Relevance clause for computed relevance messaging

• US 6,604,130 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2001
• Issued: 08/05/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: BigFix, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Lippincott, Lisa Ellen, Donoho, David Leigh, Hindawi, David Salim
• Primary Examiner(s): Powell, Mark R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cardone, Jason D.
• Application Number:
  US10/024,895
• Publication Number:
  US 20020091779A1
• Time in Patent Office: 595 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/225, 709/204, 709/207, 709/227, 709/205, 707/3, 707/10, 370/260, 370/270, 345/329, 345/330, 345/331
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1859 adapted to provide push services, e.g. data channels
• 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 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/564 Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data
• 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

The invention disclosed herein enables a collection of computers and associated communications infrastructure to offer a new communications process which allows information providers to broadcast information to a population of information consumers. The information may be targeted to those consumers who have a precisely formulated need for the information. This targeting may be based on information which is inaccessible to other communications protocols. The targeting also includes a time element. Information can be brought to the attention of the consumer precisely when it has become applicable, which may occur immediately upon receipt of the message, but may also occur long after the message arrives. The communications process may operate without intruding on consumers who do not exhibit the precisely-specified need for the information, and it may operate without compromising the security or privacy of the consumers who participate.

Claims

1. A communications system, comprising:

an advice provider which broadcasts information over a communications medium;

an advice consumer for gathering said broadcast information from said communication medium; and

a reader associated with said advice consumer for determining relevance of said broadcast information;

wherein said advice consumer is advised of said information only if said information meets certain predetermined relevance criteria;

wherein said advice consumer maintains anonymity, privacy, and security by not revealing to said advice provider either that said advice consumer is interested in information from said advice provider, that said advice consumer has received any particular message, or that said information is relevant to said advice consumer.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein relevant information may be presented to said advice consumer for review and action, or it may be acted on automatically.

3. An apparatus for linking an advice provider to an advice consumer, comprising:

an advice provider for broadcasting advice in the form of an advisory describing in terms said advice consumer can easily understand the reason that said advisory is relevant and the purpose and effects of an action which is being recommended to said advice consumer;

a gatherer for gathering advisories for said advice consumer;

an advice reader associated with an advice consumer for performing a relevance determination for said advisories to determine the relevance of said advisories, said determination being made either continuously, at scheduled intervals, or under user manual control.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising:

A display for presenting said advice consumer with relevant advisories only.

5. A communications apparatus, comprising:

an advisory comprising a relevance clause and comprising an assertion about an advice consumer computer, its contents, or environment which can be automatically evaluated by comparing said assertion with said advice consumer computer'"'"'s actual state;

a message associated with said relevance clause whose suitability for said advice consumer is determined at least partially by evaluation of said relevance clause;

a gatherer for gathering advisories said advice consumer;

a watcher for evaluating relevance clauses by checking if these point towards or away from relevance; and

a notifier for displaying messages to said advice consumer under at least partial guidance of an evaluated relevance clause.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, said advisory further comprising any of:

a wrapper for packaging information in said advisory for transport and subsequent decoding;

a from line for identifying an advice author;

a subject line for identifying the concern of said advisory;

a relevance clause for specifying conditions under which the said is relevant;

a message body for providing explanatory material explaining to said advice consumer what condition is relevant, why said advice consumer is concerned, and what action is recommended; and

an action button for providing said advice consumer with the ability to invoke an automatic execution of a recommended action.