Intranet-based system with methods for co-active delivery of information to multiple users

• US 5,892,909 A
• Filed: 01/31/1997
• Issued: 04/06/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ip Ot Sub Ulc
• Original Assignee: Diffusion, Inc. (Open Text Corporation)
• Inventors: Schwartz, Richard Lee, Grasso, Charles A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim, Krisna
• Application Number:
  US08/792,867
• Time in Patent Office: 795 Days
• Field of Search: 395/200.3, 395/200.31, 395/200.33
• US Class Current: 709/201
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/185 with management of multicast group membership
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1859 adapted to provide push services, e.g. data channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/00 Network arrangements or protocols for supporting network services or applications user-to-user messaging H04L51/00; network arrangements, protocols or services for supporting real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

An Intranet-based system with methods for co-active information delivery is described. The system allows users to manage the distribution and delivery of information across an enterprise Intranet, the Internet, and common communication channels (e.g., printers, fax, pager and e-mail). The system provides a wizard-like user interface which intuitively walks users through various tasks, including distribution of new documents, updating of existing documents, modifying profiles/policies of documents, groups, roles and individuals. The system provides "Adaptive Distribution" methodology so that, as organizational changes occur, the system ensures that the most current, relevant information is always made available to appropriate eligible subscribers; no additional effort is required from either the subscribers or the distributors. Subscriber lists of a distribution automatically respond to changes in group composition, accommodating new or departing individuals within the organization, as well as accommodating changing organizational roles. As an organization changes, newly eligible recipients are electronically contacted with their new profile. At the same time, newly ineligible people are automatically cut off from the information flow. In this manner, the adaptive methodology ensures that all of these profiles are contextually linked together and changed automatically as new information or context for any part of the profile is updated.

Claims

1. In a computer system, a method for distributing information among members of an organization, the method comprising:

defining a logical set of recipients, said logical set including at least some of the members of the organization on a basis other than a member'"'"'s identify as an individual;

defining a distribution specifying information which is to be distributed to the logical group of recipients; and

based on the defined distribution, distributing the information to recipients of the organization by;

(i) determining a target distribution list by identifying those individuals of the organization currently within the logical set of recipients, and

(ii) transmitting the information to those individuals identified on the target distribution list.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said logical set of recipients includes individuals, groups, and roles.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein a given individual is a particular member of the group identified by that member'"'"'s name.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein a member'"'"'s name is based, at least in part, on the member'"'"'s given name.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein a given group is a particular collection of individuals, the given group being collectively identified by a user-provided group name.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein a given group name is based, at least in part, on a descriptive purpose for the group.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein a given group is a particular collection of individuals, roles, or other groups, the given group being collectively identified by a user-provided group name.

8. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

modifying a selected group, so that at least one individual is automatically removed from the target distribution list when the information is distributed.

9. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

modifying a selected group, so that at least one individual is automatically added to the target distribution list when the information is distributed.

10. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

modifying a particular group so that at least one individual is no longer a member of the particular group for the distribution, yet said at least one individual continuing as an individual within the logical set of recipients and thereby remaining on the target distribution list when the information is distributed.

11. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

modifying a particular group so that at least one individual is no longer a member of the particular group for the distribution, yet said at least one individual continuing as an individual fulfilling a role within the logical set of recipients and thereby remaining on the target distribution list when the information is distributed.

12. The method of claim 2, wherein a given role is a particular function fulfilled by at least one individual of the organization, the given role being identified by a role name descriptive of what functions said at least one individual performs for the organization in that given role.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein a given role name is based, at least in part, on an organizational title for the role within the organization.

14. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

modifying a selected role, so that at least one individual is automatically removed from the target distribution list when the information is distributed.

15. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

modifying a selected role, so that at least one individual is automatically added to the target distribution list when the information is distributed.

16. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

modifying a particular role so that at least one individual is no longer a member of the particular role for the distribution, yet said at least one individual continuing as an individual within the logical set of recipients and thereby remaining on the target distribution list when the information is distributed.

17. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

modifying a particular role so that at least one individual is no longer a member of the particular role for the distribution, yet said at least one individual continuing as an individual fulfilling another role within the logical set of recipients and thereby remaining on the target distribution list when the information is distributed.

18. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

modifying a particular role so that at least one individual is no longer a member of the particular role for the distribution, yet said at least one individual continuing as an individual fulfilling another role within the logical set of recipients and thereby remaining on the target distribution list when the information is distributed.

19. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

modifying a particular role so that at least one individual is no longer a member of the particular role for the distribution, yet said at least one individual continuing as an individual who is a member of a group within the logical set of recipients and thereby remaining on the target distribution list when the information is distributed.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting a default format for distributing the information.

21. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

additionally selecting an alternate format for distributing the information.

22. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting for each recipient, a preferred format for distributing the information.

23. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting for each recipient, a preferred delivery address for sending the information.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein said delivery address is a selected one of an e-mail address, a facsimile device destination, and a pager destination.

25. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

when defining the logical set of recipients, also defining a policy for each recipient specifying how the recipient is to receive the information.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein a given policy specifies that a recipient is to be notified when information of a distribution is made available.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein a given policy specifies that a recipient is to immediately receive information of a distribution when such information is made available.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein a given policy specifies that information of a distribution is to be made available to a recipient, without sending the information to the recipient and without notifying the recipient that the information is available.

29. The method of claim 25, wherein a given individual has multiple memberships in the logical set of recipients and wherein the system distributes information to the given individual based on that individual'"'"'s greatest access policy.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the system resolves a given recipient'"'"'s access policy when the given recipient has multiple memberships in the logical set of recipients according to a precedence order of individual>

role>

group.

31. An adaptive information delivery system for distributing information among members of an organization comprising:

a plurality of client computers in communication with a server computer;

a transport layer for transmitting requests from the client computers to the server computer and for transmitting information from the server computer to the client computers;

means for defining a logical set of recipients, said logical set including at least some of the members of the organization on a basis other than a member'"'"'s identify as an individual;

means for defining at one of said client computer a distribution specifying information which is to be distributed to the logical group of recipients present at other client computers and transmitting the defined distribution to the server computer; and

means for distributing, based on the defined distribution, the information to recipients of the organization, said means including;

adaptive means for determining at the server computer a target distribution list by identifying those individuals of the organization currently within the logical set of recipients, said system adapting the distribution in response to any new individuals added to the logical set of recipients and any existing individuals removed from lo the logical set of recipients, and

means for transmitting from the server computer the information to the client computers of those individuals identified on the target distribution list.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein said logical set of recipients includes individuals, groups, and roles.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein a given group is a particular collection of individuals, roles, or other groups, the given group being collectively identified by a user-provided group name.

34. The system of claim 31, wherein said adaptive means includes:

removal means for automatically removing from the target distribution list any individual who is no longer within the logical set of recipients.

35. The system of claim 34, wherein said removal means includes:

means for automatically removing from the target distribution list any individual who is no longer an individual, a group, or a role within the logical set of recipients.

36. The system of claim 31, wherein said definition means includes:

means for issuing new versions of the information.

37. The system of claim 36, wherein said issuing means includes:

means for setting a version depth of the information, for establishing how many prior versions of the information the server computer is to retain.

38. The system of claim 32, further comprising:

means for modifying a selected role, so that at least one individual is automatically removed from the target distribution list when the information is distributed.

39. The system of claim 32, further comprising:

means for modifying a particular role so that at least one individual is no longer a member of the particular role for the distribution, yet said at least one individual continuing as an individual within the logical set of recipients and thereby remaining on the target distribution list when the information is distributed.

40. The system of claim 32, wherein said adaptive means includes:

means for mapping, prior to each distribution, said individuals, groups, and roles into a final set of individuals who are to receive the distribution.