Systems, methods, and computer program products facilitating real-time transactions through the purchase of lead options

Abstract

Systems, methods and computer program products facilitating real-time service transactions between two or more users, including at least one client and at least one service provider. Service providers complete project profiles identifying projects they wish to work on, and clients complete project profiles identifying projects they would like to pay service providers to complete. The project profiles including identifying parameters such as the type of service or project, start date, completion date, skills required for completion, and the like. Both the clients and service providers may then purchase lead options to identify their desire for obtaining a matching user. The lead options can be a sum of money a user wishes to pay for a lead. The systems, methods and computer products then determine matching clients and service providers based upon the project profiles, and identifies to one or more lead option submitting users the immediately available users that match the project profile submitted by the user. In this manner, clients and service providers can utilize the present invention to locate immediately appropriate and available users with which to transact with.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] The present application claims benefit from U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60 / 144,984, filed Jul. 22, 1999, inventor Roger Desenberg, which is incorporated herein by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates generally to electronic transactions, and more specifically, to systems, methods, and computer program products for the facilitating real time project work transactions between service providers and clients. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] With the advent of the Internet, electronic commerce has become one of the fastest growing segments of the economy, due to the fact that the Internet is an easily accessible platform allowing individuals to transact with each other regardless of geographical boundaries or pre-existing relationships. As a result, this forum has lead to unparalleled opportunities for businesses and consumers. Currently, thousands of businesses and individuals offer virtually eve...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0008] The systems, methods and computer program products according to the present invention facilitate real-time service transactions between two or more users, including at least one client and at least one service provider. Service providers complete project profiles identifying projects they wish to work on, and clients complete project profiles identifying projects they would like to pay service providers to complete. The project profiles including identifying parameters such as the type of service or project, start date, completion date, skills required for completion, and the like. Both the clients and service providers may then purchase lead options to identify their desire for obtaining a matching user. The lead options can be a sum of money a user wishes to pay for a lead. The present invention then determines matching clients and service providers based upon the project profiles, and identifies to one or more lead option submitting users the immediately available users that match the project profile submitted by the user. In this manner, clients and service providers can utilize the present invention to locate immediately appropriate and available users with which to transact with.

[0009] According to one embodiment of the invention, there is disclosed a method for facilitating a real-time transaction between two or more users, wherein the two or more users comprise at least one client and at least one service provider. The method includes registering a first user profile, wherein registering the first user profile identifies a first user, and receiving first project profile information from the first user, wherein the first project profile information includes at least one attribute associated with a first project. The method also includes registering a second user profile, wherein registering the second user profile identifies a second user, and receiving second project profile information from the second user, wherein the second project profile information includes at least one attribute associated with a second project. The method further includes determining if the second user is available to transact with the first user, and, where the second user is available to transact with the first user, matching the first user and the second user based at least in part upon the first project profile information and the second project profile information. Finally, the method includes identifying the second user to the first user, where the first user provides, through the submission of lead option information, a preference for obtaining one or more matches.

[0013] According to yet another embodiment of the invention, there is disclosed an engine that facilitates transactions between users through the acceptance of lead options, wherein the users include clients and service providers. The engine includes a network interface enabling the engine to receive project profile information and lead options from a plurality of clients and from a plurality of service providers, a storage device that stores the project profile and lead options received from each client and each service provider, and a lead option application. The lead option application compares the project profile information received from each client to the project profile information received from each service provider, generates matching clients and service providers based upon the comparison of project profile information, and informs at least one user of a match based upon the lead options received from at least one of the clients or service providers.

Problems solved by technology

As a result, this forum has lead to unparalleled opportunities for businesses and consumers.

However, despite the Internet's success in facilitating commerce, hurdles still exist that prevent many businesses and consumers from successfully utilizing the Internet to facilitate business.

For instance, due to the remote nature of Internet business transactions, services are difficult to market, especially as compared to goods, which are often uniform and can be more easily represented with present day technology.

On the contrary, services are difficult to market over the Internet using conventional websites because these services are not consistent, inventoried items, or items that are ready for exchange in a matter of a few days.

Often, services take considerable amount of time to complete and require special skills.

Conventional models based on the buying and selling goods do not offer a structured process to allow the buyer or seller to ensure all proper questions are asked and documented that will allow for a good transaction.

Additionally, most project work is not facilitated by an electronic marketplace.

This process is often time consuming, as each company must obtain project specifications, and then make a bid for the project.

Moreover, there remains a great dependency on word of mouth contacts via friends and associates, which limits the buyers' and service providers' options and marketplace size.

Finally, it is often very difficult to assess a service provider's or buyer's quality and reputation.

Furthermore, both customers and service providers typically incur significant expenses in locating each other.

For service providers, these expenses are often in the form of advertising, and in the time and effort spent to convince consumers to purchase their services.

Likewise, consumers incur expenses in the spending time to locate a suitable service provider.

Additionally, where a need is immediate, clients can incur significant irreparable harm where they cannot locate a suitable service provider quickly.

Therefore, it will be appreciated that current Internet marketplace solutions are not readily scalable to facilitate a marketplace in which consumers and service providers can locate each other, and conventional methods of locating service providers and consumers is inefficient and often results in poorly informed choices.

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