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`CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
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`[0001]
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`This patent application is a division of U.S. patent application Ser. No.
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`12/059,728 filed March 30, 2008 which is a division of U.S. patent application Ser. No.
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`10/1 0 1 ,644 filed Mar. 19, 2002 entitled Apparatus and Methods for Providing Career
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`Employment Services.
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`FIELD OF THE INVENTION
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`[0002]
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`This invention relates to network connected information systems, and, more
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`particularly, to network connected information systems providing data processing applications in
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`connection with optimizing individuals' employment searches and career opportunities, and
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`optimizing employers' recruiting and hiring processes and decisions.
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`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
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`[0003]
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`Finding and hiring highly qualified candidate, employees or talent for specific
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`jobs is one of the most important objectives an employer undertakes.
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`In furthering the
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`employer's objective of hiring the best possible employees, an employer would ideally have
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`access to detailed information regarding as large a pool of talent as possible and the pool of
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`talent would include prospective employees who are highly qualified for the particular job that
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`the employer seeks to fill. Without such information, a great deal of time and expense is often
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`expended by employers in connection with their recruiting and screening functions, while,
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`nevertheless, achieving unacceptable results.
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`[0004]
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`Traditionally, employers have found potential talent among new school
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`graduates
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`through school-related
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`job counseling
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`resources,
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`in
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`response
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`to classified
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`advertisements for particular jobs, referrals from existing employees, and through the use of
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`third-party recruiters ("headhunters"). Each of these alternatives is inefficient, and some are
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`Docket 15703.4 15703.5
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`Petitioner Exhibit 1019 p.1
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`-2-
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`costly, as well. Furthermore, employers' articulation of the skills they seek to hire are imprecise.
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`Typically, school-related job counseling resources, classified advertising, and word-of-mouth
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`referrals deal in generalities.
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`[0005]
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`When an employer seeks to hire an experienced employee, the pool of talent,
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`within which a search is conducted, is often limited to individuals who have already worked in a
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`particular job within a particular industry. Although it may be meritorious that a prospective
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`employee has current or prior experience in a particular job within a particular industry,
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`individuals with experience in other jobs within other industries may possess the particular skills
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`that an employer requires for a particular job. Yet there exists no efficient means for identifying
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`such individuals in other fields who may possess the precise skills sought by the employer.
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`Consequently, an employer's employment recruiting and hiring processes and subsequent
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`operations would be greatly enhanced if the employer could efficiently and cost-effectively
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`identify highly qualified talent both within and without the industry and occupational categories
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`of the employer.
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`[0006]
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`Another employment problem faced by employers is that they often do not
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`know when a particular employment position may become vacant. Specifically, while it is a
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`business courtesy to provide two weeks notice of termination of at-will employment, employees
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`occasionally terminate employment with less than two weeks notice. Additionally, it may occur
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`that an employee may be terminated for a reason necessitating less than two-weeks notice, and
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`injury, illness, or death may cause an employee to become unavailable to perform his or her job
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`function. Further, even if a full two weeks is available to hire a replacement employee,
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`frequently two weeks is not enough time to hire a person, particularly for skills that are in high
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`demand.
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`[0007]
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`Another problem faced by employers is that they may stop searching for more
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`highly skilled employee(s) than they have, if an employment position is currently filled.
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`Consequently, an employer's recruiting and hiring processes, and subsequent operations, would
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`be greatly enhanced if the employer could efficiently and cost-effectively identify highly
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`Petitioner Exhibit 1019 p.2
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`-3-
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`qualified talent on a continuous basis. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a practical
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`continuous recruiting system.
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`[0008]
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`Another employment problem faced by employers is that there is no uniformity
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`among employers in how they communicate the requirements, compensation, and benefits of
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`their employment positions to the public. As a result, it is difficult for talent to efficiently and
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`cost-effectively identify the universe of employment positions for which their skills may be
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`suited. Consequently, an employer's recruiting and hiring processes, and subsequent operations,
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`would be greatly enhanced if the employer could efficiently and cost-effectively communicate
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`detailed information about the skills and experience they require, and the compensation and
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`benefits they offer, in a structured manner that facilitates the search by talent for optimal
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`employment opportunities.
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`[0009]
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`At the same time that employers are encountering difficulty in identifying
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`highly qualified employees ("talent") to fill specific employment positions, talent is struggling to
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`find the employers and employment opportunities that best match the talent's skills and
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`objectives.
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`[00010]
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`For talent, establishing and developing a career involves finding, researching,
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`and targeting employers. Traditionally, talent has used the same sort of inefficient means to find
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`employment opportunities as employers have used to find talent. Talent has generally relied on
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`school placement resources, replying to classified advertisements, and word-of-mouth referrals
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`from persons who may already be employed by a particular employer, a process that is as
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`inefficient for talent as it is for employers. And traditionally, talent has relied on resumes to
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`present their qualifications, yet there is no uniformity of resumes among talent. Talent generally
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`must "tailor" their resumes to respond to particular employment opportunities, and talent may
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`have only a limited understanding of the skills being sought by a particular employer. As a
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`result, resumes are often unwieldy devices for employers to consider.
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`[00011]
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`Also, it may be difficult for talent to determine which employers to target for
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`potential employment, and which potential opportunity represents the optimal use of their skills.
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`Petitioner Exhibit 1019 p.3
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`-4-
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`Accordingly, talent can waste much time and energy trying to find the right position and may,
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`nevertheless, fail to find an optimal position.
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`[00012]
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`Furthermore, it is difficult for talent to identify an appropriate format for
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`expressing his or her skills to an employer. It is also difficult for talent to know what types of
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`information to share with a prospective employer. Consequently, it is advantageous for talent to
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`have the ability to maintain his or her resume, including a detailed description of training, skills,
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`and experience in a uniformly structured manner on both a current and cumulative basis (a
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`"talent profile").
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`[00013]
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`Even when a person is employed in a desirable position, economic or other
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`circumstances may cause the unexpected termination of his or her employment. Specifically,
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`talent may be laid-off or terminated at an unanticipated time. Even if a talent is not terminated,
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`economic conditions may cause his or her employer to go out of business.
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`In some
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`circumstances, talent will be provided with adequate notice or severance pay to allow for
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`adequate time to seek other employment in the event of undesired termination. However, in
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`some circumstances, there is inadequate time. Accordingly, there is a need in the job placement
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`industry for systems that allow talent to be continually in the job market or at least ready to enter
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`the job market on short notice.
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`[00014]
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`Known methods of recruiting include the process by which a manager will
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`prepare a job description, and send the description to a human resources ("HR") department,
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`which may check its files of resumes to determine if a qualified applicant has previously
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`contacted the company. The HR department may also consider qualifications of internal
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`candidates, and finally, the HR department may place a classified ad in a newspaper or trade
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`publication. The company may also retain the services of a professional recruiter, who may have
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`connections with suitable talent. In addition to classified ads in printed publications, other media
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`may be used to publish advertisements for talent.
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`[00015]
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`As distributed computer networks such as the Internet have become widely
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`used, it has become possible to provide classified employment ads to mass markets via on-line
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`Petitioner Exhibit 1019 p.4
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`-5-
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`databases and publications. Most major newspapers now have on-line editions that may be used
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`to search classified ads for job positions. For example, the employment classifieds of the Kansas
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`City Star newspaper may be searched on line at http://www.kansascity.com.
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`[00016]
`
`Such on-line databases provide convenient access by employers to an audience
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`that is potentially beyond the scope of coverage of subscribers to the printed newspaper. The on(cid:173)
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`line databases also have an advantage to talent in that talent is better able to search for jobs by
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`geographic location or keyword. Of course, both of those features are present in regular
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`newspaper classified advertising. Nevertheless, on-line databases of classified ads share the
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`same major drawbacks as printed classified ads. First, both are highly unstructured and without
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`uniformity of job parameters. Second, both solicit highly unstructured resumes without
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`uniformity from prospective job candidates. Third, both involve the placement of advertising in
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`exchange for an up-front payment obligation by the employer/advertiser.
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`[00017]
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`Because a cost is associated with posting a classified ad, there is an economic
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`disincentive for employers to post jobs other than those for which there is a current (or currently
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`expected) vacancy. Furthermore, the classified advertising model employed by newspapers and
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`existing on-line employment sites attracts almost exclusively jobs for which there are current (or
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`currently expected) vacancies. Accordingly, many fewer jobs are advertised than actually exist,
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`and because much of the talent that is currently employed are not continually looking, the jobs
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`that are advertised attract a much smaller pool of highly qualified talent than actually exists.
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`This situation is bridged at significant cost to employers by their use of headhunters who recruit
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`currently employed persons who may be willing to change jobs for a better opportunity, but are
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`unwilling to continuously bear the burden of the search effort.
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`[00018]
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`For employers with on-going recruiting and employment problems, the
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`inefficiencies of existing mediums of finding the best, and, in many cases, sufficient talent for a
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`job is a serious problem that contributes to on-going operational inefficiencies. Likewise, for
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`talent who would like to have access to the complete picture of available jobs, the economic
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`Petitioner Exhibit 1019 p.5
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`
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`-6-
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`disincentive placed on employers to provide information about all of their jobs IS a senous
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`problem that diminishes talent's ability to optimize his or her career.
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`[00019]
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`For employers, the classified ad system allows a company to develop a group of
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`resumes of persons who have responded to ads. Employers may also consider classified ads
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`placed by talent, indicating that they are available for employment. However, there is a similar
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`economic disincentive for talent to pay for publication of a classified ad. Further, this combined
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`group of talent resumes is small in relation to the potential universe of talent, and it does not
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`provide an employer with the detailed and comprehensive information necessary for employers
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`to select an ideal candidate.
`
`[00020]
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`Other recruiting systems are basically improvements to the newspaper-based
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`classified ad system. Several improvements have been proposed and implemented. Specifically
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`the Monster.com job board, which may be found at www.monster.com. collects resumes and
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`allows posting of classified employment ads.
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`Systems like Monster.com represent an
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`improvement to the traditional classified ad system, in that these types of bulletin boards collect
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`resumes for free. Nevertheless, the posted jobs are essentially searchable classified ads, and the
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`resumes posted on Monster.com are not searchable without payment of a significant fee. Again,
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`this places an economic disincentive on employers to search out the best qualified candidate for a
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`job.
`
`[00021]
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`The Monster.com site indicates that it is covered by U.S. Patent No. 5,832,497
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`to Jeffrey C. Taylor ("the Taylor patent" or "Taylor"). The Taylor patent describes a system for
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`managing classified employment ads, using of two databases to store information about resumes
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`and about jobs.
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`[00022]
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`Taylor discloses providing job industries, company identifiers, job disciplines
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`and job titles. Taylor describes using a password system to specify who has access to the job
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`records for the purposes of adding, changing, and deleting job records. Employer-users are
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`charged for contact information on applicant users. Fees are structured as a basic subscription
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`Petitioner Exhibit 1019 p.6
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`
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`-7-
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`charge allowing a predetermined number of accesses, with a predetermined fee associated with
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`each access above the predetermined number of accesses.
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`[00023]
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`Several other on-line job sites collect information about applicants and provide
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`this information to prospective employers in various ways; however, these systems suffer from
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`drawbacks similar
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`to
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`those of
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`the Taylor patent.
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`Specifically, HotJobs.com, Ltd.
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`(www.hotjobs.com) allows a user to choose a city and also to specify a corresponding
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`metropolitan area. Using HotJobs, a user can search for a job in New York, for example, and
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`find jobs in nearby cities, without knowing the names of the other cities.
`
`[00024]
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`To use the HotJobs site, a job search user first registers by providing his or her
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`E-mail address and a password. Next the job search user is prompted to either paste in the text of
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`an existing resume or to answer a set of questions that will provide for the automatic generation
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`of a resume. In addition to asking questions pertinent to the resume, the HotJobs system asks job
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`search users about the types of jobs they are seeking, whether they are willing to relocate, and
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`whether they would like their resume to be searchable by employers and/or recruiters. If the job
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`search user elects not to allow his or her resume to be searchable, the resume will only be
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`accessible by those employers that the job search user specifies by using a process described
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`below. An arbitrary job search user of the HotJobs web site may search all of the posted jobs.
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`By registering and creating a resume, the job search user can apply to any of the posted jobs.
`
`[00025]
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`Like Monster.com, HotJobs.com charges for posting jobs. Therefore, the same
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`economic disincentives are placed on employers that would use the HotJobs system as is placed
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`on employers that would use the Monster system.
`
`[00026]
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`Accordingly, known on-line job advertising systems represent only mmor
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`improvements over the traditional newspaper-based employment classified advertising system.
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`And the known on-line job advertising systems retain the significant economic limitation of
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`being based on the newspaper employment classifieds paradigm. The services charge employers
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`for posting their jobs, just as in the newspaper model, and then they charge fees for merely
`
`Petitioner Exhibit 1019 p.7
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`
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`-8-
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`having the ability to search through the database of talent resumes.
`
`[00027]
`
`Because the pay-to-post and subscribe-to-search systems impose upfront
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`economic barriers on employers, the systems have the disadvantage of providing a disincentive
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`for all employers to post all of their jobs. Further, when talent knows that only a subset of
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`available jobs are posted and that employers are charged to search resumes, talent will not be
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`optimally motivated to use the career site.
`
`[00028]
`
`In order to avoid the economic barriers presented by traditional print and on-line
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`media to the comprehensive posting of employment opportunities, some employers have
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`established employer-owned Internet sites wherein they list some or all of their employment
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`positions. Such sites, to the extent that the employer has listed all of its employment positions,
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`can provide a prospective employee with a comprehensive view of opportunities with that
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`employer, but not with any other employer. Therefore, while employer-owned sites avoid the
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`economic barriers of classified advertising, they do so at another cost -
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`the loss of broad
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`exposure to the available pool of prospective employees, most of whom are unaware of the
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`employer-owned sites.
`
`[00029]
`
`While the Internet theoretically allows an unlimited number of prospective
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`employees to visit an employer's web site to view potentially all of such employer's positions at
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`little or no cost to the employer, that benefit is accomplished via the transfer of economic burden
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`to
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`the prospective employee who must search countless employer sites hoping for a
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`comprehensive view of employment opportunities. Some people have attempted to reduce the
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`cost-transfer defect of employer-owned sites by creating "collector" sites that electronically link
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`to various employers' separate sites. Such collector sites are mere conduits that may attract
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`incremental attention from prospective employees, but do little, if anything, to ultimately
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`eliminate the economic burden that is shifted to prospective employees. This is because the
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`employers continue to post their employment positions to their separate sites. Under such
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`collector systems, the prospective employee must still periodically visit each site in order to
`
`Petitioner Exhibit 1019 p.8
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`
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`-9-
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`acquire a comprehensive up-to-date view of the market place of employment opportunities. That
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`burden imposes substantial economic costs on the prospective employee due to the significant
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`time inefficiencies entailed.
`
`[00030]
`
`Accordingly, a system is needed that does not have the limitations of existing
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`systems, and that encourages the participation of all employers and all talent in an economically
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`efficient, on-going process of optimizing the use of available skills.
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`Petitioner Exhibit 1019 p.9
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`
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`-10-
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`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`
`[00031]
`
`Systems, methods, distributed networks, and computer-readable media are
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`provided that relate to employment services. Background information associated with talent(cid:173)
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`capability attributes is received from talent in a structured format. Job description information is
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`received from employers in a structured format. Prospective matches are identified between
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`employers and talent, and employers and talent are given an opportunity to mutually consent to
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`the exchange of talent contact information. In one embodiment, after such mutual consent has
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`been granted, a financial transaction is consummated wherein the employer pays a fee to the
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`career site operator.
`
`[00032]
`
`In one embodiment, skills descriptions are received from talent.
`
`In one
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`embodiment, mutual consent is indicated by a request for an interview and an acceptance of a
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`request for an interview. In one embodiment, follow up surveys to employers and talent are used
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`to provide feedback to career site participants.
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`[00033]
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`In one embodiment, employers provide
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`information regarding multiple
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`divisions, including geographical and access scope information.
`
`[00034]
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`In one embodiment affiliate marketing arrangements are utilized to promote use
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`of the career site. In another embodiment, wholesale marketing techniques are employed. In yet
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`another embodiment, a multi-level retail marketing system is applied to develop employer
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`participation in the career site.
`
`Petitioner Exhibit 1019 p.10
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`
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`-11-
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`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`
`[00035]
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`These and other inventive features, advantages, and objects will appear from the
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`following Detailed Description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings
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`in which similar reference characters denote similar elements throughout the several views, and
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`wherein:
`
`[00036]
`
`Fig. 1 shows a schematic block diagram of a network in which information
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`systems consistent with the present invention may be practiced;
`
`[00037]
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`Fig. 2 is a schematic block diagram representing interrelationships between
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`databases consistent with the present invention;
`
`[00038]
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`Fig. 3 is a flow diagram representing an unauthenticated user or interacting with
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`a career site consistent with the present invention, and a talent interacting with a career site
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`consistent with the present invention;
`
`[00039]
`
`Fig. 4 is a flow diagram representing a process whereby talent searches for and
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`selects jobs and whereby it is determined if talent has the minimum qualifications established
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`and required by the employers for the job(s) that talent has selected, the processes being
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`performed in connection with talent interacting with a career site in operating in a manner
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`consistent with the present invention;
`
`[00040]
`
`Fig. 5A is a flow diagram representing a series of talent-initiated processes for
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`gathering governmentally regulated information about a talent in a manner consistent with the
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`present invention;
`
`[00041]
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`Fig. 5B is a flow diagram representing a series of employer-initiated processes
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`for gathering governmentally regulated information about a talent in a manner consistent with
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`the present invention;
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`Petitioner Exhibit 1019 p.11
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`
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`-12-
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`[00042]
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`Fig. 6A is a flow diagram representing a talent-initiated process for collecting
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`information pertaining to protected classes of employees, the process being performed III
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`connection with talent interacting with a career site consistent with the present invention;
`
`[00043]
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`Fig. 6B is a flow diagram representing an employer-initiated process for
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`collecting information pertaining to protected classes of employees, the process being performed
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`in connection with talent interacting with a career site consistent with the present invention;
`
`[00044]
`
`Fig. 7 A is a flow diagram representing a talent-initiated process for determining
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`the eligibility of talent to be employed in certain jobs requiring U.S. citizenship, the process
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`being performed in connection with talent interacting with a career site consistent with the
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`present invention;
`
`[00045]
`
`Fig. 7B is a flow diagram representing an employer-initiated process for
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`determining the eligibility of talent to be employed in certain jobs requiring U.S. citizenship, the
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`process being performed in connection with talent interacting with a career site consistent with
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`the present invention;
`
`[00046]
`
`Fig 8 is a flow diagram representing a process performed in connection with an
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`unauthenticated user interacting with a career site consistent with the present invention, and an
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`employer interacting with a career site consistent with the present invention;
`
`[00047]
`
`Fig. 9 is a flow diagram representing a senes of processes performed in
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`connection with an employer interacting with a career site consistent with the present invention;
`
`[00048]
`
`Fig. 10 is a flow diagram representing an employer-initiated process whereby an
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`employer searches for and selects talent profiles for the purpose of establishing talent interest in
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`the employer's employment opportunity using a career site in operated in a manner consistent
`
`with the present invention;
`
`Petitioner Exhibit 1019 p.12
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`
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`-13-
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`[00049]
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`Fig. 11 is a flow diagram representing an employer-initiated process for
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`determining whether talent is interested in the employer's employment opportunity in a manner
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`consistent with the present invention;
`
`[00050]
`
`Fig. 12 is a flow diagram representing the purchase of talent contact information
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`by an employer in a manner consistent with the present invention;
`
`[00051]
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`Fig. 13 is a flow diagram representing the payment of referral fees and
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`commissions for a career site operated in a manner consistent with the present invention;
`
`[00052]
`
`Fig. 14 is a flow diagram representing a procedure whereby additional
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`information about talents' and employers' employment decisions is gathered subsequent to the
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`release of talent contact information to a prospective employer in a manner consistent with the
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`present invention;
`
`[00053]
`
`Fig. 15 is a schematic block diagram representing the relationship of trade
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`associations to talent, employers and a career site in a system consistent with one embodiment of
`
`the present invention;
`
`[00054]
`
`Fig. 16
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`IS schematic a block diagram representing the relationship of
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`educational institutions, professional associations, and labor unions to talent, employers and a
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`career site in a system consistent with another embodiment of the present invention;
`
`[00055]
`
`Fig. 17
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`is a schematic block diagram representing the relationship of
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`wholesalers to trade associations, professional associations, educational institutions, labor
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`unions, employers, talent, and a career site in a system consistent with yet another embodiment
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`of the present invention; and
`
`[00056]
`
`Fig. 18 is a flow diagram representing the relationship of multiple levels of
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`retailers with a career site in a system consistent with a further embodiment of the present
`
`invention.
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`Petitioner Exhibit 1019 p.13
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`
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`-14-
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`DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
`
`[00057]
`
`As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein;
`
`however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the
`
`invention, which may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and
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`functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for
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`the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the
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`present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure.
`
`[00058]
`
`Referring to the drawings in greater detail, Fig. 1 shows a block diagram of an
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`embodiment of a network in which information systems consistent with the present invention are
`
`practiced. Computers 110 represent client computers that are used by talent, employer-users, and
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`other users and administrators of career systems consistent with the present invention. Client
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`computers 110 are of any type of data processing system capable of interacting with a network
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`based application, including conventional personal computer ("PC") type computer systems that
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`are available from companies such as Hewlett-Packard Company and Dell Computer
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`Corporation, employing an operating system such as, for example, the Linux operating system
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`(which is available from companies such as Red Hat, Inc.) or the Windows operating system
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`(which is available from the Microsoft Corporation). Alternatively, computers 110 utilize a
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`UNIX platform such as those available from Sun Microsystems and Silicon Graphics Inc. or the
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`type of computer sold under the trademark Macintosh ™ by Apple Computer Corporation.
`
`[00059]
`
`In alternative embodiments client computers 110 may also be implemented
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`using other types of computing platforms including thin clients, such as, for example, network
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`computers or using personal digital assistants ("PDA"), such as, for example, the iPAQTM from
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`Compaq Computer Corporation, or the Palm Piiot™ from Palm, Inc.
`
`[00060]
`
`Network 120 represents a network, such as, for example, the Internet, which is
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`an interconnected network of other networks, including local area networks ("LAN s"), wide area
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`networks, ("W AN s"), wireless networks, the public services telephone network ("PSTN") or any
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`other network capable of transmitting and receiving digital information.
`
`Petitioner Exhibit 1019 p.14
`
`
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`-15-
`
`[00061]
`
`Through the network 120, client computers 110 may interact with network
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`applications such as career site application 140. In one embodiment, the career site application
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`140 comprises a web server 150 such as, the Apache web server available from the Apache
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`Software Foundation, or the Internet Information Server ("lIS") available from the Microsoft
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`Corporation. In one embodiment, web server 150 provides application specific information to
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`client computers 110 based on information associated with a database server 170. Application
`
`information is structured based on business logic contained in an application server 160. E-mail
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`server 142 operates in connection with the web server 150 to facilitate sending and receiving of
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`E-mail messages. Alternatively, each of the E-mail server 142, the web server 150, the
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`application server 160, and the database server 170 may be implemented in various ways,
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`including as three separate processes running on three separate server computer systems, as
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`processes or threads running on a single computer system, as processes running in virtual
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`machines, and as multiple distributed processes running on multiple computer systems
`
`distributed throughout a network. In one embodiment, multiple servers corresponding to the E(cid:173)
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`mail server 142, the web server 150, the application server 160, and the database server 170 are
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`used.
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`In this embodiment, conventional load balancing techniques are employed to balance
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`network load between the multiple servers.
`
`[00062]
`
`In one embodiment, application server 160 is a ColdFusion ™ application server
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`available from Macromedia, Inc.
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`In this embodiment, when one of client computers 110
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`requests a web page from web server 150, a request is transmitted through web server 150 to
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`application server 160, where the request is processed and data requested from database server
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`170 as necessary. Upon processing of the request a response is prepared and returned to one of
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`client computers 110 via web server 150.
`
`[00063]
`
`Computer systems such as web server 150 and application server 160 include
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`memories in which information resides. These memories may be either non-volatile, as in the
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`case of flash electrically erasable programmable read only memory, or volatile as in the case of
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`random access memory.
`
`Petitioner Exhibit 1019 p.15
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`
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`-16-
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`I. CAREER SITE OVERVIEW
`
`[00064]
`
`In one embodiment a career site is provided in connection with a web site
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`running on a web server such as web server 150 of Fig. 1. Users wishing to search jobs or talent
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`profiles on the career site do not have to register to gain access to a subset of features on the
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`career site. In one embodiment, when a career site is operated as a business, a fee is generated
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`when an employer elects to purchase contact information corresponding to a talent profile.
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`Consistent with the invention, there is no risk to an employer by listing its jobs on the site
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`because, unlike a typical classified ad, there is no fee associated with listing jobs on the career
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`site.
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`Further, a participating employer pays nothing until it identifies talent having an
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`appropriate set of skills and experience, and the talent has expressed interest in the employer.
`
`[00065]
`
`In one embodiment, the amount of the fee paid by an employer to the career site
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`before obtaining contact information is related to the educational level of a particular talent. In
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`this embodiment, the structured system of recording educational levels in the talent profile is
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`used in connection with accounting aspects of the career site. For example, in one embodiment,
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`the charge for talent contact info is mapped to the highest education level as follows: (i) GED
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`costs $30; (ii) high school costs $40; (iii) vocational educational training costs $50; (iv)
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`associate's degree costs $50; (v) bachelor's degree costs $65; (vi) master's degree costs $80; and
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`(vii) doctorate costs $100.
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`In another embodiment, a flat fee, such as, for example $50 is
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`charged for all talent con