# US 11,113,334 B2 · Systems and methods for identifying groups relevant to stored objectives and recommending actions

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- Number: US 11,113,334 B2
- Document ID: US11113334B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/448,812
- Filed: 2019-06-21
- Published: 2019-12-12
- Granted: 2021-09-07
- Earliest claimed: 2010-12-03
- Assignees: Rexter Holdings LLC
- Applicants: Rexter Holdings LLC
- Inventors: Andrew R. Wilson; John Slade; Daniel Bouganim; Sean L. Cramer
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11113334B2

## CPC

- G06Q 10/42: Determination of affinities or common interests between users
- G06F 16/23: Updating
- G06F 16/25: Integrating or interfacing systems involving database management systems
- G06F 16/284: {Relational databases}
- G06F 16/3322: {using system suggestions (G06F16/3325 takes precedence)}
- G06F 16/9024: {Graphs; Linked lists (G06F16/9027 takes precedence)}
- G06F 16/9535: Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
- G06Q 10/48: using social graphs
- G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)

## Abstract

Relationship management systems in accordance with embodiments of the invention are configured to provide systematic ways for a user to measure, and manage relationships in the user's social network. One embodiment of the invention includes a relationship management server system, and a database. In addition, the relationship management server system is configured to store a user account associated with a user in the database, store information concerning contacts associated with the user in the database, store event information associated with the user and at least one of the stored contacts in the database, store at least one objective in the database, score at least one relationship between the user and a contact based upon stored event information associated with the user and the contact to create a scored relationship graph, and generate a recommendation concerning an action based upon the stored objective and the scored relationship graph.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system, comprising:
a CRM server system comprising at least one server having at least one processor and memory containing software; and
a CRM database containing data describing:
a plurality of user accounts associated with users of the CRM system;
a plurality of user defined objectives;
relationships between contacts and individual user accounts; and
event information;
wherein the at least one server in the CRM server system is configured by software to:
search metadata associated with contacts to identify contacts relevant to a defined objective;
generate recommendation notifications displayed to users associated with specific user accounts in the CRM database via a CRM system user interface, where the recommendation notifications specify actions the users are to take with respect to a defined objective;
a relationship management server system extension to the CRM system comprising at least one server having at least one processor and memory containing software,
where the at least one server in the relationship management server system extension is configured by software to:
automatically and continuously aggregate event metadata via interfaces with at least a mail server, where event metadata is data describing events involving a user and one or more contacts;
store event information associated with specific user accounts and contacts in the CRM database based upon the event metadata aggregated via interfaces with the at least the mail server;
build and maintain a graph schema representing a graph of relationships between user accounts and contacts described by the data in the CRM database;
generate a recommendation concerning an action a user associated with a user account in the CRM database is to take with respect to the defined objective based upon analysis of event metadata, including event metadata aggregated via interfaces with at least the mail server, associated with other user accounts and contacts from the CRM database identified using the graph schema; and
provide the generated recommendation to the CRM server system.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The CRM system of claim 1, wherein the at least one server in the relationship management server system extension is configured by software to obtain contact information for a contact in the CRM database from at least one source of contact information and add the contact information to the CRM database.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The relationship management system of claim 2, wherein at least one source of contact information is selected from the group consisting of a web mail service, an enterprise mail system, and an online social network.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The CRM system of claim 1, wherein at least one server in the relationship management server system extension is configured by software to automatically associate at least one contact with a user account in the CRM database based upon the event metadata aggregated via interfaces with at least the mail server.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The relationship management system of claim 4, wherein at least one source of event information is selected from the group consisting of a web mail service, an enterprise mail system, a web calendaring service, an enterprise calendaring system, call data records, and an online social network.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The CRM system of claim 4, wherein the at least one server in the relationship management server system to extension is configured by software to store information identifying a group of contacts associated with at least one stored objective.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The CRM system of claim 6, wherein the at least one server in the relationship management server system extension is configured by software to generate a recommendation of at least one contact for inclusion in the group of contacts associated with the at least one stored objective based upon the event metadata aggregated via interfaces with at least the mail server.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The CRM system of claim 1, wherein the at least one server in the relationship management server system extension is configured by software to:
generate the recommendation concerning an action a user associated with a user account in the CRM database is to take with respect to at least one contact in the CRM data based upon analysis of event metadata associated with other accounts and contacts from the CRM database, and the objective.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The CRM system of claim 8, wherein the at least one stored objective relates to an objective with respect to at least one relationship between a user account and a contact in the CRM database.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The CRM system of claim 9, wherein the at least one stored objective relates to a specific relationship between a user account and a contact in the CRM database.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The CRM system of claim 1, wherein the at least one server in the relationship management server system is extension is configured by software to score at least one relationship between a user account and a contact stored in the CRM database based upon event metadata, including event metadata aggregated via interfaces with at least the mail server, associated with the user and the contact to create a score for a relationship within the graph schema.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The CRM system of claim 11, wherein the at least one server in the relationship management server system extension is configured by software to store information characterizing at least one relationship between the user account and a contact in the CRM database.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The CRM system of claim 12, wherein the information characterizing a relationship between the user account and a contact in the CRM system is expressed in terms of a first value indicative of the importance of the relationship to the user, and a second value indicative of the strength of the relationship.

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

The CRM system of claim 12, wherein the at least one stored objective is expressed as a target value for a strength of a relationship between a user account and a contact in the CRM database.

### Claim 15 (depends on 12)

The CRM system of claim 12, wherein:
the at least one server in the relationship management server system extension is configured by software to prompt the user for information characterizing at least one relationship; and
the at least one relationship for which the user is prompted for information is selected based upon the importance of the relationship to the generation of a recommendation notification concerning an action based upon the at least one stored objective and the information characterizing the relationship between the user account and a contact in the CRM system.

### Claim 16 (depends on 11)

The CRM system of claim 11, wherein the at least one server in the relationship management server system extension is configured by software to decrease a score assigned to a relationship between a user account and a contact due to a passage of time.

### Claim 17 (depends on 11)

The CRM system of claim 11, wherein the at least one server in the relationship management server system extension is configured by software to increase a score assigned to a relationship between a user account and a contact in response to event metadata indicating an occurrence of a telephone conversation between the user associated with the user account and the contact.

### Claim 18 (depends on 11)

The CRM system of claim 11, wherein the at least one server in the relationship management server system extension is configured by software to increase a score assigned to a relationship between a user account and a contact in response to event metadata indicating an occurrence of a meeting between the user and the contact.

### Claim 19 (depends on 11)

The CRM system of claim 11, wherein the at least one server in the relationship management server system extension is configured by software to modify a score assigned to a relationship between a user account and a contact in response to the event metadata indicating that a user acted in accordance with a recommendation notification displayed via the CRM system user interface.

### Claim 20 (depends on 1)

The CRM system of claim 1, wherein the at least one server in the relationship management server system extension is configured by software to generate a recommendation concerning an action a user associated with a user account in the CRM database is to take with respect to at least one contact in the CRM database based upon a score assigned to a relationship between the user account and the contact.

### Claim 21 (depends on 1)

The CRM system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sources of event metadata comprises mobile devices configured to automatically communicate with the relationship management system extension via applications installed on the mobile devices.

### Claim 22 (depends on 1)

The CRM system of claim 1, wherein the event metadata is further aggregated via a phone system.