SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONDITIONAL DELIVERY OF MESSAGES

• US 20130110948A1
• Filed: 10/26/2012
• Published: 05/02/2013
• 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, Boerries, Marco, Higgins, Christopher William, O'Sullivan, Joseph James, Martinez, Ronald, Trout, Robert Carter
• Granted Patent: US 10,333,886 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 delivery 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 comprising:

receiving from a sender, at a computing device, a request to deliver a first message to a recipient, the request identifying at least one delivery condition set by the sender, said at least one delivery condition comprising a quantified status;

retrieving, by the computing device, data associated with a real-world entity (RWE) and an information object (IO) associated with the real-world entity;

determining, via the computing device, a status of the RWE, said determination comprises monitoring the data associated with the RWE and the IO;

comparing, via the computing device, the status of the RWE with the quantified status of the at least one delivery condition; and

delivering, over a network, the first message when the status of the RWE corresponds with the quantified status of the at least one delivery condition.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the quantified status identifies a threshold, said threshold indicating a minimum state-related metric.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

monitoring the data associated with the RWE to identify information indicating the status of the RWE, said information comprising a metric indicating activity associated with the RWE.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

comparing the RWE'"'"'s metric with the threshold; and

delivering, over a network, the first message when the metric of the RWE at least satisfies the threshold.

26. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

monitoring the data associated with the IO to identify information indicating the status of the RWE, said information comprising a metric indicating activity associated with the IO.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

comparing the IO'"'"'s metric with the threshold; and

delivering, over a network, the first message when the metric of the IO at least satisfies the threshold.

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

29. The method of claim 22, wherein the IO is a passive object associated with the RWE.

30. The method of claim 22, wherein the quantified status of the delivery condition is associated with a location.

31. The method of claim 22, wherein the quantified status of the delivery condition is a temporal condition.

32. The method of claim 22, wherein the request comprises a delivery condition template comprising the at least one delivery condition, wherein the quantified status is predetermined.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the delivery condition template further comprises predetermined message content.

34. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium associated with a computing device and storing computer-executable instructions, that when executed by a processor of the computing device, perform a method comprising:

receiving from a sender a request to deliver a first message to a recipient, the request identifying at least one delivery condition set by the sender, said at least one delivery condition comprising a quantified status;

retrieving data associated with a real-world entity (RWE) and an information object (IO) associated with the real-world entity;

determining a status of the RWE, said determination comprises monitoring the data associated with the RWE and the IO;

comparing the status of the RWE with the quantified status of the at least one delivery condition; and

delivering the first message when the status of the RWE corresponds with the quantified status of the at least one delivery condition.

35. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 34, wherein the quantified status identifies a threshold, said threshold indicating a minimum state-related metric.

36. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 35, further comprising:

monitoring the data associated with the RWE to identify information indicating the status of the RWE, said information comprising a metric indicating activity associated with the RWE;

comparing the RWE'"'"'s metric with the threshold; and

delivering, over a network, the first message when the metric of the RWE at least satisfies the threshold.

37. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 35, further comprising:

monitoring the data associated with the IO to identify information indicating the status of the RWE, said information comprising a metric indicating activity associated with the IO;

comparing the IO'"'"'s metric with the threshold; and

delivering, over a network, the first message when the metric of the IO at least satisfies the threshold.

38. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 34, wherein the request comprises a delivery condition template comprising the at least one delivery condition, wherein the quantified status is predetermined.

39. A system comprising:

at least one computing device comprising;

memory storing computer-executable instructions; and

one or more processors for executing said computer-executable instructions, comprising;

receiving from a sender a request to deliver a first message to a recipient, the request identifying at least one delivery condition set by the sender, said at least one delivery condition comprising a quantified status;

retrieving data associated with a real-world entity (RWE) and an information object (IO) associated with the real-world entity;

determining a status of the RWE, said determination comprises monitoring the data associated with the RWE and the IO;

comparing the status of the RWE with the quantified status of the at least one delivery condition; and

delivering the first message when the status of the RWE corresponds with the quantified status of the at least one delivery condition.

40. The system of claim 39, wherein the quantified status identifies a threshold, said threshold indicating a minimum state-related metric.

41. The system of claim 40, further comprising:

monitoring the data associated with the RWE and IO to identify information indicating the status of the RWE, said information comprising a metric indicating activity associated with the RWE;

comparing the metric of the RWE and IO with the threshold; and

delivering, over a network, the first message when the metric of the RWE and IO at least satisfies the threshold.