SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONDITIONAL DELIVERY OF MESSAGES

• US 20090150501A1
• Filed: 09/24/2008
• Published: 06/11/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: R2 Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Davis, Marc Eliot, Higgins, Christopher William, Martinez, Ronald, Boerries, Marco, O'Sullivan, Joseph James, Trout, Robert Carter
• Granted Patent: US 8,799,371 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

The disclosure describes systems and methods delivering communications associated with deliver conditions in which the occurrence of the delivery condition is determined by monitoring information received from a plurality of sources via multiple communication channels. The message delivery systems allow messages to be delivered to any “Who, What, When, Where” from any “Who, What, When, Where” upon the detection of an occurrence of one or more “Who, What, When, Where” delivery conditions. A message (which may be any data object including text-based messages, audio-based message such as voicemail or other audio such as music or video-based prerecorded messages) is delivered in accordance with delivery conditions based on any available data, including topical, spatial, temporal, and/or social data. Furthermore, because the systems coordinate delivery of messages via multiple communication channels and through multiple devices, the communication channel for delivery of a message may be dynamically determined based on the delivery conditions.

Claims

1-21. -21. (canceled)

22. A method for delivering messages comprising:

receiving a request to deliver a first message from a sender to a recipient, the request identifying at least one delivery condition and identifying a range of distances;

retrieving data associated with each of two real-world entities (RWEs);

periodically determining from the data, a current location of each of the two RWEs;

calculating at least one actual distance between the two RWEs based on their current locations;

monitoring the data for information indicating that the at least one delivery condition is met; and

delivering the first message when the at least one delivery condition is met and when the actual distance is within the range of distances.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein each RWE is one of a person, device, or location.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the delivery condition identifies a specified state of an RWE and the method further comprises:

periodically determining, from the data, a current state of the RWE; and

delivering the first message upon determination that the current state of the RWE matches the specified state identified by the delivery condition.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the delivery condition is a temporal condition identifying a specified time relative to an event time and the method further comprises:

retrieving an IO identifying the event time;

monitoring a current time; and

delivering the first message upon determination that the current time is the specified time relative to the event time.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein the delivery condition identifies a specified state of an RWE and a temporal condition and the method further comprises:

periodically determining, from the data, a current state for each of the RWEs and a current time; and

delivering the first message upon determination that the current state of the RWE matches the specified state identified by the delivery condition and the temporal condition is met.

27. A method for delivering messages comprising:

receiving a request to deliver a first message from a sender to a recipient, the request including a delivery condition template identifying at least one delivery condition;

identifying at least one real world entity (RWE) or information object (IO) associated with the at least one delivery condition;

retrieving data associated with each of the identified at least one RWE or IO;

monitoring the data for information indicating that the at least one delivery condition is met; and

delivering the first message when the at least one delivery condition is met.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the delivery condition template further comprises at least one predetermined message content.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the delivery condition template comprises at least one predetermined delivery condition.

30. A method for delivering messages comprising:

receiving a request to communicate a message from a real-world entity (RWE) to another RWE;

receiving one or more delivery conditions associated with the request, wherein one delivery condition is a predefined distance;

identifying a reference RWE;

retrieving data associated with all RWEs within the predefined distance of the reference RWE; and

delivering the message when a predefined number of RWEs are within the predefined distance of the reference RWE.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the predefined number of RWEs is determined based on relationships between RWEs that are within the predefined distance of the reference RWE.

32. The method of claim 31 wherein relationships are determined based on any one or more or the following data types:

social, RWE interaction, temporal, IO content, and user.

33. The method of claim 30 wherein the predefined number of RWEs is determined based on similarity of states between the RWEs.

34. The method of claim 30, wherein each RWE is one of a person, device, or location.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the delivery condition identifies two RWEs and a range of distances between the two RWEs and the method further comprises:

periodically determining, from the data, a current location of each of the two RWEs;

calculating at least one actual distance between the two RWEs based on their current locations; and

delivering the first message when the actual distance is within the range of distances.

36. The method of claim 34, wherein the delivery condition identifies two RWEs, a range of distances between the two RWEs and a temporal condition and the method further comprises:

periodically determining, from the data, a current location of each of the two RWEs and current time;

calculating at least one actual distance between the two RWEs based on their current locations; and

delivering the first message upon determination that the actual distance is within the range of distances and the temporal condition is met based on the current time.

37. The method of claim 34, wherein the delivery condition identifies a specified state of an RWE and the method further comprises:

periodically determining, from the data, a current state of the RWE; and

delivering the first message upon determination that the current state of the RWE matches the specified state identified by the delivery condition.

38. The method of claim 34, wherein the delivery condition is a temporal condition identifying a specified time relative to an event time and the method further comprises:

retrieving an TO identifying the event time;

monitoring a current time; and

delivering the first message upon determination that the current time is the specified time relative to the event time.

39. The method of claim 34, wherein the delivery condition identifies two first RWEs, a range of distances between the two first RWEs and a specified state of a second RWE and the method further comprises:

periodically determining, from the data, a current location of each of the two first RWEs;

calculating at least one actual distance between the two RWEs based on their current locations;

periodically determining, from the data, a current state of the second RWE; and

delivering the first message upon determination that the actual distance is within the range of distances and the current state matches the specified state.

40. The method of claim 34, wherein the delivery condition identifies a specified state of an RWE and a temporal condition and the method further comprises:

periodically determining, from the data, a current state for each of the RWEs and a current time; and

delivering the first message upon determination that the current state of the RWE matches the specified state identified by the delivery condition and the temporal condition is met.