Targeted invitation delivery

Abstract

Data about a plurality of events is stored in an event database, including information for selecting who should be invited to the event. Data about a plurality of members is stored in a member database, preferably including members' preference criteria specifying the type of events in which each member likes to participate. The member information is matched against the invitee selection criteria and the event information is matched against the member preferences criteria to determine which members should be invited to each event. Based on results of this match process, e-mail invitations to the selected events are sent to the members.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A computerized system for selectively distributing invitations for a plurality of events to a plurality of members each having an electronic mailbox, the system comprising:
 an event information database having (a) a plurality of event records, each event record storing event information for an event of a plurality of events, and (b) feedback information based on tracking of a plurality of member responses to invitations, wherein the event information stored in each of the plurality of event records includes one or more corresponding invitee selection criteria;   a member information database having member information for each of the plurality of members;   at least one computer processor coupled to the event information database and the member information database and configured to:
 for each event of the plurality of events, analyze the stored event information obtained from the event information database for the corresponding event, the stored feedback information obtained from the event information database, and the stored member information obtained from the member information database to identify, for each member among the plurality of members, targeted events among the plurality of events; and 
 generate and send, based on information about the targeted events, an electronic invitation message to the electronic mailbox of each member of the plurality of members for which targeted events were identified, wherein each electronic invitation message invites its corresponding member to all of the targeted events which were identified for that corresponding member. 
   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more corresponding invitee selection criteria comprises an area of practice. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more corresponding invitee selection criteria for each of the plurality of events is selected by a sponsor of the respective event. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more corresponding invitee selection criteria comprises an identifier that uniquely identifies an individual member. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more corresponding invitee selection criteria comprises a list of identifiers, each of which uniquely identifies an individual member. 
     
     
         6 . A computerized system for selectively distributing invitations for a plurality of events to a plurality of members each having an electronic mailbox, the system comprising:
 an event information database having (a) a plurality of event records, each event record storing event information for an event of a plurality of events, and (b) feedback information based on tracking of a plurality of member responses to invitations, wherein the event information stored in each of the plurality of event records includes one or more corresponding invitee selection criteria;   a member information database having member information for each of the plurality of members, wherein the member information for each of the plurality of members includes one or more member preferences;   at least one computer processor coupled to the event information database and the member information database and configured to:
 for each event of the plurality of events, analyze the stored event information obtained from the event information database for the corresponding event, the stored feedback information obtained from the event information database, and the stored member information obtained from the member information database to determine, for each member among the plurality of members, all events among the plurality of events to which that member should be invited based on at least one of (a) matches between the member information and the one or more corresponding invitee selection criteria for each of the plurality of events, (b) matches between the event information and the one or more member preferences for the respective members, and (c) the stored feedback information; and 
 generate and send, based on invitation information indicating which events among the plurality of events each of the plurality of members should receive an invitation to, an electronic invitation message to the electronic mailbox of each member of the plurality of members identified in the stored invitation information for receiving an invitation, wherein each electronic invitation message invites its corresponding member to all of the events determined for that member in the invitation information. 
   
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 6 , wherein the at least one computer processor is configured to determine that a given member should be invited to a given event when (a) there is a match between the member information for the given member and the at least one invitee selection criterion for the given event and (b) there is a match between the event information for the given event and the member preference for the given member. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 6 , wherein the at least one invitee selection criterion comprises an area of practice. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 6 , wherein the at least one invitee selection criterion for each of the plurality of events is selected by a sponsor of the respective event. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 6 , wherein the at least one invitee selection criterion comprises an identifier that uniquely identifies an individual member. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 6 , wherein the at least one invitee selection criterion comprises a list of identifiers, each of which uniquely identifies an individual member. 
     
     
         12 . A computerized system for selectively distributing invitations for a plurality of events to a plurality of members each having an electronic mailbox, the system comprising:
 an event information database having a plurality of event records, each event record storing event information for an event of a plurality of events, wherein the event information stored in each of the plurality of event records includes one or more corresponding invitee selection criteria;   a member information database having member information for each of the plurality of members, wherein the member information for each of the plurality of members includes a notification preference specifying how often each member would like to be contacted with invitations;   at least one computer processor coupled to the event information database and the member information database and configured to:
 for each event of the plurality of events, analyze the stored event information obtained from the event information database for the corresponding event, and the stored member information obtained from the member information database to identify, for each member among the plurality of members, targeted events among the plurality of events; and 
 generate and send, based on information about the targeted events and the notification preference of each member of the plurality of members, at a preferred time an electronic invitation message to the electronic mailbox of each member of the plurality of members for which targeted events were identified, wherein each electronic invitation message invites its corresponding member to all of the targeted events which were identified for that corresponding member. 
   
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the one or more corresponding invitee selection criteria comprises an area of practice. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the one or more corresponding invitee selection criteria for each of the plurality of events is selected by a sponsor of the respective event. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the one or more corresponding invitee selection criteria comprises an identifier that uniquely identifies an individual member. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the one or more corresponding invitee selection criteria comprises a list of identifiers, each of which uniquely identifies an individual member.