The present invention is in the field of e-Commerce, specifically a system and method to provide real-time professional services and information and knowledge on demand to individuals and organizations for purchase in an online trading platform.
Several factors have contributed to the genesis of this invention: the ever-expanding demand for professional services, advances in data transmission, the growth of the on-demand information economy, the rapid expansion of the Global Communications Networks, the accelerated adoption of mobile applications and global communication network tools, the growth of the online trading environment, the expansion of the search engine market, and the personalized and customized online experience via profiling, compatibility, scheduling, and matchmaking technologies.
This system and method of delivery will accommodate a society and economy that is more mobile, omni-connected, and info-customer-centric. Personal experts available on real-time demand will become more common; this invention will fulfill the needs of a global economy in which knowledge capital is the most viable path to achieving goals, finding solutions and enhancing skills.
The invention relates to a system and method for delivering real-time professional services to individuals and organizations over the Global Communications Networks via a trading platform with listing, profiling, searching, matchmaking, online settlement, authentication, scheduling, reservation, delivery, feedback, and rating components. The instant dissemination of knowledge capital by experts who specialize in providing professional services in several fields, including education, healthcare, law, accounting, financial planning and advising, sports & fitness training, information technology, advertisement and marketing, personal and executive training, and real estate is transforming the global economy so that individuals and organizations will always be able to connect with knowledge providers for support, guidance, information and advice. The online trading environment has created burgeoning e-Commerce communities of buyers and sellers of mostly products and tangible goods. With an accelerating economy and a greater emphasis on customer-centric technologies, more consumers and organizations will participate in an online trading environment to interact with knowledge experts over the global communications networks to receive fast and personalized solutions, information and guidance and to engage the skills and services of these knowledge expert providers just-in-time, anytime, anywhere.
Thereinafter, inventors have created and developed several methods and processes for facilitating delivery of professional services and knowledge capital over the global computer networks. U.S. Pat. No. 6,393,412 to Deep (2002) delineates a process and method for enabling users to purchase professional services through an ongoing service fee of credits and coupons, with services delivered in a private chat room through a service brokerage via the Internet. The delivery of the services is exclusive to an online chat environment and does not provide a trading platform or format as a payment method, nor does it provide for pre-scheduled appointments at a specific future date and time. It also does not include a search compatibility tool to match users to the most appropriate provider and does not have a master provider database for the chat sessions. U.S. Pat. No. 5,862,223 to Walker, et al. (1999) describes a process and method for facilitating cryptographically-assisted delivery of expert-based support to an end user based on a specific expert request. This present invention lacks trading and scheduling components and the delivery of expert data is asynchronous, as opposed to a real-time environment where there is an interactive exchange between/among the user(s) and knowledge expert(s). U.S. Pat. No. 6,669,485 to Theon et al. (2003) consists of a real-time collaborative learning method by soliciting experts over the global communications networks; however, the system does not offer real-time professional services and lacks scheduling and online trading components. U.S. Pat. No. 6,507,726 to Atkinson et al. (2003) focuses on a curriculum scheduling component designed exclusively for the e-learning environment, but it does not offer real-time professional services outside the educational sphere and it does not have an online trading component. U.S. Pat. No. 6,496,681 to Linton (2002) consists of a method and system for assessing and managing educator/student skills via an e-learning application, but the invention does not encompass other activities and services outside of education; moreover, there are no online trading and scheduling components. U.S. Pat. No. 6,358,053 to Rosenfield (2002) focuses on providing online interactive language instruction and it also has a profiling component; however, the invention is limited to language instruction and it does not enable the individual to choose the provider; moreover, there is no online trading environment.
There are inventions that present items and tangible goods for individuals to purchase in an online trading environment. U.S. Pat. No. 6,732,161 to Hess, et al. (2004) describes a method and system for managing and presenting information in an online trading environment. Thumbnail images of items for sale are listed for selection and bidding by prospective buyers. This invention focuses on the purchase of tangible goods and products as opposed to the real-time delivery of services and expertise by professional service providers. U.S. Pat. No. 6,732,161 to Hess, et al. (2004) describes a system for presenting and managing items for sale in an online trading environment and facilitating the person-to-person e-commerce transaction by allowing the prospective buyers to review items for sale; however, this patent does not comprise scheduling and real-time professional service components. U.S. Pat. No. 6,026,148 by Dworkin, et. al. describes a system and method for delivering expert information by computer; however, this invention does not deliver the information and/or expertise in real-time; i.e., there are no interactive sessions. This invention also lacks scheduling and online trading components.
Accordingly, existing inventions describe methods and systems for delivering e-learning applications or systems that enable individuals to engage the services of experts only in chat rooms, systems that present tangible goods for purchase in an online trading environment, and methods and systems for connecting experts with individuals in real-time for collaboration, but there does not appear to be an invention that possesses all the features and components of our system and method for delivering real-time services, by knowledge providers, over the global communication networks which are available for purchase in an online trading environment. To summarize, the systems and methods of the existing inventions have one or more of these disadvantages:
In conclusion, the invention provides a convenient and customized system and method for delivery of real-time services with matchmaking, profiling, scheduling and online trading components. Because of the accelerated demand for instant information, the increased real-time interaction of individuals via messaging and global communication technology, and the worldwide adoption of online trading auctions, particularly by companies like eBay and Yahoo, this invention, the Real-time Professional Services Facilitator system and method, will solve the needs of a mobile society in which knowledge on demand, personalized attention, and the empowered consumer are becoming the norm. Moreover, the provider search engine feature of the invention is aligned with the strategies of companies like Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft who are currently expanding the traditional search engine market into new areas. The interactive features of the invention also touch upon the interactive services market currently being addressed by companies like Sony and Nokia. Finally, this invention creates a personalized online, ecommerce experience with the reviewing and profiling features that appear on the Amazon and eBay websites.
The invention is generally focused on a method and system for the delivery and integration of real-time professional services over the Global Communications Networks via an online trading environment. The system provides an end-to-end service to users including selection, matchmaking, procurement, settlement, reservation, and delivery. Users will engage the services of knowledge experts after communicating their needs, selecting providers based on profiling or after accessing the website's search engine for a compatible match, and scheduling an online session or event, with a registered and screened knowledge provider from an extensive database. Thereinafter, the real-time event or session is delivered over the Global Communications Networks.
Users can review the profiles and ratings of providers before making a selection and can bid on the services of a provider for a scheduled event with a provider for the real-time delivery of services after making an instantaneous payment through a variety of payment methods which include but are not limited to pay pal, e-transaction, e-coupon, credit card, and monthly subscription.
The primary purpose of the present invention is to enable users to access the services of an extensive database of profiled, monitored and screened knowledge experts in real-time just-in time, anywhere, anytime, while accommodating the growing online trading environment and providing a personalized and customized interactive experience. Without this invention, it is unlikely any individual user would have access to such a broad selection of available service providers due to many factors, including time zones, geography, and most significantly, the lack of any centralized online professional service provider database.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a fast, easy, and convenient way for individuals and organizations to select randomly, and/or to connect with a database of registered and screened service providers by a matching system, to bid and purchase these services via an online trading environment, to schedule and engage the services of professional service providers synchronously, i.e., in real-time, over the Global Communication Networks and/or mobile phones. Finally, the present invention facilitates real-time interactive sessions and events in which users require the expertise or knowledge of providers during emergency situations or when there are specific time constraints.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a new e-commerce hub is created that is focused primarily on professional services. There are a very large number of users and providers attracted to the hub so that the market for professional services grows exponentially due to the elimination of geographical, provider availability, and time zone parameters. Providers are screened and offer their services to users in an optimized fashion whereby schedules are submitted and frequently updated so that users have many choices of dates, times, and providers, while in a similar fashion, they can fill up their schedules with user appointments of all types from this newly created mass-market.
There are many potential ways that services can be listed by providers and located by users. The present invention will spawn a new market for search engines that specialize in searching for professional services. Services may be listed in an auction format, on bulletin boards, in specialized databases, or through networks of partner sites throughout the Internet or on mobile phone browsers. Once the user has identified the provider and time block they wish to purchase, they can either enter a bid under an online auction format or they can purchase the service immediately through established e-commerce methodologies. Once the purchase has been confirmed, the user may settle their account through any number of established online payment methods or even through value-added charges added to subscription services like mobile phone bills, cable TV bills, or DSL bills.
After the payment transaction and authorization have occurred, the user is able to formally book the session by providing a code or digital certificate through the scheduling module. The new confirmed reservation is then reflected on the public provider schedule as a blocked off unit of time that cannot be booked by other users. The only exception to this rule would be when a session has been previously scheduled as a group session or the user has invited other users to join the session in order to share the cost. A user will normally provide additional information to the provider through an online questionnaire or popup survey prior to the session so that the provider can customize the material to be covered to the user's specific needs and profile.
At the previously scheduled time, the provider will initiate the interactive session with the user. The process may also be set up whereby the user initiates the session or whereby both parties independently log on to a centralized interactive platform. Once the service is delivered and the session is over, both the user and the provider will have an opportunity to rate the performance of each party and this rating information can be made available to one or more parties, depending on the commercial application, and can be summarized and displayed as statistics to aid in future purchasing decisions or in advertising.
The preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described in even greater detail by reference to
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Depending on the particular commercial or non-profit application of the invention, there are many different combinations, modifications, or ways of deploying the modules and components described herein above that may include all or any part of the real-time services facilitator system and method without affecting or limiting the validity of the system except as may be required by any applicable law pertaining to the following claims: