SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING INFORMATION TO A PLURALITY OF USERS

• US 20110246564A1
• Filed: 03/30/2011
• Published: 10/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ProspX, Inc.
• Original Assignee: ProspX, Inc.
• Inventors: Young, Todd, Agrawal, Purusharth
• Granted Patent: US 8,886,713 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements

Abstract

A method to provide information items to a user includes providing, to a user through a user information handling system (IHS), a first task information update that is associated with the user, wherein the first task information update includes a first information item. The method further includes receiving a second information item through a network from an information provider and storing the second information item in an information database. The method further includes receiving task data and storing the task data in a task database, wherein the task data includes a plurality of tasks, at least one attribute associated with each of the plurality of tasks, and a first task that is one of the plurality of tasks and that is associated with the user. The method further includes retrieving the second information item from the information database. The method further includes retrieving the task data from the task database. The method further includes transforming the first task information update into a second task information update by associating the first information item and the second information item with the first task in response to determining that the first information item and the second information item are related to the at least one attribute associated with the first task, and prioritizing the first information item relative to the second information item. The method further includes providing, to the user through the user IHS, the second task information update that is associated with the user in response to determining that the user is associated with the first task.

Claims

1. A system to provide an information item to a user, comprising:

an information handling system (IHS) coupled to a network;

an information database and a task database coupled to the IHS; and

a computer-readable medium located in the IHS, the computer-readable medium comprising computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the IHS, cause the IHS to;

provide, to a user through a user IHS, a first task information update that is associated with the user;

receive an information item through the network from a plurality of information providers and store the information items in the information database, wherein the information items include a first information item;

receive task data and store the task data in the task database, wherein the task data includes a plurality of tasks, at least one attribute associated with each of the plurality of tasks, and a first task that is one of the plurality of tasks and that is associated with the user;

retrieve the first information item from the information database;

retrieve the task data from the task database;

transform the first task information update into a second task information update by associating the first information item with the first task in response to determining that the first information item is related to the at least one attribute associated with the first task; and

provide, to the user through the user IHS, the second task information update that is associated with the user in response to determining that the user is associated with the first task.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a feedback database coupled to the IHS, wherein the computer-readable medium further comprises computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the IHS, cause the IHS to;

receive feedback data from the user IHS and store the feedback data in a feedback database, wherein the feedback data is related to the first information item.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the computer-readable medium further comprises computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the IHS, cause the IHS to:

retrieve the feedback data from the feedback database and use the feedback data to prioritize the first information item relative to a second information item.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer-readable medium further comprises computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the IHS, cause the IHS to:

provide the first information item to a plurality of screener IHSs; and

receive screener data from the screener IHSs and store the screener data in the feedback database, wherein the screener data is related to the first information item.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the computer-readable medium further comprises computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the IHS, cause the IHS to:

retrieve the screener data from the feedback database and use the screener data to prioritize the first information item relative to a second information item.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer-readable medium further comprises computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the IHS, cause the IHS to:

modify the task data in the task database by disassociating the user with the first task.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer-readable medium further comprises computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the IHS, cause the IHS to:

determine that the first information item associated with the first task has expired; and

disassociate the first information item with the first task.

8. A method to provide information items to a user, comprising:

providing, to a user through a user information handling system (IHS), a first task information update that is associated with the user, wherein the first task information update includes a first information item;

receiving a second information item through a network from an information provider and storing the second information item in an information database;

receiving task data and storing the task data in a task database, wherein the task data includes a plurality of tasks, at least one attribute associated with each of the plurality of tasks, and a first task that is one of the plurality of tasks and that is associated with the user;

retrieving the second information item from the information database;

retrieving the task data from the task database;

transforming the first task information update into a second task information update by associating the first information item and the second information item with the first task in response to determining that the first information item and the second information item are related to the at least one attribute associated with the first task, and prioritizing the first information item relative to the second information item; and

providing, to the user through the user IHS, the second task information update that is associated with the user in response to determining that the user is associated with the first task.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving feedback data from the user IHS and storing the feedback data in a feedback database, wherein the feedback data is related to the first information item.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

retrieving the feedback data from the feedback database and using the feedback data to prioritize the first information item relative to the second information item.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

providing the second information item to a plurality of screener IHSs; and

receiving screener data from the screener IHSs and storing the screener data in the feedback database, wherein the screener data is related to the second information item.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

retrieving the screener data from the feedback database and using the screener data to prioritize the first information item relative to the second information item.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

modifying the task data in the task database by disassociating the user with the first task.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining that the first information item associated with the first task has expired; and

disassociating the first information item with the first task.

15. A method to provide information items to a user, comprising:

providing, to a user through a user IHS, a first aggregated task information update that is associated with the user, wherein the first aggregated task information update includes a plurality of tasks and a first information item associated with each of those tasks;

receiving a second information item through a network from an information provider and storing the second information item in an information database;

retrieving the second information item from the information database;

retrieving a plurality of task data from a task database, wherein the task data includes the plurality of tasks, at least one attribute associated with each of the plurality of tasks, and that the user is associated with a first task that is one of the plurality of tasks;

transforming the first aggregated task information update into a second aggregated task information update by associating the first information item and the second information item with the first task in response to determining that the first information item and the second information item are related to the at least one attribute associated with the first task, and prioritizing the first information item relative to the second information item; and

providing, to the user through the user IHS, the second aggregated task information update that is associated with the user in response to determining that the user is associated with the first task.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving feedback data from the user IHS and storing the feedback data in a feedback database, wherein the feedback data is related to the first information item.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

retrieving the feedback data from the feedback database and using the feedback data to prioritize the first information item relative to the second information item.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

providing the second information item to a plurality of screener IHSs; and

receiving screener data from the screener IHSs and storing the screener data in the feedback database, wherein the screener data is related to the second information item.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

retrieving the screener data from the feedback database and using the screener data to prioritize the first information item relative to the second information item.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

modifying the task data by performing an action selected from the group consisting of;

removing at least one of the plurality of tasks from the task database, adding a new task to the plurality of tasks in the task database, disassociating an attribute with at least one of the plurality of tasks, associating a new attribute with at least one of the plurality of tasks, disassociating the user with at least one of the plurality of tasks, associating a new user with at least one of the plurality of tasks, and combinations thereof.