WO2002057985A2

WO2002057985A2 - Managing image brands using registered information objects

Info

Publication number: WO2002057985A2
Application number: PCT/US2001/047512
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jeff Elpern; Eric Muller; Anne Dor; Sree Tangilla
Original assignee: Rm Automation Systems, Inc.
Priority date: 2000-11-10
Filing date: 2001-11-09
Publication date: 2002-07-25
Also published as: WO2002057985A8

Abstract

An image brand is managed by establishing and maintaining a persistent image brand identity for the image brand. A collection of one or more information objects that define one or more attributes of the image brand is registered with the image brand identity. A unique, one-to-one correspondence is established between the image brand identity (and the collection of one or more registered information objects) and the image brand. An image brand identifier uniquely associates the image brand with the corresponding image brand identity (and the entire collection of one or more registered information objects). An image brand code is generated and used to control access to the image brand identity (and the collection of one or more registered informatin objects). New information objects may be registered over time with the image brand identity to reflect new attributes of the image brand. Once registered, information objects are persistent and can never be modified or removed from the registered image brand identity.

Description

MANAGING IMAGE BRANDS USING REGISTERED INFORMATION OBJECTS

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to information systems, and more specifically, to an approach for controlling image brands using registered information objects.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The American economy is experiencing a dramatic shift in the type of products purchased. This shift is from tangible items to intangible services. Many services purchased in a modern economy are priced by the image of the provider. These "image- brands" provide intangible services such as financial market insight, computer expertise, or a political campaign judgment. This is especially true as the information age develops.

Tangible Brands - such as Honda cars, GE refrigerators and Sony televisions dominated the economy for most of the century. Image brands now are a significant portion of the Gross National Product and will grow to become a dominant portion of the economy. However, the shift from tangible brands to intangible image brands presents an efficiency problem for the economy. Efficient asset allocation, as represented by informed purchases, is easier for tangible brand products than for image brand services because the quality and value of tangible brand products is easier to determine than image brand services. First, image brand services are more unique than that of tangible brand products, which makes it more difficult to determine their value. For example, while many tangible brand products, e.g., automobiles, are mass produced, a political analyst can forecast the year 2000 presidential election only once in his/her life, hi contrast, the 400^th Honda in a product year is produced to the same specifications as the 400,000^th that year. Sampling one of the production units of a tangible brand provides direct information of the quality of the other product units for the brand. Because of the mass production of tangible brands, product units to sample are usually readily available. The sampling can be either formal such as tests conducted by Consumer Reports or informal such as riding in a neighbor's car. In either case, the information is directly applicable to all units in the product run. Resources such as the "Blue Book" for automobiles, establish the resale value of automotive brands, providing a direct measure of durability and quality. Similarly, benchmarks are used to establish the power and reliability of new computers.

The quality and value of an image brand is relatively more difficult to establish.

For example, the value of financial advice for example, a forecast of future prices, cannot be judged until after the events have occurred and it is too late to act. Also, with image brands, services are sometimes similar, but are rarely identical. For example, forecasting the Senate race in California may be similar to forecasting the Senate race in Nevada but they are not identical. The evaluation usually consists of analyzing the success of similar past events as a predictor of success in the next service being purchased. For example, if a political forecaster successfully predicted the last four

California Senate races, one would be comfortable in purchasing his or her services to forecast the next California Senate race. However, one would be less comfortable in

) purchasing the services to forecast the next Maine Senate race.

Another problem with image brand services is the difficulty in obtaining reliable information on past performance. It is difficult getting the data to evaluate. Data is hard to find or selectively presented. A stock analyst is quick to tell you about the five great picks that he/she made last year. However, they usually fail to mention the ten complete dogs recommended within the same time period. Moreover, it is all but impossible to determine if the analyst's recommendations out perform or under perform the market.

This lack of hard information is a persistent problem for image brands. Try to get information on your doctor's surgical record for a specific procedure, the prediction record for your favorite political pundit, the forecasting record of an economist, the pre- trial predictions of your lawyer, or the budget-to-actual construction numbers for your contractor.

One prominent example of the problems associated with evaluating image brands is the problem of evaluating resumes of individuals. A resume provides a written description of the image brand of an individual. More specifically, a resume describes the background and experience of an individual as well as the specific services the individual offers. Unfortunately, individuals often change their resume to suit the exact requirements of a particular position. The resume deception problem ranges from complete fraud, such as claiming degrees not earned, to resume "tuning," such as claiming three years of experience in a specific technology with only nine months of actual experience. Of the two, resume tuning is more difficult to catch and is more expensive in total to US industry. This practice has increased in recent years as employers require more specific skills for a particular position. In many cases, individuals have multiple, sometimes conflicting versions of their resume in the marketplace at the same time.

One factor that makes resume tuning so widespread is the similarities of technologies used in the high-tech workplace. For example, there are currently multiple relational database technologies in the market (such as Oracle, Informix, Sybase, and Microsoft SQL Server). These technologies share the basic Structured Query Language (SQL) concept but have significant differences in the technical details. Becoming an expert in one database technology provides basic knowledge that is applicable to other database technologies. As a result, it is very difficult to determine resume fraud in a short interview process. For example, it is very hard to detect in a short interview when a resume has been tuned from three years of Informix experience and one year of MS SQL Server experience into two years of MS SQL Server and two years prior Informix experience. This single year of fraudulent MS SQL Server experience may be the deciding factor in determining who is interviewed and typically goes undetected.

In a capitalist society, were accurate information is absolutely required for the market to operate efficiently, a pervasive supply of distorted resumes is having a devastating effect. The honest and best-qualified candidates are being squeezed out by the unscrupulous and less qualified candidates. This has a very negative effect on the competitiveness of American industry.

One solution to this problem is for employers to conduct multiple long interviews to verify the veracity of candidates' stated credentials. For example, some companies conduct as many as five or six interviews per candidate. Some companies employ detailed written or oral examinations. The costs for this approach can be very high, particularly when key employees are used for basic screening functions.

Another solution to this problem is for companies to use references to check the veracity of resume credentials. Although this approach can be very effective, it is very labor intensive and expensive, making it impractical to employ at the early stages of the interview process. Also, some employers are reluctant to verify the credentials of current or prior employees for fear of lawsuits.

Another solution to this problem is for companies to build internal information technology systems for recruiting. These systems provide functionality to store thousands of resumes and usually have technology to extract resumes that fit a certain profile. For example, some of these systems include sophisticated filtering mechanisms for identifying qualified candidates. Despite their benefit, these systems cannot address the resume tuning problem, some situations, these systems select first the fraudulently-tuned resumes.

Thus, the employment process today is severely impacted by the information inaccuracies and distortions that are prevalent in a large percentage of current resumes. The impact on Corporate America has become substantial. This problem must be solved for the US economy to efficiently expand in a tight labor market.

The problem of resume tuning is only a single example of the problems associated with evaluating image brands. Accordingly, based upon the need to evaluate image brands, and the limitations in the prior approaches, an approach for evaluating image brands that does not suffer from the limitations of prior approaches is highly desirable, hi particular, an approach for evaluating image brands that provides reliable past performance information is highly desirable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a system for creating a registered collection of information objects that are uniquely related to an intangible product or service referred to as an "image brand." A system "identity" is generated for the image brand. This identity guarantees a unique correspondence between the registered collection and the image brand.

The registered collection provides a potential consumer of the image brand with information on the performance or status of that image brand at specific times. The information objects cannot be altered or removed once they are committed in a registered collection. In addition, to those granted access, the registered collection is presented in its entirety. Thus, the registered collection provides a complete and unaltered view of the image brand's past performance.

Procedures are provided for the owner of the image brand, the "agent," to register information objects over time. Procedures also allow the agent to selectively grant a "consumer" access to the registered collection of information objects for the image brand. When access is granted to a consumer the complete registered collection is exposed. Thus, access is an all or nothing option controlled by the agent, and, when granted, the consumer has access to all of the registered collection for the image brand. Additional procedures are provided for the agent to register additional supporting information about the image brand. This information can be modified or deleted at any time. Examples of the modifiable supporting information would be the address and phone number to a cover letter for a proposal.

According to one aspect of the invention, a method is provided for maintaining resumes. According to the method, one or more versions of a resume are received that contain information about one or more services provided by an entity. An unaltered copy of the one or more versions of the resume is maintained and in response to a request for any of the one or more versions of the resume, the unaltered copy of the one or more versions of the resume is provided.

According to another aspect of the invention, a method is provided for maintaining information about a service provided by a service provider. The method includes receiving a set of attribute data that defines one or more attributes of the service provided by the service provider and maintaining an unaltered copy of the set of attribute data. The method also includes in response to a request for any of the one or more attributes of the service provided by the service provider, providing the unaltered copy of the set of attribute data.

According to another aspect of the invention, a resume management apparatus is provided that includes a storage mechanism and a control mechanism communicatively coupled to the storage mechanism. The control mechanism is configured to receive one or more versions of a resume that contain information about one or more services provided by an entity and maintain an unaltered copy of the one or more versions of the resume. The control mechanism is further configured to in response to a request for any of the one or more versions of the resume, provide the unaltered copy of the one or more versions of the resume.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram that depicts a high level relationship between an image brand and an image brand identity in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2A is a block diagram that depicts the use of an image brand registration system to manage image brand identities, according to an embodiment of the invention; FIG. 2B is a flow diagram that depicts using the image brand registration system of FIG. 2 A to manage image brand identities, according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2C is a block diagram that depicts the contents of an image brand identity, according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram that depicts an implementation of image brand registration system according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram that depicts an example implementation of image brand identity server according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram that depicts a time-oriented view of image brand identity being built over time and accessed at a future point in time according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram that depicts an approach for registering an image brand agent according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 7A is a flow diagram that depicts an approach for registering an image brand identity according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 7B is a flow diagram that depicts an approach for creating an image brand identity access key according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram that depicts an approach for registering an information object for an image brand identity according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram that depicts an approach for accessing a registered information object according to an embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 10 is a computer system upon which embodiments of the invention may be implemented.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. However, it will be apparent that the invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are depicted in block diagram form in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the invention.

Various aspects and features of example embodiments of the invention are described in more detail hereinafter in the following sections: (1) functional overview; (2) system overview; (3) image brand identity codes and image brand identify access keys; (4) image brand registration system; (5) image brand identity server; (6) persistence of image brand identities over time; (7) registering an image brand agent; (8) registering an image brand identity; (9) registering information objects; (10) accessing a registered information object; (11) accessing an image brand identity; (12) using access codes to control access to image brand identities and registered information objects; (13) third party registration; and (14) implementation mechanisms. 1. FUNCTIONAL OVERVIEW

The management of an image brand, according to an embodiment of the invention, generally involves establishing and maintaining a persistent (registered) image brand identity for the image brand. A collection of one or more information objects that define one or more attributes of the image brand are registered at one or more points in time with the image brand identity. There is a unique, one-to-one correspondence between the image brand identity (and the collection of one or more registered information objects) and the image brand. That is, the image brand is exclusively defined by the corresponding image brand identity.

According to one embodiment of the invention, an image brand identifier uniquely associates the image brand with the corresponding image brand identity (and the collection of one or more registered information objects) and is used to control access to the image brand identity (and the collection of one or more registered information objects). New information objects may be registered over time with the image brand identity to reflect new attributes of the image brand. However, once registered, information objects are persistent and can never be modified or removed from the registered image brand identity. Thus, the registered image brand identity guarantees that the image brand is persistent over time. When accessing a registered image brand identity, a consumer is provided with all of the registered information objects for the registered image brand identity, i.e. the agent for the image brand cannot selectively hide the one or more registered objects. This guarantees that a consumer who accesses a registered image brand identity for an image brand is presented with all of the registered attributes of the image brand.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram 100 that depicts a high level relationship between an image brand 102 and an image brand identity 104 in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Image brand identity 104 includes a registered collection of one or more information objects 106 that describe one or more attributes of image brand 102. The unique, one-to-one relationship between image brand 102 and image brand identity 104 (and the registered collection of one or more information objects 106) is established and controlled by an image brand identifier 108. Image brand identifier 108 is an established real world identifier appropriate to a specific implementation domain. According to one embodiment of the invention, image brand identifier 108 is unique across all image brand identities 104 in an implementation.

For example, suppose that image brand 102 is a particular individual that is seeking employment. In this example, the one or more registered information objects 106 are one or more documents that describe attributes of the particular individual that are relevant to seeking employment, e.g., one or more resumes and or other documents. In tins example, image brand identifier 108 maybe implemented as the particular individual's Social Security Number (SSN). The SSN definitively and uniquely associates the particular individual to image brand identity 104 and the one or more registered information objects 106 that describe attributes of the particular individual relevant to employment. Prospective employers knowing the SSN of the particular individual can definitively match the one or more registered information objects 106, i.e., the one or more documents that describe attributes of the individual such as a resume, to the particular individual. Furthermore, the content and registration date/time of information objects associated with the particular individual is guaranteed. 2. SYSTEM OVERVIEW

According to one embodiment of the invention, image brand identities are created and managed by an image brand registration system. FIG. 2A is a block diagram 200 that depicts the use of an image brand registration system to manage image brand identities, according to an embodiment of the invention. Block diagram 200 includes an image brand agent ("agent") 202, an image brand consumer ("consumer") 206 and an image brand registration system 208.

Agent 202 is an entity that owns image brand 102 as indicated by dashed line 214 and is responsible for the marketing of the brand and the development of the brand's image. Agent 202 establishes a relationship with image brand registration system 208 by registering itself as an agent with image brand registration system 208, as indicated by line 210. Agent 202 also registers image brand identity 104 with image brand registration system 208, as indicated by line 210. Agent 202 registers with image brand registration system 208 information objects 106 for image brand 102, as indicated by line 212. Consumer 206 is an entity interested in obtaining information about image brand 102. Consumer 206 is provided with all of the registered information objects 106 for the image brand identity 104 of image brand 102, as indicated by line 220. hi this manner, consumer 206 can validate the content and consistency over time of one or more claims made about image brand 102 using the registered information objects 106, as indicated by line 218.

The use of image brand registration system 208 to manage image brands using registered information objects is now described in the context of several examples. As a first example, image brand registration system 208 is used to track resumes for consultants in a consulting firm. In this example, agent 202 is the consulting firm, image brand 102 is a particular consultant. in the consulting firm and consumer 206 is an entity interested in securing the services of the consulting firm and in particular, the services of the particular consultant.

Consulting firm registers itself with image brand registration system 208. Consulting firm also registers with image brand registration system 208, image brand identity 104 for the particular consultant. Consulting firm then registers with image brand registration system 208, one or more registered information objects 106 for image brand identity 104. Registered information objects 106 may contain any information that is relevant for the particular application. In the present example, registered information objects 106 might include a resume and other documents that describe work assignments performed by the particular consultant or documents that establish other credentials of the particular consultant. Consulting firm may then register additional documents over time as additional assignments are completed.

Once image brand identity 104 and registered information objects 106 have been established for the particular consultant, consumer 206 may retrieve the registered information objects 106 for the particular consultant to verify the credentials of the particular consultant. Since registered information objects 106 are always maintained and can never be modified or deleted from image brand registration system 208, consumer 206 can verify the consistency of claims about the particular consultant's skills and abilities.

As a second example, image brand registration system 208 is used to track predictions of political analysts. In this example, image brand 102 is a political analyst, agent 202 is either the political analyst or another entity charged with establishing and maintaining the image brand identity 104 for the political analyst and consumer 206 is a campaign manager who is interested in securing the services of political analyst.

In this example, agent 202 registers itself with image brand registration system 208 and also registers with image brand registration system 208, the image brand identity 104 for political analyst. Agent 202 then registers one or more information objects 106 for image brand identity 104. hi this example, the one or more registered information objects 106 include strategies and predictions for elections registered prior to the actual election. Thus, the one or more registered information objects 106 establish a track record for political analyst that is permanently maintained by image brand registration system 208.

Campaign manager uses image brand registration system 208 to evaluate the actual past performance of political analyst by retrieving and examining the one or more registered information objects 106 that describe the political analyst's strategies and predictions for past elections. By comparing the registered pre-election strategies with the actual election outcome, campaign manager develops an informed understanding of how the political analyst's claims match his/her past performance.

The prior two examples illustrate some of the benefits of image brand registration system 208. First, the one or more registered information objects 106 that define image brand 102 are frozen in time and cannot be changed. This prevents agent 202 from altering of embellishing past events as time moves forward. Second, the one or more registered information objects 106 provide a complete record of the image brand's 102 past performance. One or more of the registered information objects 106 cannot be selectively presented from image brand registration system 208 to the exclusion of other registered information objects 106. The entire set of registered information objects 106 are made available to consumer 206. Consumer 206 may choose to ignore any of the registered information objects 106 once they have been retrieved from image brand registration system 208. These characteristics of image brand registration system 208 prevent selective presentation of past (positive) events. Consumers are able to obtain a complete past record of an image brand, allowing them to accurately assess the value of an image brand.

FIG. 2B is a flow diagram 250 that depicts the approach for managing image brands using registered information objects according to an embodiment of the invention. After starting in step 252, in step 254, agent 202 establishes a relationship with image brand registration system 208 by registering itself with image brand registration system 208. Image brand registration system 208 generates a registered agent access code and password that are used to control access to image brand registration system 208.

In step 256, agent 202 registers image brand identity 104 for image brand 102 with image brand registration system 208. Agent 202 may have multiple image brand identities 104 for the image brands agent 202 owns. Agent 202 provides image brand identifier 108 for the image brand 102. Image brand registration system 208 verifies the uniqueness of image brand identity 104 by verifying that image brand identifier 108 has not already been registered. If image brand identifier 108 is not unique then image brand registration system 208 halts the registration process for the new image brand identity 104. If image brand identifier 108 is unique, then image brand registration system 208 generates an image brand identity code 272. According to one embodiment of the invention, image brand identity code 272 is in human-readable form.

In step 258, agent 202 registers one or more information objects 106 for image brand identity 104 in image brand registration system 208.

At some later point in time, in step 260, agent 202 registers one or more additional information objects 106 for image brand identity 104 in image brand registration system 208. As previously described, the approach allows image brand 102 to be built over time by registering additional information objects in image brand registration system 208.

In step 264, image brand consumer 206 access registered image brand identity 104 by providing image brand identity code 272 and image brand identity access key 274. Image brand consumer 206 then retrieves one or more of the registered information objects 106, registered demographic information 276 or other registered information 278 that belong to registered image brand identity 104. Image brand consumer 206 may also retrieve the image brand identifier 108 for comparison of the image brand identifier 108 with read-world documentation for image brand 102. The process is complete in step 266. 3. IMAGE BRAND IDENTITY CODES AND IMAGE BRAND IDENTITY

ACCESS KEYS

FIG. 2C is a block diagram that depicts the contents of image brand identity 104 according to another embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, image brand identity 104 includes an image brand identifier 108, the corresponding image brand identity code 272, one or more image brand identity access keys 274, one or more registered information objects 106, registered demographic information 276 and other registered information 278.

Image brand identity code 272 is generated by image brand registration system 208 when agent 202 registers image brand identity 104. Image brand identity code 272 is unique to the image brand registration system 208, is persistent over time and may be in human-readable form. Both the image brand identifier 108 and the image brand identity code 272 are therefore unique identifiers of image brand identity 104. The use of image brand identity code 272 may protect the actual value of the image brand identifier 108. In some domains, such as defense work, image brand identifier 108 may be sensitive or restricted information. Image brand identity code 272 identifies image brand identity 104 without revealing image brand identifier 108 used to establish uniqueness.

One or more image brand identity access keys 274 are registered by agent 202 in step 262, are valid for only a set period of time, and can be created, modified or deleted at any time and may be valid for only a specified period of time. Image brand identity access keys 274 provide a mechanism for agent 202 to control access to image brand identity 104 at specific points in time, as described in more detail hereinafter.

Registered demographic information 276 generally includes general demographic information about image brand 102. For example, registered demographic information 276 may include the address, telephone number, facsimile number and email address of image brand 102.

Other registered information 278 may include any other type of information that is related to image brand 102. Generally, the content of other registered information 278 varies depending upon the requirements of a particular application. For example, where image brand 102 is an individual, other registered information 278 may include writing samples, programming code samples, cover letters or any other type of general documentation relating to the individual.

According to one embodiment of the invention, registered demographic information 276 and other registered information 278 are not necessarily persistent on image brand registration system 208. This means that image brand agent 202 can update and even delete elements of registered demographic information 276 or other registered information 278. This provides additional flexibility for agents 202 to regularly update their demographic information or other information, e.g., writing samples, cover letters, etc., that accompanies the one or more registered information objects 106 contained in image brand identity 104. Information that must be persistent on image brand registration system is maintained as the one or more registered information objects 106. The decision of what information is to be maintained as one or more registered information objects 106, registered demographic information 276 and other registered information 278 depends upon the requirements of a particular application and may vary from application to application. For example, some applications may have relatively large amounts of registered demographic information 276 and other registered information 278 compared to the amount of one or more registered information objects 106 and vice versa. 4. IMAGE BRAND REGISTRATION SYSTEM

Image brand registration system 208 may be implemented as a single location or implemented as a distributed system and the invention is not limited to a particular implementation. FIG. 3 is a block diagram 300 that depicts an implementation of image brand registration system 208 according to an embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, image brand registration system 208 includes network devices 302 and 304 communicatively coupled to a communications network 306 via connections 308 and 310, respectively. Communications network 306 may be any type of communications network, for example, an intranet, a local area network, a wide area network, or the Internet. The invention is not limited to any particular implementation of communications network 306. Communications network 306 is communicatively coupled to an image brand identity server 312 via a connection 314. Agent 202 and consumer 206 are communicatively coupled to network devices 302 and 304 via connections 316 and 318, respectively.

Connections 308, 310, 314, 316 and 318 may be implemented by any medium or mechanism, either secure or unsecure, for carrying information. Examples of connections 308, 310, 314, 316 and 318 include, without limitation, any type of network connections, local area networks, wide area networks, telephone land line based connections, wireless communications links and secure communications links.

Agent 202 and consumer 206 are presented with user interfaces for accessing network devices 302 and 304, respectively. For example, when communications network 306 is the Internet, the user interfaces may be a generic web browser executing on a generic personal computer. However, a user interface for any other web device could be provided such as a character-based interface for wireless devices connected to the Internet or a graphical interface for WebTV-type devices connected to the Internet. Image brand identity server 312 includes one or more registered image brand identities 320 that each include one or more registered information objects (not illustrated). 5. IMAGE BRAND IDENTITY SERVER

Image brand identity server 312 may be implemented by any type of server architecture, including for example, a generic file server or a database server. FIG. 4 is a block diagram 400 that depicts an example implementation of image brand identity server 312 according to an embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, image brand identity server includes a communications and network interface 402, a registered collection business logic server 404, a database server 406 and a database 408.

Communications and network interface 402 provides a connection between image brand identity server 312 and other devices (not illustrated) including, for example, a user device. Communications and network interface 402 may be implemented with a variety of commercially available technologies, such as server and communications hardware and software sold by Sun Microsystems Inc. and IBM.

Registered collection business logic server 404 implements business rules and logic of image brand registration system 208 (FIG. 2). Registered collection business logic server 404 may be implemented as proprietary software executing in commercially-available development and deployment environments. According to one embodiment of the invention, the development environment is the Java programming language and the deployment environment a Java server technology, such as marketed by Sun Microsystems Inc.

Database server 406 may be implemented using widely available database technology such as database products available from Oracle and Informix. Database server 406 may be implemented as a relational database server or as a non-relational database server and the invention is not limited to any particular implementation of database server 406. Registered collection business logic server 404 determines what is to be stored on database server 406, the schema for the storage and what is to be retrieved. Database server 406 handles the mechanics of performing these operations.

Database 408 provides storage for image brand identities 320. Specifically, database 408 implements requests from database server 406 to store registered information objects or other information. Database 408 also retrieves stored data and provides the retrieved data to database server 406. Database 408 maybe implemented as any non- volatile storage, for example one or more disks, and the invention is not limited to any particular implementation of database 408.

6. PERSISTENCE OF AGE BRAND IDENTITIES OVER TIME

As previously described herein, one of the benefits provided by the approach for managing image brands using registered information objects is that the registered information objects are persistent over time and therefore preserve the integrity of the data contained therein.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram 500 that depicts a time-oriented view of image brand identity 104 being incrementally built over time and accessed at a future point in time, according to an embodiment of the invention. Agent 202 registers image brand identity 104 and image brand identity code 272 is created. Agent 202 then registers a set of one or more information objects 106a through 106d at relevant points in time that belong to image brand identity 104 and define image brand 102. Specifically, registered information objects 106a-d are added to image brand identity 104 along a registered collection time line 502 with a specified time and date-of-entry established by image brand registration system 208. Thus, registered information objects 106a-d are permanently registered in a time-sequenced collection. One or more image brand identity access keys 274 are also created to control access to image brand identity and registered information objects 106a-d.

At some point in time after registered information objects 106a-d have been registered with image brand registration system 208, consumer 206 wishes to verify the contents of image brand identity 104, i.e., the content information objects 106a-d. To accomplish this, consumer 206 presents image brand identity code 272 and a valid image brand identity access key 274 to image brand registration system 208, as indicated by line 504.

According to one embodiment of the invention, image brand identity code 272 is permanently maintained and may be widely known. For example, it might be printed on the hard copy version of registered information objects 106a-c. According to one embodiment of the invention, image brand identity access key 274 is obtained by consumer 206 from agent 202 in a secure manner.

Image brand registration system 208 provides the entire contents of registered image brand identity 104, i.e., all registered information objects 106a-d, to consumer 206. Importantly, agent 202 cannot selectively present or hide registered information objects 106a-d through the image brand registration system 208. Rather, consumer 206 will always receive access to the entire registered image brand identity 104 and its constituent registered information objects 106a-d.

For example, in the context of tracking resumes and other credentials, agent 202 is a consulting firm that updates the registered image brand identity 104 for a particular consultant every time the consultant completes a project by registering one or more new information objects 106a-d for image brand identity 104 in image brand registration system 208. h addition, the consulting firm may choose to update the registered image brand identity 104 for the particular consultant every time the particular consultant completes certification testing by a major technology provider, such as Oracle Corporation.

The image brand consumer 206, in this example a hiring manager, obtains image brand identity code 272 and image brand identity access key 274 for the consultant interviewing for a position from the consulting firm. The hiring manager requests access to the consultant's registered image brand identity 104 and receives all registered information objects 106a-d that might include, for example, resumes and other credential information for the particular consultant. The hiring manager then uses the provided registered information objects 106a-d to establish that skill and job experience representations for the particular consultant have been consistently presented over time. 7. REGISTERING AN IMAGE BRAND AGENT

As used hereinafter, the term "provider" means the firm providing the services for a specific implementation of image brand registration system 208.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram 600 illustrating an example process for registering a new image brand agent 202 with image brand registration system 208 according to an embodiment of the invention. After starting in step 601, in step 602, an applicant accesses image brand registration system 208. As previously described with reference to FIG. 3, this may involve accessing image brand identity server 312 and in particular, accessing a specified area for registering new image brand agents.

In step 604, the applicant requests a new agent application from image brand registration system 208. The new agent application may be an electronic document or a hard copy of an electronic document.

In step 606, a determination is made whether the applicant is a corporation or an individual. If the applicant is a corporation, then in step 608, the applicant completes an online form for corporations and provides a unique identifier to be used for a corporate image brand identifier 108. For example, in the United States, the Federal Tax Identification number may be provided for. this purpose. If the applicant is an individual, then in step 610, the applicant completes an online form for individuals and provides a unique identifier to be used for an individual image brand identifier 108. For example, in the United States, the individual's SSN may provided for this purpose.

In step 612, the on-line application is received and processed by the administrative department of the provider. When the initial information is verified by the provider, then in step 614, a full agreement 616 is sent to the applicant via a network device. The full agreement 616 may be either an electronic document or a hard copy of an electronic document. For example, in the context of the Internet, where the applicant accesses the image brand registration system 208 via the Internet using a generic web browser, a web page form may be provided to the applicant. hi step 618, the full agreement is reviewed and signed by the applicant, hi the context of an electronic agreement, the applicant may use a digital signature to sign the application form. The signed agreement 620 is returned to and processed by the provider in step 622. If the full agreement passes review, then in step 624, a registered agent access code and password are created to allow access to image brand registration system 208 by agent 202. The applicant is then registered as an agent in image brand registration system 208. The registered agent access code and password are both communicated to the applicant, as indicated by step 626, and saved in persistent storage in image brand registration system 208 in step 628. The process is complete in step 632. 8. REGISTERING AN IMAGE BRAND IDENTITY

FIG. 7A is a flow diagram 700 illustrating an example approach for registering an image brand identity with image brand registration system 208 according to an embodiment of the invention. The steps are described with reference to agent 202 establishing image brand identity 104, as illustrated in FIG. 2.

After starting in step 701, in step 702, a registered agent 202 accesses image brand registration system 208. In step 706, the agent is asked to provide their access code and password granted to agent 202 during agent registration. In step 708, the access code and password provided by agent 202 to image brand registration system 208 are checked against the access code and password for agent 202 that are stored on image brand registration system 208. As indicated by line 709, agent 202 is given several opportunities to enter a valid access codes and password. Once agent 202 has entered a valid access code and password, then in step 710, agent 202 requests creation of a new image brand identity 104. In response to the request by agent 202, in step 712, agent 202 is presented with an image brand identify request form to complete. According to one embodiment of the invention, this form requires agent 202 to enter the unique image brand identifier 108 that will be used to establish and maintain uniqueness of the new image brand identity 104. i step 714, the request is processed for completeness and the uniqueness of the requested image brand identifier 108 is verified 716. If the requested image brand identifier 108 is not unique, then the request is rejected in step 718 and agent 202 is notified accordingly. According to another embodiment of the invention, if the requested image brand identifier 108 is not unique, then control returns to step 712, where agent 202 is queried to re-complete and submit the image brand identity request form.

The specific form of image brand identifier 108 may vary depending upon the requirements of a particular application and the invention is not limited to a particular implementation for selecting image brand identifier 108. The attributes for selecting image brand identifier 108 for a specific domain include the image brand identifier 108 being universal and unique for every image brand 102 within the domain. For example, where image brand 102 is an individual, image brand identifier 108 may be the individual's SSN.

If in step 716, the requested image brand identifier 108 is determined to be unique, then in step 720, image brand registration system 208 creates an image brand identity code 272 for image brand identity 104. In step 722, image brand identity code 272 is communicated to agent 202. hi step 724, image brand identity code 272 is stored to persistent storage in image brand registration system 208. The process is complete in step 728.

Image brand identity code 272 identifies the entire contents of image brand identity 104, including the one or more registered information objects 106 associated with image brand identity 104. It is one of two components required to access the entire contents of image brand identity 104. For image brand consumers 206 the other component is a valid image brand identity access key 274, as illustrated in FIG. 9. For an image brand agent 202 the other component is a valid registered agent access code and password, as illustrated in FIG. 7. Specifically, the image brand identity code 272 permits registered agent 202 to update the contents of image brand identity 104, including adding information objects 106. Image brand identity code 272, when combined with a valid image brand identity access key 274, also allows consumer 206 to access image brand identity 104 and to retrieve the contents of image brand identity 104, including all of the registered information objects 106 contained in image brand identity 104. Controlling user access to an image brand identity 104 at any specific point in time is managed by use of image brand identity access keys 274, as described below.

FIG. 7B is a flow diagram 750 illustrating an approach for creating an image brand identity access key 274 with image brand registration system 208 according to an embodiment of the invention. The steps are described with reference to agent 202 establishing image brand identity 104, as illustrated in FIG. 2. Establishing image brand identity access keys 274 is the second part of registering and managing an image brand identity 104.

After starting in step 751, in step 752, a registered agent 202 accesses image brand registration system 208. In step 754, registered agent 202 is asked to provide their access code and password granted to agent 202 during agent registration.

In step 756, the access code and password provided by agent 202 are checked against the access code and password for agent 202 that are stored on image brand registration system 208. As indicated by line 758, agent 202 is given several opportunities to enter a valid access codes and password.

Once agent 202 has entered a valid access code and password, then in step 760, agent 202 requests creation of a new image brand identity access key 274 for image brand identity 104. Agent 202 also provides to image brand registration system 208 and an effective duration. In response to the request by agent 202, in step 762 the request is processed by checking for valid input values.

In step 764 the access key is created by image brand registration system 208 and communicated back to the agent 202 in step 766. step 768 the image brand identity access key 274 is stored to persistent storage in image brand registration system 208. The process is complete in step 770.

The image brand identity code 272 identifies a specific image brand identity 104 within image brand registration system 208. Consumer 206 access to image brand identity 104 and associated registered information objects 106 is controlled by establishing image brand identity access keys 274. The image brand identity code 272 is persistent and usually widely known by consumers 206. The image brand identity access keys 274 control the granting of access rights to consumers 206. They may be created with short effective time periods and selectively communicated to consumers 206 via a secure communications link. Many image brand identity access keys 274 can be created and remain active at the same time. 9. REGISTERING INFORMATION OBJECTS

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram 800 illustrating an approach for registering an information object in image brand regisfration system 208 according to an embodiment of the invention. After starting in step 801, in step 802, registered agent 202 accesses image brand registration system 208. In step 804, registered agent 202 is queried for a valid registered agent access code and password. In step 806, registered agent 202 provides to image brand registration system 208 the registered agent access code and password previously provided to registered agent 202 when registered agent 202 registered with image brand registration system 208, as illustrated in FIG. 6.

In step 808, the registered agent access code and password provided by the registered agent 202 are validated against registered access codes and passwords stored in image brand registration system 208. h the event that they do not match, then control returns to step 806, as indicated by line 809, where registered agent 202 is again queried for a valid registered agent access code and password.

Once the registered agent access code and password provided by registered agent 202 are successfully validated in step 808, then in step 810, registered agent 202 selects to register a new information object, hi step 814, the registered agent 202 is queried for the image brand identity code 272 for image brand identity 104 that was provided when image brand identity 104 was registered. In step 816, the image brand identity code 272 provided by registered agent 202 is validated against the image brand identity code 272 stored in image brand registration system 208 for image brand identity 104. If the image brand identity code 272 is not valid, then control returns to step 814 and registered agent 202 is again queried for the image brand identity code 272 for image brand identity 104, as indicated by line 817.

Once a valid image brand identity code 272 is entered by registered agent 202, then in step 820, registered agent 202 is presented with a form asking for attributes, e.g., type and format, of the new information object to be registered with image brand registration system 208. According to one embodiment of the invention, the file format is portable document format (PDF) for hard copy objects, although the invention is not limited to any particular format for new information objects. In step 822, registered agent 202 identifies the location of the new information object and the new information object 824 is uploaded to image brand registration system 208 in step 826.

In step 828, an information object access code is generated for the new information object. According to one embodiment of the invention, an information object access code is a combination of the image brand identity code 272 and a information object reference number. Although the new information object can never be removed or deleted from image brand identity 104, it can be retrieved and examined by registered agent 202 or consumer 206. As previously described herein, when a registered information object 106 is retrieved from image brand identity 104, all of the one or more registered information objects 06 are provided to the requesting entity. hi step 830, a temporary information object is created and sent to registered agent 202 for review. In step 832, registered agent 202 reviews the temporary information object. According to one embodiment of the invention, a temporary information object is visible only to registered agent 202 and is reviewed by the registered agent 202. hi step 836, the temporary information object is modified, deleted or published by registered agent 202.

Once the temporary information object is approved and committed by registered agent 202 for publishing in step 836, then in step 838, the temporary information object is made permanent and included in the one or more registered information objects 106 and stored in persistent memory in image brand registration system 208. The process is complete in step 842. 10. ACCESSING A REGISTERED INFORMATION OBJECT

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram 900 of an approach for accessing a registered information object according to an embodiment of the invention. The approach is described in the context of consumer 206 accessing one of the one or more registered information objects 106 illustrated in FIG. 2 A.

After starting in step 901, in step 902, consumer 206 accesses image brand registration system 208 and in step 904, requests to review a registered information object.

In step 906, consumer 206 is queried for both the image brand identity code 272 and the image brand identity access key 274 for the image brand identity 104 that contains the registered information object consumer 206 desires to access. In some embodiments of the invention, consumer 206 will provide the registered information object code ("id93y72-2" in FIG. 8) instead of the image brand identity code 272. The registered information object code contains the image brand identity code (example "id93y72") plus the registered information object's reference code (example "2"). In this case the step 906 extracts the brand image identity code 272 for use in the following steps.

In step 908, the image brand identity code 272 and image brand identity access key 274 are validated against image brand registration system 208. If they are invalid, then control returns to step 906 where consumer 206 re-enters the image brand identity code 272 and image brand identity access key 274.

If the image brand identity code 272 and image brand identity access key 274 provided by consumer 206 are valid, then in step 912, a list of all registered information objects 106 is presented to consumer 206. Exactly how the list of registered information objects 106 is presented to consumer 206 may vary depending upon the requirements of a particular application and the invention is not limited to a particular form. For example, in the context of the Internet, the list of registered information objects 106 may comprise a web page sent to the consumer's 206 browser. The web page would identify the one or more registered information objects 106 and provide links to other web pages for displaying the contents of each registered information object 106. Note that although in some cases consumer 206 may enter a registered information object code for a specific registered information object, all registered information objects 106 for the image brand 102 are presented to consumer 206. This ensures that consumer 206 always sees the entire collection of one or more registered information objects 106, regardless of which registered information object was requested. This is particularly important if consumer 206 does not select the most recent registered information object 106. .

In step 914, consumer 206 selects a particular registered information object from the registered information object list to review. For example, in the context of the Internet, wherein the list of registered information objects 106 is presented on a web page, consumer 206 would select a link associated with a particular registered information object.

In step 916, the selected information object is retrieved from the image brand regisfration system 208 and provided to the consumer in step 920. For example, in the context of the Internet, the selected registered information object maybe provided to the consumers 206 browser in the form of a web page. In this situation, the consumer's 206 browser determines how to display the selected registered information object 106 in step 922 and presents the image 924 for consumer 206 to review. After reviewing the selected registered information object, consumer 206 can select another registered information object 106 to review in step 926 or terminate the process in step 928. For example, the web page that contains the selected registered information object 106 would contain a link to return to the list of all registered information objects 106 and a link to exit the process. 11. ACCESSING AN IMAGE BRAND IDENTITY

Referring to FIG. 2 A, accessing image brand identity 104 from image brand registration system 208 is generally similar to accessing one or more registered information objects 106. According to one embodiment of the invention, consumer 206 accesses image brand registration system 208 and is queried for a valid image brand identity code 272 and image brand identity access key 274.

After entering a valid image brand identity code 272 and image brand identity access key 274, consumer 206 requests to review the contents of image brand identity 104. The contents of image brand identity 104 are then provided to consumer 206. Specifically, the registered demographic information 276, other registered information 278 and the one or more registered information objects 106 are presented to consumer 206. Since in many situations there may be many objects to present to consumer, according to one embodiment of the invention, the objects are presented to consumer 206 by category and consumer 206 is allowed to select particular objects to view.

For example, according to one embodiment of the invention, consumer 206 is presented with three categories of information: (1) registered demographic information 276; (2) other registered information 278; and (3) the one or more registered information objects 106. Upon selecting either of these, consumer 206 is presented with another list of the contents of the selected item. For example, in the context of the Internet, the main list is provided to consumer 206 as a web page with links to each of the three categories. Selecting a category causes another web page to be provided to consumer 206 that displays each of the constituent elements and links to each element. Selecting a particular element causes a web page that displays the contents of a particular element, e.g., a document, to be generated and provided to consumer 206. 12. USING ACCESS CODES TO CONTROL ACCESS TO IMAGE BRAND IDENTITIES AND REGISTERED INFORMATION OBJECTS

Image brand identity codes 272 and image brand identity access keys 274 are used to control access to registered image brand identities 104 (and their contents). Consumer 206 wishing to access a particular image brand identity 104 must know both the image brand identity code 272 and the image brand identity access key 274. In another embodiment of the invention, consumer 206 must have the registered information object code (which contains the image brand identity code 272) and the image brand identity access key 274 to gain access the image brand identity 104.

According to one embodiment of the invention, image brand identity access keys 274 expire after a specified period of time to provide an increased level of privacy. Image brand identity access keys 274 may be given separate expiration periods or times. This provides greater control over when a consumer 206 can access information in image brand registration system 208. For example, suppose that an individual wishes to allow a consumer 206, for example a potential employer, to have access to his/her image brand identity 104 for one week. The individual can issue an image brand identity access key 274 to the consumer that expires after one week.

According to another embodiment of the invention, any number of image brand identity access keys 274 may be issued for a particular registered image brand identity 104. This allows an agent 202 to customize the access rights for different consumers 206 depending upon the desired duration and level of access. For example, a particular agent may give access codes of different durations to different consumers. Furthermore, the particular agent 202 may give access to only the registered information objects 106 to one consumer 206, while giving access to the entire contents of an image brand identity 104 to another consumer 206. However, a consumer 206 having access rights to a registered image brand identity 104 will always have access rights to all registered information objects 106 contained in that registered image brand identity 104.

13. THIRD PARTY REGISTRATION

There are situations where it is valuable for image brand identities to contain information that originates from third parties. Examples of this type of information include certifications, registrations, degrees and other credentials established and/or recognized by third parties. For example, an individual may be technically certified by a company, such as Novell or Oracle and have degrees from educational institutions. As another example, a company may have been certified to certain quality standards, such as ISO 9001, which is an International Standards Organization quality certification.

Therefore, although embodiments of the invention have been described primarily in the context of agent 202, as owner of image brand 102, registering information with image brand registration system 208, according to another embodiment of the invention, third parties that satisfy specified authentication criteria may also register information with image brand registration system 208. The specified authentication criteria are provided to ensure that a third party that submits information to image brand registration system 208 is a trusted entity. This may be established in a variety of ways, for example through the use of digital signatures, verifications and/or trust certificates and the invention is not limited to a particular technique for ensuring that a third party is a trusted entity.

Once a trusted entity is determined, the trusted entity is registered with image brand registration system 208 and receives an access code and password in the same manner as agent 202. To provide an additional level of safety, a registered trusted entity may be given separate image brand identity access keys 274 that have short durations. According to another embodiment of the invention, trusted entities are only given access to register information in registered demographic information 276 and other registered information 278 and are not given access to registered information objects 106. 14. IMPLEMENTATION MECHANISMS

The approach described herein for managing image brands using registered information objects is also applicable to tangible brands. The approach may be implemented in hardware circuitry, in computer software, or a combination of hardware circuitry and computer software and is not limited to a particular hardware or software implementation.

Figure 10 is a block diagram that illustrates a computer system 1000 upon which an embodiment of the invention maybe implemented. Computer system 1000 includes a bus 1002 or other communication mechanism for communicating information, and a processor 1004 coupled with bus 1002 for processing information. Computer system 1000 also includes a main memory 1006, such as a random access memory (RAM) or other dynamic storage device, coupled to bus 1002 for storing information and instructions to be executed by processor 1004. Main memory 1006 also maybe used for storing temporary variables or other intermediate information during execution of instructions to be executed by processor 1004. Computer system 1000 further includes a read only memory (ROM) 1008 or other static storage device coupled to bus 1002 for storing static information and instructions for processor 1004. A storage device 1010, such as a magnetic disk or optical disk, is provided and coupled to bus 1002 for storing information and instructions.

Computer system 1000 maybe coupled via bus 1002 to a display 1012, such as a cathode ray tube (CRT), for displaying information to a computer user. An input device 1014, including alphanumeric and other keys, is coupled to bus 1002 for communicating information and command selections to processor 1004. Another type of user input device is cursor control 1016, such as a mouse, a trackball, or cursor direction keys for communicating direction information and command selections to processor 1004 and for controlling cursor movement on display 1012. This input device typically has two degrees of freedom in two axes, a first axis (e.g., x) and a second axis (e.g., y), that allows the device to specify positions in a plane.

The invention is related to the use of computer system 1000 for managing image brands using registered information objects. According to one embodiment of the invention, managing image brands using registered information objects is provided by computer system 1000 in response to processor 1004 executing one or more sequences of one or more instructions contained in main memory 1006. Such instructions maybe read into main memory 1006 from another computer-readable medium, such as storage device 1010. Execution of the sequences of instructions contained in main memory 1006 causes processor 1004 to perform the process steps described herein. One or more processors in a multi-processing arrangement may also be employed to execute the sequences of instructions contained in main memory 1006. h alternative embodiments, hard- wired circuitry may be used in place of or in combination with software instructions to implement the invention. Thus, embodiments of the invention are not limited to any specific combination of hardware circuitry and software.

The term "computer-readable medium" as used herein refers to any medium that participates in providing instructions to processor 1004 for execution. Such a medium may take many forms, including but not limited to, non-volatile media, volatile media, and transmission media. Non-volatile media includes, for example, optical or magnetic disks, such as storage device 1010. Volatile media includes dynamic memory, such as main memory 1006. Transmission media includes coaxial cables, copper wire and fiber optics, including the wires that comprise bus 1002. Transmission media can also take the form of acoustic or light waves, such as those generated during radio wave and infrared data communications.

Common forms of computer-readable media include, for example, a floppy disk, a flexible disk, hard disk, magnetic tape, or any other magnetic medium, a CD- ROM, any other optical medium, punch cards, paper tape, any other physical medium with patterns of holes, a RAM, a PROM, and EPROM, a FLASH-EPROM, any other memory chip or cartridge, a carrier wave as described hereinafter, or any other medium from which a computer can read.

Various forms of computer readable media maybe involved in carrying one or more sequences of one or more instructions to processor 1004 for execution. For example, the instructions may initially be carried on a magnetic disk of a remote computer. The remote computer can load the instructions into its dynamic memory and send the instructions over a telephone line using a modem. A modem local to computer system 1000 can receive the data on the telephone line and use an infrared transmitter to convert the data to an infrared signal. An infrared detector coupled to bus 1002 can receive the data carried in the infrared signal and place the data on bus 1002. Bus 1002 carries the data to main memory 1006, from which processor 1004 retrieves and executes the instructions. The instructions received by main memory 1006 may optionally be stored on storage device 1010 either before or after execution by processor 1004.

Computer system 1000 also includes a communication interface 1018 coupled to bus 1002. Communication interface 1018 provides a two-way data communication coupling to a network link 1020 that is connected to a local network 1022. For example, communication interface 1018 maybe an integrated services digital network (ISDN) card or a modem to provide a data communication connection to a corresponding type of telephone line. As another example, communication interface 1018 maybe a local area network (LAN) card to provide a data communication connection to a compatible LAN. Wireless links may also be implemented, hi any such implementation, communication interface 1018 sends and receives electrical, electromagnetic or optical signals that carry digital data streams representing various types of information.

Network link 1020 typically provides data communication through one or more networks to other data devices. For example, network link 1020 may provide a connection through local network 1022 to a host computer 1024 or to data equipment operated by an Internet Service Provider (ISP) 1026. ISP 1026 in turn provides data communication services through the world wide packet data communication network now commonly referred to as the "Internet" 1028. Local network 1022 and Internet 1028 both use electrical, electromagnetic or optical signals that carry digital data streams. The signals through the various networks and the signals on network link 1020 and through communication interface 1018, which carry the digital data to and from computer system 1000, are exemplary forms of carrier waves transporting the information.

Computer system 1000 can send messages and receive data, including program code, through the network(s), network link 1020 and communication interface 1018. In the Internet example, a server 1030 might transmit a requested code for an application program through Internet 1028, ISP 1026, local network 1022 and communication interface 1018. In accordance with the invention, one such downloaded application provides for managing image brands using registered information objects as described herein.

The received code maybe executed by processor 1004 as it is received, and/or stored in storage device 1010, or other non- volatile storage for later execution, hi this manner, computer system 1000 may obtain application code in the form of a carrier wave.

The approach described herein for managing image brands using registered information objects provides several advantages over prior approaches for managing image brands. According to the approach described herein for managing image brands using registered information objects, an approach is provided for creating a set of one or more registered information objects that are uniquely related to an image brand, hi particular, the present approach guarantees a unique correspondence between a set of registered information objects and an image brand. The approach also guarantees that the set of registered information objects cannot be altered and are presented to a consumer in their entirety. This guarantees that a consumer sees an entire history of an image brand. Thus, the approach provides a complete and unaltered view of past performance of an image brand. This is particular useful for consumers where the image brand is unique and historical information is difficult to obtain.

In the foregoing specification, the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments thereof. However, various modifications and changes may be made thereto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention. The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illusfrative sense rather than a restrictive sense.

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is claimed is:

1. A method for maintaining electronic documents containing information about services associated with entities, the method comprising the computer- implemented steps of: selecting, for a particular entity, a known entity identifier type; receiving a particular entity identifier; verifying that the particular entity identifier is both of the selected entity identifier type and uniquely identifies the particular entity; receiving one or more versions of one or more electronic documents that contain information about one or more services associated with the particular entity; maintaining, in association with the particular entity identifier, an unaltered copy of the one or more versions of the one or more electronic documents; and in response to a request for any of the one or more versions of the one or more electronic documents, providing the unaltered copy of the one or more versions of the one or more electronic documents.

2. The method as recited in Claim 1, further comprising receiving an additional version of the one or more electronic documents that contains additional information about the one or more services associated with the particular entity, maintaining an unaltered copy of the additional version of the one or more elecfronic documents; and in response to a second request for any version of the one or more elecfronic documents, providing both the unaltered copy of the two or more versions of the one or more electronic documents and the unaltered copy of the additional version of the one or more electronic documents.

3. The method as recited in Claim 1 , wherein the one or more versions of one or more electronic documents are one or more versions of one or more resumes.

4. The method as recited in Claim 1, wherein the one or more versions of one or more electronic documents are one or more versions of one or more certification documents.

5. The method as recited in Claim 1, wherein the one or more versions of one or more elecfronic documents are one or more versions of one or more degree documents.

6. The method as recited in Claim 1, wherein the particular entity is an individual.

7. The method as recited in Claim 6, wherein the known entity identifier type is a social security number.

8. The method as recited in Claim 1 , wherein the particular entity is a company.

9. The method as recited in Claim 8, wherein the known entity identifier type is an employer identification number.

10. The method as recited in Claim 1, wherein the step of selecting, for a particular entity, a known entity identifier type includes selecting, for a particular entity, a known entity identifier type based upon a country associated with the particular entity.

11. The method as recited in Claim 1 , wherein the services associated with the particular entity are services previously performed by the particular entity.

12. The method as recited in Claim 1, wherein the services associated with the particular entity are services currently provided by the particular entity.

13. The method as recited in Claim 1, wherein the one or more versions of the one or more electronic documents are received from a source that is authorized to provide the one or more versions of the one or more electronic documents on behalf of the particular entity.

14. The method as recited in Claim 13, further comprising authorizing the source by receiving from the source authorization data, and verifying the authorization data.

15. The method as recited in Claim 13, wherein the source is the particular entity.

16. The method as recited in Claim 13, wherein the source is another entity.

17. The method as recited in Claim 1, wherein providing the unaltered copy of the one or more versions of the one or more electronic documents includes providing to an authorized recipient, the unaltered copy of the one or more versions of the one or more electronic documents.

18. The method as recited in Claim 17, further comprising determining whether the authorized recipient is authorized to receive the one or more versions of the one or more electronic documents by receiving from the authorized recipient, data that uniquely identifies the particular entity, and verifying the data received from the authorized recipient.

19. The method as recited in Claim 1, wherein the one or more versions of the one or more electronic documents are received and provided over the Internet.

20. The method as recited in Claim 1, further comprising: receiving additional information associated with the particular entity, maintaining the additional information in association with the particular entity identifier, and in response to a request for the additional information, providing the additional information.

21. The method as recited in Claim 18, further comprising: in response to a request to update the additional information, updating the additional information to generate updated additional information, and in response to a second request for the additional information, providing the updated additional information.

22. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of one or more instructions for maintaining electronic documents containing information about services associated with entities, the one or more sequences of one or more instructions including instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the steps of: selecting, for a particular entity, a known entity identifier type; receiving a particular entity identifier; verifying that the particular entity identifier is both of the selected entity identifier type and uniquely identifies the particular entity; receiving one or more versions of one or more electronic documents that contain information about one or more services associated with the particular entity; maintaining, in association with the particular entity identifier, an unaltered copy of the one or more versions of the one or more electronic documents; and in response to a request for any of the one or more versions of the one or more elecfromc documents, providing the unaltered copy of the one or more versions of the one or more electronic documents.

23. The computer-readable medium as recited in Claim 22, further comprising one or more sequences of one or more instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the steps of: receiving an additional version of the one or more electronic documents that contains additional information about the one or more services associated with the particular entity, maintaining an unaltered copy of the additional version of the one or more electronic documents; and in response to a second request for any version of the one or more elecfronic documents, providing both the unaltered copy of the two or more versions of the one or more elecfronic documents and the unaltered copy of the additional version of the one or more electronic documents.

24. The computer-readable medium as recited in Claim 22, wherein the one or more versions of one or more electronic documents are one or more versions of one or more resumes.

25. The computer-readable medium as recited in Claim 22, wherein the one or more versions of one or more electronic documents are one or more versions of one or more certification documents.

26. The computer-readable medium as recited in Claim 22, wherein the one or more versions of one or more electronic documents are one or more versions of one or more degree documents.

27. The computer-readable medium as recited in Claim 22, wherein the particular entity is an individual.

28. The computer-readable medium as recited in Claim 27, wherein the known entity identifier type is a social security number.

29. The computer-readable medium as recited in Claim 22, wherein the particular entity is a company.

30. The computer-readable medium as recited in Claim 29, wherein the known entity identifier type is an employer identification number.

31. The computer-readable medium as recited in Claim 22, wherein the step of selecting, for a particular entity, a known entity identifier type includes selecting, for a particular entity, a known entity identifier type based upon a country associated with the particular entity.

32. The computer-readable medium as recited in Claim 22, wherein the services associated with the particular entity are services previously performed by the particular entity.

33. The computer-readable medium as recited in Claim 22, wherein the services associated with the particular entity are services currently provided by the particular entity.

34. The computer-readable medium as recited in Claim 22, wherein the one or more versions of the one or more electronic documents are received from a source that is authorized to provide the one or more versions of the one or more elecfronic documents on behalf of the particular entity.

35. The computer-readable medium as recited in Claim 34, further comprising one or more sequences of one or more instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the step of authorizing the source by receiving from the source authorization data, and verifying the authorization data.

36. The computer-readable medium as recited in Claim 34, wherein the source is the particular entity.

37. The computer-readable medium as recited in Claim 34, wherein the source is another entity.

38. The computer-readable medium as recited in Claim 22, wherein providing the unaltered copy of the one or more versions of the one or more electronic documents includes providing to an authorized recipient, the unaltered copy of the one or more versions of the one or more electronic documents.

39. The computer-readable medium as recited in Claim 38, further comprising one or more sequences of one or more instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the step of deteπnining whether the authorized recipient is authorized to receive the one or more versions of the one or more electronic documents by receiving from the authorized recipient, data that uniquely identifies the particular entity, and verifying the data received from the authorized recipient.

40. The computer-readable medium as recited in Claim 22, wherein the one or more versions of the one or more electronic documents are received and provided over the Internet.

41. The computer-readable medium as recited in Claim 22, further comprising one or more sequences of one or more instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the steps of: receiving additional information associated with the particular entity, maintaining the additional information in association with the particular entity identifier, and in response to a request for the additional information, providing the additional information.

42. The computer-readable medium as recited in Claim 39, further comprising one or more sequences of one or more instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the steps of: in response to a request to update the additional information, updating the additional information to generate updated additional information, and in response to a second request for the additional information, providing the updated additional information.

43. An apparatus for maintaining electronic documents containing information about services associated with entities, the apparatus comprising: one or more processors; and a memory communicatively coupled to the one or more processors, the memory containing one or more sequences of one or more instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the steps of: selecting, for a particular entity, a known entity identifier type; receiving a particular entity identifier; verifying that the particular entity identifier is both of the selected entity identifier type and uniquely identifies the particular entity; receiving one or more versions of one or more electronic documents that contain information about one or more services associated with the particular entity; maintaining, in association with the particular entity identifier, an unaltered copy of the one or more versions of the one or more electronic documents; and in response to a request for any of the one or more versions of the one or more electronic documents, providing the unaltered copy of the one or more versions of the one or more electronic documents.

44. A resume management apparatus comprising: a storage mechanism; and a control mechanism communicatively coupled to the storage mechanism and being configured to: receive one or more versions of a resume that contain information about one or more services associated with a particular entity, maintain an unaltered copy of the one or more versions of the resume, and in response to a request for any of the one or more versions of the resume, provide the unaltered copy of the one or more versions of the resume.

45. The resume management apparatus as recited in Claim 44, wherein the confrol mechanism is further configured to receive an additional version of the resume that contains additional information about the one or more services provided by the entity, maintain an unaltered copy of the additional version of the resume, and in response to a second request for' any version of the resume, provide both the unaltered copy of the one or more versions of the resume and the unaltered copy of the additional version of the resume.

6. A method for maintaining information about services associated with entities, the method comprising the computer-implemented steps of: selecting, for a particular entity, a known entity identifier type; receiving a particular entity identifier; verifying that the particular entity identifier is both of the selected entity identifier type and uniquely identifies the particular entity; receiving one or more versions of one or more information objects that contain information about one or more services associated with the particular entity; maintaining, in association with the particular entity identifier, an unaltered copy of the one or more versions of the one or more information objects; and in response to a request for any of the one or more versions of the one or more information objects, providing the unaltered copy of the one or more versions of the one or more information objects.