Patent ID: 6847940

Claim:
A system for providing a completely virtual healthcare industry trade show via internet, comprising: at least one server computer for providing healthcare sources of information, products or services desired by participants of the healthcare industry trade show, said at least one server computer having an access-limiting software element for conditionally controlling access to said healthcare industry trade show by said participants, said access-limiting software element of said at least one server computer including a verification and authorization software component including computer-executable instructions for limiting access to said virtual healthcare trade show based on access-limiting requirements from individual healthcare sources, on access-limiting requirements of applicable laws and regulations, and on access-determining credential data provided by each of said participants and attendees so as to ensure that each of said participants of the healthcare industry and said attendees is appropriately authorized to conduct transactions of access-limited information, products or services with other so authorized participants of the healthcare industry trade show or attendees; at least one other computer used by any of said participants of the healthcare industry connected via internet or intranet to said at least one server computer to conduct transactions via said healthcare industry trade show; and a plurality of communication vehicles adapted to be selectably used by attendees of said healthcare industry trade show, and operatively connectable to communicate directly with and through said at least one server computer via the internet so as to conduct transactions with at least one of said healthcare sources and said participants via said healthcare industry trade show, wherein communication between any of said healthcare sources and participants of the healthcare industry facilitated through said at least one server computer with said attendees and others of said participants of the healthcare industry uses any of said plurality of communication vehicles, at the option of any of said participants of the healthcare industry or said attendees, whereby said communication between said healthcare sources, said participants and said attendees form a virtual trade show independent of any non-virtual activities in the healthcare industry.