Personalized interactive digital catalog profiling

Abstract

A system and method of interactive cataloging of products and services by end users across multiple sales and marketing channels provide each end user with access to domain-independent catalog data from a plurality of vendor organizations through a catalog server system. Anonymous end user cataloging actions of products and/or services across multiple manufacturing, distribution, and retailing channels create personalized profile instances that are based on stored vendor catalog profile templates in the catalog server system, and stored in the end user's personalized electronic catalog as pre-sale digital receipts. An end user's personalized electronic catalog(s) can be shared with peers using mutual agreement permissions as managed by the catalog server system. Pre-sale digital receipts are used to provide a safe, secure, and convenient method for modifying an end user's actionable cataloged items from a pre-sale status to purchased status when purchased and to provide a traceable audit trail for each cataloged item or purchased item in order to facilitate respective pre-sales channel activities and post-sales channel support and services.

Claims

I claim:

1. A method for creating and managing anonymous end user electronic catalogs comprising:

a. receiving at a catalog server system over a computer network catalog data from a plurality of different vendor organizations;

b. storing said catalog data by said catalog server into a domain-independent catalog database, wherein the catalog data represents a minimal data set used to uniquely identify information about a product residing in one or more databases among a plurality of independent electronic network domains, wherein schema mapping based on each said catalog data creates a catalog profile template, said catalog profile template comprising a list of multi-tiered attributes derived from supply chain values, said catalog profile template being interrelated based on relationship rules established by said plurality of different vendor organizations, wherein a pre-sales digital receipt as initiated by a cataloging action is created by said catalog server system based on a stored catalog profile template, and said pre-sale digital receipt being stored therein to said domain-independent catalog database, wherein said domain-independent catalog database is latent in that said catalog profile templates are not presented in a generic, publicly accessible catalog directly to end users but are used by said catalog server system to create one or more anonymous end user electronic catalogs through one or more said pre-sale digital receipts by end users that are accessible through end user accounts;

c. establishing said end user accounts at said catalog server system, each end user account accessible by an end user, wherein said end user account is anonymous to said plurality of different vendor organizations;

d. initiating cataloging actions by said end user or through a web service application through said end user account, thereby creating one or more anonymous end user electronic catalogs, said cataloging actions comprising (1) creating a personalized profile instance through said cataloging action using multi-channel reference identifiers and storing said personalized profile instance as a pre-sale digital receipt through said anonymous end user account into said one or more anonymous end user electronic catalogs, (2) modifying a value of an attribute for a personalized profile instance, (3) organizing a personalized profile instance into a classification scheme based on said multi-channel affiliate reference identifiers associated with said personalized profile instance, (4) linking one or more personalized profile instances with one or more anonymous purchase transactions, (5) linking one or more personalized profile instances with a commerce profile that defines a channel and mode of commerce in which a personalized profile instance can be tracked and purchased, (6) associating a personalized profile instance with a contextual web service application, (7) interrelating a plurality of personalized profile instances for compliance based on interoperable attribute values, and (8) sharing by said end user through mutual agreement permissions one or more personalized profile instances with one or more peer users in communication with said catalog server system using said computer network, wherein said one or more peers each have said end user account managed by said catalog server system; and

e. receiving a request at said catalog server system by said end user to anonymously track said cataloging actions and tracking said cataloging actions.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising, an option by said end user, adjusting a preference setting associated with said end user account, to enable one or more of said plurality of different vendor organizations to send information to said end user account in which a personalized profile instance of a product is stored.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein a product recommendation includes information about a recommended use of a product for which a personalized profile instance is stored in said end user account.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a product recommendation includes information on a different product that is compatible with one or more said personalized profile instances currently stored in said end user account.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a plurality of said cataloging actions are received from an end user communication device, wherein said catalog actions include at least one multi-channel affiliate reference identifier associated with a product.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the information regarding said cataloging actions are sent to said catalog server system from said end user communication device substantially contemporaneously with the occurrence of said cataloging actions.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said cataloging action through a point-of-sale authority triggers a point-of-sale user request with said catalog server system to anonymously record a purchase status of one or more purchased products.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein said cataloging actions are stored in said end user communication device and anonymously sent to said catalog server system a period of time after the occurrence of said cataloging actions.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein said end user communication device includes a keyboard, the method further including receiving input of at least one multi-channel affiliate reference identifier for one or more products from said end user communication device using the keyboard, and sending an anonymous request to said catalog server system to create a personalized profile instance.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein said end user communication device includes a screen configured to display a hyperlink associated with a product, the method further including receiving an end user selection of the hyperlink, and in response sending an anonymous request to said catalog server system to create a personalized profile instance for said product from said end user communication device.

11. The method of claim 5, wherein said end user communication device comprises a scanner the method further comprising scanning a multi-channel affiliate reference identifier of a product.

12. The method of claim 5, wherein said end user communication device is configured to receive said multi-channel affiliate reference identifiers via RFID signals.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein said cataloging actions comprise purchase records related to said plurality of different vendor organizations that are compiled and anonymously routed to said catalog server system.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein said personalized profile instance includes content provided by one or more of said plurality of different vendor organizations that are sources for purchasing a product associated with said personalized profile instance.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein said personalized profile instance includes content provided by one or more said plurality of different vendor organizations selected from different tiers in a chain of commerce related to a product represented in said personalized profile instance.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said different tiers are manufacturing, distributing, and retailing of said product.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying by one or more peers of an end user to said catalog server system said end user;

prompting said end user to allow mutual agreement permissions; and

sharing information regarding personalized profile instances stored in said end user's personalized electronic catalog.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing information regarding stored personalized profile instances and non-personally identifiable demographic information of said end user to at least one of said plurality of different vendor organizations, in an anonymous manner and without revealing the identity of said end user.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

communicating a catalog data update from at least one of said plurality of different vendor organizations to said catalog server system over said computer network to update a previous version of catalog data received by said catalog server system, wherein said catalog data update represents a change in catalog data in at least one tier of at least one catalog profile template as compared with a previous version of said at least one catalog profile template;

storing said change in catalog data in said at least one tier of at least one catalog profile template; and

instantly updating each end user's personalized electronic catalog containing at least one or more pre-sale digital receipts based on the at least one catalog profile template that was changed.

20. An interactive cataloging method comprising:

a. providing a catalog server system connected to a computer network wherein said catalog server system is accessible by third-party vendors and end users using electronic interfaces;

b. registering by a plurality of said third-party vendors with said catalog server system over a computer network, a plurality of catalog data corresponding to products sold from said third-party vendors operating through a plurality of different catalog channels;

c. receiving at said catalog server system over a computer network said catalog data;

d. storing said catalog data by said catalog server into a domain-independent catalog database, wherein the catalog data represents a minimal data set used to uniquely identify information about a product residing in one or more databases among a plurality of independent electronic network domains, wherein schema mapping based on each said catalog data creates a catalog profile template, said catalog profile template comprising a list of multi-tiered attributes derived from supply chain values, said catalog profile template being interrelated based on relationship rules established by said third-party vendors, wherein a pre-sales digital receipt as initiated by a cataloging action is created by said catalog server system based on a stored catalog profile template, and said pre-sale digital receipt being stored therein to said domain-independent catalog database, wherein said domain-independent catalog database is latent in that said catalog profile templates are not presented in a generic, publicly accessible catalog directly to end users but are used by said catalog server system to create one or more anonymous end user electronic catalogs through one or more said pre-sale digital receipts by end users that are accessible through end user accounts;

e. creating said end user accounts at said catalog server system, an end user account having an associated end user profile wherein said end user account is accessible by said end user authorized by said catalog server system to access and store personalized profile instances into said end user's personalized electronic catalog, and wherein said end user account is anonymous to said third-party vendors;

f. receiving commands from said end user using said electronic interface, creating one or more of said personalized profile instances stored into said end user's personalized electronic catalog, wherein attributes of said personalized profile instances are alterable by said end user;

g. communicating information about said attributes of the said personalized profile instances from said catalog server system to one or more third-party vendor electronic interfaces in an anonymous manner that does not reveal the identities of said end users; and

h. communicating information to update each end user's personalized electronic catalog after one or more personalized profile instances have been created in said each end user's personalized electronic catalog, wherein said information is an update from one of said third-party vendors as compared with a previous version of one of said catalog data communicated by said one of said third-party vendors.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

adapting a previously cataloged personalized profile instance based on attributes of a later cataloged personalized profile instance.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

adapting a later cataloged personalized profile instance based on attributes of an earlier cataloged personalized profile instance.

23. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

identifying one or more end user's peers by said end user, each end user's peer being an end user having said end user account managed by said catalog server system;

sharing by said end user through mutual agreement permissions one or more personalized profile instances with said one or more end user's peers in communication with said catalog server system using said computer network.

Description

TECHNICAL SUMMARY

The invention relates to a method of creating an interactive and enhanced digital catalog of products, services, and information that is personalized or personally profiled, to each unique user of the catalog. More specifically, the invention relates to a personally profiled catalog network that intelligently and anonymously captures, stores, manages, and processes self-selected, reusable and "re-distributable" content schemas, for personalization, enhancing, monitoring, tracking, commerce transactions and peer sharing through multiple channels and communication devices, by sophisticated software agents and applications.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Introduction

The basic purpose of a catalog is to organize explicit and abstract information, in a standardized format, on a collection of products, services, or information that may be of interest to individuals or groups. Catalogs can be delivered in many forms, such as printed in a paper medium or displayed on a view screen or computer monitor. Catalogs are usually structured lists or itemized displays of titles, course offerings, or articles for exhibition or sale, and often include descriptive information or illustrations relative to the listed items. Catalogs in their more traditional forms include mail order catalogs, retail catalogs, discount catalogs, supplier catalogs, service catalogs, direct mail offerings, bulletins, flyers, posters, etc. Catalogs in their more modern forms are what one would recognize as anything from a single data field of product information up to a several hundred page four color periodical (i.e. a Sears or JC Penney's catalog), or it could be TV or Radio commercial, where the article is presented to the consumer with the relevant key features and buying information, augmented by direct or subliminal lifestyle benefits that could accrue to the buyer.

The advent of the Internet has created new mediums for cataloging digital data, such as Web banners, e-Mail offerings, search engines and directories, e-Brochures, e-Catalogs, and online periodicals. Catalogs can also be thought of as any information service, such as in the media publishing industry, which would include magazines and books whereby a user scans a 'catalog' of headlines in order to locate items of interest. Other examples of catalogs could include entertainment products such as movies, television shows, documentaries, music, radio programs, to name a few. These observations are consistent with the broad purpose of a catalog, which is to organize key data about an aggregation of products, services or information in a structured manner to help facilitate users' commerce transactions or information acquisition needs.

Catalogs

Many people use or review a catalog of some form on a daily basis. The human mind is constantly cataloging, often subliminally. Many make little more than a mental note of items they would like to purchase or recall at a future date. Others keep hand written records, clippings, copies, etc. that often are misplaced or discarded. Long before the Internet, catalogs were the remote-shopping option of choice.

Through the Internet, the catalog has been transformed from a largely printed medium to a digital one, allowing a user to access the cataloged information anytime and from anywhere they may have an Internet connection. The Internet is enabling more efficient product and service cataloging, and personalized commercial transactions by providing a means to orchestrate the interaction between the vendor or provider and the customer; which significantly reduces the time and effort required for making selections and purchases as compared to a conventional retail store environment. This electronic publishing combined with the speed of the Internet has contributed to an acceleration of decision making processes, sometimes placing additional stresses on the industry supply chain as consumer buying dynamics change with more rapidity and unpredictability.

The exponential rise of the Internet has also compounded the problem inherent in any mass media marketing because it has increased the consumers' exposure to unsolicited advertising accordingly. This is an example of how automating a process can rapidly overwhelm an individual's capacity or inclination to absorb the information, which could be a significant contributing factor in the higher consumer resistance evident in the slower-than-predicted adoption of e-Commerce services. Consumer resistance tends to increase as the frequency and amount of unsolicited information is directed towards them; paper junk mail has evolved into electronic junk mail, clogging the e-mail in-boxes of Internet users' globally and raising privacy concerns as email lists are sold to direct marketing agencies and distributed widely to any organization willing to pay for these lists.

What is needed is a restructuring of traditional marketing models that have defined the relationship between the consumer and vendor since the beginnings of modem commerce. This method is static and blind in nature because the interaction between the seller and buyer is based on assumptions derived indirectly from statistical market research, sellers make regarding the desires of the buyer. The relationship is also an adversarial one, whereby marketing companies target and collect information on individuals, and then resell this personal information to any organization willing to pay for it. The buyer is then repeatedly targeted by an array of vendors in an effort to gamer their business. With the advent of the Internet, these efforts have reached clandestine proportions, with surveillance 'bug' programs being widely planted on user computers just from visiting Web sites, that report back information on Web activity, file activity, and are even capable of eavesdropping through the microphone or attached video camera. As Internet users become more aware of the extent to which they are losing their fundamental privacy rights, there will be increased litigation and organized public awareness campaigns against vendors that conduct these practices.

There is also no direct connection between the publishing of information, such as on the Web, and a potential customer acquiring a copy of that information. Information is broadcast on e-mail lists, advertising, and direct mail in the assumption that a small percentage of the recipients will be interested enough in the item to respond. An opportunity exists with this invention to transform the current relationships in this regard to a more 'synchronous' one, whereby vendors or advertisers can have more "linkage," on a one-to-one basis, with a group of potential or existing customers.

Presently, digital publishing can be achieved through Web sites and e-mails. E-Commerce, though in its adolescence, is now on the verge of outgrowing catalog sales. Many catalog retailers have experienced remarkable success online—in some cases surpassing the "dot-com pure-plays" and the brick-and-mortar retailers that have since moved to the Internet.

Computer technology has dramatically expanded cataloging. Online catalogs play a vital part in e-Commerce. A significant percentage of retail sales can be attributed to consumer contact through catalogs. However, existing catalog information irrespective of the format, whether printed or digital, is not being exploited or harnessed to its maximum potential. Catalogs represent a large amount of free floating information that, if properly captured and utilized, could be the key to providing smarter and more flexible transactions between vendors and consumers.

The catalog is now employed as a listing of products that can then be purchased on the Internet or by traveling to a nearby retail outlet. After significant lead-time, each printed catalog, typically received by conventional postal mail, quickly outlives its usefulness, and is stacked one on top of the other in a discarded pile. These discarded catalogs, even when recycled, represent a significant waste of production resources and incur ever-growing disposal costs.

The relatively new Web catalog format has begun to address this waste problem, but has created a new one in its place. The vast amount of information available on the Web overloads the consumer with information, reflecting the inherent problem of information broadcasting. There are still several obstacles that prevent the user from effectively and efficiently utilizing the large archive of readily available information on the Web. An effective catalog must be limited to specific and pertinent information about a product or service that fits the profile or interest of the user, then it must be delivered to that specific, targeted consumer. This type of personalized interaction must not only be simple; it must be "meaningful" in the sense that the catalog must be personalized to suit the needs of the user in order to be effective. A critically important issue is not only whether the listed information is in a catalog format, but how it is determined that it should be there and how it is used or not used through a Web service, as denoted with a "preference factor."

Print advertisements are expensive to produce. The retailer or vendor must invest in design, production, publishing and distribution costs to provide the consumer with the delivered information presented through catalogs, brochures, magazines, flyers, billboards, to name a few. All of these costs, including shipping, must be passed on to the consumer. Because of these significant costs, catalogs represent a gamble for manufacturers and distributors—they may or may not recoup the costs through increased sales and profits.

Efficient and effective interaction with catalog content is crucial for all vendors engaged in Internet commerce. Vital product and business information is conventionally represented in the form of a "virtual" catalog, often defined as a simulation, or without physical boundaries and constraints. The virtual catalog plays a vital role in prevailing e-Commerce business models, which include "Web storefronts," with one supplier accessed by many buyers; "e-Procurement," in which one buyer delivers to many suppliers; and "e-Markets," where many buyers interact with many suppliers.

Catalog Management

Despite its mission critical nature, e-Catalog management has been the least emphasized and overlooked area of innovative development with respect to the Internet. There is a need for a universal, global, standardized, interactive cataloging system of providing a customer with personalized product information from any participating Vendor, all in one place, while completely protecting the anonymity of the customer as they utilize this resource. Digital convergence is another factor. The present invention can utilize any device that can interface with the Internet. It is not only applicable for use from a personal computer. Additionally, there is a need for a catalog content management system that effectively places the recipient of the content in the "driver's seat," whereby they choose information at their discretion, rather than be flooded with information against their will. Such a system would enable the vendor to simply make available the data required to "instantly" catalog any product, service or information for selective storage, personalization, enhancement, and peer sharing, while maintaining "on-the-fly" dynamic content management and anonymity.

There are currently three catalog content management approaches: buyer/e-Market managed, supplier managed, and third-party managed. In the early phase of e-Commerce, the "buyer-managed content model" (also called "content aggregation") predominated. This model was characterized by the need to fully or partially replicate product information from multiple suppliers into a single "master" catalog.

"Supplier-managed" content management is a distributed model, relying on a direct connection to catalog content on the suppliers' networks. This model has been supported through Open Buying on the Internet (OBI), an industry standard implementation that enables buyers to remotely access the necessary product, pricing and other information directly from the suppliers' Web storefronts. The advantage of the Supplier-managed model is that it gives suppliers maximum control over data presentation, but it is not flexible enough for customers to allow price or feature comparisons across catalogs. The difficulty of this model is compounded by the fact that in order to be effective, the catalog content must be updateable in "real-time" and transaction-enabled, which is most often not within the scope of suppliers to deliver.

The "third-party managed catalog" content is not yet widely used, but it is expected to steadily grow in acceptance as the Internet diversifies and specializes.

Most vendors underestimate the importance of catalog content and its relationship to timeliness of information. However, "third-party managed catalog content" is becoming the standard by which all e-Commerce initiatives will be measured. E-Commerce initiatives that do not develop strategies to effectively manage and maintain catalog content over time will likely suffer a low level of user acceptance, resulting in lost sales for suppliers, ineffective and costly purchasing decisions for buyers, and reduced traffic for e-Marketplaces. An alternate content management solution is required (a combination of the three catalog models described above is needed, a single/master/global repository, direct multi-vendor control, and anonymously facilitated by a third-party for delivery and management). The dynamic capturing and analysis of transactional information that cannot be processed and transferred instantaneously and simultaneously to every participant in the supply or service chain will significantly and negatively impact enterprise resource planning and day-to-day management.

This trend of third-party content aggregation services for cataloging is being increasing adopted by e-Procurement communities and e-Markets, because the complexities of content-management can be outsourced to technology specialists. The third-party services allow suppliers to publish their catalogs once for multiple distribution scenarios, operating in a similar manner to a "buyer-managed" model with catalogs being developed for specific industry or product segments.

Existing models, however, do not provide the interactive and intelligent filtering of profiles for enhancement and interoperability, as well as, the protection of anonymity that is needed for confident consumer use of the Internet for commercial transactions.

Most catalog descriptions consist of the common attributes of the product, material or service. This is adequate for speed searching, but it far from guarantees a match. Typically, product differentiation is severely limited, therefore the supplier cannot show why its product is the right fit or the best buy. Additionally, catalog data is often homogenized into the database to fit a limited format. A highly dynamic, personalized and user-driven cataloging system is needed that showcases the vendor's products and efficiently highlights features and options in response to the user's profiles and lifestyle activities. This leads to another need, whereby once the catalog is acquired and held by the user, it represents a channel between the user and the vendor, providing the foundations for a new, collaborative relationship that can evolve over time. It also needs to allow for comparison of one vendor's product to that of a competing vendor's product irrespective of the geographic location of the vendor. A system that can enhance and augment cross-vendor catalogs irrespective of existing or pre-defined vendor relationships by way of Web services is also needed.

Information Extraction

Conventional search engines in and of themselves are not powerful nor advanced enough to effectively search out scattered disparate information across a worldwide landscape of Web servers. One technology that is coming of age with respect to online catalog management is information extraction (IE) technology. IE is automating e-Catalog management by aggregating dissimilar information using advanced machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) techniques. It is a key ingredient and part of any successful e-Catalog management system. Simply put, IE assists by extracting information from documents in heterogeneous formats (PDF files, email messages, Web pages, etc.) and converts it to a single homogeneous form. It accomplishes this by examining the hidden structure of text. There are two predominant approaches, the natural language process (NLP) and the wrapper induction. Both determine relevant content and pull it from documents and text through various linguistic algorithms, and document structures and patterns. IE technology is an important tool for populating databases. Online catalogs or e-Catalogs rely on exploiting customer-centric databases to maintain timely information. More and more Web sites are adopting IE technology to enhance the quality and scope of their search tools. Two search methods that are greatly aided by IE are natural language and parametric. The goal of e-Catalog construction is to provide a unified view of information from multiple data stores dynamically. IE technologies are contributing to this by producing a new class of catalog-management tools that access and aggregate information through intelligent mining, extraction and classification of disparate product information. Highly scalable automated solutions that classify and extract information will substantially assist the building and maintaining of e-Catalog productivity across multiple vendor data stores.

Expert Cataloging

An expert system for searching out data should be seen as the first step toward unlocking and exploring additional information. Personalization, lifestyle enhancement, and mobility are key components that could benefit from an expert catalog profile repository. An Internet-based intelligent cataloging system that can provide such expert assistance in the presentation and use of catalog content to a user would be very desirable. Catalog networking can be facilitated through multiple locations and mediums, such as ITV, Internet, print and brick-and-mortar retail outlets. It would also be desirable to easily and efficiently share selectively-cataloged information with peers (a.k.a. viral marketing), resulting in a higher "saturation" rate than conventional e-mail and other Internet enabled technologies.

However, an integrated, Internet-based application that provides anonymous personalized cataloging in real-time is not currently available. First, the vendor or supplier must rely on intrusive and often inaccurate user tracking methods to obtain information on individual user activities and preferences, ranging from Web site session monitoring and vendor forecasting to bias marketing surveys and focus groups. And, the vendor (i.e. retailer, distributor or manufacturer, etc.) must expend inordinate amounts of time and money performing market research and statistical sampling, which is known to be inaccurate. Secondly, the threat to the privacy of individuals on the Internet is a legitimate one, especially with the ever-increasing competition for the attention and patronage of the Internet consumer. This invasion of privacy has been widely documented by industry experts, stating that it is a substantial threat to the future growth of e-Commerce. Vendors of consumer goods believe they must know and maintain personally identifiable demographic data specific to each of their consumers, who may be accessing their site so that they can customize their site to the needs of that individual. Most commercial transactions also require specific and personal information to fulfill the consumer's request, raising the need for greater consumer control over the use and dissemination of their personal information.

Information Publishing

The Internet has revolutionized the publishing world by allowing consumers to access newspapers, magazines, and television through their home PC. Although paper-based publications and broadcast media are still prevalent, increasingly the consumer is adopting the online model for accessing these channels. Delivering information via the Internet represents a significant leap in efficiency over more conventional distribution methods.

However, online information is not consistently or effectively packaged, resulting in an almost infinite array of information formats and taxonomies. What is needed is a consistent, convenient method for users to find and acquire the information they want, when, how and where they want it.

Database Management Systems and Data Mining

Many static database management systems (DBMS) are being used by manufacturers, retailers and service providers to identify potential purchasers of their products and or services. A key DBMS feature is its ability to manage these relationships. These same DBMS services use traditional sources to obtain prospective client information (including name, address, age, employment, income levels, home ownership, gender and race). Then a market research survey is performed to focus on learning what those prospective consumers might buy; this data is then forwarded to the appropriate vendors who subscribe to the DBMS information systems.

Traditionally, even with the use of the sciences of statistical analysis and psychographics, supported by the collected demographics, and refined by geographical/regional influences, have a built-in margin of error of 3% to 7% either side of the focus question. The reason for this margin of error is due to the unpredictability of what the consumer will actually do when making a purchasing decision.

List management, list brokerages, and special interest marketing services are choice locations for marketers interested in a specific interest group. These presently static databases are typically updated on a regular basis, such as monthly or bimonthly. They are assembled through a variety of means, and organized for statistical presentation of households or individuals as polled in relation to magazines, reader services, and sweeps information, for example. These statistics are primarily used for circulation, enhanced list rental, database mining and advertiser programs. They are often referenced against InfoBase™. Acxiom Corp. (www.axicom.com) is an international provider of comprehensive information management solutions using customer, consumer and business data. InfoBase is believed to offer the most accurate and comprehensive consumer, business and contact data available. It obtains its data from lists composed of change of address, U.S. Census, driver's license, and credit application stats. CircBase™ is a publishing cooperative database comprised many publications sharing their subscription purchase data. Under this model, no one can be aware of which publication the data is associated with, only that the requesters are magazine readers. All of these organizations rely on historical demographical information; and, latent, or post-transaction consumer data.

There are a number of problems plaguing market research systems and services. Estimating the ROI for these types of businesses can be very challenging and an approximate at best. There is no real-time relationship with the consumer/end-user. Privacy issues are neither fully enforceable nor controllable under current database architectures. The data is often not trustworthy; it must be tested routinely for duplicate records and inaccuracies. Latency is another problem that compounds the current models; the transactional information is almost always untimely, since it is provided days, weeks or even months after the consumer's activities were completed. A method of delivering highly accurate pre-transaction intentions as well as real-time transaction analytics through a user-driven utility is needed.

A radical departure from the current model is needed. The ideal system would no longer require the cumbersome task of managing names, addresses, and personal contact information. This would greatly reduce duplicate data issues, unsolicited direct mailings, and flagrant privacy breaches. Today, customer information is driving product and marketing decisions in unprecedented ways. The vendor can no longer assume to know what their consumers want. The consumer must be asked, without violating their privacy.

Network Environments

A key to this new model is the increasing use of "secured" networks. A secure network is a private network that employs standard Internet protocols and the public telecommunication system to securely share part of a business's information or operations with suppliers, vendors, partners, customers, or other select businesses. A secured network (Extranet) may be viewed as part of a company's Intranet, or internal network that is extended to users outside the company over the public Internet. It has also been described as a "state of mind," in which the Internet is perceived as a way to do business simultaneously with other companies (B2B) as well as creating the medium to sell products to consumers.

A secure network can facilitate privacy for all participants. Currently, these types of networks rely upon firewall server management, security transport protocols, the issuance and use of digital certificates/IDs or similar means of user authentication, encryption of messages, and the use of virtual private network (VPN) technology to securely connect participants through the public Internet. A secured network is needed that intrinsically provides a protected and controllable environment for Users and Vendors, while accelerating business transactions, minimizing the possibility of fraudulent activities and business abuses; and, most significantly, keeping users' identities anonymous.

Web Services

"Web services" are interoperable Web-based software services that can be subscribed to by Users, either on a payment or free-use basis. The interoperability aspect means that, at the direction of a User, one Web service can access another Web service. A Web service may combine several applications or architectures that a user needs, from any platform. For the consumer or end-user, the entire set of services will appear as a single, integrated service.

Currently employed protocols to which Web Services are especially suited include UDDI (Universal Description, Discovery, and Integration), XML (Extensible Markup Language), SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol), and WSDL (Web services description language). An important benefit of these standards is that client applications based on one vendor's software will be able to communicate with Web services even if they are based on differing software from another vendor. More recently, application service providers (ASP), organizations that host software applications on its own servers within its own facilities, are expanding their services to non-commercial users with browser-based PCs across the Internet. Customers rent the use of the application and access it over the Internet or via a private line connection. Although hosted applications are basically a parallel strategy to Web services, the mere hosting of an application does not encompass the potential for Web services. It is predicted that Web services will eventually become seamlessly interoperable with one another, and soon all leading e-Business platforms will support at least the basic Web services infrastructure.

A leading example of a Web-based development platform is .Net™ from Microsoft®. This technology includes tools to develop and deploy Web-based applications that can be accessed from anywhere, including browsers, handheld devices and smart phones. .NET provides a complete development infrastructure that enables programming languages to be compiled into a Common Intermediate Language (CIL) that is executed on-the-fly, or compiled into machine language by the Common Language Runtime (CLR) software in the target computer. This is similar to Java's intermediate "bytecode," except that Java is one programming language, whereas Microsoft is allowing all programming languages to be compiled into the intermediate code. .NET applications can run on Intranets as well as public Web sites, thus .NET is an all-inclusive software platform for both internal and external use. Microsoft browsers and upcoming versions of Windows are expected to include .NET code, which will take greater advantage of .NET-based applications. Microsoft has enhanced its programming languages to support the .NET platform, in such products as Visual Studio.NET. It has also introduced the .NET-enabled C Sharp (C#) programming language. .NET also supports existing Windows components, such as .DLLs and .COM objects.

Fortunately, a number of technology initiatives are under way to create an infrastructure for linking Web services. At the forefront of this effort are technologies such as XML, UDDI, and SOAP. These still-emerging technologies and standards are being packaged into competing suites of services and tools from Microsoft® on the one hand, and from companies such as Sun® Microsystems, IBM®, BEA®, Oracle®, and Hewlett-Packard® that support Java™ on the other.

Intelligent Agents

Users want personalized interactivity, not just mass-market e-Commerce. Users also want to interact with data more intelligently as it relates to their specific needs. Personalized data is information that is specifically tailored for the User such as their attribute and lifestyle preferences, which can be represented in a "profile."

To further aid the personalization of online data, expert assistants or "intelligent agents" can be employed. "Intelligent Agent" (IA) is a term applied to a general category of software entities that act on behalf of a user or another program to achieve preset objectives. The entity must have a certain degree of autonomy in order to be classified as an IA. Further, the IA must have the ability to perform tasks without the need for constant human instruction or interaction.

As new technology just coming of age, IAs may offer hope for the fulfillment of many wishes. For instance, those who utilize personal assistants or secretaries often seek an individual who understands their needs and preferences, and can be conditioned to think the way they do. Just as with a human friend or associate, over time the IA assistant would gradually acquire the patterns and practices of the individual served. Once taught, it could function on its own with an occasional "check-in" with the trainer or owner of the IA for unclear or new situations.

From the idea that patterns of behavior can be identified and described, it follows that if these patterns can be described, they can be learned. If one can describe how to recognize a certain kind of pattern, then a goal of an IA program is to recognize the pattern after a few occurrences, hopefully with the aid of users to help automate the patterns. The IA is therefore potentially a tool for analyzing systems and data stores. Essentially, an IA is a system situated within an environment that senses its own activities and acts upon them, in pursuit of its own pre-set yet potentially evolving agenda.

All existing software IAs are programs, but not all programs are IAs. On the Internet, an IA is typically a program that regularly gathers information or performs some other service without a user's immediate presence. Conventionally, an IA program uses parameters provided by the user in a search of all or some part of the Internet, gathers information of interest to the user, and presents it to the user on a regular basis. Other IAs have been developed that personalize information on a Web site based on registration information and usage analysis.

Any IA program must have a degree of autonomy in order to be classified as an Intelligent Agent. This enables the program to act without constant human intervention. This means the IA has control over its own actions and internal state, enabling itself to perform tasks without the need for constant instruction, which is typically given by a user. IAs must act in such a way to achieve their goals through communicating with other agents, systems or people, and automatically applying specialized logic to situations encountered.

IAs are already being integrated into many typical computer programming applications. There is a large market for such agents, especially when looking toward the future, because people are always seeking more ways to work more efficiently. As these types of IA software entities are further embedded into fundamental applications, marketers and certain types of businesses must consider IA alternatives to improve their business practices in order to succeed and survive in the increasingly competitive Information Age business landscape.

Several technologies can be used in the design of IAs. These technologies include statistical operations, artificial intelligence, machine learning, inference, neural networks, and information technologies. IAs can learn over time, and rapidly improve in their performance as they adapt to the user's needs. Although some expert agents are currently available, they are too simplistic, unrealistic, misapplied, ineffective without excessive user oversight and monitoring and unprotected from threats to privacy.

IAs are now common elements of many new software tools that are a blend of existing technologies, essentially converging on a more unified or common operational framework. However, the term "convergence" involves more than just grouping multiple technologies together. True convergence is achieved when multiple technologies are blended into a single new product with forethought on how the technologies interact. Converged technology must showcase a new and improved package that is more efficient, streamlined, powerful and easier to use; essentially, "greater than" the sum of its component parts. Most importantly, users must actually have a need for the product or service that the converged technology provides.

Supply Chain Relationships

The supply chain is every sequential step or process that brings the product or service from its most basic form, or most raw material, to finished or consumer packaged goods (CPG) ready for market. According to the Ernst & Young, the basic Supply Chain Process consists of five functions; plan, buy, make, move, and sell, with suppliers at one end, and customers at the other. The participants in the supply chain typically include the raw material extractor or producer, the material transporter, the manufacturer, marketers, distributors, retailers, advertisers, transporters, financiers or bankers, the government and the consumer. A current trend for e-Commerce is to reduce overhead by minimizing contact with the "middleman" such as the retailer, wholesaler or marketer, striving to make this contact instantaneously and simultaneously. E-Commerce is facilitating this new business model that more efficiently bridges, or shortens, the inherent distance between the consumer, and the seller, who may be a manufacturer or producer. The reason it has not been very well received in both the business and consumer sectors is that it still performs sequentially.

In addition to the chained relationship arrangement, retailers, manufacturers, and their supply chain members need access to transactional information as rapidly as possible to utilize their limited resources to the most efficient levels. Every product or service can be broken down to its most basic structure or component attributes, and information related to fulfilling any of those parts can be made available to any supply chain participant, instantly once the need is known.

Even with the Web's technology, and its ability to network information, it does not solve "real-time" information flow dilemmas. Currently, the process of production requires that information flow up and down the supply chain in sequential steps. The terms "just-in-time" and "real-time" presently imply that every affected part of the supply chain knows simultaneously what is happening above and below them. This is simply not true. Information conventionally flows in a sequential stream and only when the information providers decide to forward it, or are requested to do so. "Latency of information flows" are delays that are increased or decreased by the speed of which sequential decisions and or requests are made. This time and process delay affects production, inventory, and financial decisions of the supply chain participants; and wastes significant amounts of resources, unnecessarily.

An intelligent supply chain model presumes all participants involved in the process are both customers and suppliers. The intelligent model relies on shared knowledge and it applies quality initiatives and technology to the supply chain process. Dynamic data exchanges of product attributes, prices, and availability must become instantaneous. For real-time supply chain status processing, pro-active information systems must be integrated across the supply chain—including the end customer for whom it ultimately serves.

Trade Shows, Exhibitions and Expos

Industry leaders in the publishing field are using the Internet combined with venues like tradeshows to accurately move information simultaneously to interested parties while lowering their advertising costs. The anonymous nature of the data transfer benefits the vendor for tracking trends, consumer desires, etc. The permission-based information collected via this method is used to connect the vendor or publisher to individual consumers as a target audience. Nevertheless, everyone else in the supply chain is ignored; or may receive their information in some sequential interval of time.

Trade show and exposition organizers are increasingly challenged to justify to exhibitors their "return on investment" (ROI). Across nearly every industry, exhibitors are buying more space and show organizers are bringing in more revenue, while net paid square feet and total gross revenue continues to climb at double-digit rates. However, there are signs the expo industry may be slowing with respect to attendees. One possible reason for the decreasing number of attendees could be attributed to an overall dissatisfaction of the process, as it currently exists. Breakthroughs in technology, including computer registration, smart cards, magnetic stripe badges, Softstripe badges, and Web-based lead generation applications, have drastically changed the way tradeshow organizers manage events. New advancements such as these have made it possible for organizers to address the needs of both exhibitors and attendees more efficiently. Despite all of these improvements, a more efficient and effective way to acquire, store, exchange product interests and catalog exhibitor information is still needed.

Enhanced TV and Set-Top Devices

Enhanced TV is a technology that allows a consumer to receive both television broadcasts and Internet access across the same screen at once. It was originally introduced by NCI (now called Liberate Technologies) in 1997. Consumers need a more personal and convenient system for interacting with television content. To meet this need, an intelligent television response system is required that somehow tracks and facilitates consumers' interests, without revealing the viewer's identity or privacy. Consumer advocacy groups are warning that TV viewers will soon be subject to the same threats that are being faced by Internet users with respect to their privacy. The ITV industry is creating a new TV infrastructure designed to capture tremendous amounts of personal information about ITV subscribers that will be used for variety of marketing purposes. The current methods for filtering and tracking consumer interaction are not sufficient to address the growing demands of personalization and privacy safeguards. Set-top manufacturers are also being asked to address these concerns by integrating privacy technology into their products. The consumer's demands will need to be addressed in a way that gives the personalized convenience they need, while providing network operators, broadcasters, and sponsors with the required tracking of information in "real-time," while yet maintaining the privacy, anonymity and security of the viewer/subscriber.

TV Advertising and Technology

With the advent of personal video recorders (PVR), the advertising industry and all those who generate revenue through selling TV advertising slots have seriously begun reassessing better ways to reach their targeted audiences and protect their interests. PVR technology allows viewers to zap commercials, making TV content free, for all intents and purposes. With revenue streams being undercut and advertising rates going down, an alternative method of advertising through TV is required. Networks believe the PVR model will assist their efforts because the ads they do sell can be better targeted. The notion is that viewers will be less inclined to avoid commercials if they feature products that interest them. There are several new technologies arising that propose to build and capture individual viewer profiles for just this purpose. It is going to be a legal as well as a technical challenge for content providers to avoid the looming privacy issues that relate to the processing and storing of personally identifiable information of millions of viewers. Just as with Web advertising, TV advertisers may find themselves paying for "eyeballs." A more convenient and cost effect system of targeting individuals through ITV is needed. More particularly, it must avoid privacy pitfalls and efficiency restraints while serving all participants equitably. It must also introduce a new format and platform for advertisers.

Marketing

Manufacturers and service providers attempt to analyze consumers' needs, wants, desires, and trends through an expensive process called statistical "market research." This research includes statistical sampling and trends analysis in various regions of the national and international marketplaces. Also, manufacturers and producers are required to develop multiple styles, types and variations of a single product to ensure they reach the broadest number of consumers. This means that there are numerous product variations manufactured on either side of the bell curve, which are not consumed or bought. This wastes inordinate amounts of scarce raw materials, energy sources, labor efforts, and financial capacities for the manufacturer and its "supply chain." Accurate data that could be provided in a "real-time" and "synchronous" environment would narrow the bell curve base. Furthermore, the information relating to the production process does not allow for information to be instantly and simultaneously exchanged between the user, the manufacturer, and the other members of the supply chain.

Database marketing in the publishing field is still in its infancy. Editorial and advertising departments lack the understanding and skill set to properly explore the value of digital marketing data (not convenient). Many smaller companies must partner with a particular advertiser on a cooperative database. Designing and running a marketing database is a significant task, and most internal systems are not built to handle complex marketing analysis. Therefore, a company needs to enlist a dedicated database-marketing vendor and make it a partner in the process. Currently, a typical corporation uses dozens of databases to drive customer and vendor information. The next step is to centralize the process into a primary corporate marketing database, which isn't easy with existing systems. For example, a fulfillment database is primarily used to capture subscriber information, which then drives the delivery of an issue or drives the process of billing and then renewing that subscribing customer. There are elements in that process that do not easily incorporate into the current marketing database environment. A name is in play in so many places in the list market, and names are duplicated in many lists. The more places the name is found, the less likely it is to get valuable marketing information back about how the name was used.

Market Examples

In the present "Digital Age," turning business data into useful asset is a critical component for any organization to be successful. Several technologies and services are presently available to help the consumer capture and manage data for commercial purposes. The following technologies exemplify market examples that provide traditional client/server networking models to automate and enhance consumer services: Barpoint.com provides information gathering and e-Commerce through barcode identification. Quecat.com also provides information gathering and e-Commerce through a proprietary code scanning technology. Qode.com is a UPC indexed product database available to the general public where users can opt to remain anonymous if they so choose. Highpoint.com provides "in-store" e-Commerce technology via a personal digital assistant (PDA) or a consumer, hand held scanner. Edgegain.com provides comparison-shopping via the user's Web-browser based toolbar. ClickTheButton.com includes comparison-shopping on a client-side application running with the user's Web-browser. At GizmozNetworks.com, a rich, media merchant messaging system is provided that operates through e-mail and client-side programming. SOSMarketPlace.com provides selection management of products through personal accounts. OTSNet.com is a virtual tradeshow portal of sorts, complete with vendor booths e-Commerce services. Magaseek.com features a wireless application-based store locator and e-Commerce service that operates by a user's entry of the volume/issue, page number(s), and price range, as found within periodicals. StreetBeam.com provides an interactive advertising medium for retrieving and saving valuable information. WideRay.com and adAlive.com like BeamStreet.com offer methods that address contextual marketing through a variety of consumer devices.

Some of these examples simply are a repackaging of old concepts that do little more than offer a new mode of transmission. However, none of these services actually address the life cycle management of information from a consumer-centric perspective adequately. They lack the internal architecture required to assimilate new methodologies affecting the ever-changing landscape of market research, statistical analysis, and commerce both online and offline across multiple channels and devices. They have not factored the importance of allowing the consumer to create personalized catalog profiles over an e-Catalog network. They also do not properly address the information life cycle associated with products and services. The present invention directly sources and links the packaged information to its respective owner or vendor for dynamic updates, targeted promotions, custom services, and facilitation of supportive applications designed to take full advantage of the cataloged content.

The BuyLink.com marketplace is a catalog distribution network that creates connections between retailers and specialty item vendors. The core technology offers a centralized meeting place for retailers, reps, and vendors by way of a "Desktop Catalog" software application for communicating Live Market Data®. Desktop Catalog® software, installed on BuyLink™ retailers' computer desktops, allows them to browse catalogs, order, and communicate without the need to visit any web site. Desktop Catalogs are remotely updated. They are distributed over a P2P network and e-mail. They do not facilitate anonymous cross-profiling of customer-centric catalogs for contextual applications.

MindArrow.com is another example of a current service that does not provide the user with the needed personalization and the efficiency of dynamic catalog management. However it does provide personalized e-brochures (via e-mail) using HTML, video, audio, animation and graphics. A user's response to the e-brochure is then tracked, whether the user "clicks through," or makes a purchase, or forwards the information on to another user. However, this too falls short of providing users with the needed personalization and privacy as discussed above.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,216,129, as implemented by Expanse™ Networks, Inc., covers a privacy-protected method and software for targeting advertisements to consumers based on their purchase habits. The technology described in the patent suggests that companies could target broadcast advertisements to introduce new products to brand-loyal customers, or even target their competitors' customers to raise market share. Jovio.com is yet another example of viewer profiling, ad ordering and ad insertion engines, which captures and creates detailed viewer profiles, and then delivers targeted TV commercials. Jovio Inc. makes software that enables any cable or satellite television operator to profile its viewers and deliver highly targeted commercial advertisements to them. However, these technologies simply offer targeted television advertising. A direct method that is intrinsically anonymous is needed for interrelating with the TV viewer/subscriber, while exclusively maintaining the viewers' control to acquire data on products, information and services instantly at their discretion across multiple mediums. At the same time this transactional information is produced, it must be instantly related to the affected participants of the supply chain.

Eye2Buy™ Technology Co. offers a tracking mechanism, to complement the strategy of product placements in movies and television programs, whereby the decision, selection and purchase actions of a viewer from initial interest through to a purchase can be captured. The technology requires special digital encoding applied during the entertainment product's post-production phase. This would allow the viewer to open an overlay window that lists products that are associated with the broadcast or release. The viewer could then explore a link that holds a complete catalog of the item or product line. Then, if desired, a purchase may be made. There is also the ability to tie in additional links such as production-related information, interactivity with fan clubs or official show Web sites. Although this approach offers convenience and flexibility, it does not provide anonymity through a catalog server system nor does it facilitate the delivery of e-Catalog profiles for further enhancement by Web service applications.

Multi-channel marketing, profile analytics, decision support, e-Customer intelligence are just some of the phrases being used to describe a new era in marketing and sales. Such companies as Personify®, Engage®, Coremetric®, and NetGenesis® too name a few are focused on creating solutions that help businesses leverage their customer information assets through a variety of personalized Internet technologies. The present invention solves unaddressed issues of control on the part of the User by providing a co-managed e-Catalog network.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

Introduction

The present invention provides a universal interactive and enhanced digital catalog server system for products, services and information. The present invention allows any User of the system to anonymously and instantly catalog any item they view in a store or trade show, off a Web site or television program, or from a periodical or brochure to name a few, meaning they can personally acquire and manage relevant catalog information for later use and sharing. The present invention enables the User/Consumer to instantly catalog information, as a transaction request, from these mediums and venues with a range of devices including Smart (cellular) phones, portable PCs, personal digital assistants (PDA), Internet-enabled set-top devices (ITV), card readers and scanners, standard landline telephones, portable scanners, and Internet-enabled game consoles, to name a few. These transaction requests are processed through a catalog server system by creating a User requested catalog entry to the respective User account.

The User then accesses these catalogs through a Web-based interface for managing, profiling, sharing with peers, or for use in a Web service. At any time the User can delete the catalog(s) items, and at no time while the User is in the system is the User's personal identity stored or revealed anywhere or to anyone. The anonymity of the User is an important feature of the system of the present invention.

The present invention broadly defines the User as "any recipient or consumer of the transactional information created by the cataloging, profiling, enhancement or buying actions, whether a single individual or a group." The present invention provides a novel and unique form of interactive digital marketing and sales.

For the present invention, the Vendor is broadly defined as someone in the supply chain, such as a retailer, distributor, manufacturer, reseller or anyone who can populate a catalog profile template (CPT). The Vendor can easily use (for use with the present invention) an existing product or inventory code system such as a UPC, ISBN, ISSN, SKU or any other tracking or search code, which may be standards-based or proprietary to function as Identifier IDs that directly or indirectly reference a CPT through a unique Catalog ID (C-ID).

The present invention is configured to provide pre- and post-purchase, transaction-based catalog information instantly and simultaneously, to any other member of the supply chain or channel. The present invention uniquely combines this real-time information with a novel method and approach of interactively and intelligently profiling of products, services and information groupings from a networked data store, referred to hereafter as a Catalog Sever System (CSS), also referred to in this patent in its broader context as the "Interactive Digital Catalog Profiling" (IDCP) Network. This method enables the creation of an entirely new composite profile of each User, whose personal identity is not known or stored within the CSS. The system also allows the User to store multiple profiles of instantly cataloged information for themselves or others, such as those people on a User's Christmas gift list.

The present invention provides the User with the ability to create and securely explore a catalog network of products, services, and information contextually tailored to their own unique environment. Web services operating internally (in the system) and externally (third-party) can be permitted to access individual catalog accounts to anonymously assist and facilitate a context-specific task or service intuitively and spontaneously. Through the selective cataloging of multi-vendor products, services, and information captured from ITV, print, the World Wide Web, and other IDCP User accounts (businesses, colleagues, friends, and family), an IDCP User is able to fully control, personalize, and share, any catalog item. The User is not exploring the Internet (a.k.a. "surfing the net"); rather, the User anonymously creates their very own controllable experience through a personalized Catalog Server System.

A key distinction between the present invention and the public Internet is the concept of a secured, protected ("buffered") environment, whereby Users employ an "assistant" program so that the User can interact anonymously with Vendor catalog information, which is also in the buffered environment. This is like having a greater extranet populated with smaller extranets that protect and give individual User's control of their catalog selections. They remain anonymous to the Vendors when operating under the anonymity guidelines of the Catalog Server System (CSS). The CSS ensures a buffered environment, which is operated on a secured basis. The Catalog Server System therefore provides a protected area for Users (consumers) to interact with Vendors in a secure, anonymous manner, without fear of surveillance or invasion by malevolent virus programs. Another aspect of this "buffered relationship" is the dynamic communication (Vendor Channel), which can be maintained between the Vendor and the User/consumer, allowing a continual stream of information such as updated pricing, availability, and special offers to flow discreetly for as long as the User retains the catalog item(s). One of the fundamental differences between current user profiling services and the present invention is that the IDCP Vendor Channel never remains idle or static, but rather is continually mapping or auto-profiling the active interests of the User. Most multi-channel marketing and profiling services only work when the customer visits and directly interfaces with a Web site or a Web application service. The Catalog Server System is a 24/7 dynamic model that never ceases processing catalog transactions for the User. Even when Users are not directly cataloging items through the variety of available venues' mediums, and peer sharing (a.k.a. viral marketing), and task oriented autonomous agents may initiated catalog transactions without the conventional boundaries such as, time zones, geography, politics, economics, and cultural factors due in part to the buffered environment.

The Vendor also is able to view cataloging activity in the aggregate, meaning that any individual cataloging action would not be traceable by individual account to any single User, but the activity as a whole can be reported on. This is not a statistical sampling, but rather a true representation of each User by way of highly defined aggregate views (or catalog profiles). These aggregate views facilitate the anonymous communication and exchange between Vendors and Users also referred to as the Vendor Channel.

The implications of IDCP are far reaching in both scope and depth because it redefines the manner in which Vendors of products, services, and information interact with Consumers of those goods and services. Instead of the current 'adversarial' model where every consumer is tracked, identified, surveyed, and profiled, and then inundated with direct marketing information in all forms, the IDCP Network creates a new environment with the ability to create a cooperative, mutually beneficial exchange of information between Vendors and Consumers to support and enhance e-Catalog marketing, distribution and e-Commerce.

The system of the present invention permits a balance of the control of information acquisition between the User and the Vendors while protecting the rights of the consumer's anonymity, and the rights of the Vendor to obtain and control critical marketing data in an efficient and timely manner. The IDCP system allows for a reduction in industry's reliance on mass mailings by creating a balanced medium whereby Vendors can publish catalogs profiles of any type, consumers can acquire this information anonymously, and aggregate market buying intentions can be monitored without revealing any personally identifiable information. Most importantly, this IDCP environment can become the precursor to commerce transactions because it can support the buyer's research and decision-making process, in a completely anonymous way, right through to the execution of the transaction. In addition, any cataloging activity is readily available to all participants in the supply chain, instantly and simultaneously. This allows, for the first time, the ability to bring the Customer into the supply chain as a proactive participant, and it provides a window into the mind of the Consumer before a purchase is made, while viewing them as a completely anonymous influence. When the User is ready to make a purchase, the IDCP Network provides a direct link to the Vendor to execute the transaction.

The Catalog Server System (CSS) also can serve as an ongoing repository of asset information after the purchase is made. When a User catalogs an item, its status is maintained as "pre-purchase." At the discretion of the User, the Vendor can authorize/validate the purchase status at the point-of-sale (pre-sale vs. purchased) of a CPT digital receipt (issued by the CSS as a pre-sale digital receipt resulting from a cataloging action). The item is simultaneously cataloged and validated through one process. IDCP generates, communicates and archives digital receipt requests for validating warranty support, returns, store credit (via coupons/vouchers), and promotions to name a few post-purchase activities/services. The purchase status, item, quantity, logistics and demographics are the only information revealed to the Vendor when querying User profiles aggregately. Vendors are required to maintain a record of the Digital Receipt ID to facilitate post-purchase customer services. User's who make payment in cash are not required to disclose personally identifiable information. Vendors will obtain no additional advantage through the IDCP Network if they choose to capture personally identifiable information at the point-of-sale. Users can view and manage their digital receipt assets from within the ICA "Account" view.

The IDCP Network is also an ideal environment to store post-transactional information, such as digital receipts and digital rights management. In fact, Users will have the option at the point-of-sale to catalog the item, so it can be referenced for asset management (hard goods), re-order management (perishable goods), receive targeted promotions, personalize product profiles, and monitor purchasing habits/patterns. The IDCP Network can be configured with a Digital Receipt operational data store for filing and processing digital receipts anonymously.

EXAMPLES

Media Providers

Media providers may use Web services in conjunction with the IDCP Network to create new revenue models. IDCP interactive scripting enables Vendors to create promotions that would link selective catalogs or marketing campaigns to media programs, publications and broadcasts. This would allow at least a two-tier revenue model. The media provider could include the Vendor's catalog in a particular broadcast, and the Vendor could analyze any sales activity derived from catalogs acquired during the event. This could evolve into a scenario whereby broadcast commercials would no longer be needed. Catalogs can be associated to more than one media program at a time. Users/Customers can browse the Sponsor/Vendor list as shown in FIG. 7 at D, to acquire and filter catalog selections from any of the participating Vendors. This is of tremendous value to Vendors, because they can then identify and track the effectiveness of their advertising expenditures accurately and in "real-time." It also facilitates a direct channel whereby they can maintain communication long after the marketing campaign has finished.

Marketing

The present invention redefines the traditional relationship between Buyer and Seller. Buyers are no longer tracked, categorized, and sold to direct marketers in this marketing model. The concept of re-engineering how Buyers and Sellers relate to each other is not a trivial one, since it will require retraining the marketing industry and "undoing" technology apparatuses that are made to target and track individual persons. It is believed that by restructuring the nature of this relationship with IDCP technology, a wide range of benefits can be garnered by both parties that is impossible in the current state of affairs.

IDCP allows the interconnectivity of related, unsolicited, information to be profiled and enhanced at the discretion of the User. The IDCP environment introduces a completely new approach to marketing management. The planning, execution and tracking of marketing campaigns can be re-engineered to take advantage of the IDCP architecture. The planning phase can include analysis of anonymously collected data on buying or cataloging habits from a current or historical perspective, surveying of User preferences across target audiences in any mix of geographic areas. Instead of relying on historical data analysis to project possible future buying behavior, marketing management can view the effect of campaigns, product releases, promotional events, and advertising by monitoring IDCP Network activity.

IDCP technology also supports the notion of 'synchronous' marketing communications. Even though Users are completely anonymous to the Vendor in IDCP, their aggregate activity can be monitored in real-time, providing a "feedback loop" in response to advertising and promotions. Currently, the only feedback available to Vendors is the actual sales transactions arising out of a promotion campaign. The IDCP Network can provide not only feedback on the number and general "geographics" of catalog acquisitions in real-time, but it can also track the 'viral' progression of catalog distribution as people peer-share catalogs with friends, acquaintances, and associates. In fact, entire promotion campaigns can be designed with the 'viral' aspect in mind, reflecting a more close relationship to how news and ideas traditionally progress through human society—via word-of-mouth.

The direct feedback and control of the following measurements and services could include, but are not limited to: Price, frequency, monetary, purchase parameters, viral marketing, interest analysis, trend analysis, spending patterns, budget analysis, on-the-fly promotional controls, brand analysis, product analysis, inventory analysis, infinite up-sell and cross-sell opportunities, subscription analysis, and retention controls.

The IDCP Network provides a type of link between the User storing a cataloged item, and the Vendor (manufacturer, distributor, retailer) of the product that has been cataloged. This gives rise to new ways of handling discontinued products or closeouts, and for minimizing the effect of supply chain bankruptcies at the distributor and/or retail level. For instance, as a product nears the end of its lifecycle and the supply chain is preparing to clear the old inventory out of the fulfillment pipeline to make way for new products, users can be informed via the link that the item they've cataloged is now available at a clearance price, and special purchase procedures can be communicated. In the case of a bankruptcy of a retailer or manufacturer, the accumulated goodwill is not lost due to privacy restrictions placed on the customer data, which prevents the reassignment of that list to other entities without proper consent and disclosure. Because the channel between the IDCP Users and the Vendors is anonymous, the manufacturer can reassign those users to another retailer or manufacturer by simply assigning a new Vendor link. The same could be done if the retailer and/or distributor chooses to replace the manufacturer. All parties benefit from the anonymity.

IDCP allows the interconnectivity of related, unsolicited, information to be profiled and enhanced at the discretion of the User. The IDCP environment introduces a completely new approach to marketing management. The planning, execution and tracking of marketing campaigns can be re-engineered to take advantage of the IDCP architecture. The planning phase can include analysis of anonymously collected data on buying or cataloging habits from a current or historical perspective, surveying of User preferences across target audiences in any mix of geographic areas. Instead of relying on historical data analysis to project possible future buying behavior, marketers can view the effect of campaigns, product releases, promotional events, or advertising by monitoring IDCP Network activity.

IDCP provides the opportunity for direct access to the User, accurate daily, and even minute-by-minute statistical analysis, without expensive "validating" and "preference analysis" through focus groups, and surveys. A dynamically managed Vendor Channel would replace the database list management model, as it is commonly known. Extracting aggregate statistical analysis intelligently and anonymously from a user's ICA will prove to be far more accurate, efficient, and cost effective. The direct feedback and control of the following measurements and services could include, but are not limited to: Price, frequency, monetary, purchase parameters, viral marketing, interest analysis, trend analysis, spending patterns, budget analysis, on-the-fly promotional controls, brand analysis, product analysis, inventory analysis, infinite up-sell and cross-sell opportunities, subscription analysis, and retention controls.

The IDCP Network also extends the value of print, Web and broadcast advertising, because it allows the consumer, with the simple entry of a number, scanning a label or the click of a remote or mouse, the ability to acquire their own personalized copy or instance of the advertising Vendor's catalog that is associated with the ad. Today, once an ad has been broadcast or distributed on paper, if the potential consumer doesn't copy down or remember the information, the value is lost. However, with the convenience and control of the IDCP system, the User can quickly acquire catalog information according to their personalized profile and preferences.

Many market "segments," or categories, such as Web, print and television related Vendors could immediately benefit from the technology inherent in the present invention. Example market categories include home building, remodeling and decorating, twenty-four hour home shopping, infomercials and commercials, apparel and fashion, travel, financial services, entertainment programming, food, "edutainment" and real-estate, to name but a few. Literally any industry, any subject, or any category that offers the potential for Users to aggregate a library of catalog information can be adapted for use with IDCP Network. The User can easily capture information relating to public announcements, talk shows, documentaries, printed media publications and news features, providing the Vendor with a ready forum for their specific products, which may be purely informational in form.

The use of the system of the present invention will create a revolutionary change to the conventional business model by creating an anonymous relationship managed by both parties. The IDCP Network creates a data interchange that ensures the Vendor and User exchange "real-time" data of true value. Due to the anonymous nature of this model, Users are more willing to provide valid information. Through IDCP the cataloged information, when published by the Vendor, is instantly updated, as profiled by the User, to meet their specific needs and desires. This transactional information is available instantaneously and simultaneously to every member of the affected supply chain.

The IDCP method of cataloging information is an active digital interchange of information that can utilize static digital publishing, also known as "network publishing." Digital publishing is characterized by the consumers' accessing Vendor's Web sites directly for catalogs and other information, which in turn may develop into a new buyer-seller relationship.

IDCP and the Privacy Issue

For the present invention, each User has permission-based controls over privacy of what is disclosed. With the anonymous tracking abilities of the present invention, by way of the Vendor Channel, the Vendor can concede the tracking of every individual customer by identity. With the services of the Catalog Server System (CSS), the Vendor can aggregate all aspects of market research and deliver highly customized promotional services, such as rebates, discounts, and coupons, without having to personally identify the User by name, address, or any type of contact information. The IDCP Network solves the problem of delivering personalized Vendor/User interactivity while maintaining total anonymity. The Vendor controls the distribution and content, and the User controls and manages the personalization and usage for each item cataloged. The User stores and manages personalized copies or instances of cataloged products, services, and information with the aid of a user interface referred to in this invention as the Instant Catalog Assistant (ICA). In this sense, the CSS acts as a secure hub that can be accessed both by the User and the Vendor.

Permission controls are multi-layered in that selected information or groups of information can be shared with selected others.

Typically, the tools that conventional Web sites employ to provide online shopping are "shopping carts" and "online order forms." Neither of these conventional methods can offer the option of instantly cataloging a specific item or items, for personalizing, enhancement and networking, as provided by the IDCP Network of the present invention. Most e-Commerce sites allow Users to create personal accounts where selections may be stored, typified by a "wish list," or with a "my folder," or even a "my catalog" as examples. The latter simply being a saved listing of products, which are not characterized as interoperable or dynamically manageable, as demonstrated with the present invention. Most such sites also offer the option to e-mail a selection to a friend. Some sites will even go as far to offer group services for Users of specific categories or classes. These services conventionally require some form of membership. Most conventional e-Commerce sites only offer a "buy" link. These same sites usually do not require membership to "window shop," or browse through the site. However, once the User decides to check out with their purchase, they are required to disclose personal and financial information. This leaves them vulnerable to various e-Commerce tracking systems. Even if the User decides to leave the site without buying anything or applying for a membership, an identifying tag or "cookie" is saved on the User's system to recall their most recent actions. These activity records are typically saved for tracking and personalizing a User's return session to the site. Although cookies offer convenience, increasing numbers of Users are becoming concerned about this method of tracking User's actions and potential misuses of private information (including e-mail) that could result from the tracking of cookies. In addition, savvy users are disabling cookies or using anti-cookie software, which reduces the vendors' intended use of any cookie-based statistics. The current invention avoids the need to rely on "cookies" as utilized by existing e-Commerce sites, and therefore avoids the invasion of privacy issues.

Microsoft has recently implemented a technology standard called Platform for Privacy Preferences (P3P), derived from the W3C standards body, which will be embedded in the next release of Internet Explorer. This is a step towards enabling a user to create a higher level of anonymity and protection than currently exists. The present invention is distinguishable from P3P and significantly improves and furthers the privacy protection for the User.

The CSS tracks aggregated demographic, geographic, psychographics, and behavioral patterns without the need to collect or target personally identifiable information of the individual User. In the present invention, Vendors are not required to collect or process personal information in order to target the desired demographic group or maintain a direct line of communication; Users are completely anonymous. The IDCP User account information, within the User Account Data Store (UAD), is isolated and protected by a unique account number and a changeable PIN. In one embodiment of the invention, the User has the option of removing himself (via an opt-out control) completely from the aggregate reporting facility, thus disabling his participation in any aggregate view. The CSS does not store any personally identifiable information (name, address, or contact information), including e-mail.

The IDCP Network of the present invention restricts the use of cookies. Such cookies are limited to general status or place saving operations. These types of cookies are essentially anonymous in that they do not track a User's browsing activities nor do they save IDCP account PINs.

In one embodiment of the invention, the IDCP Vendor is able to issue promotional services (rebates, discounts, coupons, etc.) At the option of the User, the Vendor can fulfill a request for a digital receipt at the point-of-sale for a product, service, or for an information item cataloged and purchased. The digital receipt is a record of a transaction, without requiring a copy on paper. The IDCP digital receipt, as stored in a digital receipt database, provides a safe, secure, and convenient method for modifying the catalog status from pre-purchased to that of purchased (as shown in FIG. 13, the digital receipt database is the User Catalog Data Store that stores pre-sale digital receipts as a result of cataloging actions). Additionally, the present invention can provide automatic archiving of receipts so an ongoing, traceable audit trail could be maintained for every purchase the consumer makes allowing for later transfer into tax, bookkeeping and other programs that can utilize this type of data. The presence of an archive of receipts could, for example, aid in the resolution of warranty issues, support roll-outs of promotions or coupons for a sales campaign, or it could include the personalized profile and specifications of products for ongoing Customer Relationship Management (CRM) applications. This would complement current efforts by companies such as Compaq to create an extensible point of sale (XPOS) digital receipt system allowing for retailers to speed up in-store lines and transactions by using infrared, Internet, wireless and hand-held devices to reach customers, headquarters, sales partners and suppliers. Digital receipts can be issued to an IDCP member at point-of-sale, stand-alone kiosks, via phone orders, fax orders, and online orders. Vendors are required to have an authentication vehicle, such as a Digital Certificate to verify that the message was indeed fulfilled by the authorized Vendor, a Digital Certificate/ID, issued by a certification authority such as VeriSign, Inc., would be employed in the present invention. Two examples of how Digital Receipts can be verified and fulfilled (pre-sales and point-of-sale) are shown in FIG. 12. The User could swipe their IDCP member card and enter their security PIN at a point-of-sale or a stand-alone kiosk. A unique digital receipt ID (DR-ID) is automatically generated by the User Catalog Manager (UCM) and returned to the Vendor without disclosing the User's account number or PIN to the Vendor (this prevents Vendors from mapping personally identifiable information). The Digital Receipt awaits User review and acceptance by way of the Digital Receipt Manager (located in the ICA "Account" view). For this case the User is not manually passing the DR-ID from the User's Digital Receipt Manager. A second method for generating a DR-ID can occur when ordering by phone, fax or online. The ICA "Buy" view displays the auto-generated DR-ID biased on rules specified through a "Commerce Profile." The UCM generated DR-ID must match the Vendor's returned copy to negotiate a valid transaction. The Vendor uses the DR-ID to return the digital receipt; this is all the Vendor requires since the DR-ID is unique to the User's account. The digital receipt does not contain personally identifiable information. Only the raw transaction information and logistics of the transaction are provided, all personally identifiable information and or financial information are never passed or stored in the CSS. The User may accept or decline it from within the ICA Digital Receipt Manager. Once accepted, the same DR-ID cannot be issued or activated again. The User must accept the DR-ID before it can be activated. The same is true when the User purchases an item online. The online vendor can provide a place during the online checkout procedure for the User to enter, paste or pass the DR-ID. The IDCP Network can play a vital role in preserving security and anonymity for both parties of a payment transaction.

Initially, the IDCP Network can act as a decision-support tool for a shopper by enabling searches, enhanced analysis, and comparisons of selectively cataloged items before the sales transaction, and then after the transaction, change its role in regards to the purchased item, to a repository of its information profile.

IDCP as Indicators

The ability to aggregately monitor Consumer cataloging activity could have a significant impact on pre-sales forecasting, since the IDCP Network can provide Vendors with minute-by-minute customer-centric analytics on item cataloging, including how the Users are classifying their catalog selections contextually, and thus revealing the intent and motivation associated with the purchase. This obviously provides a more accurate multi-dimensional view of the Consumers' buying habits. The latency issues are also minimized by accommodating many touch points. It also addresses a major concern marketers have been struggling with of how to integrate Internet advertising efforts with the rest of a traditional company's marketing and CRM initiatives.

Today, companies rely on surveys and historical seasonal fluctuations to create their sales forecasts, which, for publicly traded companies, are carefully reviewed by stock market investors and analysts. The sales forecast, coupled with a company's historical ability to meet their forecasts, can have a direct effect on their share price. Stock market analysts also use a series of mathematical formulas to chart the various dynamics of a company's share performance, often taking into consideration price, volume, and momentum.

The IDCP Network can play an important role in raising the quality of sales forecasting in the immediate, short term, and long term, because aggregate consumer interest in a product line can be constantly monitored. In addition, IDCP data can provide the foundation for an entirely new set of analytical formulas that could prove to be significantly more accurate in charting a given company's fortunes than any tool developed to date.

Web Services

The present invention can integrate any one of a number of technology initiatives currently under way, or later developed, to create an infrastructure for linking varied Web services. At the forefront of this effort are technologies such as "XML," "UDDI," and "SOAP." These emerging technologies and standards are being packaged into competing suites of services and tools from forefront companies such as Microsoft™, Sun Microsystems™, IBM™, BEA™, Oracle™, and Hewlett-Packard™. The present invention is well suited for accommodating the Web Services model, as specifically outlined by Microsoft. An example of a Web-based development platform is Microsoft's .Net, which includes tools to develop and deploy Web-based applications that can be accessed from anywhere, including browsers, handheld devices and smart phones.

In the future, developers will pay much more attention to how seamlessly a Web site can be integrated with another Web site. Currently, developers are mostly concerned with integrating applications with known quantities on their particular site. In the future, with the aid of the emergent Web services, developers can expect to integrate any new application with existing applications to create a greater set of services. This "next generation Internet architecture" is an excellent platform for the IDCP Network of the present invention, and the Web services model, especially as outlined by Microsoft and others. In the present invention, Intelligent Agents (IA) are essentially applications that are designed specifically to work with and enhance the Instant Catalog Assistant (ICA) and other supportive data stores. They intelligently process, analyze and augment e-Catalogs. IAs can work with other IAs as well as third-party Web service applications to create a seamless aggregate result.

Content Management System

A content management system (CMS) is a comprehensive toolset and environment that allows non-technical users across multiple departments of an organization to create, approve and publish web content on public or private networks. The users do not have to have any HTML or JavaScript skills; generally, if they are proficient with a common word processor, they can create content for a web site.

CMS technology also generally provides "workflow" tools that enable the construction of approval lists, for instance, that would reflect a chain of management approval steps necessary for any particular type of document. In this way, corporate policies and procedures can be embedded into the CMS as business rule logic. The use of pre-defined templates also ensures consistency with the design and appearance standards required by most organizations.

Content Management Model

For conventional content management, there are three typical models. The buyer may "pull" content in the e-Market. Alternatively, the supplier may "present" content to the User, thereby directly managing what the User sees and may interact with. Lastly, a third-party may manage the interaction, with commercials or promotions inserted in the content. Each of these methods has inherent problems that the present invention addresses, while utilizing the virtues of each method for the mutual advantage of the User and Vendor.

IDCP Content Management

The CSS and its catalog management method do not specifically fit any of the methods listed above. Instead, an alternative content management method is provided. The approach of the present invention focuses upon a consumer-centric model that places control of the catalog content with the recipient. The Vendor simply empowers the User by making available a way to catalog product, service or information groupings for selective storage, personalization, enhancement, and peer sharing, while maintaining dynamic content and anonymity at all times.

In one embodiment of the present invention, catalog content is categorized and normalized to support relational database development. The CSS profiles every catalog entry using the Catalog Profile Template (CPT) which may be an XML schema, designed for the Vendor's particular product type(s) and industry. Only a minimum data set is required. However, the Vendor can provide a richer data set, which does not exceed the preset range. The CPT is capable of being expanded or customized. For example, with extensible programming languages, programmers can add new control structures, statements or data types. Those with administrative privileges, such as the Vendor, authorized supply channel partners via Vendor Catalog Administrator (VCA) that provides services such as account administration, Catalog Profile Template (CPT) management and information extraction, transactional reporting, interactive script creation and management, affiliate management, supply chain account management, to name a few. IDCP technical administrators can perform administrative selective CPT and maintenance tasks. For cataloging to take place, publishing of catalog templates to the IDCP Item Data Store (IID) is required. The IID is the master data store where all the Catalog Profiles are stored.

EXAMPLES

Although none of the currently available applications provide the cataloging features of the present invention, many "third-party" technologies and components are addressing legacy information extraction, intelligent search routines, and e-Catalog classification just to name a few. All of which could be integrated into the present invention.

Using technology from WIZNET®, raw data from the Vendor can be converted from paper to digital format for export to the IID. WIZNET is a useful tool for moving the Vendor's data from an unabridged format to a query able digital document format for use with the present invention.

Another industry example of potential use is the Cuesta® Online Catalog System as provided by Cuesta Technologies. Cuesta provides customizable online catalogs and searchable databases for business and e-Commerce Web sites. The Cuesta Web development system uses state-maintenance programming without cookies, to provide programmable, dynamically generated Web pages with database extensions.

The Cuesta Catalog System is a Web database application created with OpenPages™ that provides the most comprehensive system for deploying online catalogs on the market today. The Cuesta Catalog system uses the "OpenPages" Data "Bus," which is a flexible, extensible, and modular data interchange mechanism that allows data from any source. Database programs, such as Oracle®, FiledMaker® Pro or Microsoft® Access spreadsheet applications, which can include text files are used and incorporated into the Web site. This feature makes it easy for Cuesta catalogs to work with virtually any legacy data the company may have.

Mercado® Software, Inc. (www.mercadosw.com) adaptable search Framework (IntuiFind™) combines the leading intuitive, parametric, and category search methods into a comprehensive, flexible search solution for large and complex online catalogs. By combining parametric search with categorical search techniques into a single query interface, users are able to find catalog items by defining specific product attributes that are important to them. Parametric searching is simply retrieving content by textual attribute or feature. For example, an online wine merchant could permit end users to access information by vintage, color, name, price, and the like. Books can be retrieved by author, title, subject heading, year of publication, publisher, and so forth.

Mercado's XML-based product classification and attribute extraction technology (UniClass™) can integrate with existing databases and e-Catalog commerce systems. It unifies unclassified or inconsistently classified product data into the aggregator's preferred classification system. These are example methods for automating the construction, and dynamic management of content-rich structured data.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

An integrated information system that is used to plan, schedule and control the pre-sales and post-sales activities in an organization. Although the dividing lines are not crystal clear, CRM generally does not include the marketing function and could be said to be enterprise relationship management (ERM) without the marketing component.

The clear objective for CRM is to enable a customer to interact with a company through various means including the Web, telephone, fax, e-mail and snail mail and receive a consistent level of quality service. The integration of all activities means that an order placed by phone can be tracked on the Web and vice versa.

IDCP can play an important role in the CRM field by dramatically altering and expanding the relationship between Buyer and Seller. By equalizing the nature of the relationship through a buffered, anonymous environment, and transforming it from one that can include harassment and coercion to one of respect and consensual interaction, both parties will enjoy the benefits of enhanced cooperation. Consumers today are tracked, investigated and categorized to unprecedented levels because marketers believe they must "own" their customers. These aggressive techniques are having a growing counter-productive effect, however, as more and more consumers are either surfing the web in a more limited manner, or simply turning off their machines.

IDCP requires a completely different approach, because it employs a universal catalog database, aggregately created by multiple vendors and their respective supply channels. Consumers can pull packaged content in virtually any situation and with any device, even a plain piece of paper, a pencil, and an ordinary telephone. Once the consumer has cataloged items from a particular vendor, an anonymous vendor channel is created, which is the medium through which entirely new CRM capabilities can emerge.

Enterprise Relationship Management

Enterprise Relationship Management (ERM) is an integrated information system that serves the "front office" departments within an organization, which are sales, marketing and customer service. When sales functions are integrated with marketing and customer service, it is known as "enterprise relationship management."

IDCP can enhance ERM capabilities through the instant cataloging and the dynamic vendor-channel that is created.

Enterprise Resource Planning

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERM) is an integrated information system that serves all departments within an enterprise. Evolving out of the manufacturing industry, ERP implies the use of packaged software rather than proprietary software written by or for one customer. ERP modules may be able to interface with an organization's own software with varying degrees of effort, and, depending on the software, ERP modules may be alterable via the vendor's proprietary tools as well as proprietary or standard programming languages.

An ERP system can include software for manufacturing, order entry, accounts receivable and payable, general ledger, purchasing, warehousing, transportation and human resources. The major ERP vendors are SAP®, PeopleSoft®, Oracle®, and J.D. Edwards®. Lawson Software® specializes in back-end processing that integrates with another vendor's manufacturing system.

IDCP can provide monitoring services for vendor catalogs that reveal buying intentions of the public utilizing the service. These buying intentions can be tracked by geography, gender, and other variables, all in "real-time," which is a way of peering into the mind of consumers without having to ask them explicitly. Complementary tools and web services will be offered through the IDCP service that enable people to plan purchases ahead of time, for example in the case of a wedding plan or a Christmas shopping list, which can also be analyzed by the IDCP system and instantaneously shared by the supporting supply chain for that product or service. IDCP therefore can provide a sound, reliable sales forecasting system, in effect, bringing customers themselves into the supply chain information loop.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an overview of the present invention according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram detailing a portion of the present invention, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram detailing a portion of the present invention, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4a is a schematic diagram detailing a portion of the present invention, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4b is a schematic diagram detailing a portion of the present invention, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5a is a schematic diagram detailing a portion of the present invention, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5b is a schematic diagram detailing a portion of the present invention, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram detailing a portion of the present invention, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram detailing a portion of the present invention, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram detailing a portion of the present invention, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram detailing a portion of the present invention, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram detailing a portion of the present invention, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram detailing a portion of the present invention, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram detailing a portion of the present invention, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 13a and 13b are schematic diagram detailing a portion of the present invention, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 14 is schematic diagram of a system for cataloging product information according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram of a user personalized catalog of the system of FIG. 14.

FIG. 16 is a detail schematic diagram of the system of FIG. 14.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart of a method according to one embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Overview

Instant Cataloging

The present invention is an Interactive Digital Catalog Profiling (IDCP) Network 100, as shown in overview in FIG. 1. The primary purpose of the IDCP Network is to provide an intermediary environment for the Actors 110 in the network whereby a User 111 and a Vendor 112 can interact in a consistent, anonymous manner for sharing digitally cataloged and personalized information profiles on products, services and information, and for both parties to acquire useful aggregated data resulting from their mutual participation.

The primary dynamic involved in the IDCP Network 100 is the concept of "instant cataloging," whereby a User 111 of the present invention, can acquire a personalized copy or instance of one or more catalogs from a Vendor 112 by simply referencing a Catalog ID 401, as shown in FIG. 4b, through one more associated identifiers, along with the appropriate authentication factors to authorize the transaction. This initiates the delivery of a catalog ID or a scripted cluster of catalog IDs (as defined by the Vendor) to the account of the User, all within the protected environment of the Catalog Server System 200. Instant cataloging allows any User 111 of the system to acquire the cataloged items as information packages, rather than having to search, locate, and download disparate pieces of information, to their own machine, from the Internet, which constantly exposes the User to malevolent programs such as viruses, "worms" and "Trojan Horses."

For the present invention, a retailer, distributor or manufacturer, or entity in the business of representing products, services or information for both profit and non-profit purposes, typifies the Vendor 112, and the User 111 is typified by individuals who could be either consumers or participating members of the "supply chain," which is every intermediary in the path of a product or service. For instance, a User could be a purchasing agent in a company acquiring information from an industrial supply catalog, or a User could be a shopper in a retail store cataloging an item or a vendor product line.

The IDCP Network 100 facilitates a "buffered" environment that creates a protected space separate from the public Internet allowing the User 111 to anonymously select cataloged information from a universal, integrated catalog database, which is populated and updated by the participating Vendor community. This permits both the User and Vendor 112 to remain in direct control of their environment at all times, yet in a decoupled manner. It also "levels the playing field" between the Vendor and the User, by equitably distributing the responsibility that both parties need for successful, private and secure communications and transactions. This is a buffered peer-to-peer model that is third-party managed and fortified.

The IDCP Network 100 provides multiple ways for the Vendor 112 and the User 111, to interact in the selective cataloging of products, services, and information through a global network of converging technologies. The present invention employs "smart" application services to intelligently personalize and enhance catalog "clusters," or groupings of catalogs, to explore reusable information in true real-time for many purposes. These self-selected catalog groupings can be presented in three forms: products, services or information.

The IDCP Network 100 is an intelligent catalog aggregation and distribution platform, providing "instant cataloging" for Users to personalize, enhance, and peer share within a secured environment. It also provides simultaneous sharing of the cataloging activity with every participant in the supply or service chain, while maintaining complete anonymity of the User.

As shown in FIG. 1, the IDCP Network 100 includes a Catalog Server System (CSS) 200, which encompasses the necessary interfaces, processes and data stores to carry out the instant catalog functions. The entire IDCP Network is comprised of four main layers: the Actors 110, which include the User 111 and the Vendor 112; the Communication Devices 120 including landline telephones, portable devices, smart phones, card reader and scanner devices, Internet-enabled browsers, Web applications or services, ITV set-tops and Digital TV; the Transport Network 130 which connects the Communication Devices 120 to the CSS through anonymous tokens 140 utilizing the Internet. The CSS houses the applications and data stores that implement instant catalog functionality.

When the User 111 uses the present invention to perform a transaction through the input device, interacting with the Instant Catalog Gateway (ICG) 221 process within the CSS 200, the associated information triggers a cataloging "action" to the User account. The User account does not actually generate a new copy of the cataloged item(s), but rather a customized 'view' or instance of it as personalized by the User.

Upon cataloging an item(s), the User 111 can access and manage the attribute profile through the Instant Catalog Assistant (ICA) 222. The ICA provides a simple, intuitive interface, such as through a Web browser, that allows the User 111 to review, share, store, profile, and enhance the catalog data, while retaining complete anonymity because all of the data stores and processes take place within the secure CSS 200 environment.

Vendor 112 maintains and monitors its e-Catalog profiles in the CSS 200 through the Vendor Catalog Administrator (VCA) 223. The VCA provides services such as account administration, Catalog Profile Template (CPT) 400 management and information extraction, transactional reporting, interactive script creation and management, affiliate management, supply chain account management, to name a few.

The Vendor—Consumer Relationship

Current Web-enabled organizational databases exist and are maintained "behind" the Web site by applications programs, often called Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) applications for larger firms, and known as simply business applications for smaller and medium sized firms. These databases are queried by Web users through an intermediate layer of software to enable online shopping and ordering.

The advantage of the present invention lies in the relationship that is created by the User/potential customer and the Vendor, enabled by the ability to automatically update product catalogs in the CSS 200 at whatever time frequency desired by the Vendor as changes are made to the master database. When the CSS receives the update, all Users simultaneously receive the updates in their personal 'view' of the cataloged item(s), for as long as they hold the cataloged item(s). This, in effect, creates an ongoing channel of communication between the Vendor 112 and the User 111 that is created simply by the act of the User acquiring catalog items from one or more Vendors.

Supply Chain Implications

The IDCP Network 100 will not only dramatically alter the accessibility of information; but also the concepts of transaction time, whereby latent demand of information is shared simultaneously rather than sequentially amongst the many participants in the "supply chain." Certain key features of the present invention, as discussed further herein, as shown in FIGS. 1 through 17, include: instant catalog storage, personalization, catalog content enhancement, and peer sharing—all accomplished anonymously with the aid of multiple converging technologies. These quickly emerging communication devices 120 and technologies include the use of ITV by way of an Internet-enabled a set-top box, digital TV or gaming console, an Internet-enabled browser, Web application or service for PC use, a portable storage device, or any Internet appliance or device that can connect to the Internet. The growing proliferation of these technologies, especially ITV, will fuel new personalization technologies worldwide, allowing consumers to instant catalog their own personal assortment of interactive products, services and information with the assistance of thematically based, task-specific Web services.

Acquisition by the User 111, enhancement, and peer sharing of catalogs from the Vendor 112, is a strong indicator of buying intentions on the part of the User, therefore if that activity is viewable by the Vendor(s) supplying the catalogs in a "real-time" format, reliable deductions can be made regarding future demand. The IDCP Network 100 is designed to incorporate Vendor catalog structures that are jointly maintained by any or all key participants of a supply chain, therefore all participants can be made aware of the cataloging activity and timely actions can be taken to optimize the flow of goods to market, such as in a "Just-in-Time" production/inventory control system, in a significantly higher degree than is possible today with statistical sales forecasting models.

The IDCP Network 100 of the present invention implements a process that instantaneously shares information with every other potentially affected user of that information. This means that when a User 111 initiates a request for certain information on a product or service, the entire supply chain of that product or service is made aware of the request. The supply chain typically consists of the raw material supplier, manufacturer; distributor, and retailer. In addition, other players may exist in the chain at any one or all of these levels, including but not limited to marketer, advertiser; salesman, installer, contractor, administrator, historian or accountant. Monitoring acquisitions of catalogs on an aggregate basis in real-time could allow the supply chain to prepare for demand fluctuations by analyzing instant catalog pre-transaction activity, in what could be thought of as "latent" demand patterns. Latent demand patterns could be organized and monitored in the same manner as stock indices, allowing Vendors 112 to track live consumer responses to product promotions and marketing campaigns. This information can also provide more realistic sales forecasting information because buying intentions are revealed before transactions take place. "Viral" marketing patterns will also emerge as Users peer share their catalogs, indicating rapidly growing consumer interest in a product or service promotion. In fact the effects of "viral" marketing can become a measurable factor in the success of a promotional campaign.

The hierarchal relationship between the industry supply chain 500 and the present invention is graphically depicted in the FIG. 5a. Within the present invention's CSS there are interactions between the consumer (User) and the retailer (Vendor); as well as between the retailer (Vendor) and the manufacturer (CPG). There may even be direct interactivity between the consumer (User) and the manufacturer (CPG). Those subsidiary manufacturers who provide the raw materials, goods, services or components interact with the primary manufacturer (CPG). The primary manufacturer (CPG) may provide or request information, distribution services and/or inventory warehousing through various distributors and wholesalers in their supply chain. The wholesaler stores and moves products, goods and services through to the retailer (Vendor). In some instances the wholesaler may become the Vendor, directly interacting with the consumer/end-user.

This Supply Chain Hierarchal Schematic (FIG. 5a) describes the interrelationships of the supply chain and its relationship to the consumer. The present invention enables the incorporation of the consumers' pre-purchase intentions and post-purchase history into the supply chain in a dynamic and real time manner, such that every participant in the supply chain receives instantaneous feedback according to their permissions, position and role.

The present invention provides for a flexible implementation of the multi-tier Catalog Profile Template (CPT) 400 to support the Supply Chain Hierarchy depicted in FIGS. 5a and 5b. The best-case "ground-up" scenario involves the CPG Manufacturer initiating a multi-tier template for a unique product, incorporating the necessary distribution levels according to their actual selling channels to the ultimate end-user. However, a "top-down" scenario could also be implemented, whereby a Retailer initiates a template for a product that is not yet registered in the CSS. The Retailer can then offer the template to the supplier of the product for them to contribute their information, to participate in managing their portion of the template, and to receive the benefits of the information reporting available in the VCA 223. This "top-down" sharing can result in an ongoing cascade effect whereby each level "sponsors" each level below until the actual manufacturer of the product is brought into the template definition. The flexibility of this model, however, can be demonstrated by the fact that any participant underneath the Retailer may only desire the benefits of the activity reporting; in this case, the supply chain member would not have to contribute information to the template, but would simply sign up as a Vendor to access the reporting information via the VCA. The multi-tier template therefore creates a structure for all supply chain participants to interact with each other in a synchronistic way through a unified interface toolset in the VCA as depicted in FIG. 5b. At the consumer's discretion it can also establish an active link into the supply chain so there is information continuity regardless of changes in the participants in the hierarchy.

The present invention can also include multiple IDCP Networks 100, implemented by licensed service providers and organizations, which would utilize the technology described in this patent to fully interconnect to all other Catalog Server Systems. This would allow a User 111 to obtain a catalog from any CSS, regardless of their location. These marketplaces would operate in a similar manner to credit cards; a single credit card number is recognized by any financial institution in the world supporting that card's standard, such as Visa or MasterCard. The IDCP User account number would be 'universal', and is referenced against a master index or registry to route an instant catalog request to the User's uniquely configured ICA 222. This would be achievable anywhere in the world.

The present invention provides a method that equitably balances the control of information acquisition between the User 111 and the Vendor 112, while protecting the rights of the consumer's anonymity, and the rights of the Vendor to obtain critical marketing data. IDCP Network cataloging will reduce industry's reliance on mass mailings by creating a balanced medium, whereby Vendors can publish catalogs of any type, consumers can acquire this information anonymously, and aggregate market-buying intentions can be monitored without revealing any personally identifiab