Apparatus and methods for provisioning services

US 20040167987A1
Filed: 12/02/2003
Published: 08/26/2004
Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2001
Status: Active Grant

First Claim

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1. A method for provisioning services within a computer network, the method comprising:

receiving an offer pertaining to a service, the offer being created by a provider and transmitted from a first device to a second device within the computer network;

receiving identifying information regarding one or more invitees to be invited to access the service of the offer, the one or more invitees being transmitted from the first device to the second device; and

in response to receipt of the offer and the identifying information regarding the one or more invitees, providing an invitation to each of the one or more invitees to access the service of the offer based on the received identifying information.

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Abstract

Disclosed are methods and apparatus for effectively provisioning services for access by other entities or services. In general, a service manager is configured to manage the provisioning of services between remote entities within a computer network. In general terms, a remote entity offers a service to another remote entity through the service manager. The service manager facilitates formation of the offer to one or more Invitee(s) specified by the service provider. After an offer is formed, it may then be provided to the specified Invitee(s). After an Invitee receives an offer, the Invitee may accept the offer through the service manager or let the offer expire. The service manager also preferably tracks the status of each offer and whether each specified Invitee has accepted such offer. After an Invitee accepts an offer, the service manager preferably records information sufficient for the Invitee to use the offered service.

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51 Claims

1. A method for provisioning services within a computer network, the method comprising:
- receiving an offer pertaining to a service, the offer being created by a provider and transmitted from a first device to a second device within the computer network;
  
  receiving identifying information regarding one or more invitees to be invited to access the service of the offer, the one or more invitees being transmitted from the first device to the second device; and
  
  in response to receipt of the offer and the identifying information regarding the one or more invitees, providing an invitation to each of the one or more invitees to access the service of the offer based on the received identifying information.
- View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
- - 2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the invitation is provided in the form of an email.
  - 3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the invitation is provided in the form of a message or an FTP (file transfer protocol) drop.
  - 4. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:
    - providing a unique URL address (Uniform Resource Locator) for each one or more invitees; and
      
      providing the corresponding URL address in the each invitation to each invitee, wherein the URL address points to one or more web pages which allows the each invitee to register identifying information and accept terms for the offer.
  - 5. A method as recited in claim 4, wherein the unique URL address is provided to the provider by a provisioning service implemented on the second device, and wherein the provider sends the each invitation to each of the one or more invitees.
  - 6. A method as recited in claim 4, wherein the each invitation is provided by a provisioning service implemented on the second device.
  - 7. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising storing the offer and its associated one or more invitees.
  - 8. A method as recited in claim 7, wherein the offer and its associated one or more invitees are only stored when the provider is authorized to create the offer, and wherein the invitation is only provided to the one or more each invitees when the provider is authorized to create the offer.
  - 9. A method as recited in claim 8, further comprising sending an error message to the provider when the provider is not authorized to create the offer.
  - 10. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising presenting a registration input form to a first invitee of the one or more invitees for the offer when the first invitee accesses the invitation.
  - 11. A method as recited in claim 10, wherein the identifying information received for the first invitee is pre-filled into the presented registration form.
  - 12. A method as recited in claim 10, wherein the invitation to the each one or more invitees further allows the each one or more invitees to accept the invitation.
  - 13. A method as recited in claim 12, further comprising presenting an acceptance link to the first invitee when the invitee submits the registration form with identifying information.
  - 14. A method as recited in claim 12, further comprising:
    - setting up permissions between the first invitee and the service when the first invitee registers and accepts the offer.
  - 15. A method as recited in claim 14, wherein permissions are not set up when the first invitee is not authorized to accept the offer.
  - 16. A method as recited in claim 12, further comprising:
    - when the first invitee accepts the first offer, storing an indicator that the first invitee accepted the offer and the date of such acceptance;
      
      when the first invitee does not accept the offer, storing an indicator that the first invitee did not accept the offer;
      
      when the first invitee registers, storing an indicator regarding the registration and the date of such registration; and
      
      when the first invitee does not register, storing an indicator that the first invitee did not register.
  - 17. A method as recited in claim 16, further comprising providing the indicator regarding the acceptance, the date of acceptance by the first invitee, and the indicator regarding registration to the provider when the provider queries regarding the first invitee or the offer.
  - 18. A method as recited in claim 9, wherein the registration form is presented to the first invitee by presenting an invitation page having a registration link, the method further comprising:
    - presenting an option link in the invitation page, wherein the option can be accessed by invitees which have already registered;
      
      presenting an acceptance link to the first invitee when the invitee submits the registration form with identifying information; and
      
      presenting the acceptance link to the first invitee when the invitee selects the option link and the first invitee is already registered.

19. A computer system operable to provisioning services within a computer network, the computer system comprising:
- one or more processors;
  
  one or more memory, wherein at least one of the processors and memory are adapted for;
  
  receiving an offer pertaining to a service, the offer being created by a provider and transmitted from a first device to a second device within the computer network;
  
  receiving identifying information regarding one or more invitees to be invited to access the service of the offer, the one or more invitees being transmitted from the first device to the second device; and
  
  in response to receipt of the offer and the identifying information regarding the one or more invitees, providing an invitation to each of the one or more invitees to access the service of the offer based on the received identifying information.
- View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
- - 20. A computer system as recited in claim 19, wherein the invitation is provided in the form of an email.
  - 21. A method as recited in claim 19, wherein the invitation is provided in the form of a message or an FTP (file transfer protocol) drop.
  - 22. A computer system as recited in claim 20, wherein the at least one of the processors and memory are further adapted for:
    - providing a unique URL address (Uniform Resource Locator) for each one or more invitees; and
      
      providing the corresponding URL address in the each email to each invitee, wherein the URL address points to one or more web pages which allows the each invitee to register identifying information and accept terms for the offer.
  - 23. A computer system as recited in claim 22, wherein the unique URL address is provided to the provider by a provisioning service implemented on the second device, and wherein the provider sends the each email to each of the one or more invitees.
  - 24. A computer system as recited in claim 19, wherein the at least one of the processors and memory are further adapted for storing the offer and its associated one or more invitees.
  - 25. A computer system as recited in claim 19, wherein the at least one of the processors and memory are further adapted for presenting a registration input form to a first invitee of the one or more invitees for the offer when the first invitee accesses the invitation.
  - 26. A computer system as recited in claim 25, wherein the identifying information received for the first invitee is pre-filled into the presented registration form.
  - 27. A computer system as recited in claim 25, wherein the invitation to the each one or more invitees further allows the each one or more invitees to accept the invitation.
  - 28. A computer system as recited in claim 27, wherein the at least one of the processors and memory are further adapted for presenting an acceptance link to the first invitee when the invitee submits the registration form with identifying information.
  - 29. A computer system as recited in claim 27, wherein the at least one of the processors and memory are further adapted for:
    - setting up permissions between the first invitee and the service when the first invitee registers and accepts the offer.
  - 30. A computer system as recited in claim 29, wherein permissions are not set up when the first invitee is not authorized to accept the offer.
  - 31. A computer system as recited in claim 28, wherein the at least one of the processors and memory are further adapted for:
    - when the first invitee accepts the first offer, storing an indicator that the first invitee accepted the offer and the date of such acceptance;
      
      when the first invitee does not accept the offer, storing an indicator that the first invitee did not accept the offer;
      
      when the first invitee registers, storing an indicator regarding the registration and the date of such registration; and
      
      when the first invitee does not register, storing an indicator that the first invitee did not register.
  - 32. A computer system as recited in claim 31, wherein the at least one of the processors and memory are further adapted for providing the indicator regarding the acceptance, the date of acceptance by the first invitee, and the indicator regarding registration to the provider when the provider queries regarding the first invitee or the offer.
  - 33. A computer system as recited in claim 25, wherein the registration form is presented to the first invitee by presenting an invitation page having a registration link, wherein the at least one of the processors and memory are further adapted for:
    - presenting an option link in the invitation page, wherein the option can be accessed by invitees which have already registered;
      
      presenting an acceptance link to the first invitee when the invitee submits the registration form with identifying information; and
      
      presenting the acceptance link to the first invitee when the invitee selects the option link and the first invitee is already registered.

34. A computer program product for provisioning services within a computer network, the computer program product comprising:
- at least one computer readable medium;
  
  computer program instructions stored within the at least one computer readable product configured for;
  
  receiving an offer pertaining to a service, the offer being created by a provider and transmitted from a first device to a second device within the computer network;
  
  receiving identifying information regarding one or more invitees to be invited to access the service of the offer, the one or more invitees being transmitted from the first device to the second device; and
  
  in response to receipt of the offer and the identifying information regarding the one or more invitees, providing an invitation to each of the one or more invitees to access the service of the offer based on the received identifying information.
- View Dependent Claims (35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51)
- - 35. A computer program product as recited in claim 34, wherein the invitation is provided in the form of an email.
  - 36. A method as recited in claim 34, wherein the invitation is provided in the form of a message or an FTP (file transfer protocol) drop.
  - 37. A computer program product as recited in claim 35, the at least one computer readable product being further configured for:
    - providing a unique URL address (Uniform Resource Locator) for each one or more invitees; and
      
      providing the corresponding URL address in the each email to each invitee, wherein the URL address points to one or more web pages which allows the each invitee to register identifying information and accept terms for the offer.
  - 38. A computer program product as recited in claim 37, wherein the unique URL address is provided to the provider by a provisioning service implemented on the second device, and wherein the provider sends the each email to each of the one or more invitees.
  - 39. A computer program product as recited in claim 37, wherein the each email is provided by a provisioning service implemented on the second device.
  - 40. A computer program product as recited in claim 34, the at least one computer readable product being further configured for storing the offer and its associated one or more invitees.
  - 41. A computer program product as recited in claim 40, wherein the offer and its associated one or more invitees are only stored when the provider is authorized to create the offer, and wherein the invitation is only provided to the one or more each invitees when the provider is authorized to create the offer.
  - 42. A computer program product as recited in claim 41, the at least one computer readable product being further configured for sending an error message to the provider when the provider is not authorized to create the offer.
  - 43. A computer program product as recited in claim 34, the at least one computer readable product being further configured for presenting a registration input form to a first invitee of the one or more invitees for the offer when the first invitee accesses the invitation.
  - 44. A computer program product as recited in claim 43, wherein the identifying information received for the first invitee is pre-filled into the presented registration form.
  - 45. A computer program product as recited in claim 43, wherein the invitation to the each one or more invitees further allows the each one or more invitees to accept the invitation.
  - 46. A computer program product as recited in claim 34, the at least one computer readable product being further configured for presenting an acceptance link to the first invitee when the invitee submits the registration form with identifying information.
  - 47. A computer program product as recited in claim 34, the at least one computer readable product being further configured for:
    - setting up permissions between the first invitee and the service when the first invitee registers and accepts the offer.
  - 48. A computer program product as recited in claim 47, wherein permissions are not set up when the first invitee is not authorized to accept the offer.
  - 49. A computer program product as recited in claim 46, the at least one computer readable product being further configured for:
    - when the first invitee accepts the first offer, storing an indicator that the first invitee accepted the offer and the date of such acceptance;
      
      when the first invitee does not accept the offer, storing an indicator that the first invitee did not accept the offer;
      
      when the first invitee registers, storing an indicator regarding the registration and the date of such registration; and
      
      when the first invitee does not register, storing an indicator that the first invitee did not register.
  - 50. A computer program product as recited in claim 49, the at least one computer readable product being further configured for providing the indicator regarding the acceptance, the date of acceptance by the first invitee, and the indicator regarding registration to the provider when the provider queries regarding the first invitee or the offer.
  - 51. A computer program product as recited in claim 43, wherein the registration form is presented to the first invitee by presenting an invitation page having a registration link, the at least one computer readable product being further configured for:
    - presenting an option link in the invitation page, wherein the option can be accessed by invitees which have already registered;
      
      presenting an acceptance link to the first invitee when the invitee submits the registration form with identifying information; and
      
      presenting the acceptance link to the first invitee when the invitee selects the option link and the first invitee is already registered.

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Current Assignee
Salesforce.com, Inc.
Original Assignee
GrandCentral Communications Incorporated (Alphabet Inc.)
Inventors
Reese, David Byrne, Panec, Peter A.

Granted Patent

US 7,305,454 B2
Time in Patent Office

Days
Field of Search
US Class Current

709/238
CPC Class Codes

G06F 9/465   Distributed object oriented...

G06F 9/54   Interprogram communication

G06Q 10/02   Reservations, e.g. for tick...

H04L 67/02   based on web technology, e....

H04L 67/10   in which an application is ...

H04L 67/142   Managing session states for...

H04L 67/306   User profiles

H04L 67/51   Discovery or management the...

Y10S 707/99933   Query processing, i.e. sear...

Apparatus and methods for provisioning services

First Claim

5 Assignments

0 Petitions

Accused Products

Abstract

122 Citations

51 Claims

Specification

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Apparatus and methods for provisioning services

First Claim

5 Assignments

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0 Petitions

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Accused Products

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Abstract

122 Citations

51 Claims

Specification

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Solutions

Use Cases

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