US 9087321

US Patent 9087321: Summary and Independent Claims

Title: Poll-based networking system [cite: US9087321B2]
Assignee: Trinity Info Media LLC (formerly Trinity Intel Media LLC) [cite: US9087321B2]
Inventors: David Shaun Neal and Timothy Beggy [cite: US9087321B2]
Filing Date: November 22, 2010 [cite: US9087321B2]
Issue Date: July 21, 2015 [cite: US9087321B2]

Abstract:
The patent describes a poll-based networking system that creates an online network of connections (friends or affiliations) by polling users. [cite: US9087321B2] The system presents users with a variety of questions, and after each answer, it compares the current user's responses with those of all other users in real-time to identify the most similar users. [cite: US9087321B2] As the user answers more questions, the system progressively updates and presents these matching results. [cite: US9087321B2] Essentially, as a user interacts with the website by answering polling questions, their selected answers are compared against others' answers to generate a likelihood of a match. [cite: US9087321B2] User profiles of those exceeding a predetermined match threshold are then displayed to the current user. [cite: US9087321B2]

Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims:

Claim 1: Poll-Based Networking System (Apparatus Claim) [cite: US9087321B2]
This claim covers a computer system with one or more processors and memory. The system is programmed to:

1. Receive user information to create a unique user profile. [cite: US9087321B2]
2. Provide a user with a first polling question, which has a limited set of answers and a unique identifier. [cite: US9087321B2]
3. Receive and store the user's selected answer for that first question. [cite: US9087321B2]
4. Compare this selected answer against the answers of other users (for the same question) to determine a "likelihood of match" between the current user and each of the other users. [cite: US9087321B2]
5. Display the profiles of other users whose likelihood of match is above a certain predefined level. [cite: US9087321B2]

Claim 10: Computer-Implemented Method for Creating a Poll-Based Network (Method Claim) [cite: US9087321B2]
This claim outlines a computer-implemented method performed by a computer with processors and memory. It involves the same steps as Claim 1:

1. Receiving user information to generate a user profile. [cite: US9087321B2]
2. Providing a first polling question with finite answers and a unique ID. [cite: US9087321B2]
3. Receiving and storing the selected answer. [cite: US9087321B2]
4. Comparing the answer against other users' answers to generate a likelihood of match. [cite: US9087321B2]
5. Displaying profiles of users with a match likelihood above a threshold. [cite: US9087321B2]

Claim 19: Computer Program Product for Creating a Poll-Based Network (Computer Program Product Claim) [cite: US9087321B2]
This claim covers a computer program product stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, containing instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause it to perform the same operations as described in Claim 1 and Claim 10:

1. Receiving user information to generate a user profile. [cite: US9087321B2]
2. Providing a first polling question with finite answers and a unique ID. [cite: US9087321B2]
3. Receiving and storing the selected answer. [cite: US9087321B2]
4. Comparing the answer against other users' answers to generate a likelihood of match. [cite: US9087321B2]
5. Displaying profiles of users with a match likelihood above a threshold. [cite: US9087321B2]

CAFC 2026 Dockets:
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