Method, system and apparatus for searchcasting with privacy control

• US 20070078803A1
• Filed: 10/05/2005
• Published: 04/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Gilmour, David, Goldberg, Jonathan
• Application Number:
  US11/244,715
• Publication Number:
  US 20070078803A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques

Abstract

A user initiated query is requested, from a searchcasting server, by a plurality of target computers. At least one of the target computers is selected to prompt its user to indicate permission or denial of permission to send a response to the query if the target computer determines that a match of the query satisfies a predetermined match level.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

sending a user initiated query for information to a plurality of computers distributed on a network;

receiving a first message in response to the query from at least one of the computers; and

in response to said first message or messages, sending a second message to at least one of the computers, to cause the computer to prompt a user of the computer to indicate permission or denial of permission to send a response to the query.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each first message comprises a bid from the corresponding computer, wherein the method further comprises, prior to said sending a second message to at least one of the computers:

determining at least one winning bid from the first message or messages;

wherein said sending a second message to at least one of the computers comprises sending the second message only to a computer from which a first message having a winning bid is received.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the bid represents a strength of correspondence between the query and a set of information stored on the corresponding computer.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the bid represents a strength of a relationship between a user who initiated the query and a user of the corresponding computer.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the bid represents a strength of knowledge base of a user of the corresponding computer with respect to a subject matter of the query.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein each first message results from a corresponding one of the computers detecting a match, wherein each match is a satisfaction of a condition by at least one measure related to the query.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein one of said at least one measure represents a strength of correspondence between the query and a set of information stored on the corresponding computer.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein one of said at least one measure represents a strength of a relationship between a user who initiated the query and a user of the corresponding computer.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein one of said at least one measure represents a strength of knowledge base of a user of the corresponding computer with respect to a subject matter of the query.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the condition is scheduled to be adjusted periodically by said server.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein the condition is scheduled to be adjusted periodically at the corresponding computer.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said send a response to the query comprises releasing a set of information stored on the computer.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises, prior to said sending the user initiated query for information to the plurality of computers distributed on the network:

accessing a plurality of user profiles, each user profile associated with a user of a separate one of the plurality of computers;

selecting a plurality of users, based on the profiles; and

selecting the plurality of computers based on the selected users, wherein each computer is associated with a separate one of the users.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said selecting a plurality of users, based on the profiles, comprises selecting a user if, according to the user profile associated with the user, a strength of relationship between the user and a user who initiated the query exceeds a first threshold.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein said selecting a plurality of users, based on the profiles, comprises selecting a user if the user has a knowledge base with respect to a subject matter of the query, which, according to the user profile associated with the user, has a strength exceeds a second threshold.

16. A machine-readable medium having sequences of instructions stored therein which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a process comprising:

providing a user initiated query for information to a plurality of computers distributed on a network;

receiving a first message in response to the query from at least one of the computers, wherein each first message comprises a bid from the corresponding computer;

in response to said first message or messages, sending a second message to at least one of the computers to cause the computer to prompt a user of the computer to indicate permission or denial of permission to send a response to the query.

17. The machine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the bid represents a strength of correspondence between a set of information stored on the corresponding computer and the query.

18. The machine-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the bid further represents a strength of relationship between a user who initiated the query and a user of the corresponding computer.

19. The machine-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the bid further represents a strength of knowledge base of the user of the corresponding computer with respect to a subject matter of the query.

20. A processing system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory storing instructions which when executed by the processor, cause the processing system to perform a process comprising;

sending a user initiated query for information to a plurality of computers distributed on a network;

receiving a first message in response to the query from at least one of the computers, wherein each first message results from a corresponding one of the computers detecting a match, the match representing a satisfaction of a first condition by a strength of correspondence between the query and a set of information stored on the corresponding computer; and

in response to said first message or messages, sending a second message to at least one of the computers to cause the computer to request a user of the computer to authorize the release of the set of information stored on the computer.

21. The processing system of claim 20, wherein the match further represents a satisfaction of a second condition by a strength of relationship between a user who initiated the query and a user of the corresponding computer.

22. The processing system of claim 21, wherein the match further represents a satisfaction of a third condition by a strength of knowledge base of the user of the corresponding computer with respect to a subject matter of the query.

23. The processing system of claim 20, wherein the method further comprises, prior to sending the user initiated query for information to the plurality of computers distributed on the network:

accessing a plurality of user profiles, each profile associated with a separate user;

selecting at least one user, each selected user having a relationship with a user who initiated the query according to a user profile associated with the selected user, wherein a strength of the relationship exceeds a first threshold; and

selecting the plurality of computers, wherein each computer is associated with one of the users.

24. The processing system of claim 23, each selected user further having a knowledge base with respect to a subject matter of the query, wherein a strength of the knowledge base, according to the user profile associated with the user, exceeds a second threshold.

25. A method comprising:

receiving, at a computer from a server, a user initiated query for information, the query also being received from the server by at least one other computer;

sending, to said server, a first message in response to the query;

receiving at the computer, from the server, a second message in response to the first message, the second message to cause the computer to prompt a user of the computer to indicate permission or denial of permission to send a response to the query.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the first message comprises a bid representing a strength of correspondence between the query and a set of information stored on the computer, the server then determining whether the bid is a winning bid after receiving said first message.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the bid further represents a strength of relationship between the user of the computer and a user who initiated the query.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the bid further represents a strength of knowledge base of the user of the computer with respect to a subject matter of the query.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein said receiving at the computer, from the server, a second message in response to the first message, the second message to cause the computer to prompt a user of the computer to indicate permission or denial of permission to send a response to the query occurs only if the bid is determined to be a winning bid.

30. A machine-readable medium having sequences of instructions stored therein which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a process comprising:

receiving, at a computer from a server, a user initiated query for information, the query also being received from the server by at least one other computer;

sending, to said server, a first message in response to the query, wherein the first message results from a satisfaction of a first condition by a strength of correspondence between a set of information stored on the computer and the query; and

receiving at the computer, from the server, a second message in response to the first message, the second message to cause the computer to prompt a user of the computer to indicate permission or denial of permission to release the set of information to a user who initiated the query.

31. The machine-readable medium of claim 30, wherein the first message results from a further satisfaction of a second condition by a strength of a relationship between a user who initiated the query and the user of the computer which sent the first message.

32. The machine-readable medium of claim 31, wherein the first message results from a further satisfaction of a third condition by a strength of a knowledge base of the user with respect to a subject matter of the query.

33. A method comprising:

receiving, at a first computer from a server, a user initiated query for information, the query also being received from the server by at least a second computer; and

upon detecting a match at the first computer, prompting a user of the computer to indicate permission or denial of permission to send a response to the query, wherein the match is a satisfaction of at least one condition correspondingly by at least one of a set of measures related to the query.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the set of measures consists of one or more the following:

a measure representing a strength of correspondence between a set of information stored on the computer and the query;

a measure representing a strength of a relationship between the user of the computer and a user who initiated the query;

a measure representing a strength of a knowledge base of the user of the computer with respect to a subject matter of the query; and

a measure specified by the user of the computer.

35. The method of claim 33, wherein said prompting the user of the computer to indicate permission or denial of permission to send a response to the query takes place only after the server has permitted the computer to do so.

36. The method of claim 34, wherein said at least one condition is periodically adjusted at the server.

37. The method of claim 33, wherein said send a response to the query comprises release a set of information stored on the computer.

38. The method of claim 33, wherein said send a response to the query comprises send a message in response to the query.

39. A machine-readable medium having sequences of instructions stored therein which, when executed by a processor of a computer, cause the processor to perform a process comprising:

requesting and receiving, from a server, a user initiated query for information;

determining whether at least one condition is satisfied correspondingly by at least one of a set of measures related to the query, wherein said at least one condition is requested from the server; and

if said at least one condition is satisfied correspondingly by said at least one of a set of measures, notifying a user of the computer to indicate permission or denial of permission to send a response to the query.

40. The machine-readable medium of claim 39, wherein the set of measures consists of one or more of the following:

a measure representing a strength of correspondence between a set of information stored on the computer and the query;

a measure representing a strength of a relationship between the user of the computer and a user who initiated the query;

a measure representing a strength of a knowledge base of the user of the computer with respect to a subject matter of the query; and

a measure specified by the user of the computer.