Computerized anonymous permission-based communication system using a micro-catalog server to enable permission-based third-party communication

Abstract

A computerized anonymous permission-based communication system is provided, including a computing device configured to display network-addressable content provided by a server in a primary GUI and receive user input indicating a catalog intent for the content via an alignment GUI. The catalog intent is transmitted to a micro-catalog server to create a user micro-catalog entry. The user micro-catalog entry is indexed by the content's index value and includes a programmatically selected subset of content related to the content. The computing device is further configured to receive user-input permissions associated with the user micro-catalog entry via the alignment GUI. The permissions define permitted third-party communications associated with the user micro-catalog entry. The computing device is further configured to display the user micro-catalog entry in the alignment GUI and present third-party communications authorized by the permissions via the alignment GUI.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] [CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS] This application is based on and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 023,782, filed May 12, 2020, entitled "COMPUTERIZED PERMISSION-BASED MARKETING SYSTEM," which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes.

[0002] The present application generally relates to providing a computerized anonymous permission-based communication system that includes a server that enables users to create user catalog entries for network-addressable content viewed on a computer network and to enter permissions that define whether third parties are authorized to communicate with them regarding the cataloged content. The user's identity remains anonymous to third parties, and the user's actions are not covertly tracked by the system, thus ensuring the user's privacy. [Background technology]

[0003] The modern Internet is a highly surveilled place. Various user tracking and monitoring technologies have been developed, including cookies, web beacons, browser / device fingerprinting, Wi-Fi positioning systems, GPS, embedded scripts, pixel trackers, HTML5 browser web storage, and logging of IP addresses and device identification. These technologies allow corporations, governments, and malicious groups to create profiles about users gleaned from their interactions with servers in cyberspace. While tracking these interactions can provide convenience for users in some situations, for example by enabling website features such as stateful implementations of e-commerce shopping carts, such pervasive tracking presents serious risks of unwanted invasions of user privacy. One area of such overreach that concerns many users is the use of user profiles from covert monitoring of Internet activity for marketing purposes on social media platforms. Doxing, or doxxing, is another harmful practice that consists of publicly revealing previously private personal information about individuals or organizations, primarily through searching publicly available databases and social media websites, hacking, and social engineering.

[0004] With the rise of e-commerce and the increasing number of users shopping over the Internet, the above-mentioned security and privacy issues are of particular concern. Users may spend hours searching the Internet for specific information, all the while risking exposing their privacy and identity to unknown entities and potential hackers. Such exposure can lead to unwanted targeted advertising, identity theft, or worse. Furthermore, despite the ever-rising cost of customer acquisition, e-commerce merchants are finding it challenging to identify true consumer intent in all of this Internet activity in order to connect with potential customers who actually intend to purchase products such as those offered by advertisers, resulting in an overwhelming amount of undiscussed advertising. This mistargeted advertising bombards consumers with content they are not interested in, creating unpleasant experiences browsing the Internet or using applications that feature in-app advertising. This results in distrust among consumers who feel their Internet activity is being monitored without their permission. Hyperlinks and user accounts enable users to navigate the digital world of the Internet, but these technologies alone cannot keep people safe from the increasing misuse and abuse that plague the digital lives of modern Internet users. Given the above, technical challenges remain to ensure the privacy, anonymity, and choice of Internet users. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the above-mentioned problems, a computerized anonymous permission-based communication system is provided, including a computing device configured to communicate with a micro-catalog server and a server, the computing device including a processor, memory, and a display. The processor is configured to execute instructions using a portion of the memory to display a primary graphical user interface (GUI) and an alignment GUI on the display of the computing device, and to display network-addressable content provided by the server in the primary GUI. The processor is further configured to receive user input via the alignment GUI indicating a catalog intent for the displayed network-addressable content. The catalog intent is transmitted to the micro-catalog server, causing the micro-catalog server to create a user micro-catalog entry for the network-addressable content. The user micro-catalog entry is indexed in the micro-catalog server by an index value for the network-addressable content in the micro-catalog server's database and includes a programmatically selected subset of text data, one or more images, and / or metadata associated with the network-addressable content. The processor is further configured to receive user-input permissions associated with the user micro-catalog entry via the alignment GUI. The permissions include a plurality of user-input parameters defining permitted third-party communications associated with the user micro-catalog entry. The processor is further configured to display the user micro-catalog entries in the alignment GUI and present third-party communications authorized by the permissions via the alignment GUI.

[0006] This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any or all of the disadvantages noted in any part of this disclosure. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 shows a schematic diagram of a computerized anonymous permission-based communication system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] 2 shows a schematic diagram of an exemplary server module that can be executed by the system of FIG. 1; [Figure 3] 2 shows a schematic diagram of various database data structures utilized by the system of FIG. 1; [Figure 4A] Three different examples of the display of the primary GUI and alignment GUI of the system of Figure 1 are shown: displayed in a browser window and a browser extension window (Figure 4A), displayed in a browser window and a separate iFrame within the browser window (Figure 4B), and displayed in the main pane and auxiliary pane of the browser window (Figure 4C). [Figure 4B] Three different examples of the display of the primary GUI and alignment GUI of the system of Figure 1 are shown: displayed in a browser window and a browser extension window (Figure 4A), displayed in a browser window and a separate iFrame within the browser window (Figure 4B), and displayed in the main pane and auxiliary pane of the browser window (Figure 4C). [Figure 4C]Three different examples of the display of the primary GUI and alignment GUI of the system of Figure 1 are shown: displayed in a browser window and a browser extension window (Figure 4A), displayed in a browser window and a separate iFrame within the browser window (Figure 4B), and displayed in the main pane and auxiliary pane of the browser window (Figure 4C). [Figure 5] 1 shows the landing page of the system in FIG. [Figure 6] 1 shows a new merchant registration page for the system of FIG. [Figure 7A] 2 illustrates a merchant interface according to the system of FIG. 1, including a promotion interface through which a merchant can enter a promotion. [Figure 7B] 2 illustrates a merchant interface according to the system of FIG. 1, including a promotion interface through which a merchant can enter a promotion. [Figure 8] 1 shows a new user registration page for the system of FIG. 1. [Figure 9A] 4A illustrates an embodiment in which the alignment GUI is displayed in a browser extension window and the primary GUI is displayed in the browser window. These figures illustrate processes for entering user input of catalog intent for a web page (FIG. 9A), displaying generated user microcatalog entries (FIG. 9B), entering permissions associated with the user microcatalog entries (FIGS. 9C-9D), displaying aligned microcatalog entries (FIG. 9E), entering ranking criteria for the aligned microcatalog (FIGS. 9F-9G), displaying a ranked and filtered list of aligned microcatalog entries in the alignment GUI (FIG. 9H), and displaying third-party communications permitted by the entered permissions in the form of a chat interface in the alignment GUI (FIG. 9I). [Figure 9B]4A illustrates an embodiment in which the alignment GUI is displayed in a browser extension window and the primary GUI is displayed in the browser window. These figures illustrate processes for entering user input of catalog intent for a web page (FIG. 9A), displaying generated user microcatalog entries (FIG. 9B), entering permissions associated with the user microcatalog entries (FIGS. 9C-9D), displaying aligned microcatalog entries (FIG. 9E), entering ranking criteria for the aligned microcatalog (FIGS. 9F-9G), displaying a ranked and filtered list of aligned microcatalog entries in the alignment GUI (FIG. 9H), and displaying third-party communications permitted by the entered permissions in the form of a chat interface in the alignment GUI (FIG. 9I). [Figure 9C] 4A illustrates an embodiment in which the alignment GUI is displayed in a browser extension window and the primary GUI is displayed in the browser window. These figures illustrate processes for entering user input of catalog intent for a web page (FIG. 9A), displaying generated user microcatalog entries (FIG. 9B), entering permissions associated with the user microcatalog entries (FIGS. 9C-9D), displaying aligned microcatalog entries (FIG. 9E), entering ranking criteria for the aligned microcatalog (FIGS. 9F-9G), displaying a ranked and filtered list of aligned microcatalog entries in the alignment GUI (FIG. 9H), and displaying third-party communications permitted by the entered permissions in the form of a chat interface in the alignment GUI (FIG. 9I). [Figure 9D]4A illustrates an embodiment in which the alignment GUI is displayed in a browser extension window and the primary GUI is displayed in the browser window. These figures illustrate processes for entering user input of catalog intent for a web page (FIG. 9A), displaying generated user microcatalog entries (FIG. 9B), entering permissions associated with the user microcatalog entries (FIGS. 9C-9D), displaying aligned microcatalog entries (FIG. 9E), entering ranking criteria for the aligned microcatalog (FIGS. 9F-9G), displaying a ranked and filtered list of aligned microcatalog entries in the alignment GUI (FIG. 9H), and displaying third-party communications permitted by the entered permissions in the form of a chat interface in the alignment GUI (FIG. 9I). [Figure 9E] 4A illustrates an embodiment in which the alignment GUI is displayed in a browser extension window and the primary GUI is displayed in the browser window. These figures illustrate processes for entering user input of catalog intent for a web page (FIG. 9A), displaying generated user microcatalog entries (FIG. 9B), entering permissions associated with the user microcatalog entries (FIGS. 9C-9D), displaying aligned microcatalog entries (FIG. 9E), entering ranking criteria for the aligned microcatalog (FIGS. 9F-9G), displaying a ranked and filtered list of aligned microcatalog entries in the alignment GUI (FIG. 9H), and displaying third-party communications permitted by the entered permissions in the form of a chat interface in the alignment GUI (FIG. 9I). [Figure 9F]4A illustrates an embodiment in which the alignment GUI is displayed in a browser extension window and the primary GUI is displayed in the browser window. These figures illustrate processes for entering user input of catalog intent for a web page (FIG. 9A), displaying generated user microcatalog entries (FIG. 9B), entering permissions associated with the user microcatalog entries (FIGS. 9C-9D), displaying aligned microcatalog entries (FIG. 9E), entering ranking criteria for the aligned microcatalog (FIGS. 9F-9G), displaying a ranked and filtered list of aligned microcatalog entries in the alignment GUI (FIG. 9H), and displaying third-party communications permitted by the entered permissions in the form of a chat interface in the alignment GUI (FIG. 9I). [Figure 9G] 4A illustrates an embodiment in which the alignment GUI is displayed in a browser extension window and the primary GUI is displayed in the browser window. These figures illustrate processes for entering user input of catalog intent for a web page (FIG. 9A), displaying generated user microcatalog entries (FIG. 9B), entering permissions associated with the user microcatalog entries (FIGS. 9C-9D), displaying aligned microcatalog entries (FIG. 9E), entering ranking criteria for the aligned microcatalog (FIGS. 9F-9G), displaying a ranked and filtered list of aligned microcatalog entries in the alignment GUI (FIG. 9H), and displaying third-party communications permitted by the entered permissions in the form of a chat interface in the alignment GUI (FIG. 9I). [Figure 9H]4A illustrates an embodiment in which the alignment GUI is displayed in a browser extension window and the primary GUI is displayed in the browser window. These figures illustrate processes for entering user input of catalog intent for a web page (FIG. 9A), displaying generated user microcatalog entries (FIG. 9B), entering permissions associated with the user microcatalog entries (FIGS. 9C-9D), displaying aligned microcatalog entries (FIG. 9E), entering ranking criteria for the aligned microcatalog (FIGS. 9F-9G), displaying a ranked and filtered list of aligned microcatalog entries in the alignment GUI (FIG. 9H), and displaying third-party communications permitted by the entered permissions in the form of a chat interface in the alignment GUI (FIG. 9I). [Figure 9I] 4A illustrates an embodiment in which the alignment GUI is displayed in a browser extension window and the primary GUI is displayed in the browser window. These figures illustrate processes for entering user input of catalog intent for a web page (FIG. 9A), displaying generated user microcatalog entries (FIG. 9B), entering permissions associated with the user microcatalog entries (FIGS. 9C-9D), displaying aligned microcatalog entries (FIG. 9E), entering ranking criteria for the aligned microcatalog (FIGS. 9F-9G), displaying a ranked and filtered list of aligned microcatalog entries in the alignment GUI (FIG. 9H), and displaying third-party communications permitted by the entered permissions in the form of a chat interface in the alignment GUI (FIG. 9I). [Figure 10A]4C illustrates an embodiment in which the alignment GUI is displayed in a pane of a browser window and the primary GUI is displayed in another pane of the same browser window. These figures illustrate the process of entering user input of catalog intent for a web page (FIG. 10A), entering permissions associated with a user micro-catalog entry (FIG. 10B), entering categories associated with a micro-catalog entry (FIG. 10C), and displaying a micro-catalog entry (FIG. 10D). [Figure 10B] 4C illustrates an embodiment in which the alignment GUI is displayed in a pane of a browser window and the primary GUI is displayed in another pane of the same browser window. These figures illustrate the process of entering user input of catalog intent for a web page (FIG. 10A), entering permissions associated with a user micro-catalog entry (FIG. 10B), entering categories associated with a micro-catalog entry (FIG. 10C), and displaying a micro-catalog entry (FIG. 10D). [Figure 10C] 4C illustrates an embodiment in which the alignment GUI is displayed in a pane of a browser window and the primary GUI is displayed in another pane of the same browser window. These figures illustrate the process of entering user input of catalog intent for a web page (FIG. 10A), entering permissions associated with a user micro-catalog entry (FIG. 10B), entering categories associated with a micro-catalog entry (FIG. 10C), and displaying a micro-catalog entry (FIG. 10D). [Figure 10D]4C illustrates an embodiment in which the alignment GUI is displayed in a pane of a browser window and the primary GUI is displayed in another pane of the same browser window. These figures illustrate the process of entering user input of catalog intent for a web page (FIG. 10A), entering permissions associated with a user micro-catalog entry (FIG. 10B), entering categories associated with a micro-catalog entry (FIG. 10C), and displaying a micro-catalog entry (FIG. 10D). [Figure 11] 2 shows an exemplary graphical user interface of the system according to FIG. 1 in the form of an advisor portal page. [Figure 12] 1 shows an exemplary graphical user interface of the system in the form of a search portal. [Figure 13] 1 illustrates a flowchart of a computerized method for permission-based communication according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 14] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary computing environment that can be used to implement one or more of the computing devices of the system of FIG. 1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Selected embodiments of the present disclosure are described with reference to the accompanying drawings. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that the following description of embodiments of the present disclosure is provided for illustrative purposes only and not for the purpose of limiting the present disclosure, which is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

[0009] 1 illustrates a computerized permission-based communication system 5 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, including a computing device 10, a micro-catalog server 12, a server 14 that serves as a content source of network-addressable content, and a third-party computing device 70 used by a third party, such as a merchant. The computing device 10 may be implemented as, for example, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a tablet, or a smartphone. The computing device 10, the micro-catalog server 12, and the server 14 may be configured to communicate with each other over a wide area network, such as the Internet. In one implementation, the server may be configured as, or referred to as, a web server 14.

[0010] The computing device 10 may include a processor 16, memory 18, and a display 20. The processor 16 may be configured to display a primary graphical user interface (GUI) 28 and an alignment GUI 26 in one or more instances of a browser 22 on the display 20 of the computing device 10. The browser 22 may be, for example, a standalone browser application or an embedded browser application functioning as part of a different application program (i.e., an in-app browser). The primary GUI 28 may be configured to display network-addressable content, such as web pages 30 downloaded from a server, such as the web server 14, when a user browses the Internet. The network-addressable content may be located at a network address, such as a URL, which serves as an index value for indexing the network-addressable content, as described below. The browser 22 may be customized via a browser extension 24 to display an alignment GUI 26 in the same or another browser instance on the display 20 of the computing device 10. The alignment GUI 26 is populated with content provided by the microcatalog server 12. As described below, the content provided by the microcatalog server 12 to the alignment GUI 26 can be aligned to URLs 44 of web pages 30. It will be understood that in the examples described throughout the subject application, the server is described as a web server 14, the network-addressable content is described as a web page 30, and the index values are described as URLs for illustrative purposes. It will be understood that the server may alternatively be an intranet server, the content may be files stored on an intranet, and the index values may be intranet addresses.As yet another alternative, the server may be an application server, the content may be in-app content, and the index value may be an in-app address used by an application program to access the content, for example, from a database or file server.

[0011] Initially, various users of micro-catalog server 12, including users of computing devices 10, users of third-party computing devices 70 such as merchants, and other users, register with micro-catalog server 12. The registration process is further described below for both users and merchants with reference to Figures 5, 6, and 8.

[0012] Following registration, a process flow follows, generally proceeding from (1) to (6), as shown in FIG.

[0013] At (1), a third party, such as a merchant, can initiate an action to create a third-party micro-catalog entry 66 for content on the Internet, such as a web page 30, via a merchant interface 33 of the micro-catalog server. The detailed operations for generating the third-party micro-catalog entry 66 are similar to the operations for generating a user micro-catalog entry 32 and are shown in FIG. 7A. The third-party micro-catalog entry 66 may be stored as a third-party database entry 60 utilizing a third-party micro-catalog database structure 152 in the database 54.

[0014] At (2), a third party can generate a request 68 via the merchant interface 33 of the micro-catalog server 12 to have a third-party communication 36 displayed to a user of the system 5. Typically, this is accomplished by the third party establishing a communication campaign with the micro-catalog server 12. In the communication campaign, the third party establishes promotion criteria 67 under which the micro-catalog server 12 attempts to display the specified third-party communication to the user. The third-party micro-catalog entry 66 may be used as the third-party communication, as shown in FIG. 7A. Alternatively, a chat module 72 may be used, and the third-party communication may be a chat interface 38, an example of which is shown in FIG. 9I. A merchant interface including a promotion interface that can be used to enter such campaign parameters is shown in FIG. 7B.

[0015] In (3), in the course of a user browsing the Internet, the user downloads a web page 30 from the web server 14, which is displayed in the primary GUI 28 of the browser 22 on the computing device 10. Accordingly, the processor 16 can be configured to display the web page 30 in the primary GUI 28 of the browser 22 provided by the web server 14. The browser extension 24 can be configured to selectively display the alignment GUI 26 simultaneously with the primary GUI 28 based on a command from the user. The alignment GUI 26 is a private-facing graphical user interface that displays information from the micro catalog server 12 to the user when the user is logged in to the micro catalog server 12. As shown, the displayed information can include user micro catalog entries 32 generated in response to user input of catalog intent 42. The micro catalog entries 32 can be associated with web pages featuring products, services, information, people, etc. that can be found on the Internet. Accordingly, each micro catalog entry 32 can include an associated URL 44 of the corresponding web page 30, which allows the user to navigate to the source (i.e., the web page 30) of the micro catalog entry 32. A micro-catalog entry 32 is said to be aligned to a web page 30 by its URL because it contains the same URL as the web page 30. The micro-catalog entry contains the URL as metadata stored for indexing purposes, while the web page 30 is accessible (i.e., addressable) at the URL.

[0016] The database structure that enables the micro catalog server 12 to display micro catalog entries 32 associated with the same URL is shown in FIG. 3, described below, and stored in database 54. It will be understood that the web server 14 is an example of a content source, the web page 30 is an example of content, and the URL is an example of an index value that can be used to align a user micro catalog entry 32 to other aligned micro catalog entries 40.

[0017] It will be understood that other types of index values may be used in addition to or as an alternative to URLs, such as globally unique identifiers (GUIDs), geographic locations represented by latitude and longitude coordinates, scannable codes such as barcodes and QR codes, telephone numbers, email addresses, television, radio, and various types of publications and print materials. These other index values may be included as such metadata in other fields of the micro-catalog entries 32. Furthermore, it will be understood that types of content other than web pages 30 from sources other than the web server 14 may be cataloged by the micro-catalog server 12. For example, radio and television broadcasts transmitted from a transmitter or over the Internet may carry unique program code as index values embedded in the broadcast signal, streaming media narrowcast over the Internet may carry associated program code embedded in the media stream, and printed materials such as publications or menus may carry index values embedded in QR codes. Micro-catalog entries 32 may also be exclusively aligned to top-level domains by merchants for a certain period and / or number of days for a premium fee. This allows merchants to promote particular micro-catalog entries 32 exclusively to particular audiences and / or demographics.

[0018] Each micro-catalog entry 32 can be configured to display information such as, for example, a photo, a description, a price, and metadata associated with the content, which is programmatically captured by the micro-catalog generation engine 50 from the web page 30, or possibly other content type, during generation of the micro-catalog entry 32, as described below.

[0019] At (4), the processor 16 of the computing device 10 may be configured to receive, via the alignment GUI 26, user input indicating a catalog intent 42 for the displayed web page 30 in the primary GUI 28. Once the user input is received, the catalog intent 42 is transmitted to the micro-catalog server 12, causing the micro-catalog server 12 to create a user micro-catalog entry 32 for the content in the web page 30 via a selection filter 56 of the micro-catalog generation engine 50 and store the user micro-catalog entry 32 in a user micro-catalog database structure 150 hosted within the database 54. It will be appreciated that the filter 56 is programmed to select a subset of the web page data, such as a subset of text data, one or more images, and / or metadata associated with the web page, for inclusion in the user micro-catalog entry 32, and to exclude the remaining web page data. Additionally, the processor 16 of the computing device 10 may be configured to receive, via the alignment GUI 26, a user-entered permission 46 associated with the user micro-catalog entry 32 from the user via a permission interface 34 provided by the micro-catalog server 12. Permissions 46, as further described below, include a number of user-input parameters that define permitted third-party communications associated with user micro-catalog entry 32. The permitted third-party communications may include two-way messaging via third-party chat interface 38, an example of which is shown in FIG. 9I.

[0020] 9D , the permission interface 34 provided by the micro-catalog server 12 includes one or more permission selectors 180 configured to receive one of the user-input parameters defining the permissions 46 associated with the user micro-catalog entry 32. The permission selector 180 may include a third-party type permission selector 182 configured to receive user input of a third-party type, including merchant, other user, and advisor. The permission selector 180 may include a communication type permission selector 184 configured to receive user input of a communication type, including information and updates, promotions, and offers. The permission selector 180 may further include a time period permission selector 186 configured to receive user input of a time period, including indefinite, one day, one week, and custom. The permission selector 180 may further include a communication mode permission selector 188 configured to receive user input of a communication mode, including messaging, voice, and display of the micro-catalog entry in the user's aligned micro-catalog. The permission selector 180 may further include a communication content permission selector 190 configured to receive user input of communication content types including the exact product / service, similar products / services, products / services frequently purchased together, lower cost products / services only, faster delivery products / services only, and geographic proximity.

[0021] 3 , user micro-catalog entries 32 can be indexed in micro-catalog server 12 by the URL 44 of the web page 30 in database 54. A user micro-catalog entry 32 recorded in a user micro-catalog database structure 150 of micro-catalog server 12 includes a programmatically selected subset of text data, one or more images, and / or metadata associated with the web page 30, selected by a filter 56 as described above. The metadata of a user micro-catalog entry 32 can include the title of the web page 30, the price of a good or service offered on the web page 30, and / or the geographic location of an entity featured on the web page 30. A user micro-catalog entry 32 can further include the public URL of the web page 30, the micro-catalog URL of the user micro-catalog entry 32, the user's user ID, and / or the permissions 46 of the user micro-catalog entry 32. Similarly, micro-catalog server 12 can store a third-party (e.g., merchant) micro-catalog database structure 152 populated with data received from merchants for third-party micro-catalog entries 66. The merchant micro-catalog database structure 152 may include the public URLs of the web pages 30 cataloged by the merchant, images, product titles, product prices, product locations, and merchant IDs. Merchants may also add other data, including information about their products, promotional campaign parameters, pricing information, etc. In this manner, merchants may use third-party micro-catalog entries 66 as promotional methods displayed in the alignment GUI 26 according to campaign parameters described below. The micro-catalog server 12 may further store domain alignment information in the domain alignment database structure 154, which associates public URLs with aligned micro-cataloged URLs.It will be understood that the domain alignment database structure is referenced to search for and determine other aligned micro-catalog entries 40 that are provided from the micro-catalog server 12 to the computing device 10 for display in the alignment GUI 26. The database 54 also includes a user profile database structure 156 for storing information about users. A third-party profile database structure (not shown) may also be provided and may contain similar information about each merchant, including the merchant's identification information and information about the merchant's current promotional campaigns, etc.

[0022] Returning to FIG. 1 , as shown at (5), the processor 16 of the computing device 10 can be configured to display a user micro-catalog entry 32 selected by the user in the alignment GUI 26. Additional user micro-catalog entries 32 may be displayed from within the user's entire collection of such entries, and the displayed results may be filtered by user-defined categories such as subject matter, date range, user ranking (e.g., 5 stars, 4 stars), location, cost, etc. Display of the user micro-catalog entries 32 may occur before, simultaneously with, or after input of permissions 46 and / or ranking criteria 48 via the ranking and filtering interface 35.

[0023] As shown in (6), the processor 16 of the computing device 10 can be configured to present, via the alignment GUI 26, one or more third-party communications 36 authorized by the permissions 46, such as other aligned micro-catalog entries 40 and / or chat messages via a third-party chat interface 38. As described in (2) above, the micro-catalog server 12 is configured to receive third-party requests 68 from registered third parties, such as merchants, and display the third-party micro-catalog entries 66 and / or third-party chat interfaces 38 in the candidate alignment GUI 26 of the computing device 10 and index them according to the URLs of the user micro-catalog entries 32. Then, at (6), the micro-catalog server 12 is configured to determine whether the third-party request 68 satisfies the user input permissions 46 for the micro-catalog entry 32, and if so, to cause the computing device 10 to display the third-party micro-catalog entry 66 or the chat interface 38 in the alignment GUI 26 of the computing device 10, and otherwise to refrain from causing the computing device 10 to display the third-party micro-catalog entry 66 or the third-party chat interface 38 in the alignment GUI 26 of the computing device 10.

[0024] The processor 16 of the computing device 10 may be configured to display other aligned micro-catalog entries 40 associated with each user micro-catalog entry 32 in the alignment GUI 26, typically in a ranked order and filtered manner. The alignment functionality is typically implemented by a micro-catalog alignment module 52, which executes a filter 62 and a ranker 64 that function to filter and rank the aligned micro-catalog entries of third parties and other users in the alignment GUI 26 according to ranking criteria 48 and filtering criteria 47 entered via the ranking and filtering interface 35, as shown in FIGS. 9A-9I. It will be appreciated that the micro-catalog alignment module 52 receives the URL 44, permissions 46, and ranking criteria 48 and filtering criteria 47 from user input to implement this functionality. As examples of filtering criteria 47, the other aligned micro-catalog entries 40 may be filtered by user-defined categories such as subject matter, date, user ranking, location, cost, etc. Additionally, the user may choose to filter so that only third-party micro-catalog entries that meet permissions 46 are displayed. Additional filtering criteria are shown in Figure 9G. Furthermore, ranking unit 64 is configured to cause micro-catalog generation module to instruct alignment GUI 26 to rank the filtered micro-catalog entries by ranking criteria 48 as shown in Figure 9G and display the aligned third-party micro-catalogs in the ranked order defined by ranking unit 64.

[0025] The system 5 is configured to enable third parties to send chat messages to the user computing device 10 via a chat module 72 of the micro-catalog server 12. The chat module 72 communicates with a chat client (not shown) and a chat interface 38 on the third-party computing device 70. Chat messages from the third party to the user are displayed as third-party communications 36 in the chat interface 38 of the alignment GUI 26. Importantly, the third party is not informed of the user's identity when sending the message or when receiving a response. The micro-catalog server 12 maintains the user's anonymity by anonymously mediating message communications between the third-party computing device 70 and the user computing device 10. An example of such a chat interface 38 is shown in FIG. 9I, described below.

[0026] While one third-party computing device is shown in FIG. 1 for illustrative purposes, it is understood that system 5 may be used with multiple third parties, each utilizing the system to conduct its own promotional campaigns. Accordingly, micro-catalog server 12 is configured to receive multiple third-party requests 68 to create multiple third-party micro-catalog entries or third-party chat interface instances indexed by the URL of web page 30, with the submitted third-party communication being a target third-party micro-catalog entry or target third-party chat interface instance among the multiple third-party micro-catalog entries or third-party chat interface instances. If there are multiple third-party requests 68 that satisfy user-input permissions 46 for micro-catalog entries 32, micro-catalog server 12 is configured to filter the multiple third-party micro-catalog entries or third-party chat interface instances based on the permissions 46 entered via permission interface 34 and based on filtering criteria 47 entered by filtering selector 222 of ranking and filtering interface 35, thereby generating a set of filtered third-party micro-catalog entries or third-party chat interface instances. The filtering criteria may include, for example, the inclusion and / or exclusion of specific merchants and / or product categories.9G , the micro-catalog server 12 is configured to rank the filtered micro-catalog entries or third-party chat interface instances according to ranking criteria 48 entered via the ranking selector 220 of the ranking and filtering criteria interface 35, thereby displaying a ranked list of the filtered third-party micro-catalog entries or third-party chat interface instances indexed by URL in the alignment GUI 26, the displayed ranked list including the target third-party micro-catalog entry or target third-party chat interface instance. The ranking criteria 220 selected by the user may include price, speed, review score, vendor size, and geographic proximity.

[0027] Referring to FIG. 2, the microcatalog server 12 may include a server module 30 that communicates with the computing device 10 and the web server 14. The server module 30 includes a cluster of modules that determine what is presented in the alignment GUI 26 and the primary GUI 28. For example, the authentication module M1 may store instructions for launching a login window, such as the new user registration page of FIG. 8, to register a new user and for collecting user information to verify that the user is registered with the browser extension 24. The consumer module M2 may provide an anonymous platform for users to search for products or services offered by merchants, present their intent to potential merchants, and select microcatalogs of interest as intent. It will be understood that users may alternatively be referred to herein as consumers to emphasize the user's role as a consumer when interacting with merchant communications. The consumer module may implement the GUIs shown in FIGS. 9A-9I and 10A-10D.

[0028] The merchant module M3 can provide a publishing platform for merchants to present products, services, and / or information they offer or sell, align those products, services, and / or information with desired web addresses, and market themselves. The merchant interface shown in FIGS. 7A-7B may be implemented by the merchant module M3. Operations related to organizing, filtering, and presenting microcatalogs and intent may be stored in the alignment module M4. The search module M5 provides functionality for collecting and presenting resources discovered on the Internet in response to search requests entered by users. The search interface of FIG. 12 can be implemented by the search module M5. Consumers and merchants can securely communicate with each other via a messaging module M6, which implements the chat interface 38 described above. The shopping module M7 can enable transactions between consumers and merchants. The advisor portal module M8 can be configured to manage data related to a portal associated with a browser extension and can implement, for example, the GUI of FIG. 11.

[0029] It will be appreciated that the avatar portal and merchant portal share common features for augmenting and enhancing the anonymous micro-catalog. Some of these features include FAQs, anonymous profiles (consumer fill-out of intent questionnaires), timelines (time-stamped intent with relationship connections), product bidding (merchants queue to outbid consumers' intent), comparisons (micro-catalog entries are compared side-by-side), clustering (categorization of micro-catalog entries by topic or genre), and demographic search, as well as global profiles (portal profiles communicated to all requesting merchants), to name a few. Verifiable transactions between consumers and merchants can be managed and stored via business intelligence module M9. A mobile application program 84 in communication with the web server 14 can be configured to utilize data from modules within the server module 30 to determine what is displayed on the primary GUI 28 via the web server 14 for consumption by the module computing device used by the user. It will be appreciated that the functionality of each module described above serves to provide examples of each module's capabilities and is not intended to limit the modules to only exemplary tasks.

[0030] The micro-catalog server 12 may further include an application cache, such as a Redis cache 80, to store data, such as URLs associated with the micro-catalog and / or alignment index, for the browser extension 24, thereby reducing latency and accelerating response times when requests are received. These Redis caches 80 may be populated using data from the databases 54, particularly the domain alignment database structure 154. An affiliate module 82 on the micro-catalog server 12 enables the creation and management of affiliate relationships. Consumers who wish to become affiliates may register an anonymous consumer profile without linking it to a public affiliate profile.

[0031] 4A, 4B, and 4C, it will be understood that the primary GUI 28 and the alignment GUI 26 may be displayed as separate windows or in the same window. In a first configuration shown in FIG. 4A, the browser extension 24 may run in a separate window and the alignment GUI 26 may be displayed in that separate window. This separate window may be attached or detached to the active window displaying the primary GUI 28. In a second configuration shown in FIG. 4B, the browser extension 24 may run in an iFrame such that the alignment GUI 26 is displayed in an iFrame within the same window as the primary GUI 28. Alternatively, in a third configuration shown in FIG. 4C, the browser extension 24 may run in an auxiliary pane and the alignment GUI 26 may be displayed in an auxiliary pane within the same window as the primary GUI 28. If the primary GUI 28 is displayed in the same window as the alignment GUI 26 in the browser 22, for example as shown in Figures 4B and 4C, the content of the primary GUI 28 and / or the alignment GUI 26 can be received via an asynchronous transfer protocol such as JavaScript Object Notation (JSON).

[0032] In some examples, the primary GUI 28 may be used to search for information that the user wants to save as an intent and may also display a public-facing selection of micro-catalogs that match the user's search request. The user may select one or more micro-catalogs of interest that are displayed as intents in the private alignment GUI 26.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 5 , the primary GUI 28 also allows the user to navigate to a landing page 31 of the microcatalog server 12, which provides selectable avatar portals containing resources on various popular topics, such as healthcare, travel, shopping, real estate, and smart home systems. Selection of one of the presented topics can result in a display of information and a curated microcatalog associated with the displayed information, such as expert physicians or informational articles related to the medical concern indicated by the user. The landing page 31 also includes links for creating a new user account, creating a new merchant account, logging in as an authorized user or merchant, and downloading the browser extension 24. Selecting each link causes the microcatalog server to transition to other pages, as indicated by dashed lines referencing other figures.

[0034] FIG. 6 illustrates a new merchant registration page of the system of FIG. 1, which can be accessed by selecting the Create a New Merchant Account hyperlink on the landing page of FIG. 5. The new merchant registration page is configured to display a merchant profile 200, including multiple fields that can be filled out by the merchant: username, password, merchant address, merchant website URL, country, zip code / region, and language. In addition to merchants, similar registration pages can be provided for other types of third parties. The fields provided are merely exemplary, and other data can be collected during registration. A merchant can be an individual, organization, business owner, etc., with one or more business entities that sell or provide products, services, and / or information. If a third party wishes to register with the browser extension 24 as a merchant, as shown in FIG. 6, they will typically need to provide verifiable identification information, such as their name, business name, government-issued identification, email address, physical address, phone number, and website address, as described above. In this way, the merchant is identified to administrators of the browser extension 24 and to consumers registered with the browser extension 24, thereby restricting them from unwanted solicitation activity. It is important to note that when suspicious login activity is detected or before performing actions that may affect many consumers, the merchant may be required to verify account access using two-factor authentication. Once the required information is entered by the new merchant, the merchant may create a microcatalog entry 66 for the products or services the merchant sells or offers, aligning it with one or more search terms, web pages, etc. The merchant may also select the save and proceed to promotion interface of FIG. 7A as shown.

[0035] 7A and 7B illustrate a merchant interface, including a promotion interface through which a merchant can enter promotions. As shown in FIG. 7A, a merchant can choose to display micro-catalog entries according to parameters such as keywords or phrases, location, time frame, and price point, and can define a promotional campaign according to these goals. A merchant can also align one or more third-party micro-catalog entries 66 for a product or service to a QR code that can be shared with other users, for example, via a business card or flyer. Note that every unique third-party micro-catalog entry 66 can be assigned a QR code. In such a case, the QR code becomes the index value to which the micro-catalog entry is aligned, as described above. When a consumer scans a QR code provided by a merchant, the merchants and their associated third-party micro-catalogs 66 can be searched by the micro-catalog server 12 and saved by the consumer as catalog intent 42. When a user who is not registered with a browser extension 24 (or, in other embodiments, an application program such as a mobile application) scans a QR code provided by a merchant, they are prompted to become a registered consumer. It will be appreciated that when a consumer adds a micro-catalog provided via a QR code as a catalog intent to a merchant's business card, the consumer can choose to remain anonymous and define whether and / or how the merchant obtains permission to contact the consumer.

[0036] In addition to QR codes, as described above, merchants may also choose to align micro-catalog entries 66 to forms of media, such as television, radio, print publications, and the like. For example, a merchant may desire to align a third-party micro-catalog entry 66 for a product or service offered by the merchant with a particular television program through a content source for the network. The alignment of the micro-catalog entry 66 may be in the form of, for example, a national channel code in a program guide and / or a channel code for a local affiliate. Merchants may further tailor the alignment of the third-party micro-catalog entry 66 based on parameters such as the date, time slot, or zip code in which the television program airs. A consumer may select an icon within a browser extension 24 and / or application program (e.g., a mobile application) to view any other aligned micro-catalog entries 40 aligned with a particular television channel and / or program.

[0037] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 7A , an exemplary website 30 is shown in primary GUI 28, where a merchant (in this case, Store B) can select catalog selector H to enter a promotional campaign for web page 30. Catalog selector H may be displayed in alignment GUI 26 or web page 30 if the web page 30 includes a widget or code that enables this functionality. This action causes a third-party micro-catalog entry 66 to be created for this web page 30. In the illustrated example, the merchant (Store B) has modified the subset of data selected by filter 56 (including Store A, LAPTOP MODEL ABC123, and a photo of the product) into third-party micro-catalog entry 66 by adding its own price of $1,125 within the message "On Sale for $1,125" and changing "Store A" to "Buy from us, not Store A."

[0038] FIG. 7B illustrates the promotion interface of merchant interface 33. The promotion interface includes multiple input mechanisms (input fields, drop-down menus, etc.) that allow a merchant to enter various promotion criteria 67 that define a campaign, including the title, the URL of the web page to which the campaign is aligned, the time period during which the campaign will run, the price, the geographic region in which the campaign will run, shipping costs, and a minimum intent score associated with the user's micro-catalog entry. The last category, described below, allows a merchant to only send requests for third-party communication to users who have entered catalog intent 42 with an intent score above a merchant-specified threshold intent score. In this way, a merchant can ensure a high level of user interest and avoid sending requests to users who are not sufficiently interested in particular content. Alternatively, instead of a fixed price, a relative price may be entered and dynamically calculated. For example, as shown in FIG. 9H, a 10% discount off the price advertised on website 30 can be entered.

[0039] FIG. 8 illustrates a new user registration page of the microcatalog server 12, which can be accessed from a link on the landing page of FIG. 5. Users can register as consumers, which ensures a higher degree of anonymity than merchant registration. A key feature of the present disclosure is providing consumers with a secure platform for interacting with merchants over the Internet. In this way, the consumer's identity is protected so that the consumer remains anonymous even to administrators of the microcatalog server 12. If a user wishes to register with the browser extension 24 as a consumer, the user completes a form presented in a new user registration interface 200, which is displayed in the primary GUI 28 on the display 20. The user selects a username, which is a unique alphanumeric name that will not be displayed (the user is instructed that this is a pseudonym). The screen name (which the user is also instructed to be a pseudonym) is different from the username and will only be displayed to other consumers who register with the browser extension 24 and agree to become friends via an invitation link or by scanning a QR code. Note that consumers can change their username and screen name as frequently as they wish to ensure anonymity. Next, the user enters and confirms a password and provides their date of birth, gender (this data is optional), location (this data is optional), and language preference (the default is English). Location is non-identifying information because only the country and postal code or region are entered. The user can begin by downloading, installing, and registering the extension, or they can register first and then download and install the browser extension 24. Once the user has entered their information and completed the registration process, a user profile database structure 156 is created and stored in database 54 of microcatalog server 12, as shown in FIG. 3.

[0040] A key feature of the registration process is that no identifying information, such as name, phone number, address, or email address, is required from users registering as consumers. If a user forgets or loses their password for the browser extension, it can be retrieved via security questions and / or downloadable backup codes. The anonymity of the system prevents merchants, social media sites, internet hackers, and other users from collecting and sharing data about consumers, thereby eliminating targeted advertising, unwanted solicitations, and association with other users. Consumers who wish to become merchants can register without linking their anonymous consumer profile to a public merchant profile.

[0041] Once a user is registered, the user can click Save to return to the landing page shown in FIG. 5 or select Save and Proceed to Alignment GUI to proceed to the Alignment GUI 26 view shown in FIG. 9A. The landing page of FIG. 5 includes an Intent button, a Trend button, and a Search button, as well as a search bar for entering a search query. The consumer can choose to perform activities such as, for example, viewing saved microcatalog entries as catalog intent 42 by selecting the Intent button, searching for other people's microcatalog entries aligned to search terms shared by merchants or other consumers, respectively, by selecting the Search button, or viewing microcatalog entries receiving a high level of attention from other registered users by selecting the Trend button. The consumer can also use the search bar to search for topics or websites. Performing a search function while running the browser extension 24 allows the consumer to create public microcatalog entries to share with other registered users and / or store search results of interest as catalog intent, as described below with reference to FIGS. 9A-9I and 10A-10D. As mentioned above, the landing page may also display selectable advisor portals for topics such as healthcare, travel, shopping, real estate, and smart home systems. As described below with reference to FIG. 11, selecting an advisor portal topic may enable the consumer to search for related subtopics and view curated micro-catalog entries related to the subtopic, such as expert doctors or informational articles related to the medical concern indicated by the user.

[0042] 9A-9I illustrate an embodiment in which the alignment GUI 26 is displayed in a browser extension window and the primary GUI is displayed in the browser window, as shown in FIG. 4A. FIG. 9A illustrates a user input of catalog intent for a web page. It will be appreciated that the alignment GUI 26 can be selectively opened and closed by a user by selecting a browser extension icon 49 on the ribbon (or toolbar) of the browser 22 window that displays the primary GUI 28. The browser extension icon 49 may, in some examples, be referred to as a widget. Once the alignment GUI 26 is opened and displayed, while the web page 30 is displayed in the primary GUI 28, the user can select a catalog selector H, which transmits a catalog intent 42 to the micro-catalog server 12. In one exemplary implementation, selecting the catalog selector H causes a catalog intent interface 51 to be displayed that includes multiple catalog intent categories 51A. In the illustrated example, the catalog intent categories include need, want, like, dislike, have, buy, sell, rent, follow, learn, share, and future. Categories may be pre-populated with default values (e.g., "Need" selected first, remaining categories not selected initially). In the illustrated example, a need category, e.g., and future, is selected, and the user selects submit to continue. Note that each intent category is given a corresponding value, which in one example is a positive or negative integer, such as +1 or -1. In the illustrated example, the user has selected Need (+3), Like (+1), and Future (+2). If more than one intent category is selected by the consumer, the sum of the constituent values for each selected intent category constitutes the intent score. The intent score in the illustrated example is 6.

[0043] The intent score is stored for analysis by the micro-catalog server 12 and is also made available to third parties, subject to permission 46. A user's higher score reveals a greater likelihood that the user will engage with the micro-cataloged content and act on the intent, for example, by purchasing a product. Thus, the intent score helps consumers compare, evaluate, and ultimately make better choices by tracking their preferred wants, needs, and interests. Additionally, a third party, such as a merchant, can select a threshold interest level for the threshold intent score to send a request for third-party communication to a user who micro-cataloged a particular web page, as described in connection with FIG. 7B. As described above, the catalog selector H can be displayed in the alignment GUI 26 or on the web page 30 if the web page 30 includes a widget or code that enables this functionality. As shown in FIG. 9B, when the catalog selector H is selected, a generated user micro-catalog entry 32 is received from the micro-catalog server 12 and displayed in the alignment GUI. The illustrated user micro-catalog entry 32 includes information about the store name (Store A), product information (LAPTOP MODEL ABC123), price ($1,200), and a photo of the product. The micro-catalog entry 32 also includes an indication of the intent score for the categories 51A of the catalog intent 42 entered by the user. Thus, the catalog intent 42 for the displayed network-addressable content (i.e., web page 30) includes a subset of selected catalog intent categories 51A selected by the user from the set of candidate catalog intent categories (the full list of displayed categories 51A). The intent score of the user micro-catalog entry 32 is calculated based on the selected catalog intent categories (indicated by a check mark). Third-party micro-catalog entries or third-party communications 36, such as chat interfaces, authorized by permissions 46 include an associated threshold intent score (indicated as "4" in FIG. 7B ).Therefore, before presenting a third-party communication authorized by permission in the alignment GUI, i.e., for example, before presenting the aligned micro-catalog entry 40 in Figures 9E and 9G, the micro-catalog alignment module 52 of the micro-catalog server 12 determines that the intent score of the user micro-catalog entry exceeds a threshold intent score, and based on this determination, enables the third-party communication 36 to be displayed in the alignment GUI 26.

[0044] 9C-9D, a user can select a permissions selector that causes a permissions interface 34 to be displayed that includes multiple permission selectors 180, allowing the user to enter permissions 46 associated with the user micro-catalog entry 32. Selectors 180, including 182, 184, 186, 188, and 190, have been described above and will not be described again for the sake of brevity. In addition to these selectors, a public-private selector is included to allow the user to indicate whether the user micro-catalog entry is viewable by other users of the system 5 or is kept private.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 9E, once permission 46 is entered, the alignment GUI displays other aligned micro-catalog entries 40 in the alignment GUI 26. In the illustrated example, a micro-catalog entry for Store B and a micro-catalog entry from a review site are shown, both of which have been indexed by their creators to the URL of web page 30. It will be appreciated that Store B's micro-catalog entry was provided pursuant to the promotional campaign entered by the merchant in FIGS. 7A and 7B and included a minimum threshold intent score of 4. Because the user's intent score in the example of FIGS. 9A-9I is 6, micro-catalog server 12 determined that the user's intent score exceeded the minimum threshold and allowed the third-party communication from Store B in the form of Store B's micro-catalog entry to be displayed as an aligned micro-catalog entry.

[0046] 9F-9G illustrate the entry of ranking and filtering criteria for an aligned micro-catalog. When a user selects the ranking and filtering selector, a ranking and filtering interface 35 is displayed. In the illustrated example, various ranking and filtering criteria are displayed. The user selects the ranking criterion of price and does not select the other available ranking criteria in this example: delivery speed, review score, vendor size, or geographic proximity. Additionally, the user selects to include the Computers and Laptops category while excluding the merchant SHADYMERCHANT and the Tablets category.

[0047] As shown in Figure 9H, once the ranking and filtering criteria are input, the ranking unit 64 and filter 62 of the micro catalog server 12 operate to generate a ranked and filtered list of aligned micro catalog entries that satisfy the permissions 46, ranking criteria 48 and filtering criteria 47, and URLs 44. The ranked and filtered list of aligned micro catalog entries is transmitted from the micro catalog server 12 to the computing device 10 and, once received, is displayed in the alignment GUI 26.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 9I, a message waiting indicator on the chat icon on the left side of the illustration indicates that a chat message is waiting for the user. As mentioned above, chat messages are a form of third-party communication, and this chat message is permitted by permissions 46 entered by the user via permissions interface 34 in FIG. 9D. When the message indicator is selected by the user, the content of the chat message is displayed in chat interface 38 within alignment GUI 26. As shown, the chat message is from merchant Store B (a type of third party authorized to send user communications pursuant to permissions 46) and is an offer (a type of communication permitted by permissions 46) for the exact product (a content type permitted by permissions 46) that the user has cataloged. The message tells the user that Store B will "lower the price." The user has sent a message back negotiating for $1,050, which is lower than the price offered by Store C in FIG. H. A response from Store B is pending. In this manner, the user can request an offer from the merchant pursuant to permissions 46 and engage in chat-based negotiations to secure the best price, delivery terms, etc.

[0049] 10A-10D illustrate an embodiment in which the alignment GUI 26A is displayed in one pane of the browser 22A window and the primary GUI 28A is displayed in another pane of the same window, as shown in FIG. 4C. In the illustrated example, the user navigates to a web page 30 while running the browser extension 24, and the web page 30 has not yet been cataloged by the user. Although not shown in this figure, the alignment GUI 26A can be selectively opened and closed by the user. The user can open the alignment GUI 26A by selecting a browser extension icon 49 displayed in the ribbon of the browser 22 window and close it again by further selecting the browser extension icon 49. As described below, the state of the browser extension icon 49 changes when the web page 30 is cataloged by the user.

[0050] The micro-catalog creation interface 39A is displayed in the alignment GUI 26A by the browser extension 24. If a user wants to create a user micro-catalog entry 32A for a web page 30, the user can select a public selector in the micro-catalog creation interface 40 to create a micro-catalog entry 32A associated with the web page 30 that is publicly displayed to third parties by the micro-catalog server and aligned with the user micro-catalog entry 32A displayed in the user's alignment GUI 26, for example, via the search portal page shown in FIG. 12. If a user wants to align a web page 30 as a micro-catalog entry 32A without publicly sharing it, the user can select a private selector to create a micro-catalog entry 32A that is displayed only in the user's alignment GUI 26 and not visible to third parties or other users.

[0051] As shown in FIG. 10A, alignment GUI 26A displays catalog selector H′. The content of GUI 26A is provided by micro-catalog server 12 via browser extension 24. Catalog selector H′ includes a public selector and a private selector. Thus, a user can select one of these selectors in catalog selector H′ and simultaneously select public / private privacy settings and cataloging actions, thereby entering both catalog intent 42A (see FIG. 10B) and permissions 46A (see also FIG. 10B) for web page 30. In the illustrated example, the user selects the public option, and the process proceeds to FIG. 10B.

[0052] FIG. 10B illustrates a permission interface 34A associated with user catalog intent 42A of web page 30. In permission interface 34A, the user can select the no solicitation option, allow information and updates, and allow promotions and offers. In the illustrated example, the user has selected to allow promotions and offers. Selecting Next advances the process flow to FIG. 10C. The permission solicitation occurs via messaging module M6 of FIG. 2, for example, according to the method described above in connection with FIGS. 9A-9I.

[0053] FIG. 10C shows the ranking and filtering interface 35A displayed in the alignment GUI 26. In the ranking and filtering interface 35A, a category entry field is provided for the user to enter a category to be associated with the micro-catalog entry. The user category forms the filtering criteria 47A. Although not shown in this example, additional selectors may be provided in the ranking and filtering interface 35A through which the user can enter ranking criteria. The categories may be automatically entered by the user, may be removable / expandable, or may auto-complete when the user begins entering data into the field from a library of pre-stored categories. When the user is finished, the user can select Finish to forward the filtering criteria (i.e., categories in this example) 47A to the micro-catalog server 12, which generates the user micro-catalog entry 32A, as shown in FIG. 10D.

[0054] FIG. 10D shows that the alignment GUI 26A is configured to display a user micro-catalog entry 32A following receipt of the user micro-catalog entry 32A from the micro-catalog server 12. The user micro-catalog entry 32A displays information such as the merchant's name (Store A), the product name (LAPTOP MODEL ABC123), the price ($1,200), and an image of the product, as well as additional metadata in the form of public / private settings, other permissions, and user-entered categories. In this manner, the user can easily visually inspect both the content of the original web page 30 that was cataloged, as well as the user permissions 46A and filtering criteria (i.e., categories in this example) 47A entered by the user for this micro-catalog entry 32A. It will be appreciated that once the user selects Finish in FIG. 10C, the browser extension icon 49 transitions to a state in which the word Catalog appears at 49A in FIG. 10D. This visually informs the user that the web page 30 has been cataloged by a user using the micro-catalog server 12.

[0055] Of course, the computing device 10 may be a mobile computing device such as a smartphone, and the functionality of the browser extension 24 described above may be implemented in a standalone mobile application running on the mobile computing device, such as the mobile application 84 shown in FIG. 2 . Thus, when using such a mobile application, a user can access the mobile application by directly launching the mobile application. The mobile application 84 communicates with the micro-catalog server 12 to input user intents and display them in the alignment GUI 26, allowing the user to browse user micro-catalog entries 32, generate catalog intents 42 for various web pages 30, browse other aligned micro-catalog entries 40 shared by merchants and other users, and use the mobile computing device to create and share public micro-catalogs, as described above. If the mobile computing device 210 is equipped with a camera, the user can use the camera to capture images or scan products, for example, via QR codes. The images and / or scanned products can be micro-cataloged, and a catalog intent 42 can be generated and sent to the micro-catalog server 12 for appropriate communication with merchants, for example.

[0056] As described above with reference to FIG. 5 , the landing page 31 associated with the microcatalog server 12 can include selectable avatar portals for topics such as healthcare, travel, shopping, real estate, and smart home systems. Selecting an advisor portal topic navigates to a portal page 48, allowing the consumer to search subtopics and display catalog intent 42 related to the selected portal topic, as well as curated microcatalog entries related to the portal topic. Portals augment and enhance microcatalog entries by allowing other microcatalog entries to be aligned with them. A microcatalog entry can be viewed in more than one advisor portal. For example, a microcatalog entry can be in a shopping advisor and a travel advisor. The context of the advisor portal affects what alignment can or should be made with other microcatalogs within the advisor portal. Note also that consumers can hide or display microcatalogs within the advisor portal at their discretion. In addition to avatar portals, merchants can have their own portals that they can control and manage. Merchants can allow microcatalog entries from other domains to be included in their merchant portals. Merchants can decide which third-party merchants can align their micro-catalogs to their portal. Merchants can invite anonymous consumers using a temporary, unique private invitation URL or a public invitation URL generated for the merchant via email or posting using a QR code. Either way, both invitation types can be revoked by the merchant if needed.

[0057] FIG. 11 illustrates an exemplary graphical user interface of an advisor portal page 48 for medical information displayed in the primary GUI 28. The advisor portal page includes a list of medical categories that a user can view and a list of micro-catalog entries cataloged as belonging to each category. The category list is expandable, allowing a user of the system 5 to add new categories by selecting a more selector. A search tool is provided for searching for micro-catalog entries in various categories. Upon selection of a particular selected category 71 by the user, the advisor portal page is configured to display a list of micro-catalog entries associated with the selected category. As shown, the displayed micro-catalog entries include user micro-catalog entries 32 and third-party micro-catalog entries 66 from both merchants and other users.

[0058] In the illustrated example, the user has selected endocrinology, and the displayed micro-catalog entries 32, 66 related to this topic include information sources such as micro-catalogs, service providers, and websites related to clinical trials and research. To provide a visual indication of the source of the micro-catalog entries, a key is provided along with visual indicators that may include each source's respective color, shading, design, etc. The illustrated key indicates which visual indicators are associated with the user, merchants, and other users.

[0059] Additionally, system 5 can also enable authorized healthcare providers to provide targeted information to patients, i.e., consumers, via the chat interface 38 described above or other suitable secure communication channels, such as electronic business cards. In a first option shown in FIG. 1A, a consumer can use the medical advisor portal of FIG. 11 to reveal a temporary QR code that is scanned by an authorized healthcare provider. Examples of such information can include, for example, an International Statistical Classification of Diseases (ICD) code, details or treatment of a specific condition, pre- or post-operative instructions, and resources for addressing the medical issue. Note that the platform authorizes the alignment of the medical code by a medically licensed professional. When an authorized healthcare provider scans such a temporary medical advisor QR code (temporary QR code), which is generated by selecting the QR presentation selector in a mobile app instance executed on the user's smartphone, it is presented to the healthcare provider. The merchant's healthcare provider (e.g., Doctor B) then reads the temporary QR code via a mobile application on the merchant's mobile device (e.g., smartphone or tablet) and creates a private user micro-catalog entry 32 that remains as a pending alignment 79 until accepted or rejected by the consumer from the user computing device (e.g., the user's smartphone or tablet). The pending alignment 79 can be viewed by the user by selecting a pending alignment selector 79A in either the browser 22 or the mobile application, either of which displays a pop-up or other pending alignment interface 79B, displaying a list of the pending alignments 79 along with an accept selector 79C for accepting the pending alignment 79. Once the pending alignment is accepted by the user, it remains aligned until permanently deleted by the user. It should also be appreciated that under the second scenario, the merchant's QR code can be printed on an electronic publication, such as a webpage or electronic brochure, or on printed material available at the service provider's office.Users can appreciate the benefits of easily retrieving business card and other microcatalogs that can be presented by scanning a QR code with the user's smartphone camera, as shown in FIG. 1B. Under this option, users can be assured that the information presented via microcatalog server 12 will be vetted and verified by healthcare providers and other healthcare professionals and organizations. It should also be understood that in some circumstances, patients / consumers may want to grant authorization to authorized healthcare providers to attest that certain medical tests or procedures were performed. This is particularly useful if the patient / consumer needs to prove later date and time proof to a third party.

[0060] One way that verification can be achieved is as follows: 1) The consumer selects the micro-catalog for which they want to request verification from their medical advisor. 2) If the user has a personal mobile computing device that uses the mobile application, the consumer is asked to take a photo of their photo ID or a so-called "selfie" (a template is displayed on the camera screen within the app along with instructions for taking a "selfie"). Note that this must be done in the presence of the person providing the verification for verification. The authorized healthcare provider scans the micro-catalog QR code generated for the verification request. 3) The authorized healthcare provider is instructed to verify that the actual photo ID truly identifies the patient / consumer. If everything matches, the authorized healthcare provider verifies the verification on the mobile computing device. It is important to note that the photo ID is stored only on the patient / consumer's mobile device. No one can access it unless the patient / consumer grants access. It is encrypted until the patient / consumer decrypts it. If the patient / consumer wants to grant permission to a third party to verify the verification, they can show the micro-catalog's QR code to the third party for scanning. Once scanned, the authenticated microcatalog is displayed via a secure webpage on the third-party's mobile computing device. It reveals no personally identifiable information (PII) or personal health information (PHI) and can only be unlocked by a temporary code displayed in the consumer's mobile computing application. The temporary code, along with the photo ID or "selfie" taken during authentication, is never transmitted to any other party or system. The third party can ask to see additional ID or the original photo to verify it is indeed the same person. This illustrates how an anonymous, permission-based microcatalog can interact in a real-world situation. Note that this is just one example; the same process can be accomplished and evaluated by other professionals in a variety of industries.

[0061] It will be appreciated that if a patient is not a registered user of system 5 and is given an unsolicited QR code with an aligned third-party microcatalog 66, the user will be prompted to register, accept, or decline the pending alignment when the QR code is scanned by the user's mobile application program 84. Healthcare providers can also align microcatalogs to patient / consumer QR codes in the patient's presence and with permission, without requiring HIPAA identifiers or PII. If any third-party merchants are associated with the healthcare provider-provided microcatalog 66, the user can choose to define whether and how these third-party merchants can contact them, as described above with reference to FIG. 9D.

[0062] Referring now to FIG. 12, an exemplary graphical user interface for the system of FIG. 1 is shown in the form of a search portal 73 for search operations. The search portal 73 includes an alignment GUI search interface 75 displayed in the alignment GUI 26 and a primary GUI search interface 77 displayed in the primary GUI 28. The alignment GUI search interface 75 is provided by the micro catalog server 12 and returns search results from within the user micro catalog entries 32 generated based on the user's catalog intent 42. Meanwhile, the primary GUI search interface 77 may be served by the search module M5 of the micro catalog server 12 or, alternatively, by a third-party search engine, and returns results of either (1) all public micro catalog entries (if the micro catalog server 12 performs the search) or (2) public Internet search results (if a third-party search engine performs the search). In either case, a catalog selector H is displayed adjacent to the search results in the primary GUI search interface, and by selecting the catalog selector H, the user can generate a micro catalog entry for the search results page. The catalog selector H may be provided by the micro catalog server 12 or by the search engine using an appropriate embedded URL in the search results page, as appropriate. In some embodiments, a separate catalog selector H may be provided for each corresponding search result in the search results, so that the user can select the appropriate selector to catalog for each link in the search results, as indicated by the dashed lines.

[0063] In the illustrated example of FIG. 12, a user entered the search term "patent" into search bar 85 of primary GUI search interface 77 displayed in primary GUI 28. Once the search term is entered and the search button is selected, search module M5 or a third-party search engine generates search results related to the search term, which are displayed in primary GUI 28. The search results may include definitions of the search term, links to popular resources, related searches, etc. In the illustrated example, there is a link to the World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO), a webpage containing information about becoming a patent agent, a webpage containing an IP infringement explainer, and a webpage about how to obtain a patent.

[0064] Similarly, a user may enter "patents" in search bar 85A of alignment GUI search interface 75, and alignment GUI 26 will display micro-catalog entries 32 previously cataloged by the user that share the category of "patents," such as links to intellectual property law firms, links to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), links to web pages containing information about intellectual property rights, and links to the Manual of Patent Examining Procedures (MPEP). As described above, a user may choose to filter the micro-catalog entries within the search results of alignment GUI search interface 75 by time, price, tag, keyword, favorites, exclusivity, alphabetical order, highest level of interest, location, trending, etc. A consumer may also choose to delete one or more micro-catalog entries 32 or add new user micro-catalog entries 32 from the search results in primary GUI search interface 77.

[0065] It will be appreciated that in any of the embodiments described herein, the system 5 enables anonymous two-way messaging between a merchant and one or more consumers who have entered permissions associated with a user micro-catalog entry that allow a third party to send third-party communications 36 to the user. Furthermore, as noted above, parameters for the solicitation may be specific to the micro-catalog entry 32, and the message content and / or features provided via the message may depend on the aligned item and alignment methods or metrics, such as where, when, how, and why the micro-catalog entry 32 was created. Furthermore, in a real-world example, a consumer may scan a QR code on a product as catalog intent 42, thereby generating a micro-catalog entry and entering associated permissions 46 that allow the merchant to contact them. When a micro-catalog entry 32 is created based on catalog intent 42 generated at the product's location, as determined by geographic location, the merchant may offer the consumer a coupon that is immediately used, if authorized. 13 illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary computerized permission-based communication method 300 according to one example of the present disclosure. Method 300 can be implemented using the hardware and software components of system 5 described above, or other suitable hardware and software components.

[0066] At step 302, method 300 may include communicating with a micro-catalog server and a web server at a computing device. At step 304, method 300 may further include displaying a primary graphical user interface (GUI) and an alignment GUI on a display of the computing device and displaying the network-addressable content (e.g., a web page) within the primary GUI of the computing device. At step 306, method 300 may further include receiving user input via the alignment GUI of the computing device indicating a catalog intent for the network-addressable content (e.g., a web page) displayed at the computing device and transmitting the catalog intent from the computing device to the micro-catalog server. At step 308, method 300 may further include creating a user micro-catalog entry for the network-addressable content (e.g., a web page) at the micro-catalog server in response to receiving the catalog intent.

[0067] At step 310, method 300 may further include indexing the user micro-catalog entry in the micro-catalog server by an index value of the network-addressable content (e.g., a URL of a web page) in the micro-catalog server's database and including a programmatically selected subset of text data, one or more images, and / or metadata associated with the network-addressable content (e.g., a web page). At step 312, the method may further include receiving, via an alignment GUI, user-input permissions associated with the user micro-catalog entry at the computing device. The user-input permissions include a plurality of user-input parameters defining permitted third-party communications associated with the user micro-catalog entry. At step 314, method 300 may further include displaying the user micro-catalog entry in the alignment GUI and presenting, via the alignment GUI, third-party communications authorized by the permissions at the computing device.

[0068] At step 316, method 300 may further include receiving, at the micro-catalog server, a third-party request from a third-party computing device to display a third-party micro-catalog entry and / or a third-party chat interface in a candidate alignment GUI provided by the micro-catalog server and indexed according to the index value (e.g., URL) of the user micro-catalog entry. It will be appreciated that the request received at 316 may be received as part of a promotional campaign defined by associated promotional criteria entered by the third party and thus may be received earlier in the performance of method 300, such as before step 302. Alternatively, receiving the request at 316 may occur after step 314 as shown. At step 318, method 300 may further include determining, via the micro-catalog server, whether the third-party request satisfies user input permissions for the micro-catalog entry, and if so, causing the computing device to display the third-party micro-catalog entry or the chat interface in the alignment GUI of the computing device; and if not, causing the computing device to refrain from displaying the third-party micro-catalog entry or the third-party chat interface in the alignment GUI of the computing device. Similar to the timing of step 316, step 318 is typically performed after step 316 and after the user micro-catalog entry is generated, although it will be appreciated that in some circumstances it may be performed earlier in the method.

[0069] The above-described system and method implement permission-based alignment of micro-catalog entries and third-party communications, including chat sessions, in an anonymous manner, taking into account choices made by users when expressing their intent regarding cataloged content. The system enables a parallel Internet where each Internet user maintains anonymity as they manage and control their intent online. This is achieved by micro-cataloging a person's intent. The micro-catalog can be aligned for anonymous permission-based engagement and communication without interference from the aligned medium. This permission-based Internet experience ensures safer and more efficient use of the Internet. The use of aligned anonymous permission-based micro-catalog entries for such network-addressable content, such as web pages, enables a parallel personal Internet of intent that gives users privacy, permission, and choice. Micro-catalog entries can be engaged with securely, privately, and anonymously. Micro-catalog entries can also replace traditional online advertising by allowing two-way communications to occur spontaneously through a micro-catalog server. A single micro-catalog may be anonymously managed, created, and controlled. A micro-catalog encapsulates a unit of intent by hosting its metadata, intent, solicitation, and sharing. In this way, the micro-catalog server system described above can enhance the user experience and improve the opportunities for third parties to communicate with Internet users in an anonymous manner consistent with the user's intent.

[0070] In some embodiments, the methods and processes described herein may be coupled to the computing systems of one or more computing devices. In particular, such methods and processes may be implemented as computer application programs or services, application programming interfaces (APIs), libraries, and / or other computer program products.

[0071] 14 schematically illustrates a non-limiting embodiment of a computing system 900 capable of implementing one or more of the methods and processes described above. The computing system 900 is illustrated in simplified form. The computing system 900 may embody computing device 10, micro-catalog server 12, web server 14, a computer storing database 54, as well as third-party computing device 70 and other computing devices described above and illustrated in FIG. 1. The computing system 900 may take the form of one or more personal computers, server computers, tablet computers, home entertainment computers, network computing devices, gaming devices, mobile computing devices, mobile communication devices (e.g., smartphones), and / or other computing devices, as well as wearable computing devices such as smart watches and head-mounted augmented reality devices. Computing system 900 includes a logical processor 902, a volatile memory 904, and a non-volatile storage device 906. Computing system 900 may optionally include a display subsystem 908, an input subsystem 910, a communication subsystem 912, and / or other components not shown in FIG.

[0072] Logical processor 902 includes one or more physical devices configured to execute instructions. For example, a logical processor may be configured to execute instructions that are part of one or more applications, programs, routines, libraries, objects, components, data structures, or other logical constructs. Such instructions may be implemented to perform a task, implement a data type, transform the state of one or more components, achieve a technical effect, or otherwise arrive at a desired result.

[0073] A logical processor may include one or more physical processors (hardware) configured to execute software instructions. Additionally or alternatively, a logical processor may include one or more hardware logic circuits or firmware devices configured to execute hardware-implemented logic or firmware instructions. The processors of logical processor 902 may be single-core or multi-core, and the instructions executed thereon may be configured for sequential, parallel, and / or distributed processing. Individual components of a logical processor may optionally be distributed across two or more separate devices, which may be remotely located and / or configured for cooperative processing. Aspects of a logical processor may be virtualized and executed by remotely accessible networked computing devices configured in a cloud computing configuration. In such cases, it will be understood that these virtualized aspects execute on different physical logical processors of various different machines.

[0074] Non-volatile storage 906 includes one or more physical devices configured to hold instructions executable by the logical processor to implement the methods and processes described herein. When such methods and processes are implemented, the state of non-volatile storage 906 may be transformed, for example, to hold different data.

[0075] The non-volatile storage 906 may include removable and / or internal physical devices. The non-volatile storage 906 may include optical memory (e.g., CD, DVD, HD-DVD, Blu-ray Disc, etc.), semiconductor memory (e.g., ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, etc.), and / or magnetic memory (e.g., hard disk drive, floppy disk drive, tape drive, MRAM, etc.), or other mass storage technologies. The non-volatile storage 906 may include non-volatile, dynamic, static, read / write, read-only, sequential access, position-addressable, file-addressable, and / or content-addressable devices. It will be understood that the non-volatile storage 906 is configured to retain instructions even when power to the non-volatile storage 906 is interrupted.

[0076] Volatile memory 904 may include physical devices including random access memory. Volatile memory 904 is typically utilized by logical processor 902 to temporarily store information during the processing of software instructions. It will be appreciated that volatile memory 904 typically does not continue to store instructions when power to volatile memory 904 is interrupted.

[0077] Aspects of the logic processor 902, volatile memory 904, and non-volatile storage 906 may be integrated into one or more hardware-logic components, such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (PASICs / ASICs), application specific standard products (PSSPs / ASSPs), systems on chips (SOCs), and complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs).

[0078] The terms “module,” “program,” and “engine” may be used to describe aspects of computing system 900 that are typically implemented in software by a processor to perform a particular function using a portion of volatile memory, the function including a transformation that specifically configures the processor to perform that function. Thus, a module, program, or engine may be instantiated via logical processor 902 using a portion of volatile memory 904 to execute instructions held by non-volatile storage 906. It will be understood that different modules, programs, and / or engines may be instantiated from the same application, service, code block, object, library, routine, API, function, etc. Similarly, the same module, program, and / or engine may be instantiated by different applications, services, code blocks, objects, routines, APIs, functions, etc. The terms “module,” “program,” and “engine” may encompass individual or groups of executable files, data files, libraries, drivers, scripts, database records, etc.

[0079] If included, the display subsystem 908 may be used to present a visual representation of the data maintained by the non-volatile storage device 906. The visual representation may take the form of a graphical user interface (GUI). As the methods and processes described herein modify the data maintained by the non-volatile storage device, and thus transform the state of the non-volatile storage device, the state of the display subsystem 908 may be similarly transformed to visually represent the changes in the underlying data. The display subsystem 908 may include one or more display devices utilizing virtually any type of technology. Such display devices may be combined with the logic processor 902, the volatile memory 904, and / or the non-volatile storage device 906 in a shared enclosure, or such display devices may be peripheral display devices.

[0080] If included, the input subsystem 910 may include or interface with one or more user input devices, such as a keyboard, mouse, touchscreen, or game controller. In some embodiments, the input subsystem may include or interface with selected natural user input (NUI) components. Such components may be integrated or peripheral, and conversion and / or processing of input actions may be handled on-board or off-board. Exemplary NUI components may include microphones for voice and / or speech recognition, infrared, color, stereo, and / or depth cameras for machine vision and / or gesture recognition, head trackers, eye trackers, accelerometers, and / or gyroscopes for motion detection and / or intent recognition, and electric field sensing components for assessing brain activity, and / or any other suitable sensors.

[0081] If included, the communications subsystem 912 can be configured to communicatively couple the various computing devices described herein with each other and with other devices. The communications subsystem 912 may include wired and / or wireless communications devices compatible with one or more different communications protocols. As a non-limiting example, the communications subsystem may be configured to communicate over a wired or wireless local or wide area network, such as a wireless telephone network, or an HDMI® over Wi-Fi connection. In some embodiments, the communications subsystem can enable the computing system 900 to send and / or receive messages to and from other devices over a network, such as the Internet.

[0082] The scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims, rather than the preceding description, and therefore, the embodiments herein should be understood to be illustrative and not limiting, as all changes that come within the scope of the claims, or equivalents of such scope, are intended to be embraced by the claims.

Claims

1. 1. A computerized anonymous permission-based communication system comprising: a computing device configured to communicate with a micro catalog server; and a server, the computing device including a processor, a memory, and a display, the processor using a portion of the memory to: displaying a primary graphical user interface (GUI) and an alignment GUI on a display of the computing device; displaying network addressable content provided by said server in a primary GUI; receiving user input via the alignment GUI indicating a catalog intent for the displayed network addressable content, the catalog intent being transmitted to the micro catalog server to cause the micro catalog server to create a user micro catalog entry for the network addressable content, the user micro catalog entry being indexed in the micro catalog server by an index value for the network addressable content in a database of the micro catalog server and including a programmatically selected subset of text data, one or more images, and / or metadata associated with the network addressable content; receiving, via the alignment GUI, user-input permissions associated with the user micro-catalog entry, the permissions including a plurality of user-input parameters defining permitted third-party communications associated with the user micro-catalog entry; Displaying the user micro catalog entry in the alignment GUI; presenting, via the alignment GUI, third-party communications authorized by the permission; restricting the display of third-party communications not authorized by said permission; configured to execute instructions, wherein the micro-catalog server is configured to provide a permission interface for the alignment GUI displayed on the computing device, the permission interface including at least three selectors, each selector configured to receive one of the user input parameters defining the permission, the at least three selectors comprising: a communication mode permission selector configured to receive user input of a communication mode including messaging, voice, and / or micro-catalog; a communication type permission selector configured to receive user input of a communication type, including promotions and / or offers; and a time period permission selector configured to receive user input of a time period during which the third-party communication is permitted; Including, the system.

2. the server is a web server; the network addressable content is a web page; The system of claim 1 , wherein the index value is a URL.

3. the micro-catalog server is configured to receive a third-party request from a third-party computing device to display a third-party micro-catalog entry and / or a third-party chat interface in a candidate alignment GUI provided by the micro-catalog server and indexed according to the URL for the user micro-catalog entry; 3. The system of claim 2, wherein the micro-catalog server is configured to determine whether the third-party request satisfies the user input permissions for the user micro-catalog entry, and if so, cause the computing device to display the third-party micro-catalog entry or a chat interface in the alignment GUI of the computing device, and if not, refrain from causing the computing device to display the third-party micro-catalog entry or the third-party chat interface in the alignment GUI of the computing device.

4. 3. The system of claim 2, wherein the metadata of the user micro-catalog entry includes a title of the web page, a price of a good or service offered on the web page, and / or a geographic location of an entity featured on the web page.

5. 3. The system of claim 2, further comprising a database including one or more database records for the user micro-catalog entry, the database records including a public URL of the web page, a micro-catalog URL of the user micro-catalog entry, a merchant ID, and / or the permissions of the user micro-catalog entry.

6. the micro-catalog server is configured to receive a plurality of third-party requests to create a plurality of third-party micro-catalog entries or third-party chat interface instances indexed by the URL of the web page, and the submitted third-party communication is a target third-party micro-catalog entry or a target third-party chat interface instance among the plurality of third-party micro-catalog entries or third-party chat interface instances; 3. The system of claim 2, wherein the micro-catalog server is configured to filter the plurality of third-party micro-catalog entries or third-party chat interface instances based on the permissions input through the permission interface, thereby generating a set of filtered third-party micro-catalog entries or third-party chat interface instances, and rank the filtered micro-catalog entries or third-party chat interface instances according to ranking criteria input by a user, thereby displaying a ranked list of the filtered third-party micro-catalog entries or third-party chat interface instances indexed by the URLs in the alignment GUI, wherein the displayed ranked list includes the target third-party micro-catalog entry or target third-party chat interface instance.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the ranking criteria selected by the user is selected from the group consisting of price, geographic proximity, and reviews.

8. the web page is a search engine interface; The system of claim 2 , wherein the user micro-catalog entries comprise search query result pages for search queries entered into the search engine interface.

9. 3. The system of claim 2, wherein the primary GUI is displayed on a primary GUI of the computing device, and the alignment GUI is displayed on a separate primary GUI of the computing device via a browser extension.

10. The system of claim 2 , wherein the primary GUI is displayed in the same browser window as the alignment GUI, and content for the primary GUI and / or alignment GUI is received via an asynchronous transfer protocol.

11. The system of claim 2 , wherein the permitted third-party communication includes two-way messaging via a third-party chat interface.

12. the catalog intent for the displayed network-addressable content comprises a subset of selected catalog intent categories selected by a user from a set of candidate catalog intent categories; calculating an intent score for the user micro-catalog entry based on the selected catalog intent category; the third-party communication authorized by the permission includes an associated threshold intent score; The system of claim 1 , wherein the intent score of the user micro-catalog entry is determined to exceed the threshold intent score before presenting the third-party communication authorized by the permission in the alignment GUI.

13. 1. A computerized anonymous permission-based communication system comprising: a micro-catalog server configured to communicate with the computing device and a third-party computing device, the micro-catalog server including a processor and a memory, the processor using a portion of the memory to: receiving a catalog intent transmitted from the computing device; responsive to receiving the catalog intent, creating a user micro-catalog entry for the network-addressable content, the user micro-catalog entry including a programmatically selected subset of text data, one or more images, and / or metadata associated with the network-addressable content; indexing the user micro-catalog entries by index values of the network addressable content in the micro-catalog server database; providing a permissions interface displayed on the computing device, the permissions interface configured to receive user-input permissions defining permitted third-party communications associated with the user micro-catalog entry, the permissions interface including at least three selectors for user input of the permissions, each selector configured to receive user input of a respective user-input parameter included in the permissions, wherein the at least three selectors include: a communication mode permission selector configured to receive a user input of a communication mode including messaging, voice, and / or micro-catalog as a first user input parameter of the permission; a communication type permission selector configured to receive a user input of a communication type including promotions and / or offers as a second user input parameter of the permission; and a time period permission selector configured to receive, as a third user input parameter of the permission, a user input of a time period during which the third-party communication is permitted; Including, receiving from the computing device the user input authorization associated with the user micro-catalog entry; selecting third-party communications to be displayed in an alignment GUI of the computing device based on the authorization; causing the computing device to display the selected third-party communication in the alignment GUI of the computing device while the network addressable content is displayed in the primary GUI; causing the computing device to restrict the display of other third-party communications not authorized by the permission; A system configured to execute instructions.

14. the server is a web server; the network addressable content is a web page; The system of claim 13 , wherein the index value is a URL.

15. the micro-catalog server is configured to receive a third-party request from the third-party computing device to display a third-party micro-catalog entry and / or a third-party chat interface in a candidate alignment GUI provided by the micro-catalog server and indexed according to the URL for the user micro-catalog entry; 15. The system of claim 14, wherein the micro-catalog server is configured to determine whether the third-party request satisfies the user input permissions for the user micro-catalog entry, and if so, cause the computing device to display the third-party micro-catalog entry or a chat interface in the alignment GUI of the computing device, and if not, refrain from causing the computing device to display the third-party micro-catalog entry or the third-party chat interface in the alignment GUI of the computing device.

16. 15. The system of claim 14, wherein the metadata of the user micro-catalog entry includes a title of the web page, a price of a good or service offered on the web page, and / or a geographic location of an entity featured on the web page.

17. 15. The system of claim 14, further comprising a database including one or more database records for the user micro-catalog entry, the database records including a public URL of the web page, a micro-catalog URL of the user micro-catalog entry, a merchant ID, and / or the permissions of the user micro-catalog entry.

18. the micro-catalog server is configured to receive a plurality of third-party requests to create a plurality of third-party micro-catalog entries or third-party chat interface instances indexed by the URL of the web page, and the selected third-party communication is a target third-party micro-catalog entry or a target third-party chat interface instance among the plurality of third-party micro-catalog entries or third-party chat interface instances; 15. The system of claim 14, wherein the micro-catalog server is configured to filter the plurality of third-party micro-catalog entries or third-party chat interface instances based on the permissions entered through the permission interface, thereby generating a set of filtered third-party micro-catalog entries or third-party chat interface instances, and rank the filtered micro-catalog entries or third-party chat interface instances according to ranking criteria entered by a user, thereby displaying a ranked list of the filtered third-party micro-catalog entries or third-party chat interface instances indexed by the URLs in the alignment GUI, wherein the displayed ranked list includes the target third-party micro-catalog entry or target third-party chat interface instance.

19. 20. The system of claim 18, wherein the ranking criteria selected by the user is selected from the group consisting of price, geographic proximity, and reviews.

20. the web page is a search engine interface; The system of claim 14 , wherein the user micro-catalog entries comprise search query result pages for search queries entered into the search engine interface.

21. 15. The system of claim 14, wherein the primary GUI is displayed on a primary GUI of the computing device, and the alignment GUI is displayed on a separate primary GUI of the computing device via a browser extension.

22. The system of claim 14 , wherein the permitted third-party communication includes two-way messaging via a third-party chat interface.

23. 1. A computerized permission-based communication method comprising: communicating with a micro-catalog server and a web server in a computing device; displaying a primary graphical user interface (GUI) and an alignment GUI on a display of the computing device; displaying a web page provided by the web server on the primary GUI of the computing device; receiving user input via the alignment GUI of the computing device indicating an intent to catalog the displayed web pages; transmitting the catalog intent from the computing device to the micro-catalog server; creating, at the micro-catalog server, a user micro-catalog entry for the content in the web page; indexing the user micro-catalog entries at the micro-catalog server by the URLs of the web pages in a database of the micro-catalog server, including a programmatically selected subset of text data, one or more images, and / or metadata associated with the web pages; providing a permissions interface displayed on the computing device, wherein the permissions interface is configured to receive user-input permissions defining permitted third-party communications associated with the user micro-catalog entry, the permissions interface including at least three selectors for user input of the permissions, each selector configured to receive user input of a respective user-input parameter included in the permissions, wherein the at least three selectors include: a communication mode permission selector configured to receive a user input of a communication mode including messaging, voice, and / or micro-catalog as a first user input parameter of the permission; a communication type permission selector configured to receive a user input of a communication type including promotions and / or offers as a second user input parameter of the permission; and a time period permission selector configured to receive, as a third user input parameter of the permission, a user input of a time period during which the third-party communication is permitted; and receiving, via the alignment GUI, the user input authorization associated with the user micro-catalog entry; displaying the user micro catalog entry in the alignment GUI; presenting the third-party communication authorized by the permission via the alignment GUI; causing the computing device to restrict the display of other third-party communications not authorized by the permission; A method comprising:

24. receiving, at the micro-catalog server, a third-party request from a third-party computing device to display a third-party micro-catalog entry and / or a third-party chat interface within a candidate alignment GUI provided by the micro-catalog server and indexed according to the URL for the user micro-catalog entry; determining, via the micro-catalog server, whether the third-party request satisfies the user input permissions for the user micro-catalog entry, and if so, causing the computing device to display the third-party micro-catalog entry or a chat interface in the alignment GUI of the computing device, and if not, causing the computing device to refrain from displaying the third-party micro-catalog entry or the third-party chat interface in the alignment GUI of the computing device; 24. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

Images