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Method and system for connecting businesses through common interests

Method and system for connecting businesses through common interests description/claims

This application is a continuation of, and accordingly claims the benefit from, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/081,702, now issued U.S. Pat. No. ______, which was filed in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Feb. 22, 2002.

1. Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of business-to-business (B2B) transactions, and more particularly, to linking businesses having common interests.

2. Description of the Related Art

Electronic commerce (eCommerce) typically flows between businesses which are familiar with one another or between businesses sharing one or more common interests. ECommerce also provides businesses with an invaluable opportunity for forming new business relationships and strategic alliances. To exploit eCommerce opportunities, however, businesses must have knowledge of existing and potential market participants. Businesses choosing to share such knowledge gain an opportunity to form new synergistic business relationships. For instance, business A may benefit from forging a new relationship with the business-to-business (B2B) service provider and the financial service provider of one of its partner businesses. These newly formed relationships can benefit from the synergy existing between business A and its partner, as well as increase the overall amount of business activity among each of the participants.

Presently, the Universal Description, Discovery, and Integration (UDDI) specification provides a platform-independent, open framework for describing services, discovering businesses, and integrating business services using the Internet, as well as an operational registry. Although the UDDI specification provides a standard interface for publishing and discovering information about other businesses, the UDDI specification lacks any mechanism for linking businesses having common interests. Accordingly, no forum exists for bringing together businesses having common interests.

The invention disclosed herein provides a method and system for linking businesses through common interests. More specifically, the present invention can facilitate business relationships by storing business profiles of various participating businesses within a business registry. Participating businesses can query the business registry for other businesses whose business profiles include particular, desirable business attributes. The business profiles can include a variety of business attributes detailing information about the participating businesses. Moreover, the business attributes can include information which can be used to establish a communications link between inquiring businesses and businesses located by a search of the business registry, which can be referred to as “found” or “located” businesses. In this manner, the present invention can effectively link participating businesses through different communications systems.

One aspect of the present invention can include a method of connecting businesses through common interests. The method can include storing business profiles including business attributes in an online business registry. For example, the business attributes can include business identity information, business description information, and communication information. The storing step further can include defining access rights to the business profiles, defining permissible communications links and points of contact as business attributes within the business profiles, and defining selected business attributes of the business profiles as private.

Responsive to a query from an inquiring business, the online business registry can be searched to locate at least one business having a business profile including at least one business attribute corresponding to the query. In one embodiment of the invention, the queried business attributes can be limited to attributes which are common to the inquiring business. At least one communications link can be established between the inquiring business and the located business according to at least one business attribute of the business profile of the located business. For example, communications information for the located business can be extracted from the business profile of the located business and can be used to establish the communications link. Notably, the inquiring business can be authenticated when the communications link is established to ensure security.

Another aspect of the present invention can include storing business profiles including business attributes in an online business registry, and responsive to a query from an inquiring business specifying at least one business attribute, locating within the online business registry business profiles corresponding to the specified business attribute. For example, the specified business attribute can include a business name or identity. Within the located business profiles, references to other business profiles within the online business registry can be identified. If the other business profiles include business attributes corresponding to the query, a communications link can be established between the inquiring business and at least one of the other businesses having a business attribute corresponding to the query.

Another aspect of the invention can include a system for connecting businesses through business profiles. The system can include an online business registry configured to store business profiles including business attributes and a registration application configured to collect the business attributes of the business profiles and store the business profiles within the online business registry. The system can include a search engine configured to receive queries and search the business profiles to locate at least one other business profile corresponding to the query, as well as a communications engine configured to establish a communications link between at least two businesses having profiles included in the online business registry. Notably, the communications link established by the communications engine can be established according to at least one business parameter within at least one of the business profiles associated with the at least two businesses.

There are shown in the drawings embodiments which are presently preferred, it being understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a communications network in which the present invention can be used.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a business connection system in accordance with the inventive arrangements disclosed herein.

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• Utility Patent

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