Multi-Dimensional User-Specified Extensible Narrowcasting System

• US 20120124672A1
• Filed: 11/16/2010
• Published: 05/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Krishnamurthy, Balachander
• Granted Patent: US 8,839,454 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/185 with management of multicast group membership
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services

Abstract

Narrowcast communication to one or more narrowcast communication recipients is provided through the use of an extensible method and apparatus. A narrowcast communication sender determines a set of attributes that define who will be eligible to receive a narrowcast communication. The set of attributes characterize potential recipients according to qualities such as interests, location, or another descriptor of a potential narrowcast communication recipient. Through the use of a privacy sphere, attributes associated with the narrowcast communication are matched to the qualities of potential recipients to identify the network addresses of the narrowcast communication recipients. The narrowcast communication is then transmitted to those network addresses. The narrowcast communication can be then expired from recipients who are no longer eligible to receive it and transmitted to recipients who become eligible to receive the narrowcast communication.

Claims

1. A method of sending an electronic communication to a plurality of message recipients, the method comprising:

receiving the electronic communication;

receiving a privacy sphere comprising at least one attribute;

determining the plurality of message recipients by comparing the privacy sphere to a set of objects, at least one object comprising a network address and meta-data; and

transmitting the electronic communication to the plurality of message recipients.

2. The method of claim 1 where the at least one attribute comprises a location attribute and an information lifetime attribute.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

deleting the electronic communication based on the information lifetime.

4. The method of claim 2, where the electronic communication comprises instructions operable to delete the electronic communication.

5. The method of claim 1, where the privacy sphere is received from a first source different from a second source of the electronic communication.

6. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

deleting at least a portion of the electronic communication based on the information lifetime attribute.

7. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

deleting at least a portion of the electronic communication and transmitting a second electronic communication based on the information lifetime attribute.

8. An apparatus configured to send an electronic communication to a plurality of message recipients, the apparatus comprising:

means for receiving the electronic communication;

means for receiving a privacy sphere comprising at least one attribute;

means for determining the plurality of message recipients by comparing the privacy sphere to a set of objects, at least one object comprising a network address and meta-data; and

means transmitting the electronic communication to the plurality of message recipients.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 where the at least one attribute comprises a location attribute and an information lifetime attribute.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 where the means for determining the plurality of message recipients by comparing the privacy sphere to the set of objects comprises:

means for comparing the at least one attribute to the meta-data.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 further comprising:

means for deleting the electronic communication based on the information lifetime attribute.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 where the electronic communication comprises instructions operable to delete the electronic communication.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, where the privacy sphere is received from a first source different from a second source of the electronic communication.

14. The apparatus of claim 9 further comprising:

means for deleting at least a portion of the electronic communication based on the information lifetime attribute.

15. The apparatus of claim 9 further comprising:

means deleting at least a portion of the electronic communication and transmitting a second electronic communication based on the information lifetime attribute.

16. A non-transitory computer readable medium encoded with computer executable instructions for sending an electronic communication, the computer executable instructions defining:

receiving the electronic communication receiving a privacy sphere comprising at least one attribute;

comparing the at least one attribute to a set of objects, at least one object comprising a network address and meta-data;

assembling a recipient list based on the comparing;

defining a message restriction set based on the privacy sphere;

preparing the electronic communication comprising the message restriction; and

transmitting the electronic communication to at least recipient.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16 where the at least one attribute comprises a location attribute and an information lifetime attribute.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17 where the comparing the at least one attribute to a set of objects, at least one object comprising a network address and meta-data comprises:

comparing the at least one attribute to the meta-data.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18 where the preparing the electronic communication comprises preparing instructions operable to delete the electronic communication.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19, the computer executable instructions further defining:

deleting at least a portion of the electronic communication based on the information lifetime attribute.