of experience, the fee that the service provider charges, and/or any other information from the response data.
  • the inbox can display an icon next to each proposal that indicates whether the proposal is new, updated, or has been reviewed, as shown in FIGURE 5.
  • the requester may decide to personally contact a service provider for further discussion or may decide to accept an offer.
  • the personal contact may be through the use of an email address or link for the service provider that is made available to the requester (e.g., available in the proposal submitted by the service provider). If the requester desires to contact a provider, the requester obtains personal contact information for the provider from the information displayed by the control center 15
  • the requester uses the control center to accept an offer by directly contacting the provider through the control center.
  • FIGURE 9 An alternative embodiment is shown in FIGURE 9.
  • the requester after connecting to the control center, can also edit his or her personal information that is stored in the database, 910. Also, the requester can edit information describing the details of the house, or the type of service that is required, 920.
  • the requester can also access information related to the service from the control center, as shown in FIGURE 11.
  • a requester can access a library module that has articles and other resource information, 1140.
  • An example of the library 1140 is shown in FIGURE 6.
  • the library can include articles related to selling a home, such as how to list a home, what price to ask for, how to market the house, and how the transaction works.
  • the requester can also access a tool module that provides tools for helping the provider make a decision, 1130.
  • a tool module that provides tools for helping the provider make a decision
  • An example of the tool is shown in FIGURE 7.
  • the tools can include a searchable database of local home values.
  • the seller can learn the selling prices of other houses in the neighborhood.
  • the tools can also include a service specific calculator.
  • the calculator can calculate the capital gains tax so that the user can determine if he or she will be subject to any capital gains tax on the home sale. 16
  • the service providers can also access the control center and place personal profiles in the database.
  • An example of a method for creating a service provider personal profile is shown in FIGURES 10A and 10B.
  • a service provider uses a client, such as a personal computer, to connect with a control center through a server with a remote connection such as the internet, for example.
  • the server displays a welcome page explaining the process of receiving service requests to the provider, step 1010.
  • the provider is a real estate agent
  • the welcome message explains how home sellers can request an agent's services online.
  • the provider after reading the welcome message, may then decide to use this process to receive service requests.
  • the user registers into the system.
  • One way for the user to register is to select a register link that is displayed on the web site. Any other method of sending a register signal or indication to the server can be used, step 1015.
  • the server sends an enrollment form to the client, where it is displayed to the user, step 1020.
  • this enrollment form has multiple information fields that are displayed to a user.
  • the user, or service provider creates a personal profile by submitting information into the information fields, then sending this information through the server to a control center, step 1025.
  • the information contained in the personal profile includes personal information about the service provider, and information about the services that can be provided.
  • the information fields may include fields for the agent.
  • the profile for each agent may include a 17
  • This information can include data such as whether the agent's license in good standing; whether the agent work full time; and the amount of education and experience the agent has.
  • the information fields may also include the services that the agent can provide, such as having an open house. These fields can also contain information that includes the agent's experience in certain neighborhoods or the agent's fees for selling the house.
  • an identifier ( D) and password may then be created for the service provider by the control center. This ID and password are used to establish an account for the provider. The ID and password are sent to the provider, so that only the provider can return to the control center and access the personal profile that he or she has created.
  • control center automatically verifies information provided by the service provider. For example, if the providers are real estate brokers, the control center may automatically verify that the agent is in good standing by sending a request for verification to the licensing board. In one embodiment, a networked device of the licensing board may respond automatically with the requested information. Also, the control center may verify the number of homes recently sold by automatically contacting a listing service verify such information. Other information may be automatically verified as well. 18
  • the control center When the control center receives a request for service, step 1035, the control center sends the anonymous request for service to the service providers, step 1040. If the request is a request for a real estate agent, then the request for service is sent to the agents in the database. One way of sending the anonymous request for service is by electronic mail. The request or an indication that a request for proposal is available for review may be sent to all service providers in the database. Alternatively, the service providers may be filtered by certain criteria, such as geographic region, or experience, for example, and the request may be sent only to providers that meet the criteria.
  • the service providers then receive the request by accessing their account in the control center database with their ID and password.
  • the control center displays new requests for service to the service provider.
  • the provider can also view other active and inactive proposals.
  • the providers can add new information about their service history, or edit their personal profile.
  • the providers After viewing a request, the providers decide if they want to respond. For example, suppose a request to find an agent to sell a house is received by all agents in the database. The real estate agents that provide service to the geographic location and type of property listed in the request can choose to submit a proposal to the anonymous requester.
  • Service providers respond to the request by completing a response form, or proposal, step 1045.
  • the response from the provider will include basic information about the provider, as well as specific answers to questions asked in the request for service. For example, if a service provider or agent does respond, the service provider may include the price or fee for providing the service, how well the provider knows a certain geographic area, how many sellers does the agent represent, and will the agent or the agent's assistant do most of the work.
  • the completed response form with the response data is then submitted to a response data processor. A confirmation of receipt is returned to the provider.
  • the response data processor receives the response form, and organizes the data in the proposal, step 1050.
  • the organized proposal allows the service requester to view the data in a format that enables the requester to make an objective evaluation of the proposals submitted by the service providers, step 1055.
  • This organized response data is then stored in the control center database.
  • the present invention may be used for matching home buyers with home buyers services and/or matching home owners with home owner services as well.

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Abstract

La présente invention concerne un procédé permettant de solliciter des propositions de la part des fournisseurs de services. Ce procédé consiste à créer un profil personnel pour un demandeur de services, comprenant notamment le type de services demandés. Ce profil est mémorisé dans une base de données. Une demande anonyme de services est ensuite créée à partir du profil personnel, puis envoyée à un ou à plusieurs fournisseurs de services. Les fournisseurs de services répondent alors à la demande par une proposition. La proposition est organisée de sorte que le demandeur de services puisse sélectionner un fournisseur sur la base d'informations objectives. Le demandeur étudie les propositions et peut décider de choisir un fournisseur de services.
PCT/US2000/011029 1999-04-23 2000-04-24 Procede et systeme permettant aux demandeurs de services de selectionner un fournisseur de services WO2000065761A2 (fr)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
AU44872/00A AU4487200A (en) 1999-04-23 2000-04-24 A method and system for requesters to select a provider

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US29862299A 1999-04-23 1999-04-23
US09/298,622 1999-04-23

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WO2000065761A2 true WO2000065761A2 (fr) 2000-11-02
WO2000065761A3 WO2000065761A3 (fr) 2001-04-05

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Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US6823190B2 (en) 2002-12-03 2004-11-23 International Business Machines Corporation System and method to anonymously test for proximity of mobile users without revealing individual phase space coordinates
US6925305B2 (en) * 2002-05-15 2005-08-02 Airband Communications, Inc. Information management system

Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5862223A (en) * 1996-07-24 1999-01-19 Walker Asset Management Limited Partnership Method and apparatus for a cryptographically-assisted commercial network system designed to facilitate and support expert-based commerce
WO2000029989A1 (fr) * 1998-11-18 2000-05-25 Hotdispatch, Inc. Systeme de commerce electronique pour services non uniformises

Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5862223A (en) * 1996-07-24 1999-01-19 Walker Asset Management Limited Partnership Method and apparatus for a cryptographically-assisted commercial network system designed to facilitate and support expert-based commerce
WO2000029989A1 (fr) * 1998-11-18 2000-05-25 Hotdispatch, Inc. Systeme de commerce electronique pour services non uniformises

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US6925305B2 (en) * 2002-05-15 2005-08-02 Airband Communications, Inc. Information management system
US6823190B2 (en) 2002-12-03 2004-11-23 International Business Machines Corporation System and method to anonymously test for proximity of mobile users without revealing individual phase space coordinates

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WO2000065761A3 (fr) 2001-04-05
AU4487200A (en) 2000-11-10

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