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There is provided a method and system to maintain published contact information. The system includes a storage facility to store contact information of a first entity at the system. The system further includes an interface to electronically publish, via a communications network, the contact information of the first entity to a plurality of users of the system and receive, at the system, information relating to validity of the contact information of the first entity. The information is received via the communications network from a first user of the plurality of users. The system further includes a stored value module automatically to provide a reward to the first user responsive to the receipt of the information relating to the validity of the contact information of the first entity.

Inventors: James F. Fowler, Garth B. Moulton, Peng Chong Sien, Saaed Fattahi, Rajan Madhavan, Kenneth R. Lenga
Current U.S. Classification: 705/1.1

View patent at USPTO
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Referenced by

Citing PatentFiling dateIssue dateOriginal AssigneeTitle
US7818201Mar 31, 2006Oct 19, 2010Vology, Inc.Lead referral system
US8027975Jan 29, 2008Sep 27, 2011Reputation.com, Inc.Identifying and changing personal information
US8122040Aug 29, 2007Feb 21, 2012Method of integrating remote databases by automated client scoping of update requests over a communications network

Claims

1. A system to maintain published contact information, the system including:

a storage facility to store contact information of a first entity at the system;

an interface to:
electronically publish, via a communications network, the contact information of the first entity to a plurality of users of the system; and
receive, at the system, information relating to validity of the contact information of the first entity, the information being received via the communications network from a first user of the plurality of users; and
a stored value module automatically to provide a reward to the first user responsive to the receipt of the information relating to the validity of the contact information of the first entity.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first entity is one of a group of entity types including an individual and a corporate entity.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the stored value module is to;

automatically determine an information type for the information relating to the validity of the contact information; and

automatically determine a value of the reward based on the determined information type.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the reward is an award of predetermined value to the first user of the plurality of users, the stored value module to add the predetermined value to a total stored value for the first user maintained by the system.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the predetermined value and the total stored value for the first user comprise points that are exchangeable for contact information maintained by the system.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the information relating to the validity of the contact information of the first entity is at least one of a group of information types including:

challenge information challenging the validity of the contact information of the first entity;

update information updating the contact information of the first entity; and

confirmation information confirming the validity of the contact information of the first entity.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the stored value module is to:

immediately award a first portion of the reward responsive to the receipt of the information relating to the validity of the contact information of the first entity, and

award a second portion of the reward subsequent to a first predetermined time period.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the interface, responsive to the receipt of the information relating to the validity of the contact information of the first entity, is to:

provide a notification of receipt of the information to a second user from which the contact information of the first entity was received at the contact information computer system, and

solicit a response to the information from the second user.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the interface is only to provide the notification to the second user if the information relating to the validity of the contact information of the first entity is received within a second predetermined time period of having received the contact information from the second user.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the information is a challenge to the validity of the contact information of the first entity, and the interface is to withdraw publication of the contact information of the first entity upon expiration of a third predetermined time period in the absence of a contesting response, to the challenge, from the second user.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the interface is to receive the contesting response to the information from the second user, the system further including a validation module to:

validate the information received from the first user if the second user concedes the information to be corrected;

invalidate the information received from the first user if the first user concedes the information to be incorrect; and

subject the information received from the first user to at least one of an appeal and an arbitration process if the response indicates a disagreement between the first and second users regarding correctness of the information received from the first user.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the stored value module is to subject the first user to a penalty in the event that the information received from the first user is determined to be incorrect.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the stored value module is to subject the second user to a penalty in the event that the information received from the first user is determined to be corrected.

14. A computer-implemented method to maintain contact information published by a contact information computer system, the method including:

electronically publishing, via a communications network, contact information of a first entity to a plurality of users of the contact information computer system;

receiving, at the contact information computer system, information relating to validity of the contact information of the first entity, the information being received via the communications network from a first user of the plurality of users; and

automatically providing a reward to the first user responsive to the receipt of the information relating to the validity of the contact information of the first entity.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein the first entity is one of a group of entity types including an individual and a corporate entity.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, including determining an information type for the information relating to the validity of the contact information, and automatically determining a value of the reward based on the determined information type.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein the reward is an award of predetermined value to the first user of the plurality of users, the computer-implemented method including adding the predetermined value to a total stored value for the first user maintained by the contact information computer system.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein the predetermined value in the total stored value for the first user comprise points that are exchangeable for contact information maintained by the contact information computer system.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein the information relating to the validity of the contact information of the first entity is at least one of a group of information types including:

challenge information challenging the validity of the contact information of the first entity;

update information updating the contact information of the first entity; and

confirmation information confirming the validity of the contact information of the first entity.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein the automatic provision of the reward to the first user includes immediately awarding a first portion of the reward responsive to the receipt of the information relating to the validity of the contact information of the first entity, and awarding a second portion of the reward subsequent to a first predetermined time period.

21. The computer-implemented method of claim 20, including, responsive to the receipt of the information relating to the validity of the contact information of the first entity:

providing a notification of receipt of the information to a second user from which the contact information of the first entity was received at the contact information computer system, and

soliciting a response to the information from the second user.

22. The computer-implemented method of claim 21, including only providing the notification to the second user in the information relating to the validity of the contact information of the first entity is received within a second predetermined time period of having received the contact information from the second user.

23. The computer-implemented method of claim 22, wherein the information is a challenge to the validity of the contact information of the first entity, the computer-implemented method including withdrawing publication of the contact information of the first entity after a third predetermined time period in the absence of a contesting response, to the challenge, from the second user.

24. The computer-implemented method of claim 23, including:

receiving the contesting response to the information from the second user;

validating the information received from the first user if the second user concedes the information to be corrected;

invalidating the information received from the first user if the first user concedes the information to be incorrect; and

subjecting the information received from the first user to at least one of an appeal and an arbitration process if the response indicates a disagreement between the first and second users regarding the correctness of the information received from the first user.

25. The computer-implemented method of claim 24, including subjecting the first user to a penalty in the event that the information received from the first user is determined to be incorrect.

26. The computer-implemented method of claim 24, including subjecting the second user to a penalty in the event that the information received from the first user is determined to be corrected.

27. A machine readable medium storing a set of instructions that, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to:

store contact information of a first entity at the system;

an interface to:
electronically publish, via a communications network, the contact information of the first entity to a plurality of users of the system; and
receive, at the system, information relating to validity of the contact information of the first entity, the information being received via the communications network from a first user of the plurality of users; and
provide a reward to the first user responsive to the receipt of the information relating to the validity of the contact information of the first entity.

28. A system, the system including:

a first means for electronically publishing, via a communications network, contact information of a first entity to a plurality of users of the contact information computer system;

a second means for receiving, at the contact information computer system, information relating to validity of the contact information of the first entity, the information being received via the communications network from a first user of the plurality of users; and

a third means for automatically providing a reward to the first user responsive to the receipt of the information relating to the validity of the contact information of the first entity.

Drawings