WO2011021176A1

WO2011021176A1 - System and method for matching parties requesting services with those providing services

Info

Publication number: WO2011021176A1
Application number: PCT/IL2010/000302
Authority: WO
Inventors: Penina First
Original assignee: Today Job Ltd.
Priority date: 2009-08-21
Filing date: 2010-04-15
Publication date: 2011-02-24

Abstract

The invention is an automatic computer implemented system that is integrated with technology based automated methods of communication and a method for using the system The system and method are adapted to enable matching parties having an immediate need (1st party) with parties that are willing and able to fill that need (2nd party) The system and method are able to provide rapid responses to sudden needs by being adapted such that, after receiving an urgent request from a 1st party, essentially all steps in the process of locating a 2nd party to fulfill the need are earned out by hardware and software components of the system of the invention without any human intervention.

Description

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MATCHING PARTIES REQUESTING SERVICES

WITH THOSE PROVIDING SERVICES

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to the application of automated communication networks to the solution of real world problems. In particular the present invention relates to computer implemented systems and methods that allow a party with a time-dependant need to immediately find another party who can provide a solution to that need.

Background of the Invention

There are many situations in which a first party has an immediate need for a second party to do a particular task. Examples of such situations are: a business needing immediate temporary workers as a result of absent employees, or pressure at the work site; a doctor looking for an available patient to fill in the empty appointment slot that occurred as a result of a cancellation; or a theater looking to sell their last tickets at a minimum price at the last minute before the performance begins. The need can even occur in cases such as an extra large food supply ordered by mistake and which needs to be sold before it becomes spoiled. In all of the cases discussed, there is an immediate need for a second party, but there is no current method that allows the two parties to contact each other in an automatic and efficient method that will provide a solution in the required short time frame.

To illustrate the type of problems that the invention addresses consider the problem faced by the owner of a small shop which is supposed to open at ten o'clock, the time is nine thirty and the one salesperson just called in sick. The owner can't manage the store alone and needs to find an available salesperson within half an hour.

The methods of finding workers that are currently available to an employer include placing advertisements in periodicals and on the Internet, or by seeking word of mouth recommendations from friends or associates. But because all of these methods are time consuming none of them will solve the problem of the shop owner. The shop owner could try to contact a staffing company; however, because of the short term notice involved, the fast response time needed, and the high overhead associated with having personnel available to call each candidate and determine their eligibility and interest in the position, very few (if any) staffing companies would be interested in trying to help solve the immediate need. In fact, the staffing company that receives requests from clients that are employers who are looking for immediate workers faces the exact same problem as the employers themselves. Since they are unable to locate suitable workers on short notice they are unable to provide their clients with a solution.

In many cases similar to the example described above there are numerous qualified candidates available who are ready to fill temporary positions on very little advanced notice, but they have no idea that a job is available and the employers have no fast means of locating, contacting and vetting them.

There are currently no resources, online or offline, including websites and search engines that provide employers with the ability to quickly, easily and cost effectively find workers to fill sudden needs. In addition, there are currently no resources, online or offline, including websites and search engines that enable workers looking for temporary employment to be able to make themselves available to employers in a user friendly, fast, efficient, and cost effective manner. A situation similar to that described above for an employer seeking an immediate replacement for an absent worker exists for a wide variety of service providers, e.g. a doctor trying to fill in the spot that just opened up in his appointment calendar, or for any party with a time dependant need to immediately find another party who can provide a solution to that need. They can contact people manually, but can't find someone available as quickly and efficiently as required to fill their need.

It is therefore a purpose of the present invention to provide a method that will allow any party with a time-dependant need to immediately find another party who can provide a solution to that need in an efficient, fast, and cost-effective manner.

It is another purpose of the present invention to provide a computer implemented system that is integrated with technology based automated methods of communication that will allow any party with a time-dependant need to immediately find another party who can provide a solution to that need in an efficient, cost-effective manner.

Further purposes and advantages of this invention will appear as the description proceeds.

Summary of the Invention

In a first aspect the invention is an automatic computer implemented system that is integrated with technology based automated methods of communication. The system is adapted to enable matching parties having an immediate need (1^st party) with parties that are willing and able to fill that need (2^nd party). The system comprises three entities:

a. hardware components of a central entity that provides the service that facilitates communication between the other two entities;

b. communication devices used by each of a plurality of 2^nd parties; and c. communication devices used by 1^st parties.

The system also comprises a communication network comprising communication channels for enabling two way communications between: a. the hardware components of the central entity and the communication devices used by the 2^nd parties;

b. the hardware components of the central entity and the communication devices used by the 1^st party; and

c. the communication devices used by the 1^st party and the communication devices used by the 2^nd parties.

The various communication channels of the system can be part of an internet, a public service telephone network, or a cellular network.

The communication devices used by the entities of the system can be adapted to allow communication between the entities by one or more methods selected from the following: email, wired or cellular telephone, Interactive Voice Response, text message, instant message, human voice, a voice generated by a voice robot, and email or text message generated by a message generator operating on an electronic messaging server.

The hardware components of the central entity comprise some or all of the following:

a. one or more processors adapted to execute software instructions that are adapted to carry out a process for matching the 1^st parties with the 2^nd parties;

b. one or more memory units in which data relative to a large number of 2nd parties is stored;

c. a number of input/output devices, that are adapted to allow two-way automatic electronic two-way communication between the processor and communication devices used by the 1^st and 2^nd parties; d. an interactive internet website, which may comprise graphic user interfaces that are designed to allow both 1^st and 2^nd parties to input information to the system; and

e. input/output means that are adapted to be used by an administrator of the central entity to maintain the system and update the software.

In another aspect the invention is an automatic computer implemented process that employs technology based automated methods of communication for matching parties having an immediate need (1^st party) with parties that are willing and able to fill that need (2^nd party). The process of the invention, which is carried out by a processor and other components of a central entity, comprises the following steps:

A. input devices of the central entity receive and transfer to the processor information regarding a plurality of second parties;

B. the processor executes software that is adapted to analyze the information for each of the 2^nd parties, to build a profile for each of the 2^nd parties, and to store the profile in a memory unit of the central entity;

C. the input devices receive a request for one or more 2^nd parties to satisfy a need of a 1^st party and transfer the request to the processor;

D. the processor executes software that is adapted to search the profiles stored in the memory unit, to match the data stored therein to the need of the 1^st party, and to create a list of all 2^nd party profiles that can potentially satisfy the need;

E. the processor executes software that is adapted to rank the 2^nd parties in the list compiled in step D;

F. output devices of the central entity automatically send a message automatically generated by the processor to communication devices used by the 2^nd parties in a group of 2^nd parties given the highest rank in step E, the message containing details of the need and inviting a response; G. the processor checks to confirm that enough 2^nd persons to satisfy the need have responded that they are available:

i. if no response is received within a predetermined period of time, the output devices execute step F for a group of 2^nd persons having the next highest ranking or the processor executes step D again; or ii. if not enough 2^nd persons have responded that they are available, then either the output devices execute step F or the processor executes step D again;

iii. if enough 2^nd persons have responded that they are available, the output devices execute step H;

H. the output devices automatically send the following messages, which are automatically generated by the processor, to the 1^st and the 2^nd parties:

i. if the first 2^nd party/parties that respond is/are known to the 1^st party, or if the identity of the 2^nd party doesn't matter to the 1^st party, then the first 2^nd party/parties to respond receive a message stating that he/she/they have been selected to fulfill the need; the remaining 2^nd party/parties receive a message stating that the need has been filled; and the 1^st party receives a message stating that their need has been met; and the process ends;

ii. if the first 2^nd party/parties that respond is/are not known to the

1^st party, and if the identity of the 2^nd party does matter to the 1^st party, then the 1^st party receives a message informing him/her of the contact details of the first of the 2^nd parties to respond in step

G; the 1^st party contacts the 2^nd party/parties directly to allow both parties to agree that the need has been satisfied; and

a. if the input devices of the central entity receive a message from the 1^st party that there is no mutual agreement with the 2^nd party/parties, then the output devices execute step F or the processor executes step D again; or b. if the input devices of the central entity receive a message from the 1^st party that there is mutual agreement with the 2^nd party/parties, then the process ends.

The information regarding each of the 2^nd parties that is communicated to the input device of the central entity can be communicated by the 2^nd parties themselves or by 1^st parties.

The message communicating the request for one or more 2^nd parties to satisfy the need of the 1^st party can be sent to the input device of the central entity either manually by the 1^st party or automatically by electronic devices in the establishment of the 1^st party.

The electronic devices can comprise one or more of the following: sensors that count the number of customers that enter and leave the establishment of the 1^st party and are adapted to determine the total number of customers present as a function of time; cash registers adapted to determine the number of customers in the establishment of the 1^st party as a function of time; a time clock at the 1^st party's place of business adapted to determine the number and job classification of workers that have not clocked in at a predetermined time after a predetermined starting time; and an electronic diary of a service provider that is adapted to detect the existence of an open scheduling slot.

In embodiments of the process of the invention, if the time of the need passes or if no suitable 2^nd parties can be found or if none of the 2^nd parties in the list compiled in step D are willing to accept the offer, the process of trying to make a match ends. In this case the output devices of the central entity can be adapted to automatically send a message automatically generated by the processor to the 1^st party containing a suggestion to modify his requirements in a way that could encourage 2^nd parties previously contacted to reconsider and accept the offer or to increase the size of the "pool" of available 2^nd parties.

In embodiments of the invention the ranking carried out by the processor in step E takes into consideration a rating based on the previous record of the 2^nd party for each 2^nd party profile in the memory of the processor of the central entity. In embodiments of the process the rating is dynamic, depends on the specifications of each need, and is determined and continually updated by the processor of the central entity based on information from external and internal sources.

All the above and other characteristics and advantages of the invention will be further understood through the following illustrative and non-limitative description of embodiments thereof, with reference to the appended drawings. In the drawings the same numerals are sometimes used to indicate the same elements in different drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

— Fig. 1 schematically shows the entities that are involved in carrying out the invention and the communication links between them;

— Fig. 2 schematically shows the hardware components of the central entity;

— Fig. 3 is a flow chart showing the steps of the method for the case of employer seeking to replace a suddenly absent worker; and

— Fig. 4 is a flow chart showing the steps of the method for a more general case.

Detailed Description of Embodiments of the Invention

The invention is an automatic computer implemented system that is integrated with technology based automated methods of communication and a method for using the system. The system and method are adapted to enable matching parties having an immediate need (henceforth 1^st party) with parties that are willing and able to fill that need (henceforth 2^nd party). The system and method are able to provide rapid responses to sudden needs by being adapted such that, after receiving an urgent request from a 1^st party, essentially all steps in the process of locating a 2^nd party to fulfill the need are automatically carried out by hardware and software components of the system of the invention.

Herein the words "automatic" and "automatically" are used to describe activities that they are carried out by hardware and software components of the system of the invention without any human intervention.

The invention can be adapted for use in a variety of scenarios, e.g. the invention can be used by 1^st parties who are employers seeking temporary help to replace missing or sick workers; employers who have to solve a temporary shortage of workers caused by sudden increased demand for the services or products that they supply; service providers, e.g. doctors, dentists, hospitals, garage owners, etc. to fill vacant schedule slots created by sudden cancellations; and organizations such as police or fire departments that must supply off-duty personnel on short notice for private jobs such as crowd control at sports events.

When the need is to supply immediate help at a work site, typical second parties can be teenagers, college students, housewives, single parents, employed persons seeking to earn extra money outside of their regular work hours, migrant workers, and unemployed persons.

For service providers, the second parties are drawn from amongst their customers. For example when the need is to fill an empty slot that occurred in a doctor's time slot, the second party can be selected from the waiting list of that doctor. Fig. 1 schematically shows the entities that are involved in carrying out the invention and the communication channels between them. Three entities are involved: a central entity 100 that provides the service that facilitates the communication between the other two entities; a plurality of 2^nd parties 102i— 102_n that register with central entity 100, and 1^st parties 104 (only one is shown since, in the basic embodiment, the invention deals with the request of only one 1^st party at a time). The invention also comprises a communication network comprising communication channels 106i—106_n for two way communication between the central entity and communication devices used by each of the 2^nd parties, 108 for two way communication between the central entity and communication devices used by the 1^st party, and HO₁ -HO_n for two way communication between communication devices used by the 1^st party and those used by the 2^nd parties.

The various communication channels can be part of an internet, a public service telephone network (PSTN), cellular network, or any other wired or wireless network. The communication devices used by the entities can be adapted to allow communication between them by means of email, wired or cellular telephone, Interactive Voice Response (IVR), text message, instant message, or other electronic messaging system known in the art. The communication may be by means of human voice, a voice generated by a voice robot, email or text message generated by a message generator operating on an electronic messaging server, or other electronic communication system.

Each of the communication channels shown in Fig. 1 actually represents several different types of messaging possibilities. All communication can be carried out by any of the methods; however, at certain stages of the method of the invention, certain methods will be more convenient. For example, when it is required to enter relatively large amounts of data, e.g. when a 2^nd party initially registers with the central entity or a 1^st party sends its need to the central entity it is convenient for these parties to enter the web site of the central entity using its URL on the internet or an IVR system in which the party electronically fills out a questionnaire by choosing the most appropriate from amongst a limited number of possible answers to a set of predetermined questions or by inserting information using the keys on his communication device, e.g. Jerusalem = 537872536. At other times, the messages exchanged between central entity and the 1^st parties or the 2^nd parties are short and can be conveniently communicated by sending SMS messages or voice mail. The 1^st and 2^nd parties can most conveniently communicate with each other by speaking directly to each other. It is noted that all messages from the 1^st and 2^nd parties to the central entity are sent electronically so that they can be instantly processed and that all messages from the central entity to the 1^st and 2^nd parties are automatically generated by the components of the central entity and sent electronically, also in order to minimize the length of time required since the messages can be received even if the receiver isn't immediately available. Only communication between the 1^st and 2^nd parties is carried out using conventional voice communication means, although also in this case electronic messages, e.g. SMS can be used.

Fig. 2 schematically shows the hardware components of the central entity 100. Basically, the central entity is nothing more than a computer system/server. It comprises one or more processors 120 that execute software instructions adapted to carry out the steps of the method of the invention that are shown in Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 and described herein below; one or more memory units 124 in which data relative to a large number of 2^nd parties is stored, and a number of input/output devices 126, including an interactive internet website, 122 that are adapted to allow two-way communication between the central entity and the 1^st and 2^nd parties as described with reference to Fig. 1. The website comprises graphic users interfaces (GUI) that are designed to allow both 1^st and 2^nd parties to input information to the system rapidly with a minimum of difficulty. Specific examples of the input/output means 126 are not described herein since they are well known in the art and can be related to any of the many varied types of technology that allows electronic communication between two or more computers and/or between humans and computers including those types described herein above. Also not described herein are input/output means such as keyboards and computer screens that are used by the administrator of the central entity to maintain the system and update the software, for example to allow users of the invention to enjoy access to new features.

As said, the invention can be adapted to be used in a variety of scenarios examples of which will be given herein below. In general these can be classified into two types. In the first type, e.g. an employer seeking to replace a suddenly absent worker, the method of the invention is manually initiated by a 1^st party. In the second type, the method of the invention is automatically initiated and a solution to the need is supplied, in some cases even before the 1^st party is aware that the need exists.

Fig. 3 is a flow chart showing the steps of the method for the case of an employer seeking to replace a suddenly absent worker. Step 300 is a registration step in which a plurality of 2^nd parties 102i— 102_n wanting, for example, to find temporary employment contact the central entity 100 in order to register with the system. Preferably at this stage communication link 106i between 2^nd party 102i and the central entity 100 is an internet link although other methods, e.g. IVR, can be used. 2^nd Party 102i accesses the website of the central entity 100 and enters information that processor 120 uses to compile his/her personal profile. Information in each individual's profile can include general information such as name, address, phone numbers, email address, age, and a photo, the nature of work that they are willing to undertake, time (days of the week, hours) that they can be available, minimum wage for which they are willing to work, etc. For some types of jobs they should indicate special qualifications, e.g. driving license, license to carry side arms, a pharmacist's assistant license, etc.

Following step 300, an individual 2^nd party can be identified when contacting the central entity, for example to update information in his/her profile, by conventional means such as a user name and/or password or the processor of the central entity can automatically identify the 2^nd party by running software that is adapted to recognize email addresses, cell phone numbers, etc.

In step 302, the software in processor 120 of central entity 100 is run to analyze the information supplied by each 2^nd party and, according to the results of the analysis, to store the profile under one or more categories in the memory unit 124. Categories can be general, e.g. teenager, or specific, e.g. previous experience as a salesperson in a clothing shop, depending on the way I which the memory is organized.

Steps 300 and 302 are carried out continuously as new 2^nd persons register and as the information for previously registered 2^nd persons is updated. For example the times that a student can be available for work depends on her/his class schedule, which changes each semester. In addition the profile of an individual can be updated according to additional information supplied to the system, for example evaluations submitted by 1^st parties that employ them. This aspect of the invention will be discussed in more detail herein below.

In step 304 a request is sent by 1^st party 104 via communication link 108 to central entity 100. Communication link 108 can be of any of the types described with respect to Fig. 1, e.g. a cellular network over which a SMS message is sent. Using the internet, the 1^st party can enter the web site 122 of central entity 100 where he will find display screens containing tables to be filled out. For example in one embodiment of the table the 1^st party will be asked to identify himself, give his contact details, the nature of the need, the time and place at which he requires the 2^nd party and other information relevant to his need. Alternatively an IVR system can be used. The 1^st party does not have to wait until a human representative of the central entity becomes available to receive his/her request. According to the invention, this option is not available. No matter which of the communication methods is used, the message is received automatically by the appropriate input means 126 of the central entity in order to minimize the time required to receive and to begin processing requests from 1^st parties.

In step 306, the processor executes software instructions that are adapted to search the profiles stored in memory unit 124, to match the data there to the requirements of the 1^st party in order to find suitable potential 2^nd parties, and to create a list of all 2^nd party profiles that can potentially satisfy the need of the 1^st party.

In step 308 the processor 120 ranks the 2^nd parties in the list compiled in the previous step. The ranking can be based on the use of one or more factors that are either predetermined for different categories of need and/or are especially chosen for a specific case according to the characteristics of the 2^nd parties that are listed in their profiles, e.g. age, address, languages spoken.

In step 310, processor 120 automatically sends a message to the highest ranked group of 2^nd parties, e.g. by means of an SMS. The message contains details of the offered position. At this stage the identity and contact details of the 1^st party are not revealed to the 2^nd parties in the group contacted. Each of the 2^nd parties in the group is asked to confirm that he/she is interested and available. In order to complete the required match up between the 1^st party and a suitable 2^nd party, step 310 is most efficiently carried out by simultaneously sending messages to a group of several, e.g. five, potential 2^nd parties according to their preferred method of communication, e.g. SMS, voice mail, or email. The system then waits for one of them to confirm.

In step 312 the 2^nd parties in the group notify the processor 120 of central entity 100 that he/she is interested in accepting the offer, for example by return SMS. If one or more of the 2^nd parties in the group that was notified in step 310 responds that she/he is interested, i.e. "y^es"» then the processor proceeds to either step 314 (if the first 2^nd party that responds is known to the 1^st party) or to step 316 (if the first 2^nd party that responds is not known to the 1^st party). If there is no positive response from any of them within a predetermined time period, i.e. a "no" response, then the system automatically sends messages to the next group of potential 2^nd parties on the list.

It should be noted that method is time dependant in the sense that if the time of the need passes, the system stops trying to make a match. It also stops if, in step 306 no suitable 2^nd parties can be found or if none of the 2^nd parties in the list compiled in step 306 are willing to accept the offer. In this situation, the system can automatically send the 1^st party a suggestion to modify his requirements in a way that could encourage 2^nd parties previously contacted to reconsider and accept the offer or to increase the size of the "pool" of available 2^nd parties. For example a 1^st party seeking a temporary sales person could be sent a suggestion to raise the salary. If he had previously requested that the 2^nd party be over 18 the suggestion could be that he also considers teenagers to fill the position. If the suggestion of the system is accepted by the 1^st party, then the method of the invention can begin again at step 306. In step 314 the 2^nd party to respond first is automatically notified by processor 120 that he has been selected to fulfill the need of the 1^st party, and the processor automatically sends a message to the 1^st party informing him/her that the temporary worker that is required is on his/her way. The process now ends in step 320.

It is to be noted that if, for example, two workers are required, then processor 120 notifies the first two 2^nd parties that respond. At this stage all other 2^nd parties from the group contacted in step 310 that replied with a "yes" message in step 312 are automatically notified by processor 120 that the position has been filled.

In case the 1^st party is an employer seeking a temporary employee and the 2^nd party has not worked for the employer previously, the confirmation should be done directly between the two parties. In these cases, after a 2^nd party that is willing to accept the offer is located in steps 310 to 312, then, in step 316, processor 120 sends a message containing the contact details of the 2^nd party to the 1^st party, who then contacts the 2^nd party directly, for example by telephone, cellular phone, or SMS, in order to "close the deal".

After the 1^st party contacts the 2^nd party he reports (in step 318) the result of the conversation (or exchange of messages) to server 120. If the 1^st and 2^nd parties agree to work together, then the process ends in step 320. If server 120 receives a message that for any reason either of the parties decides not to go through with the arrangement at this stage, then a new potential 2^nd person is selected from the other 2^nd parties that responded that they were interested in step 312 or else the process returns to step 310. In an embodiment of the invention, the processor automatically assumes that an agreement has been reached if no message is received from the 1^st party within a predetermined period of time. At either step 312 or step 318, if the server receives a negative message then optionally the process can return to step 306 instead of to step 310. This option might be selected automatically if, for example a predetermined period of time had passed between the execution of step 306 and the receipt of the negative message in step 312 or step 318.

It is again emphasized that the method of the invention is carried out automatically by the server/processor of the central entity without any human intervention. All messages from the central entity to the 1^st and 2^nd parties are generated out automatically by its server/processor. Only in this way is it possible to match 2^nd parties with 1^st parties on very short notice to satisfy a sudden need.

In order to illustrate how the method works we now consider the following illustrative but not limitative example: the 1^st party is a restaurant owner who, in step 304, sends a message to the central entity at 18:15 that he needs a dishwasher for this evening (Thursday) starting as soon as possible until 02:00 a.m. because his regular dishwasher did not appear for work at the start of his shift at 18:00. He is willing to pay a specified wage to whoever is willing to take the job. step 306: The processor of the central unit now searches the database for suitable potential 2^nd parties. In the data base are stored the profiles for 2^nd parties looking for part time work. At the time of registration (step 306) they entered information that the processor used to compile their profiles. The processor sorts through the profiles and compiles a list of all registered 2^nd parties that have indicated that they are willing to wash dishes for a wage which is equal to or lower then the offered wage, can be available on Thursday evenings during the specified hours, and meet all additional requirements, such as age, and other qualifications. Details of how the processor performs this step are not described herein since many methods of data organization and data mining that can be used or adapted to the needs of the present invention are well known in the art and new methods are constantly being developed.

In this case, since time is of the essence, the criterion given the most weight for ranking the potential 2^nd parties in Step 308 could be distance between the residence of the 2^nd party and the workplace of the 1^st party. If the location of the 1^st party's restaurant is in the south part of the city and only two of the 2^nd parties in the list live in that part of the city, then these could be assigned the two highest ranks with the individual that lives closest to the restaurant being awarded the highest rating. The system of the invention is also optionally able to determine the location of potential 2^nd persons (with their permission) by means of a GPS tracker in their cellular phone, PDA, etc.

In more sophisticated embodiments of the invention, the ranking can take into consideration a "rating" for each 2^nd party profile in the memory of the processor of the central entity. This rating could be based on the previous work record of the 2^nd party. The rating could be determined and continually updated by the processor of the central entity based on information from external sources, e.g. evaluations of the 2^nd party by 1^st parties for which he/she has worked, or internal sources, e.g. knowledge of the percentage of times that the 2^nd party has accepted jobs offered to him in step 312 or step 316 of the method.

The rating of the 2^nd parties is dynamic and depends on the specifications of each need. It is a total rating that takes into consideration a number of factors, wherein each factor is assigned a numerical value and the total rating is determined by the processor of the system as the sum of the numerical values assigned to each factor or according to a more sophisticated formula that includes weights assigned to each of the factors. A typical, but not limiting, list of factors that could be used to compile a rating for each 2^nd party and examples of possible numerical values that can be assigned includes:

i. location by GPS or according to the given address— assigned values: within X km =1, not within X km =0 or lives in that same city = 1, lives in a city within X km=0.5,lives more than X km away = 0;

ii. rating from previous employees - On a scale of 1 to 5 a rating of 5 = value 2 in the rating method of the invention, 4 = 1, 3 = 0, 2 = -1, 1 = -2; iii. the number of confirmations the 2^nd party responded to divided by the number of offers he got minus 0.5;

iv. the last time in which the 2^nd party received an offer - examples of assigned values: a month ago = 1, a week ago = 1/4, a day ago = 1/30; v. punctuality - examples of assigned values: over X percent of the time the 2n^d party comes less than Y minutes late =1, over X percent of the time he comes more than Y minutes late = 0.

The remainder of the process proceeds according to the flow chart in Fig. 3 until, by means of the invention, the 1^st party has a temporary replacement for the absent dishwasher.

The invention has been conceived with the goal of allowing the two parties to find each other immediately to provide the first party with a solution to his time dependent need; however it is obvious that it can be used without modification to solve less immediate needs. For example, the method and system of the invention can be used exactly as described herein above to place the restaurant owner and a person looking for temporary work in contact with each other a week in advance to insure that the restaurant will have a dishwasher on the following Thursday when the regular worker will be attending the wedding of his sister. It is equally obvious that although the invention was conceived to supply temporary solutions to short term needs, it can be used for longer periods, e.g. to find summer jobs for students or jobs during vacation periods.

Many professionals and businesses provide their services to customers according to a pre-arranged schedule of appointments. The system of appointments is used by a variety of professional groups including doctors, dentists, lawyers, and accountants. Hospitals schedule the use of their operating rooms according to a schedule of appointments, some of which are made long periods of time before the actual operation is to be carried out. The appointment system is also used by more commercially oriented businesses such as garages that provide routine or emergency maintenance and repair service for vehicles.

As long as both sides keep to the agreed upon time schedule this method of providing service benefits both sides. The customer benefits by not wasting time waiting for his turn to receive the required service. Frequently however it is the customer who either forgets, has something else to do at the same time, or has some other pressing reason such as illness for cancelling their appointment. In this case the service provider has a need to fill the suddenly vacated timeslot in order to manage his time and resources in the most effective way.

The system and method of the invention can be very advantageously applied mutatis mutandis to provide a solution to this need. In this case, the 1^st party is the service provider, his need is to find a client/patient/customer that is willing to come to his office/work place on short notice in order to replace a client/patient/customer that has forgotten his appointment or cancelled on short notice.

In this scenario, the appointments can not be filled from a pool of potential persons drawn from the general public. The 2^nd party will have to be found amongst the clients/customers/patients of the 1^st party who either have already made appointments for some time in the future, are on a waiting list to receive an appointment in the future when a time slot opens up, or are expected to schedule an appointment in the near future, e.g. for an annual health check up. This being the case, in the registration step, the information for registering the 2^nd parties will be supplied by the 1^st party. Also much less information about the 2^nd party will be required. In most cases only the name, contact information including place of residence and/or work, and times that they can be available are needed.

Another major difference between this scenario and the one involving employees and temporary workers is that in this case the 1^st party can be allowed much greater influence over the ranking of the list of 2^nd parties in step 308. For example, a doctor may want to give chronically ill patients preference over patients scheduled for routine checkups.

The electronic diary of the service provider can be combined with software adapted to automatically send a request for help from the 1^st party to the processor of the central entity whenever an entry for an appointment scheduled within the next X hours is deleted from the calendar and the processor of the central entity can automatically update the diary of the service provider.

Aside from these differences, the system and method of the invention operates as described herein above.

In another example universities, trade schools, and similar institutions often provide free or very low cost services to individuals who are willing to be the "customers" of the pre-dental, hair dressing, cosmetician, etc. students. Frequently the appointments can not be scheduled exactly in advance since they depend on availability of student and customer at the same time. The system and method of the invention could be used very advantageously in this type of situation to efficiently utilize the facilities of the institution and the time of all involved. The student or institution (1^st party) could notify the central entity on very short notice that he will be available to provide a specified service to one or more clients (2^nd parties) and the central entity could automatically provide the required number of 2^nd parties from amongst a group of 2^nd parties that have pre-registered either directly with the central entity of through the institution.

In a sense, agents dealing the advance sale of tickets to sporting and cultural events and travel agents that book airline tickets, hotels and holiday packages for their customers can also practice a variation of the appointment system. In these cases the quantity of tickets available for a given event or reservations that are available for a particular date are normally limited and frequently the demand is larger than the supply. Nonetheless, the customer who has succeed in ordering the ticket/reservation and later, for some reason, wishes to cancel his order at the last moment normally finds that this is either not possible or can be done only if he pays a heavy financial penalty.

Agents that wish to provide a better service to their customers could easily make use of the present invention. By supplying the central entity with a list of persons on a waiting list for tickets to a particular event, flight, etc., i.e. a list of 2^nd parties, they could at no cost or for a small service fee, allow customers to cancel their orders and immediately replace them with new customers. In this way the 1^st party suffers no financial loss and earns a great deal of good will amongst both the customers who cancel their order and those who are able, after an initial disappointment, to obtain the tickets that they sought. There are a number of different scenarios for which the invention, as described herein above can be used essentially as described or slightly modified to provide a solution to temporary shortages of workers caused by an unexpected short term demand for the services or products provided by a 1^st party.

One of the ways of modifying the invention is to completely automate it by eliminating the need for 1^st parties to manually request temporary help every time a situation requiring such help arose. In this embodiment the 1^st parties would register with the central entity providing a profile containing parameters describing their normal work situation. This profile could contain such information as the number and job classification of the workers employed as a function of time during the week, the number of customers served by these workers as a function of time, or the quantity of products that can be produced by a team composed of a certain number of workers in each job category.

The processor of the central entity can continuously or periodically be fed with information from the workplace that is used to evaluate the situation and, if necessary, initiate an automatic search for 2^nd parties. One source of such information could be the time clock at the 1^st party's place of business. If a check made at a predetermined time, e.g. 15 minutes after the beginning of a shift reveals that a certain number of workers have not clocked in, the processor can be programmed to automatically initiate the process of finding 2^nd parties whose profile is such that they can replace the absent worker/s. The required number of 2^nd parties with the necessary skills will be located and sent to the work place and the notice received from the central entity at the end of the process of the invention may be the first indication that the 1^st party has that one or more of his permanent workers is absent. A second example of a source of information that the processor of the central entity can use to automatically order 2^nd parties to supplement the staff of the 1^st party's business is data supplied by sensors at the entrances and exits to a business establishment or even to individual departments of large stores or by counting the number of sales made through the cashier. This data will enable the total number of customer's in the establishment to be determined and if it is above a predetermined threshold for over X minutes, the system will automatically begin to search for suitable 2^nd parties to supplement the staff according to a predetermined quota related to the number and job classification of workers that are needed and that has been agreed upon in advance with 1^st party. For example, if the 1^st party is a restaurant, a 20% increase in customers could require three more waiters/waitresses and one more assistant to the chef while a 30% increase could be handles by three more waiters/waitresses, however two more assistants to the chef and one dishwasher would be required.

As described herein above the pool of 2^nd parties that can be supplied by the central entity to a 1^st party seeking temporary help is in general made up of individuals from the general public that are seeking work. However large organizations and businesses can often rely on their own current and retired employees to form the pool of 2^nd parties from which they can draw temporary help. The advantages of this are obvious to both sides since, on the one hand, the 2^nd party and his abilities and weaknesses are known to the 1^st party and, on the other hand, the work conditions are known to the 2n^d party. In this case the ranking by the system to determine the order of potential 2^nd parties can be largely influenced by considerations such as punctuality and the specific work shifts scheduled for each potential 2^nd party and the number of hours they have already worked that week.

Examples in which this embodiment can be used are: — The management of a fast food chain with several branches located within a reasonable distance from each other, can use the invention to move workers from one or more branches to one at which there is a sudden increase in business, for example because of a sporting event at a nearby stadium.

— If a large convention is in town for a few days, the management of the same fast food chain can hire temporary workers for all branches in the city from a pool of off-shift workers who have indicated that they are willing to work double shifts or bring in workers from nearby cities.

— A factory owner whose factory normally works with two eight hour shifts can use the invention to provide workers for a third shift necessary for a relatively short time to fill a special emergency order. The workers, i.e. 2n^d parties, can be drawn from regular workers who have registered to work occasional extra shifts and from recently retired workers.

— A hospital can use the invention to supply it with additional temporary emergency and operating room staff in times of emergencies such as following an earthquake. In this case the 2^nd parties could be private practice or retired health care professionals that had registered with the central entity in advance to be available in times of emergency, or doctor's from within the hospital that are working in another shift.

Fig.4 is a flow chart that describes in more detail the steps in the method of the invention for a more general case then that described in Fig. 3.

Steps 400a to 40Od represent some of the ways in which the 1^st party can notify the central entity of his/her need. Steps 400a to 400c are automatically carried out by electronic devices in the establishment of the 1^st party that have been adapted to recognize when a need exists and to send a message to the processor of the central entity without human intervention. The examples shown in Fig.4 are sensors that count the number of customers in the establishment (400a), the time clock at the 1^st party's place of business (400b) and the electronic diary of a service provider (400c). Block 40Od represents manual sending of a request from a 1^st party, e.g. by SMS of use of a IVR system.

In step 402 the system of the invention is activated. It is assumed that the memory of the central entity contains a large number of profiles of persons who have registered as potential 2^nd parties. The profiles can be of individuals who have contacted the central entity directly in order to register with the system or can be supplied by employers or service providers either manually or automatically, for example from a list of a workers at a factory that is automatically sent from the computer in the factory to the processor of the central entity. In the latter case the 2^nd parties will generally be selected from amongst the profiles supplied by the employer or service provider; although an option can be provided to allow the system to search for 2^nd parties from other profiles if no 2^nd party willing to fulfill the need is available from the group of candidates registered by the 1^st party.

In step 404 the processor of the central entity searches the memory to identify the profiles of 2^nd parties that could potentially satisfy the need of the 1^st party. At this stage more general filtering parameters that are tailored to the specific need are used. For example, if the need is for a dishwasher in a restaurant, only profiles of individuals that are willing to accept this type of work are identified or, if the need is to replace an absent production line worker at a large factory, only the names of production line workers that have been supplied by the management of the factory are identified.

In step 406, the profiles identified in the previous step are ranked using rating parameters that are specific to the need. Examples of the rating parameters and their use have been described herein above. In step 408 the system automatically sends notification of the need to a group comprising the 2^nd parties having the highest ranked profiles from step 406. If none of the parties in this first group send confirmation to the central authority within a predetermined time limit, then the processor sends notification to a second group from the list compiled in step 406.

In step 410 the central entity receives confirmation from one or more of the 2n^d parties notified in step 408 that they are able to satisfy the need. At this stage in step 412, the software executed by the processor is adapted to check if enough 2^nd persons have confirmed that they are available to satisfy the total need of the 1^st party. If not enough 2^nd parties have confirmed, then the processor returns to step 408 to try to locate additional 2^nd parties.

If some or all of the total number of 2^nd Parties required to satisfy the need have confirmed in step 410, then in step 414 the first 2^nd parties to have confirmed are notified in step 418 by means of a message automatically sent by the processor of the central entity that they have been accepted.

If more than the total number of 2^nd Parties required to satisfy the need have confirmed in step 410, then in step 416 the remaining 2^nd parties are notified by means of a message automatically sent by the processor of the central entity that the need has been satisfied and they are not needed at this time.

Following step 412, there are three possibilities: either the 2^nd party is or is not known to the 1^st party or it doesn't matter to the 1^st party who the 2^nd party is, for example in the case of selling food before it spoils or a patient of a doctor. If the 2^nd party is known to the 1^st party, then in step 418 the processor of the central entity also sends a message to the 1^st party that the need has been satisfied and the process ends at step 424. If the 2^nd party is not known to the 1^st party or if the identity of the 2^ndparty is not important, then step 418 is not executed and in step 420 processor 120 sends a message containing the contact details of the 2^nd party to the 1^st party, who then contacts the 2^nd party directly, for example by telephone, cellular phone, or SMS, in order to "close the deal". After the 1^st party contacts the 2^nd party he reports (in step 422) the result of the conversation (or exchange of messages) to server 120. If the message from the 1^st party says that the 1^st and 2^nd parties have agreed to work together or if no message is received from the 1^st party within a predetermined period of time, then the process ends in step 424. If server 120 receives a message that for any reason either of the parties decides not to go through with the arrangement at this stage, then a new potential 2^nd person is selected from the other 2^nd parties that responded that they were interested in step 410 or else the process returns to step 408.

The system and method of the invention can also be used where the need is not satisfied by a human 2^nd party but in cases where the need is to sell or obtain quickly merchandise.

For example a fruit wholesaler (1^st party) discovers that he has a large surplus of bananas that are getting ripe and that he must sell immediately, if his retail customers are to be able to sell them before they spoil. Immediately upon receiving a request from the 1^st part, the processor of the central entity would begin identifying and ranking the profiles of retail stores and possibly other wholesalers (2^nd parties) that have registered previously with the central entity. The process will run exactly as outlined in Fig. 4 until a buyer that is willing to purchase the surplus at an agreed upon price. In another example, a small grocery store owner (1^st party) discovers a short time before opening in the morning that he does not have any eggs. It is the day before a holiday and his regular supplier will only make a scheduled delivery in two days. In this case the 2^nd party could be another grocery store in the area, which might have a surplus of eggs; wholesalers in his city; or a chicken farmer in the area.

Although embodiments of the invention have been described by way of illustration, it will be understood that the invention may be carried out with many variations, modifications, and adaptations without exceeding the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An automatic computer implemented system that is integrated with technology based automated methods of communication, said system adapted to enable matching parties having an immediate need (1^st party) with parties that are willing and able to fill that need (2^nd party), said system comprising three entities:

a. hardware components of a central entity that provide the service that facilitates communication between the other two entities;

b. communication devices used by each of a plurality of 2^nd parties; and c. communication devices used by 1^st parties;

the system also comprises a communication network comprising communication channels for enabling two way communications between: a. said hardware components of said central entity and said communication devices used by said 2^nd parties;

b. said hardware components of said central entity and said communication devices used by said 1^st party; and

c. said communication devices used by said 1^st party and said communication devices used by said 2^nd parties.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the various communication channels are part of an internet, a public service telephone network, or a cellular network.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication devices used by the entities are adapted to allow communication between said entities by one or more methods selected from the following: email, wired or cellular telephone, Interactive Voice Response, text message, instant message, human voice, a voice generated by a voice robot, and email or text message generated by a message generator operating on an electronic messaging server.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the hardware components of the central entity comprise some or all of:

b. one or more memory units in which data relative to a large number of 2^nd parties is stored;

c. a number of input/output devices, that are adapted to allow two-way automatic electronic two-way communication between said processor and communication devices used by said 1^st and 2^nd parties;

d. an interactive internet website, which may comprise graphic user interfaces that are designed to allow both 1^st and 2^nd parties to input information to the system; and

e. input/output means that are adapted to be used by an administrator of said central entity to maintain said system and update said software.

5. An automatic computer implemented process that employs technology based automated methods of communication for matching parties having an immediate need (1^st party) with parties that are willing and able to fill that need (2^nd party), said processor, which is carried out by a processor and other components of a central entity, comprises the following steps:

A. input devices of said central entity receive and transfer to said processor information regarding a plurality of second parties;

B. said processor executes software that is adapted to analyze said information for each of said 2^nd parties, to build a profile for each of said 2^nd parties, and to store said profile in a memory unit of said central entity; C. said input devices receive a request for one or more 2^nd parties to satisfy a need of a 1^st party and transfer said request to said processor;

D. said processor executes software that is adapted to search said profiles stored in said memory unit, to match the data stored therein to said need of said 1^st party, and to create a list of all 2^nd party profiles that can potentially satisfy said need;

E. said processor executes software that is adapted to rank said 2^nd parties in said list compiled in step D;

F. output devices of said central entity automatically send a message automatically generated by said processor to communication devices used by said 2^nd parties in a group of 2^nd parties given the highest rank in step E, said message containing details of said need and inviting a response;

G. said processor checks to confirm that enough 2^nd persons to satisfy said need have responded that they are available:

i. if no response is received within a predetermined period of time, said output devices execute step F for a group of 2^nd persons having the next highest ranking or said processor executes step D again; or

ii. if not enough 2^nd persons have responded that they are available, then either said output devices execute step F or said processor executes step D again;

iii. if enough 2^nd persons have responded that they are available, said output devices execute step H;

H. said output devices automatically send the following messages, which are automatically generated by said processor, to said 1^st and said 2^nd parties:

i. if said first 2^nd party/parties that respond is/are known to said 1^st party, then the first 2^nd party/parties to respond receive a message stating that he/she/they have been selected to fulfill the need; the remaining 2^nd party/parties receive a message stating that the need has been filled; and said 1^st party receives a message stating that their need has been met; and

said process ends;

ii. if said first 2^nd party/parties that respond is/are not known to said 1^st party, then said 1^st party receives a message informing him/her of the contact details of the first of said 2^nd parties to respond in step G; said 1^st party contacts said 2^nd party/parties directly to allow both parties to agree that the need has been satisfied; and a. if said input devices of said central entity receive a message from said 1^st party that there is no mutual agreement with said 2^nd party/parties, then said output devices execute step F or said processor executes step D again; or

b. if said input devices of said central entity receive a message from said 1^st party that there is mutual agreement with said 2^nd party/parties, or if there is no response within a predetermined amount of time then said process ends.

6. The process of claim 5, wherein the information regarding each of the 2^nd parties that is communicated to the input device of the central entity is communicated by said 2^nd parties themselves.

7. The process of claim 5, wherein the information regarding each of the 2^nd parties that is communicated to the input device of the central entity is communicated by 1^st parties.

8. The process of claim 5, wherein the message communicating the request for one or more 2^nd parties to satisfy the need of the 1^st party is sent to the input device of the central entity manually by said 1^st party.

9. The process of claim 5, wherein the message communicating the request for one or more 2^nd parties to satisfy the need of the 1^st party is sent to the input device of the central entity automatically by electronic devices in the establishment of said 1^st party.

10. The process of claim 9, wherein the electronic devices comprise one or more of the following: sensors that count the number of customers that enter and leave the establishment of the 1^st party and are adapted to determine the total number of customers present as a function of time; cash registers adapted to determine the number of customers in the establishment of the 1^st party as a function of time; a time clock at the 1^st party's place of business adapted to determine the number and job classification of workers that have not clocked in at a predetermined time after a predetermined starting time; and an electronic diary of a service provider that is adapted to detect the existence of an open scheduling slot.

11. The process of claim 5, wherein, if the time of the need passes or if no suitable 2^nd parties can be found or if none of the 2^nd parties in the list compiled in step D are willing to accept the offer, the process of trying to make a match ends.

12. The process of claim 11, wherein the output devices of the central entity automatically send a message automatically generated by the processor to the 1^st party containing a suggestion to modify his requirements in a way that could encourage 2^nd parties previously contacted to reconsider and accept the offer or to increase the size of the "pool" of available 2^nd parties.

13. The process of claim 5, wherein the ranking carried out by the processor in step E takes into consideration a rating based on the previous record of the 2^nd party for each 2^nd party profile in the memory of the processor of the central entity.

14. The process of claim 13, wherein the rating is dynamic, depends on the specifications of each need, and is determined and continually updated by the processor of the central entity based on information from external and internal sources.