Transactional Platform

Abstract

The present invention provides, among other aspects, methods, systems, devices and software products (computer program products) for creating and maintaining a transactional platform and network for offering, providing selling and purchasing services, content and time.

1 - 150 . (canceled) 
     
     
         151 . A digital server-based system that enables a provider to sell a quantity of the provider's time to a consumer and be financially compensated for the value of the time sold, the system comprising:
 (A) a server accessible to a plurality of users through respective client application programs executing on respective client devices capable of communicating with the server via a network, the server comprising at least a first digital processor; and   (B) a digital storage element accessible to the server and storing instructions executable by the server, which when executed by the server enable the system to:   (1) match, in the server, a system user who offers to provide his time (“Provider”) with a system user who wishes to buy the Provider's time (“Consumer”);   (2) calculate, in the server, a market price for the time of the Provider, the market price being based in part on a metric of demand for the Provider's time;   (3) receive an indication, at the server, of the Consumer's request to purchase the Provider's time at the calculated market price;   (4) arrange for payment from the Consumer to the Provider, via the server, for the Provider's time purchased by the Consumer at the calculated market price; and   (5) deliver a communications session having a duration corresponding to the amount of the Provider's time purchased by the Consumer, from the Provider to the Consumer, via the server.   
     
     
         152 . The system of  claim 151 , wherein the system is operable to carry privacy-protected conversations, the privacy-protected conversations being securely encrypted for protection from eavesdropping and data analysis by any entity, including any administrator of the system and any system-executed software algorithms. 
     
     
         153 . The system of  claim 151  wherein:
 (A) the system enables a user to create and maintain a Persona for use on the system, wherein the Persona is a fictional identity associatable by the system with the user; 
 (B) user-to-user and Provider/Consumer communication across the system is executed through Personas; 
 (C) the Personas comprise Provider Personas and Consumer Personas; and 
 (D) the system enables a given user to elect to have the given user's Persona be any of: (1) anonymous, such that the Persona does not indicate the user's real-world identity; or (2) visible to (i) no other users of the system, (ii) a selected set of other users of the system, or (iii) all other users of the system. 
 
     
     
         154 . The system of  claim 151  wherein:
 (A) communications carried on the system between users of the system are treated as chargeable communications that incur a monetary fee in the system; and 
 (B) the system enables a given user to designate selected other users, or groups of users, of the system, as Friends of the given user, and communications between designated, corresponding Friends are not treated as chargeable communications. 
 
     
     
         155 . The system of  claim 151  wherein:
 (A) the system enables a Consumer using the system to charge a monetary fee in exchange for engaging with advertising content presented to the Consumer by an Advertiser, wherein an Advertiser is an advertising Provider, and 
 (B) the system enables a user to selectively: (1) reject advertising content, or (2) accept selected advertising content in exchange for a monetary fee payable via the system to the Consumer. 
 
     
     
         156 . The system of  claim 151  wherein:
 (A) the system calculates a system revenue component based on a subscription fee charged by a system-providing entity to users of the system; and 
 (B) in a given transaction the system collects a monetary fee from the Consumer and pays the Provider the fee, less a system commission calculated by the system and payable to the system-providing entity. 
 
     
     
         157 . The system of  claim 151  wherein the system enables a real-time private conversation, via the system, between individual users, or between groups of users. 
     
     
         158 . The system of  claim 153  wherein the system enables a Provider to create and maintain at least one Provider Persona for use on the system to interact with a Consumer, and wherein the system calculates a Maximum Rate that a given Provider Persona may charge for providing time via the system. 
     
     
         159 . The system of  claim 158  wherein the sum of time provided by all Provider Personas of a given Provider is limited by the system to less than or equal to a system-selected Daily Maximum, wherein the selected Daily Maximum is a system-selected percentage of 24 hours. 
     
     
         160 . The system of  claim 158  wherein:
 (A) the system utilizes a Success metric to modify a previously-calculated Maximum Rate for a given Provider Persona, the Success metric being a metric of demand for the given Provider Persona's time; 
 (B) the Success metric comprises the product of productivity multiplied by workload, wherein productivity is a ratio of actual price to Maximum Rate for the given Provider Persona, multiplied by a ratio of quantity sold to quantity offered, wherein quantity is a quantity of time; and 
 (C) the system enables the Provider Persona to charge any of: the Maximum Rate, a pre-selected Discount Rate applicable to a plurality of Consumers, or a discounted rate negotiated with a given Consumer. 
 
     
     
         161 . The system of  claim 151  wherein:
 (A) the system is organized into functional layers comprising at least an Application Layer and a Communications Infrastructure Layer; 
 (B) the Application Layer comprises social network, communication, Persona, scheduling, and payment functions; 
 (C) the Communications Infrastructure Layer comprises communications encryption and privacy settings functions, billing detail functions, personal contact lists, text-based conversations and history, audio and video chat functions, and document sharing functions; 
 (D) system communications with and between users is encrypted, and communications between users of the system utilizes a public/private key method, wherein the key material never leaves the user's device, and at least part of the key material is one-time-use key material; and 
 (E) user communications with system infrastructure is implemented through an SSL/TLS method. 
 
     
     
         162 . The system of  claim 161  wherein intra-system network traffic is strongly point-to-point encrypted, and intra-system communications comprise any of: videoconferencing functions, text messaging, voice communications or voice messaging. 
     
     
         163 . The system of  claim 151  wherein:
 (A) the system provides a server/cloud infrastructure for telecommunications, comprising a cloud-based network of infrastructure nodes that serve as a local point of connection for each user, and 
 (B) the respective client application programs communicate with a cloud-based system application program. 
 
     
     
         164 . The system of  claim 151  wherein:
 (A) the system enables Consumers to pay for time by using a system-internal digital currency based on the value of Provider services, content or time established by system users through their activities on the system; and 
 (B) the unit value of the system-internal digital currency is pegged to a system-calculated Maximum Rate of a hypothetical Standard Person's time. 
 
     
     
         165 . The system of  claim 151  wherein:
 (A) the system enables a Consumer Queue to be maintained for a given Provider, 
 (B) a given Consumer can move up in a given Provider's Consumer Queue by paying in advance for a selected quantity of the Provider's time; and 
 (C) the given Consumer can advance further in the given Provider's Consumer Queue by paying in advance for a greater quantity of the Provider's time. 
 
     
     
         166 . The system of  claim 151  wherein:
 (A) Providers and Consumers can comprise software algorithm-based robots; and 
 (B) the system does not impose an upper limit on robot Provider time billing, and robot Provider time is billed at a fixed, system-specified rate. 
 
     
     
         167 . The system of  claim 151  wherein the system is adapted for deployment inside a business enterprise for establishing an enterprise-internal marketplace for time. 
     
     
         168 . The system of  claim 151  wherein the delivering of a communications session is on any of a one-to-one or one-to-many basis. 
     
     
         169 . A method of enabling a provider to sell a quantity of the provider's time to a consumer and be financially compensated for the value of the time sold, the method comprising:
 (A) providing a server accessible to a plurality of users through respective client application programs executing on respective client devices capable of communicating with the server via a network, the server comprising at least a first digital processor, and   (B) providing a digital storage element accessible to the server and storing instructions executable by the server, which when executed by the server enable the system to:   (1) match, in the server, a system user who offers to provide his time (“Provider”) with a system user who wishes to buy the Provider's time (“Consumer”);   (2) calculate, in the server, a market price for the time of the Provider, the market price being based in part on a metric of demand for the Provider's time;   (3) receive an indication, at the server, of the Consumer's request to purchase the Provider's time at the calculated market price;   (4) arrange for payment from the Consumer to the Provider, via the server, for the Provider's time purchased by the Consumer at the calculated market price; and   (5) deliver a communications session having a duration corresponding to the amount of the Provider's time purchased by the Consumer, from the Provider to the Consumer, via the server.   
     
     
         170 . A computer program product comprising computer-executable program instructions stored in a non-transitory, tangible, computer-readable medium, the computer-readable medium being accessible by a server, the server comprising a computer processor and being accessible to a plurality of users through respective client application programs executing on respective client devices capable of communicating with the server via a network, the instructions being executable by the server, and which, when executed by the server, cause the server to:
 (1) match, in the server, a system user who offers to provide his time (“Provider”) with a system user who wishes to buy the Provider's time (“Consumer”);   (2) calculate, in the server, a market price for the time of the Provider, the market price being based in part on a metric of demand for the Provider's time;   (3) receive an indication, at the server, of the Consumer's request to purchase the Provider's time at the calculated market price;   (4) arrange for payment from the Consumer to the Provider, via the server, for the Provider's time purchased by the Consumer at the calculated market price; and   (5) deliver a communications session having a duration corresponding to the amount of the Provider's time purchased by the Consumer, from the Provider to the Consumer, via the server;   so that a Provider is enabled, via the server, to sell a quantity of the Provider's time to a Consumer and be financially compensated for the value of the time sold.