Patent ID: 8341024

Claim:
A method comprising using a server computer performing steps of: locating a collaborator based on an automatic determination of likely coincidence of interests, the step of locating comprising: forming an estimate of a shopping interest of a shopper; estimating a consulting interest of at least one consultant by at least two of: determining contents of the consultant's shopping cart; employing the geographic location of the consultant to determine products, services and information to which consultant is currently proximate; retrieving shopping history of the consultant; retrieving a database of consultant's knowledge; and forming an intersection of shopping interest to form a list of products, services and information for which the consultant has interest in purchasing; finding at least one common element between the shopping interest of the shopper and the consulting interest of said at least one consultant, said at least one common element forming a coincidence of interest selected from a group of points consisting of: consultant's direct knowledge of the shopper's immediate goal; consultant's experience with a product, service or information; consultant's direct knowledge of the product, service or information; consultant's direct knowledge of justification of substitution of a different product, service or information; consultant's direct knowledge of ways to increase a likelihood of satisfactory completion of the shopping experience; ways to increase a likelihood of additional transactions; consultant's proximity to the products, services and information to which the shopper is currently proximate; and any combination of these and similar points of interest; indicating to the shopper and to said at least one suitable consultant the coincidence of interest; and selecting the collaborator from said at least one consultant based on: a proximity between the shopper and the consultant, and at least one other coincidence of interest.