ABSTRACT
Embodiments of the invention provide for providing support for sharing and exchanging in a network.
The system includes a memory coupled to a processor. The memory includes a database comprising information corresponding to first users and the second users. Each of the first users and the second users are facilitated for sharing or exchanging activity, service or product, based on one or more conditions corresponding thereto. Further, the memory includes one or more instructions executable by the processor to match each of the first users to at least one of the second users. Furthermore, the instructions may inform each of the first users about the match with the at least one of the second users when all the conditions are met by the at least one second user based on the information corresponding to each of the second users.
Systems and methods to support sharing and exchanging in a network
An Inventor: Dr. Tal Lavian
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to social networking applications and more specifically the invention relates to leveraging social networks by sharing and exchanging activities, services and resources.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In current scenario of global inflation, resource management is increasingly required to cut the cost and to overcome many other problems.
For example, the prevalent use of single occupancy vehicles is known to be a significant cause of several major economic, social and environmental problems. The problems embrace increasing cost due to usage of energy resource for each vehicle, higher parking-space issues, traffic congestion, increased level of air pollution and the like. Further, an alternative to the usage of single occupancy vehicles is the use of multi-occupancy vehicles, where multiple individuals can share a single vehicle.
For sharing a resource such as a vehicle, an individual needs to search for people who are willing to join for sharing a vehicle for riding together to a particular location. This requires spending time in searching reliable people to share the ride. Further, in existing systems, a user can post a query for vehicle sharing. Corresponding to the post, other users of the system those are interested in sharing the vehicle for the ride (hereinafter may be referred to as “interested users”) can reply to that query regarding their interests in sharing the vehicle. However, in these systems, the interested users may be completely unknown to the user who posts the query. Thus, the main problem in such systems is the lack of credibility, in the interested people, which typically is the pre-requisite for many users. Further, in these systems, the user has to wait until any interested user respond corresponding to the query of the user. Furthermore, the user may need to contact the other interested users, either personally or telephonically, to discuss various parameters for sharing the vehicle. Such parameters may include, but are not restricted to, compensation/expense that may be shared between the users, timings, and various conditions corresponding to the sharing of vehicle for a ride. This wastes a significant amount of time on the user’s part.
Further, in addition to vehicle sharing, there are some other resources that may not be shared, generally, with others such as house, machinery etc. Further, such non-sharable resources may be expensive to possess. An individual may think of providing or receiving such resource in exchange of any other resource or any service. However, exchanging such expensive resources, with any other resource or service offered by any other person, require a high level of credibility in the offer of the other person and vice versa. Further, if an individual decides to exchange a resource with a service offered by the other person then the individual may be required to keep an eye on the activities performed (corresponding to the service) by the other person. This wastes a significant time of the individual to track the service provided by the other person. For example, a user may think of reducing a cost by borrowing a machinery from any other person (possessing the machinery) in exchange of providing some service to the other person such as pets’ keeping in the absence of the other person. Here, the other person has to have trust on the individual so as to allow the individual to handle the pets in the absence of the other person. Thus, credibility of any unknown users for exchanging the product/service remains always under stake.
In addition to resource sharing and exchanging, many individuals like to look for people for some collective activities, such as recreational activities. For any recreational activity, such as playing, riding etc., an individual usually searches for like-minded people. For example, an individual may be willing to go out to dine with someone or may be willing to play chess with someone who is good at (or interested in) playing chess. For this, the individual may be required to spend a considerable amount of time to search any person around who is like-minded and also credible to go along with for any such collective activity. In such cases, credibility of any unknown person is always a question for the individual.
Based on the aforementioned, there is a need of a system and a corresponding method to support resource sharing with credible users and without requiring much time consumption at a user’s end. Further, the system should provide support for combined or exchangeable activities with credible and suitable users based on the interest of a user. Furthermore, the system should support a user for sharing and/or exchanging services or products. Thus, the system is required for providing support to a user in sharing/exchanging resources/services and to overcome the shortcoming of the related arts.
SUMMARY
Embodiments for the present invention provide a system for sharing and exchanging in a network.
The system includes a processor and a memory coupled to the processor. The memory includes a database comprising information corresponding to first users. Each of the first users is facilitated for announcing sharable activity, service or product, and one or more conditions corresponding thereto. The sharable activity, service or product is announced for inviting one or more second users therefor. Further, the database includes information corresponding to the one or more second users. The second users are facilitated for accepting at least one of the announced sharable activity, service or product. Further, the memory includes instructions executable by the processor to match each of the first users to at least one of the second users. Furthermore, the memory includes instructions executable by the processor to inform each of the first users about the match with the at least one of the second users. Each of the first users matches with at least one of the second users when all the one or more conditions are met by the at least one second user based on the information corresponding to each of the second users.
Further, embodiments of the present invention provide a system to support sharing and exchanging in a network. The system includes a processor and a memory coupled to the processor. The memory includes a database comprising a list of first users. Each of the first users willing to provide share of at least one of activity, service or product, and one or more conditions corresponding thereto. Further, the database includes a list of second users. The second users are facilitated to accept the share of activity, service or product. Further, the memory includes instructions executable by the processor to match each of the first users to at least one of the second users. Each of the first users matches with at least one of the second users when the one or more conditions are met by information corresponding to the at least one of the second users. Furthermore, the memory includes instructions executable by the processor to send an email to the first user for credit of pre-set number of points. Additionally, the memory includes instructions executable by the processor to send an email to the at least one of the second users for debit of the pre-set number of points.
Furthermore, embodiments of the present invention provide a system to support sharing and exchanging in a network. The system includes a processor and a memory coupled to the processor. The memory includes a database comprising list of first users. Each of the first users willing to provide share of at least one of activity, service or product, and one or more conditions corresponding thereto. Further, the database includes a list of second users. The second users facilitated to accept the share of activity, service or product. Further, the memory includes instructions executable by the processor to match each of the first users to at least one of the second users. Each of the first users matches with at least one of the second users when the one or more conditions are met by information corresponding to the at least one of the second users. Furthermore, the memory includes instructions executable by the processor to send a notification to the first user to provide review for the at least one of the second user. Additionally, the memory includes instructions executable by the processor to send a notification to the at least one of the second users to provide review for the at least one of the first user.