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US 6,856,986 B1Granted
Answer collection and retrieval system governed by a pay-off meter
OwnerMichael T. Rossidesinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention is a set of processes for improving the methods of a self-organizing database governed by a payoff meter process. The inventive set of processes processes enable a user who is seeking an answer not in the database to make a commitment to buy the answer if it is supplied within a period of time. A second set of processes enables a user who is seeking to supply an answer, to claim exclusive rights to supply that answer for a period of time.
Claims10
An answer collection and retrieval method comprising the following steps performed by an online computer database:
- a. initially, registering a user's identification information,
- b. registering user's preference in supplying or retrieving an answer corresponding to a question,
- upon the inputting of a question,
- c. if the user prefers to supply said corresponding answer, looking for said corresponding answer in said database,
- c1. if corresponding answer is found, outputting a message telling the user that the answer is already in the database,
- c2. if no corresponding answer is found, allowing the user to input the answer, storing the corresponding answer and registering that royalties are due to the user when said answer is requested,
- d. if the user prefers to retrieve an answer corresponding to said question,
- d1. registering time and date said question is inputted,
- d2. searching to find if an answer corresponding to said question is in the database,
- d2a. if corresponding answer is in the database, outputting the answer, registering a charge due by said user who inputted the question and a royalty due to the user who supplied the answer, adding one to the tally of times said question has been asked,
- d2b. invoking a pay-off formula, said formula using demand information registered about an answer, including the number of times an answer is requested via a question, and the timestamps of those requests, said formula calculating a pay-off estimate of the amount of money that a supplier of an answer will receive for supplying that answer,
- d2c. outputting the pay-off estimate resulting from the pay-off formula calculation,
- d2d. if no corresponding answer is in the database, checking if said question is stored in the database,
- d2d1. if no, storing the question and setting to one the tally of times said question has been asked, and calculating said pay-off formula,
- d2d2. if yes, adding one to the tally of times said question has been asked, and calculating said pay-off formula,
- d2d3. outputting the resulting pay-off estimate.
13 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.