Prior art

The most relevant prior art for US patent 9087321, based on the citations within the patent itself, are detailed below. The following analysis focuses on potential anticipation under 35 U.S.C. § 102.

Prior Art Cited by US9087321

1. US20090287763A1 (Kota Enterprise, Llc)

   • Full Citation: US 2009/0287763 A1
   • Publication Date: November 19, 2009
   • Brief Description: This patent application describes a "Question server to facilitate communication between participants." It relates to systems for asking questions and enabling communication based on responses. The core idea is to connect users (participants) through a question-and-answer mechanism. [cite: US9087321B2]
   • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102):
     • Claims 1, 10, 19 (in part): This reference potentially anticipates the fundamental concept of "providing the user a first polling question... receiving and storing a selected answer... comparing the selected answer against the selected answers of other users... to generate a likelihood of match" and "displaying to the user the user profiles of other users that have a likelihood of match within a predetermined threshold." While it may not explicitly detail a "likelihood of match" in the same mathematical way, the underlying function of connecting participants based on answers to questions and facilitating communication implies a form of matching. [cite: US9087321B2]

2. US20120296749A1 (Zuckerberg Mark E)

   • Full Citation: US 2012/0296749 A1
   • Publication Date: November 22, 2012 (Note: This publication date is after the priority date of US9087321, which is March 1, 2010. Therefore, it cannot be anticipatory prior art under 35 U.S.C. § 102, but could be relevant for obviousness if its effective filing date predates the invention of US9087321. However, for a § 102 analysis, we strictly consider publication date.) [cite: US9087321B2]
   • Brief Description: This patent application describes an "Auction-based selection and presentation of polls to users." It focuses on methods for dynamically selecting and presenting polls to users, potentially based on factors like user engagement or advertising. [cite: US9087321B2]
   • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): As noted, due to its publication date (November 22, 2012) being after the priority date of US9087321 (March 1, 2010), this reference cannot serve as anticipatory prior art under 35 U.S.C. § 102 for US9087321. It could, however, be considered for an obviousness analysis if its effective filing date predates US9087321's invention date.