IP Library Granted Patent US 7,707,083
Granted Patent B2
US 7,707,083 · App. 10/836,045 · Granted Apr 27, 2010

On-demand assembly of buyer simulacra

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,707,083
App. No.
10/836,045
Granted
Apr 27, 2010
Kind
B2
Abstract

Methods, systems, and computer program for interacting with simulacrum members of a buyer simulacrum. Persistent storage is configured to store collective qualifications of the simulacrum based on the individual qualifications of the simulacrum members, while a simulacrum broker is configured to present the collective qualifications to third parties. Thus, the broker provides a dynamic representation of the collective financial information, credit, insurance, trustworthiness, knowledge, skills and experience of a simulacrum or virtual buyer. The broker further enables an entity, such as a simulacrum employer or seller, to interact with the simulacrum as if that simulacrum were a single entity, rather than a collection of individual members.

Claims (41)

1. A method for performing a transaction, said method comprising:

creating a buyer simulacrum for purchasing or providing at least one good and service, said buyer simulacrum being virtualized in that it is represented as a single entity having a composition of individuals or entities, or a combination of individuals and entities, each individual or entity having a qualification relevant to performing a particular or potential transaction involving said good or service that can vary over time;

assembling aggregate qualifications of said buyer simulacrum said qualifications comprising information relevant to a purchase or provision of said good or service, said aggregation including a representation of one or more of a total, sum or average of various qualifications of said individuals; and

presenting the aggregate qualifications to a simulacrum transactor of said at least one good and service, said transactor being a party of interest in a transaction involving said simulacrum, and

said simulacrum adapted to perform one or more of: investing, pooling resources, sharing costs, and sharing liability as required by said transaction involving said simulacrum,

wherein a program using a computer device executes one or more of said creating, assembling, and presenting.

2. A method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising said simulacrum transactor assessing at least a portion of said aggregate qualifications.

3. A method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising aggregating qualifications of said simulacrum transactor.

4. A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein said aggregate qualifications is a qualification taken from a group of qualifications consisting of:

member credit;

member insurance;

member history of past transactions;

member skill data;

member trustworthiness data;

member experience data;

aggregate credit;

aggregate insurance;

aggregate history of past transactions;

aggregate skill data;

aggregate trustworthiness data;

aggregate experience data; and

any combination of these qualifications.

5. A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the step of creating a buyer simulacrum comprises the steps of:

requesting qualifications from a broker, and

the broker responding with qualifications.

6. A method as in claim 5 , wherein the broker is configured as a service provider for interacting with simulacrum members on a basis taken from a group of bases consisting of: a per-use basis, a flat fee basis, and a percentage of an employment contract.

7. A method as in claim 5 , wherein the broker may charge advertisers fees for information that can help target their advertisements to particular audiences.

8. A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the step of creating is performed on-demand.

9. A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the step of assembling aggregate qualifications of said buyer simulacrum comprises the steps of:

sending a qualifications inquiry to members;

capturing a qualifications response from members; and

summarizing aggregate qualifications.

10. An article of manufacture comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for causing performing of a transaction, the computer readable program code means in said article of manufacture comprising computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect the steps of:

creating a buyer simulacrum for purchasing or providing at least one good and service, said buyer simulacrum being virtualized in that it is represented as a single entity having a composition of individuals or entities, or a combination of individuals and entities, each individual or entity having a qualification relevant to performing a particular or potential transaction involving said good or service that can vary over time;

assembling aggregate qualifications of said buyer simulacrum said qualifications comprising information relevant to a purchase or provision of said good or service, said aggregation including a representation of one or more of a total, sum or average of various qualifications of said individuals; and

presenting the aggregate qualifications to a simulacrum transactor of said of at least one good and service, said transactor being a party of interest in a transaction involving said simulacrum, and

said simulacrum adapted to perform one or more of: investing, pooling resources, sharing costs, and sharing liability as required by said transaction involving said simulacrum.

11. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the buyer simulacrum is managed, metered and charged a fee by a simulacrum service bureau.

12. The method as recited in claim 10 , wherein the buyer simulacrum is managed, metered and charged a fee by a simulacrum service bureau.

13. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the buyer simulacrum exists for a predetermined time duration.

14. The method as recited in claim 10 , wherein the buyer simulacrum exists for a predetermined time duration.

Assignments (3)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 22, 2015
From: EBAY INC.
To: PAYPAL, INC.
Reel/Frame 036159/0873 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 27, 2012
From: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
To: EBAY INC.
Reel/Frame 029535/0317 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 8, 2004
From: BANTZ, DAVID FREDERICK; PICKOVER, CLIFFORD A.
To: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 015111/0935 →