Information aggregation and synthesization system

• US 5,901,287 A
• Filed: 07/24/1996
• Issued: 05/04/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: TVL LP (Sabre Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sabre, Inc.
• Inventors: Bull, David Stanley, Carr, Robert Neal Jr., Offutt, Joseph Robert Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Zarni
• Assistant Examiner(s): Winder, Patrice L.
• Application Number:
  US08/685,805
• Time in Patent Office: 1,014 Days
• Field of Search: 395/200.02, 395/200.08, 395/200.09, 395/602, 395/610, 395/793, 395/200.48, 395/200.49, 395/200.54, 395/200.47, 395/200.57, 395/200.59, 707/531, 707/10, 707/2, 705/10, 705/14, 705/26, 379/88
• US Class Current: 709/218
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/10 File systems; File servers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0224 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0256 User search
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/561 Adding application-functional data or data for application control, e.g. adding metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/567 Integrating service provisioning from a plurality of service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

An information aggregation and synthesization system and process. The present invention provides aggregation and packaging of structured or unstructured information from disparate sources such as those available on a network such as the Internet. A network compatible/addressable interface device is operated by a user. The network interface device communicates with local datastores or network accessible datastores via an addressing scheme such as Uniform Resource Locator addresses (URLs) utilized by the Internet. Data passing between the network interface device and the datastores is accessed, polled, and retrieved through an intermediary gateway system. Such aggregated information is then synthesized, customized, personalized and localized to meet the information resource requests specified by the user via the network interface device.

Claims

1. An information aggregation and synthesization process, which process comprises:

operating a network addressable interface device by a user;

communicating between said network addressable interface device and a plurality of local or network accessible datastores through network specific addressing means, said network specific addressing means including Uniform Resource Locators (URLs);

accessing, retrieving and processing data in said datastores passing from said datastores to said network addressable interface device through an intermediary gateway system, said intermediary gateway system capable of being dynamically reconfigured by modifying an address of said datastores to direct data through said intermediary gateway system;

retrieving and synthesizing said data retrieved from each said datastore while passing through said intermediary gateway system to derive patterns, preferences and trends; and

modifying each said Uniform Resource Locator (URL) so that said data retrieval is always through said intermediary gateway system.

2. An information aggregation and synthesization process, which process comprises:

operating a network addressable interface device by a user;

communicating between said network addressable interface device and a plurality of local datastores or network accessible datastores through network specific addressing means, said network specific addressing means including Uniform Resource Locators (URLs);

designating data to be retrieved from said local and network datastores selected by said user;

accessing, retrieving and processing said data passing from said datastores to said network addressable interface device through an intermediary gateway system, said intermediary gateway system capable of being dynamically reconfigured by modifying an address of said datastores to direct data through said intermediary gateway system;

indexing and copying said designated data from said intermediary gateway system onto a compact disc at said intermediary gateway system; and

modifying each said Uniform Resource Locator (URL) so that said data retrieval is always through said intermediary gateway system.

3. An information aggregation and synthesization process, which process comprises:

operating a network addressable interface device by a user;

communicating between said network addressable interface device and a plurality of local datastores or network accessible datastores through network specific addressing means, said network specific addressing means including Uniform Resource Locators (URLs);

designating data to be retrieved from said local and network datastores selected by said user;

accessing, retrieving and processing said data passing from said datastores to said network addressable interface device through an intermediary gateway system, said intermediary gateway system capable of being dynamically reconfigured by modifying an address of said datastores to direct data through said intermediary gateway system;

translating said designated data into voice formatted data;

communicating said translated data from said intermediary gateway system to a user via voice formatted automated telephonic means; and

modifying each said Uniform Resource Locator (URL) so that said data retrieval is always through said intermediary gateway system.

4. An information aggregation and synthesization process, which process comprises:

operating a network addressable interface device by a user;

communicating between said network addressable interface device and a plurality of local datastores or network accessible datastores through network specific addressing means, said network specific addressing means including Uniform Resource Locators (URLs);

designating data to be retrieved from said local and network datastores selected by said user;

accessing, retrieving and processing said data passing from said datastores to said network addressable interface device through an intermediary gateway system, said intermediary gateway system capable of being dynamically reconfigured by modifying an address of said datastores to direct data through said intermediary gateway system;

communicating said designated data from said intermediary gateway system to a user via electronic replication; and

modifying each said Uniform Resource Locator (URL) so that said data retrieval is always through said intermediary gateway system.

5. An information aggregation and synthesization process, which process comprises:

operating a network addressable interface device by a user;

communicating between said network addressable interface device and a plurality of local datastores or network accessible datastores through network specific addressing means, said network specific addressing means including Uniform Resource Locators (URLs);

designating data to be retrieved from said local and network datastores selected by said user;

accessing, retrieving and processing said data passing from said datastores to said network addressable interface device through an intermediary gateway system, said intermediary gateway system capable of being dynamically reconfigured by modifying an address of said datastores to direct data through said intermediary gateway system;

copying said designated data from said intermediary gateway system on an auxiliary storage means; and

modifying each said Uniform Resource Locator (URL) so that said data retrieval is always through said intermediary gateway system.