Patent ID: 8209235

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for selecting a customer of a commodity, the method comprising: receiving a set of traits for a customer; receiving a customer's description of the commodity; identifying, by a computer, a provider of the commodity based on the description of the commodity; receiving the customer's specification of a set of provider traits wherein the set of provider traits includes a set of required provider traits and a set of preferred provider traits; receiving a set of traits for the provider; determining, by the computer, that the set of traits for the provider satisfy the set of required provider traits specified by the customer; receiving the provider's specification of a set of customer-traits, wherein the set of customer traits includes a set of required customer traits and a set of preferred customer traits; determining, by the computer, that the customer is a potential customer for the provider based on the set of traits for the customer satisfying the set of required customer traits specified by the provider; determining, by the computer, a score for the customer, wherein the score is based on the set of traits for the customer satisfying the set of preferred customer traits specified by the provider; ranking the customer, based on the determined score, within a ranked list of customers for the commodity offered by the provider; and presenting the ranked list of customers to the provider.