Programming model for subscription services

• US 20040002972A1
• Filed: 06/26/2002
• Published: 01/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Curley, Vincent H., Knight, Holly, Pather, Shyamalan, Seshadri, Praveen, Dievendorff, Richard, Blanch, Robert F., Garrett, Phil
• Granted Patent: US 7,177,859 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/6
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/544 Remote
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access

Abstract

The present invention relates to a subscription modeling system and methodology. A query processor receives subscription query and subscriber information and transforms the query and subscriber information into data. An index component propagates at least one database with the transformed data; and a matching component that associates the transformed data with event data to generate a database of notification data that can be delivered to subscribers. The invention provides for abstracting subscription and subscriber information (as well as event information if desired) to high-level classes (e.g., data fields)—thus the invention provides for modeling such notification related information as data. Subscription applications can thus be developed at high levels wherein complex subscription queries and subscriber information can be defined as data fields for example. Databases in accordance with the data fields can be propagated with subscription/subscriber specific information. The present invention takes advantages of the processing power associated with database engines (e.g., SQL server) to generate notifications via performing a join operation on the databases (e.g., subscription database(s), subscriber database(s) and event database(s)). Accordingly, notifications are generated en masse as compared to per subscription per subscriber. Thus the present invention provides for a highly scalable and efficient notification system.

Claims

1. A subscription modeling system, comprising:

a query processor that receives subscription query and subscriber information and transforms the query and subscriber information into data; and

an index component that propagates at least one database with the transformed data; and

a matching component that associates the transformed data with event data to generate a database of notification data that can be delivered to subscribers.

2. The system of claim 1, the matching component employing a set of match rules to associate the transformed data.

3. The system of claim 1, employing a SQL server that performs a data join operation in connection with generation of the notification data.

4. The system of claim 1, the query processor parsing the information and abstracting at least portions of the parsed information into data fields.

5. The system of claim 4, the data fields being propagated with subscriber or event specific data.

6. The system of claim 1, the matching component comprising an inference engine that facilitates inferring how data should be joined pursuant to subscriber preferences.

7. A method that facilitates providing notifications of information to recipients comprising:

storing subscription queries as data;

storing event information as data; and

upon a notification event occurring performing a join operation on the subscription query data and the event data to produce notification data.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising propagating a notification database with the notification data.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising formatting the notification data and delivering the formatted notification data.

10. The method of claim 7, the join operation being a SQL join of a subscription query data table and an event data table.

11. The method of claim 7 further comprising employing match rules to effect the join operation.

12. The method of claim 9, the formatted notification data being delivered via a delivery channel, the delivery channel being a intermediary between a notification services application and a delivery service.

13. The method of claim 7, the notification data being delivered via a multicasting protocol.

14. The method of claim 9, the formatted notification data being delivered via a digest delivery protocol.

15. An application definition file (ADF) for employment in connection with subscription services, comprising:

a set of schemas for describing subscriptions and subscribers.

16. The ADF of claim 15 further comprising event definitions that specify structure of at least one of:

event data, event providers that collect data, and structure event chronicles used by a notification subscription application.

17. The ADF of claim 15 further comprising notification definitions that specify structure of at least one of:

structure of raw notification data, formatting for messages that will be sent to subscribers, and delivery protocols used to send the messages.

18. The ADF of claim 15 further comprising subscription logic that defines how subscriptions are evaluated.

19. The ADF of claim 15 further comprising subscription schema that defines structure of subscription parameters and when subscriptions are to be evaluated.

20. The ADF of claim 15 further comprising execution settings that facilitate an application developer to enhance behavior and performance of an application when executed by notification services

21. The ADF of claim 18, the subscription logic being parameterized so that individual subscriptions can personalize the subscription logic.

22. The ADF of claim 19, the subscription schema defining structure of subscription parameters.

23. A susbscription modeling methodology, comprising:

providing an interface for an application developer to create an application definition file (ADF) in connection with modeling a subscription application; and

providing for an application developer to define metadata nodes.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising specifying one or more event classes in the application definition file, the event class(es) corresponding to particular event types accepted by the application.

25. The method of claim 23, further comprising specifying one or more notification classes in the application definition file, the notification class(es) corresponding to one particular kind of notification generated by the application.

26. The method of claim 23, further comprising specifying one or more subscription classes in the application definition file, the subscription class(es) corresponding to one particular kind of subscription accepted by the application.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein specifying the subscription class(es) includes writing rules, which are Transact-SQL statements that either generate notifications, or update chronicle tables.

28. The method of claim 27, the rules being invoked when an event provider submits a new batch of events or on a scheduled basis.

29. The methof of claim 23, further comprising providing for an application developer to prepare a subscription management application that allows users to subscribe to a subscription service and receive notifications.

30. The method of claim 29, the subscription management application accepts and validates information about a subscriber, target devices that the subscriber is using for notification delivery, and subscriptions that specify information that the subscriber would like to receive.

31. The method of claim 23, further comprising defining an event provider that monitors an external entity and generates an event upon an action occurring.

32. A subscription modeling methodology, comprising:

defining a first set of data fields containing data representing subscription information;

defining a second set of data fields containing data representing subscriber information; and

defining a third set of data fields containing data representing event information.

33. The methodology of claim 32, comprising deriving a fourth set of data fields containing notification data via performing a join operation on subsets of the first, second and third sets of data fields.

34. A computer readable medium having stored thereon computer executable components for implementing the method of claim 32.

35. A subscription modeling interface, comprising:

means for representing subscription information in an abstracted format;

means for representing subscriber information in an abstracted format; and

means for representing event information in an abstracted format.

36. The interface of claim 35, the abstracted format comprising XML schema.