System and technique for dynamic information gathering and targeted advertising in a web based model using a live information selection and analysis tool

• US 6,606,644 B1
• Filed: 02/24/2000
• Issued: 08/12/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Ford, Daniel A., Kraft, Reiner, Tewari, Gaurav
• Primary Examiner(s): Etienne, Ario
• Assistant Examiner(s): SALAD, ABDULLAHI ELMI
• Application Number:
  US09/511,846
• Time in Patent Office: 1,265 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 709/205, 709/203, 709/217, 709/226, 709/224, 707/3, 707/102, 707/219, 707/10, 707/7, 707/5, 707/201
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1831 Tracking arrangements for later retrieval, e.g. recording contents, participants activities or behavior, network status
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

A method and apparatus for automatically gathering, summarizing, and indexing real-time information derived from real-time communication on the Internet, such as Internet chat sessions, or any other comparable form of real-time communication on the Internet. The present invention provides live information selection and analysis and provides basic functionality of crawling, indexing and summarizing chat room data, as well as generating messages, such as advertisements, responsive to the subject matter of the communication.

Claims

1. A method for automatically gathering, summarizing and indexing real-time information derived from a real-time communication on a computer network between at least a first participant and a second participant, the method comprising the steps of:

connecting with at least one server, said server including at least one site where real-time communication is taking place;

connecting with said site on said server;

monitoring said real-time communication occurring within said site, said real-time communication comprising at least one block of real-time communication data;

retrieving said at least one block of real-time communication data;

indexing said at least one block of real-time communication data, said indexing including extracting at least one parameter from said block of real-time communication data; and

summarizing in real-time said indexed block of real-time communication data, said summarized block of real-time communication data including at least one tag to identify said parameter.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said connecting with said server comprises opening a socket based connection using a transmission control protocol/network protocol (“

TCP/IP”

).

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said opening a socket based connection using a TCP/IP comprises the steps of:

opening an input and an output socket to said server;

sending said server a first command to request a connection;

receiving a unique session identification message from said server;

sending a confirming unique session identification message to said server;

sending a registration message to said server, said registration message comprising a username, hostname, servername, real firstname and real lastname;

sending a second command to said server specifying a chatroom to join, said chatroom comprising said site on said server where said real-time communication is taking place.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said at least one parameter is selected from the group consisting of a body text, title, header, e-mail address and uniform resource locator associated with said block of communication data.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of summarizing said data comprises the step of generating an extensible markup language summary of said data, said summary including extensible markup language tags to delineate said parameters.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of storing said summarized block of real-time communication data in a database, said database adapted to be queried for at least one keyword, said keyword associated with said block of real-time communication data.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising the steps of:

querying said database for the occurrence of said at least one keyword;

identifying at least one database entry corresponding to said summarized block of data including said keyword;

displaying said at least one database entry including said keyword.

21. The method of claim 1 further including the step of interjecting a message associated with a keyword from said summarized data to said site during said real-time communication, said message being detectable by at least said first participant.

22. The method of claim 1 wherein said site where said real-time communication is taking place comprises a chat room.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein said real-time communication data comprises chat communication data.

8. A method for automatically gathering, summarizing and indexing real-time information derived from a real-time communication on a computer network between at least a first participant and a second participant, the method comprising the steps of:

connecting with at least one server, said server including at least one site where said real-time communication is taking place;

connecting with said site on said server;

monitoring said real-time communication, said real-time communication comprising at least one block of communication data;

retrieving said at least one block of communication data;

processing said at least one block of communication data, said processing including extracting at least one parameter from said block of communication data; and

summarizing said data, said summarized data including at least one tag to identify said parameter;

identifying at least one first keyword to detect during said real-time communication;

analyzing said summarized data for the occurrence of said at least one first keyword;

selecting at least one message from a message database, said message being associated with said first keyword; and

interjecting said at least one message back to said site of said real-time communication, said at least one message being detectable by at least said first participant.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein said message is selected from the group consisting of image banners, video streams and audio presentations.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein said message is detectable by a plurality of first and second participants.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein said message in said message database is mapped to at least one of a plurality of key words to be detected.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein said at least one first keyword is mapped to a plurality of messages in said message database.

13. The method of claim 8 wherein said message is personalized for at least said first participant.

14. An article of manufacture comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for causing a computer to automatically gather, summarize and index real-time information derived from a- real-time communication on a computer network between at least a first participant and a second participant, the computer readable program code means in said article of manufacture comprising;

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to connect with at least one server, said server including at least one site where real-time communication is taking place;

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to connect with said site on said server;

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to monitor said real time communication occurring within said site, said real-time communication comprising at least one block of real-time communication data;

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to retrieve said at least one block of real-time communication data;

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to index said at least one block of real-time communication data, said indexing including the step of extracting at least one parameter from said block of real-time communication data; and

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to summarize in real-time said indexed block of real-time communication data, said summarized block of real-time communication data including at least one tag to identify said parameter.

15. The article of claim 14 further comprising:

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to store said summarized block of communication data in a database;

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to query said database for the occurrence of said at least one keyword;

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to identify at least one database entry corresponding to a summarized block of data including said keyword;

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to display said at least one database entry corresponding to a summarized block of data including said keyword on a screen visible to at least said first participant.

16. An article of manufacture comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for causing a computer to automatically gather, summarize and index real-time information derived from a real-time communication on a computer network between at least a first participant and a second participant, the computer readable program code means in said article of manufacture comprising;

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to connect with at least one server, said server including at least one site where said real-time communication is taking place;

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to connect with said site on said server;

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to monitor said real-time communication, said real-time communication comprising at least one block of communication data;

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to retrieve said at least one block of communication data;

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to process said at least one block of communication data, said processing including the step of extracting at least one parameter from said block of communication data;

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to summarize said data, said summarized data including at least one tag to identify said parameter;

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to identify at least one first keyword to detect during said real-time communication;

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to analyze said summarized data for the occurrence of said at least one first keyword;

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to select at least one message from a message database, said message being associated with said first keyword; and

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to interject said at least one message back to said site of said real-time communication, said at least one message being detectable by at least said first participant.

17. A computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied in said medium for causing a computer to automatically gather, summarize and index real-time information derived from a real-time communication on a computer network between at least a first participant and a second participant, the computer readable program code means in said article of manufacture comprising;

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to connect with at least one server, said server including at least one site where real-time communication is taking place;

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to connect with said site on said server;

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to monitor said real-time communication occurring within said site, said real-time communication comprising at least one block of real-time communication data;

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to retrieve said at least one block of real-time communication data;

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to index said at least one block of real-time communication data, said indexing including the step of extracting at least one parameter from said block of real-time communication data; and

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to summarize in real-time said indexed block of real-time communication data, said summarized block of real-time communication data including at least one tag to identify said parameter.

18. The computer program product of claim 17 further comprising:

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to store said summarized block of real-time communication data in a database;

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to query said database for the occurrence of a keyword;

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to identify at least one database entry corresponding to a summarized block of data including said keyword;

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to display said at least one database entry corresponding to said summarized block of data including said keyword on a screen visible to at least said first participant.

19. A computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied in said medium for causing a computer to automatically gather, summarize and index real-time information derived from a real-time communication on a computer network between at least a first participant and a second participant, the computer readable program code means in said article of manufacture comprising;

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to connect with at least one server, said server including at least one site where said real-time communication is taking place;

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to connect with said site on said server;

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to monitor said real-time communication, said real-time communication comprising at least one block of communication data;

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to retrieve said at least one block of communication data;

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to process said at least one block of communication data, said processing including the step of extracting at least one parameter from said block of communication data;

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to summarize said data, said summarized data including at least one tag to identify said parameter;

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to identify at least one first keyword to detect during said real-time communication;

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to analyze said summarized data for the occurrence of said at least one first keyword;

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to select at least one message associated with said first keyword; and

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to interject said at least one message back to said site of said real-time communication, said at least one message being detectable by at least said first participant.

20. A method for targeting a message to at least one participant in the context of a real-time communication on a computer network, the method comprising the steps of:

connecting to at least one site of at least one real-time communication on a computer network;

monitoring said real-time communication for the occurrence of at least one keyword associated with a block of real-time communication data by the steps of;

retrieving said at least one block of real-time communication data;

summarizing in real-time said block of real-time communication data;

storing said summarized block of real-time communication data in a database;

querying said database for the occurrence of said at least one keyword;

generating at least one message responsive to said at least one keyword;

interjecting said at least one message onto said site of said real-time communication, said message being capable of being detected in real-time by said at least one participant in said real-time communication.