System and method for locating desired traits in resources using a network

A system for identifying and providing a potential mutual correspondence of resources offered and interests in the resources between two different resource providers of a plurality of resource providers offering their resources over a network and for displaying the potential mutual correspondence to at least one of the resource providers via the network, the system comprising:

• a registration/preference/characteristic manager at a first computer system comprising a hardware processor system coupled to a memory system and having an input coupled to the network for receiving via a plurality of second computer systems coupled to the network, user identifiers and characteristics about the resources being provided by each of the plurality of resource providers and explicit preference information for the characteristics of the resources desired by said resource provider, the registration/preference/characteristic manager for providing at an output for each of the plurality of resource providers, the user identifier of said resource provider, the characteristics received from such resource provider, and the explicit preference information received from said resource provider at the registration/preference/characteristic manager input;
• an other action manager at the first computer system comprising the hardware processor system coupled to the memory system and having an input coupled for receiving a plurality of indications of actions taken by each of the plurality of resource providers regarding individual other resource providers, comprising the user identifier of said resource provider taking said action and the user identifier of said individual other resource provider, the actions having been taken for purposes other than providing preference information for characteristics of the resources desired by said resource provider, the other action manager for providing at an output, for each action corresponding to an indication in the plurality, the user identifier of each corresponding resource provider, an identifier of the action corresponding to the indication and the user identifier of the other resource provider corresponding to the indication;
• an identification manager at the first computer system comprising the hardware processor system coupled to the memory system and having an input coupled to the registration/preference/characteristic manager output for receiving a first at least some of the user identifiers, the characteristics, and the explicit preference information, and to the other action manager output for receiving a second at least some of the user identifiers, identifiers of the actions and the user identifiers of the other resource providers, the identification manager for identifying the potential mutual correspondence between the two different resource providers responsive to the characteristics of the two different resource providers, the explicit preference information received from the two different resource providers and at least some of the identifiers of the actions received of a first at least some of the plurality of resource providers taken towards at least one of the two different resource providers, and providing the user identifiers of the two different resource providers at an EC output;
• and
• a display manager at the first computer system comprising the hardware processor system coupled to the memory system and having an input coupled to the identification manager output for receiving the user identifiers of the two different resource providers, the display manager for providing at an output coupled to the network, to at least one of the plurality of second computer systems, an indication of at least one of the two different resource providers for which the potential mutual correspondence was identified to an other of the two different resource providers, responsive to the user identifiers received at the display manager input.

A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer useable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein for identifying and providing a potential mutual correspondence of resources offered and interests in resource between two different resource providers of a plurality of resource providers offering their resources over a network and displaying the potential mutual correspondence to at least one of the resource providers via the network, the computer program product comprising computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer system to:

• receive at a first computer system coupled to the network, via a plurality of second computer systems coupled to the network, characteristics about the resources being provided by each of the plurality of resource providers;
• receive at the first computer system via the plurality of second computer systems via the network from each of the plurality of resource providers, explicit preference information for characteristics of the resources desired by said resource provider;
• receive at the first computer system a plurality of indications of actions taken by each of the plurality of resource providers regarding individual other resource providers, the actions having been taken for purposes other than providing preference information for characteristics of the resources desired by said resource provider;
• identify at the first computer system the potential mutual correspondence between the two different resource providers responsive to the characteristics of the two different resource providers, the explicit preference information received from the two different resource providers and at least some of the indications of actions of a first at least some of the plurality of resource providers taken towards at least one of the two different resource providers;
• and
• provide from the first computer system to at least one of the plurality of second computer systems, an indication of at least one of the two different resource providers for which the potential mutual correspondence was identified to an other of the two different resource providers, responsive to the computer readable program code devices configured to cause the computer system to identify.