Information transactions over a network

Abstract

In one example, a method for managing information in an environment that includes a client device includes accessing, at the client device, an electronic input interface. Next, the client device transmits a signal to a host system associated with the electronic input interface by entering consumer profile information into the electronic input interface. A request is then made for creation of an information account for storage of the consumer profile information. The client device then receives authentication information from the host system. Finally, the client device enables the vendor to access some of the consumer profile information stored in the information account.

1 . A method for managing information in an environment that includes a host system, comprising:
 receiving, at the host system, a signal to modify an electronic input interface;   modifying the electronic input interface at the host system to indicate entry of consumer profile information corresponding to the signal;   collecting, at the host system, the consumer profile information entered in the electronic input interface;   transferring the collected consumer profile information from the host system to a data repository for storage in an information account logically associated with an exchange, the exchange comprising a group of one or more servers authorized and configured to accept the consumer profile information from a particular information account upon request;   receiving, at the host system, a request from the exchange for consumer profile information associated with a specific information account; and   responding to the request at the host system by retrieving some of the consumer profile information from the data repository and conveying the retrieved consumer profile information to the requesting exchange, provided that the information account storing the consumer profile information is associated with the requesting exchange.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the electronic input interface comprises one or more of a web-enabled form, and a web page file having an input field. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the request is initiated from activity at a client device that is in communication with the exchange over the distributed network. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising maintaining a transaction log recording utilization of the information account to allow for compensation to an originating party with whom the information account is associated. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising encrypting some of the consumer profile information. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , further comprising decrypting some of the encrypted consumer profile information. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving, at the host system, a query request;   causing a query of the data repository to be performed according to the query request;   receiving query results; and   providing the query results.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , further comprising causing the decryption of the query results. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising manipulating data elements in the information account based on input received from the consumer. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising controlling, at the host device, access to the information account. 
     
     
         11 . A tangible computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, if executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform at least a portion of the method of  claim 1 . 
     
     
         12 . A system operable to perform the method of  claim 1 , the system comprising:
 the host system; and   the data repository where the information accounts are stored.   
     
     
         13 . A method for managing information in an environment that includes a client device, comprising:
 accessing, at the client device, an electronic input interface;   transmitting, with the client device, a signal to a host system associated with the electronic input interface by entering consumer profile information into the electronic input interface;   requesting creation of an information account for storage of the consumer profile information;   receiving, at the client device, authentication information from the host system; and   enabling access to some of the consumer profile information stored in the information account.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein one or more of the accessing, transmitting, requesting and receiving processes is performed using wireless communication. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein enabling access to some of the consumer profile information comprises transferring selected consumer profile information to the vendor, or allowing the vendor to access the information account. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising transmitting a request from the client device for authentication. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein transmitting a request from the client device for authentication comprises signing on for authentication to access the information account. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising:
 formulating a database query based upon information specified by the electronic input interface;   transmitting the database query;   receiving search results generated in connection with performance of the database query.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising translating the received search results into another form according to a predefined protocol. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein translating the received search results into another form according to a predefined protocol comprises translating XML data into HTTP data using SOAP. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the client device executes a browser in order to interact with the electronic input interface. 
     
     
         22 . A wireless communication device that is programmed to perform at least a portion of the method of  claim 13 . 
     
     
         23 . The wireless communication device of  claim 22 , wherein the wireless communication device comprises one of a personal digital assistant (PDA), digital and/or cellular telephone or pager, a handheld computer, a mobile wireless communication device. 
     
     
         24 . A method for data management, the method comprising:
 storing a consumer information account that comprises first and second data aggregates, the first data aggregate including a consumer information element that constitutes the same data as a consumer information element of the second data aggregate;   flagging each of the consumer information elements to indicate that both consumer information elements constitute the same data;   updating the consumer information element of the first data aggregate in response to a request; and   delaying a corresponding update to the information element of the second data aggregate until the next time the information account is accessed, so that a data inconsistency in the information account is allowed to exist for a period of time.   
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 24 , further comprising maintaining a transaction log for each redundantly stored data aggregate to record the time and date of the most recent update for each data aggregate. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein:
 each time a request is made to access the information account, the transaction log is first examined to determine which redundant data element was most recently updated;   all redundant data elements are updated to be consistent with the redundant data element that was most recently updated; and   the request to access the information account is granted.   
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the first data aggregate represents a primary profile record of a consumer, and the second data aggregate includes information about an information product. 
     
     
         28 . A tangible computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, if executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform at least a portion of the method of  claim 24 . 
     
     
         29 . A consumer information account for storing consumer information elements, comprising:
 a primary record configured to store a plurality of general consumer information elements about a consumer; and   one or more secondary records that each store consumer information elements that are specific to a particular product or service associated with a vendor, the one or more secondary records and the primary record being stored in a data repository accessible by a database management system.   
     
     
         30 . The consumer information account of  claim 29 , wherein each of the records is stored in a tagged data format. 
     
     
         31 . The consumer information account of  claim 29 , wherein each of the records is represented by a data aggregate. 
     
     
         32 . The consumer information account of  claim 29 , wherein one or more of the records are implemented as a discrete XML aggregate. 
     
     
         33 . The consumer information account of  claim 29 , wherein data aggregates representing the one or more secondary records include one or more of Home Loan, Auto Loan, Student Loan, Home Insurance, Auto Insurance, Life Insurance, Online Banking, Credit Card, Government Services, Education, Career, Travel, Retail, and Relocation. 
     
     
         34 . The consumer information account of  claim 29 , wherein the consumer information account is modifiable to include additional records. 
     
     
         35 . A server programmed to manage consumer information, the server comprising:
 a database management system programmed to:   receive, from one or more network devices, requests for access to a plurality of consumer information accounts stored in a data repository accessible to the database management system, each request including consumer authentication information;
 authenticate or deny each request based on the consumer authentication information; and 
 for each authenticated request, transmit one or more consumer information elements from the corresponding consumer information account to the requesting network device; 
   a first authentication table including data that correlates each of one or more temporary authorizations with a different set of consumer-defined attributes, each of the different set of consumer-defined attributes defining access privileges to a corresponding consumer information account that will be granted to an entity that presents the temporary authorization to the host server; and   an authentication module programmed to:
 compare each temporary authorization presented to the host server to the data in the first authentication table to determine a level of access to grant to the entity that presents the temporary authorization; and 
 grant the level of access subsequent to receipt of the temporary authorization. 
   
     
     
         36 . The server of  claim 35 , wherein the database management system is programmed to formulate and perform a database query based upon information received. 
     
     
         37 . The server of  claim 36 , wherein the database management system is programmed to perform the query only after an authentication process has been performed by the database management system. 
     
     
         38 . The server of  claim 35 , wherein the database management system is programmed to decrypt a search result obtained in connection with performance of a database query. 
     
     
         39 . The server of  claim 35 , wherein the search result is in the form of XML data filtered from an information account. 
     
     
         40 . A system comprising:
 a transaction log stored in a data repository and associated with one or more consumer information accounts stored in the data repository, wherein the transaction log records information relevant to transactions that involve the one or more associated consumer information accounts; and   an extraction module programmed to extract transaction information from the transaction log and translate the extracted transaction information into a format that can be interpreted by a financial processing system;   wherein the system is configured to process the transaction information to ensure that revenue generated by a transaction that involves one of the one or more associated consumer information accounts is shared with an entity that facilitated creation of the one of the one or more associated consumer information accounts.   
     
     
         41 . The system of  claim 40 , wherein the extraction module is programmed to extract transaction data elements from a tagged data stream. 
     
     
         42 . The system of  claim 40 , wherein the extraction module uses the SOAP protocol to interface between the transaction log and the financial processing system. 
     
     
         43 . A method, comprising:
 storing consumer profile information in each of a plurality of information accounts on behalf of a plurality of exchanges, each of said exchanges comprising a logical grouping of one or more servers communicating with user devices over a distributed network, and each information account being affiliated with at least one of said exchanges;   applying a transformation mechanism to data in one or more information accounts so that only specified data elements are extracted from the information account;   retrieving the specified data elements from the consumer profile information and conveying the retrieved data elements to said exchanges in response to requests from servers within said exchanges resulting from consumer-initiated requests requiring use of the consumer profile information; and   imposing fees for conveying consumer profile information to the exchanges.   
     
     
         44 . The method of  claim 43 , wherein imposing fees for conveying consumer profile information to the exchanges comprises imposing a fixed or varying fee for each transaction involving conveyance of consumer profile information to the exchanges. 
     
     
         45 . The method of  claim 43 , wherein imposing fees for conveying consumer profile information to the exchanges comprises imposing a fixed or varying fee for each group of transactions involving conveyance of consumer profile information to the exchanges. 
     
     
         46 . The method of  claim 43 , further comprising:
 an obtaining consumer profile information through the servers of said exchanges, and creating new information accounts thereby;   identifying an originating vendor or entity each time a new information account is created; and   compensating the originating vendor or entity for each transaction involving conveyance of consumer profile information from an information account identified with the originating vendor or entity.   
     
     
         47 . The method of  claim 46 , wherein compensating the originating vendor or entity for each transaction involving conveyance of consumer profile information comprises providing the originating vendor or entity with a credit against any fee imposed for conveying consumer profile information on behalf of the vendor or entity. 
     
     
         48 . The method of  claim 46 , wherein imposing fees for conveying consumer profile information to the exchanges comprises:
 imposing a first fixed or varying fee for each transaction involving conveyance of consumer profile information to an exchange associated with the originating vendor or entity of the information account storing the consumer profile information; and   imposing a second fixed or varying fee, higher than said first fixed or varying fee, for each transaction involving conveyance of consumer profile information to an exchange not associated with the originating vendor or entity.   
     
     
         49 . A method, comprising:
 gathering consumer profile information at each of a plurality of exchanges, each exchange comprising a logical grouping of one or more servers communicating with user devices over a distributed network;   normalizing some of the consumer profile information into a plurality of discrete data aggregates;   sending, from each exchange and over the distributed network, the normalized consumer profile information to a shared data repository for storage in information accounts associated with the originating exchange; and   receiving, at each exchange, normalized consumer profile information from the exchange's shared data repository in response to consumer-initiated requests requiring use of the consumer profile information.   
     
     
         50 . A method for managing consumer information, comprising:
 storing a branded information account in a data repository accessible via a distributed network, the branded information account comprising a plurality of consumer information elements associated with a consumer and identifying a sponsor of the branded information account;   receiving, over the distributed network, a request from a network device for one or more selected consumer information elements, the request including consumer authentication information and being made by the network device responsive to an input command; and   in response to the request:
 performing an authentication process using the authentication information; 
 retrieving the selected consumer information elements from the branded information account, wherein retrieving the selected consumer information elements includes applying a transformation mechanism to data in the branded information account so that only the requested consumer information elements are extracted from the information account; and 
 transmitting the selected consumer information elements, over the distributed network, to the network device. 
   
     
     
         51 . The method of  claim 50 , wherein the sponsor of the branded information account comprises a vendor or entity that facilitated creation of the branded information account. 
     
     
         52 . A tangible computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, if executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform at least a portion of the method of  claim 50 . 
     
     
         53 . The method of  claim 50 , wherein the network device comprises a vendor server operable to interact with a client device, the vendor server operable to execute a server-side application for interacting with a database management system that manages the data repository, and wherein:
 the vendor server is a member of an exchange comprising a logical grouping of servers authorized to interact with branded information accounts;   the request further includes an exchange identifier for identifying the exchange; and   in response to the request, the exchange identifier is authenticated to ensure that the exchange is authorized to interact with the branded information account, prior to transmitting the selected consumer information elements to the network device.   
     
     
         54 . The method of  claim 53 , wherein the branded information account is valid only within the exchange and not within any other exchanges. 
     
     
         55 . The method of  claim 53 , wherein the branded information account is valid within the exchange and within at least one other specified exchange. 
     
     
         56 . The method of  claim 53 , wherein the server-side application receives the selected consumer information elements from the database management system and integrates the selected consumer information elements into a business process on behalf of the consumer. 
     
     
         57 . A tangible computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, if executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform at least a portion of the method of  claim 56 . 
     
     
         58 . The method of  claim 56 , wherein integrating the selected consumer information elements into the business process comprises:
 auto-populating the selected consumer information elements into at least one input field of an editable web page file;   transmitting the auto-populated web page file to the client device for display to the consumer;   in response to a submit command received from the client device, passing the selected consumer information elements to a processing module executed by the vendor server; and   transmitting any edited or added consumer information elements to the database management system for appropriate updating of the branded information account.   
     
     
         59 . A tangible computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, if executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform at least a portion of the method of  claim 58 . 
     
     
         60 . The method of  claim 50 , wherein the network device comprises a client device executing a browser for interacting with a web page file hosted by a vendor server, and wherein:
 the web page file includes an instruction that causes the browser to request transmission of a temporary client-side application configured to manage the request/response process for the client device;   the vendor server is a member of an exchange comprising a logical grouping of servers authorized to interact with one or more branded information accounts;   the request from the network device further includes an exchange identifier for identifying the exchange; and   in response to the request, the exchange identifier is authenticated to ensure that the exchange is authorized to interact with the branded information account, prior to transmitting to the selected consumer information elements to the network device.   
     
     
         61 . The method of  claim 60 , wherein the client-side application executes a communication protocol for communicating with a database management system that manages the data repository. 
     
     
         62 . The method of  claim 60 , wherein:
 the client-side application receives the selected consumer information elements and auto-populates the selected consumer information elements into at least one input field of the web page file; and   the web page file is submitted to the vendor server for processing of the selected consumer information elements.   
     
     
         63 . A tangible computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, if executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform at least a portion of the method of  claim 62 . 
     
     
         64 . The method of  claim 50 , wherein:
 the selected consumer information is used to complete a transaction; and   the method further comprises:
 maintaining a transaction log indicating an originating vendor credited with facilitating origination of the branded information account and a transacting vendor credited with using the branded information account to complete the transaction; and 
 sharing revenue received in connection with the transaction with the originating vendor and the transacting vendor according to a revenue sharing model. 
   
     
     
         65 . The method of  claim 64 , wherein the revenue sharing model specifies that the revenue shared with the originating vendor or the transacting vendor comprises a specified percentage of the revenue received in connection with the transaction. 
     
     
         66 . The method of  claim 50 , wherein the consumer information elements are stored in the data repository in a tagged data format. 
     
     
         67 . A method for managing consumer information, comprising:
 storing an information account in a central data repository accessible via the distributed network, the information account comprising a plurality of consumer information elements associated with a consumer and identifying a sponsor of the information account;   normalizing some of the consumer information elements into one or more discrete data aggregates;   receiving, over the distributed network, a request from a client device for one or more selected consumer information elements, the client device interacting with a web page file hosted by a vendor server, the vendor server being a member of an exchange comprising a logical grouping of servers authorized to interact with one or more information accounts, the request including consumer authentication information and an exchange identifier and being made by the client device responsive to an input command supplied by the consumer; and   in response to the request, authenticating the client device using the authentication information by:
 authenticating the exchange identifier to ensure that the exchange is authorized to interact with the information account; 
 retrieving the selected consumer information elements from the information account, where retrieving the selected consumer information elements includes applying a transformation mechanism to data in the information account so that only the requested consumer information elements are extracted from the information account; and 
 transmitting the selected consumer information elements, over the distributed network, to the client device. 
   
     
     
         68 . A tangible computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, if executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform at least a portion of the method of  claim 67 . 
     
     
         69 . The method of  claim 67 , wherein information account is valid only within the exchange and not within any other exchanges. 
     
     
         70 . The method of  claim 67 , wherein the information account is valid within the exchange and within at least one other exchange. 
     
     
         71 . The method of  claim 67 , wherein the network device auto-populates the selected consumer information elements into web-page file displayed to the consumer. 
     
     
         72 . The method of  claim 67 , wherein:
 the selected consumer information elements are used to complete a transaction;   the central data repository maintains a transaction log indicating an originating vendor credited with facilitating creation of the information account and a transacting vendor credited with using the information account to complete the transaction; and   the method further comprises sharing revenue received in connection with the transaction with the originating vendor and the transacting vendor according to a revenue sharing model.   
     
     
         73 . A tangible computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, if executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform at least a portion of the method of  claim 72 . 
     
     
         74 . The method of  claim 72 , wherein the revenue sharing model specifies that the revenue shared with the originating vendor or the transacting vendor comprises a specified percentage of the revenue received in connection with the transaction. 
     
     
         75 . The method of  claim 67 , wherein the consumer information elements are stored in the central data repository in a tagged data format. 
     
     
         76 . A method for managing consumer information, comprising:
 storing an information account in a central data repository accessible via a distributed network, the information account having been created via a website associated with an originating vendor;   encrypting a plurality of consumer information elements and storing the plurality of consumer information elements in the information account;   receiving, over the distributed network, a request from a network device for one or more selected consumer information elements, the request including consumer authentication information and being made by the network device responsive to an input command;   in response to the request, authenticating the consumer based on the authentication information, retrieving the selected consumer information elements from the information account, and transmitting the selected consumer information elements, over the distributed network, to the network device;   wherein the network device auto-populates the consumer information elements into a web page file displayed to the consumer for optional editing by the consumer and for submission to a business process, associated with a vendor, for completion of a transaction; and   in response to receiving, over the distributed electronic network, an acknowledgment from the network device that the transaction has been completed, sharing any revenue received in connection with the transaction with the originating vendor and the transacting vendor according to a revenue sharing model.   
     
     
         77 . A tangible computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, if executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform at least a portion of the method of  claim 76 . 
     
     
         78 . The method of  claim 76 , wherein the revenue sharing model specifies that the revenue shared with the originating vendor or the transacting vendor comprises a specified percentage of the revenue received in connection with the transaction. 
     
     
         79 . The method of  claim 76 , wherein:
 the network device comprises a vendor server interacting with a client device, the vendor server executing a server-side application for interacting with a database management system that manages the central data repository;   the vendor server is a member of an exchange comprising a logical grouping of servers authorized to interact with one or more information accounts;   the request further includes an exchange identifier for identifying the exchange; and   in response to the request, the exchange identifier is authenticated to ensure that the exchange is authorized to interact with the information account, prior to transmitting to the selected consumer information elements to the network device.   
     
     
         80 . A tangible computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, if executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform at least a portion of the method of  claim 79 . 
     
     
         81 . The method of  claim 79 , wherein the information account is valid only within the exchange and not within any other exchanges. 
     
     
         82 . The method of  claim 79 , wherein the information account is valid within the exchange and within at least one other exchange. 
     
     
         83 . The method of  claim 76 , wherein:
 the network device comprises a client device executing a browser for interacting with the web page file hosted by a vendor server;   the web page file includes an instruction that causes the browser to request transmission of a temporary client-side application configured to manage the request/response process for the client device;   the vendor server is a member of an exchange comprising a logical grouping of servers authorized to interact with one or more differently branded information accounts;   the request from the network device further includes an exchange identifier for identifying the exchange; and   in response to the request, the exchange identifier is authenticated to ensure that the exchange is authorized to interact with the information account, prior to transmitting to the selected consumer information elements to the network device.   
     
     
         84 . The method of  claim 76 , wherein the consumer information elements are stored in the central data repository in a tagged data format. 
     
     
         85 . A system for managing consumer information, comprising:
 a data repository for storing a plurality of information accounts accessible via a distributed network, the information accounts each comprising a plurality of consumer information elements associated with a consumer;   a host server in communication with the distributed network and hosting a database management system for interacting with the data repository;   at least one exchange comprising a logical grouping of vendor servers in communication with the distributed network and authorized to interact with one or more of the information accounts;   a client device in communication with the distributed network and executing a browser for interacting with a web page file associated with a vendor server;   wherein the client device requests from the host server one or more selected consumer information elements from the information account of the consumer, the request including consumer authentication information and an exchange identifier identifying the exchange of which the vendor server is a member; and   wherein in response to the request from the client device, the host server authenticates the consumer based on the authentication information, authenticates the exchange identifier to ensure that the exchange is authorized to interact with the information account of the consumer, retrieves the selected consumer information elements from the information account of the consumer, and transmits the selected consumer information elements, over the distributed network, to the client device.   
     
     
         86 . The system of  claim 85 , wherein the web page file includes an instruction that causes the browser to request transmission of a temporary client-side application configured to manage the request/response process for the client device. 
     
     
         87 . The system of  claim 86 , wherein the client-side application executes a communication protocol for communicating with the database management system that interacts with the data repository. 
     
     
         88 . The system of  claim 86 , wherein:
 the selected consumer information elements are auto-populated into input fields of a web page displayed by the client device, the selected consumer information elements being used by the vendor server to complete a transaction; and   in response to the receiving an acknowledgment that the transaction is complete, the host server stores in a transaction log transaction information associating the transaction with an originating vendor credited with facilitating creation of the information account and a transacting vendor credited with using the information account to complete the transaction, so that any revenue received in connection with the transaction may be shared with the originating vendor and the transacting vendor according to a revenue sharing model.   
     
     
         89 . The system of  claim 88 , wherein the revenue sharing model specifies that the revenue shared with the originating vendor or the transacting vendor comprises a specified percentage of the revenue received in connection with the transaction. 
     
     
         90 . The system of  claim 85 , wherein the consumer information elements are stored in the data repository in a tagged data format.