Information distribution method and system

• US 6,725,446 B1
• Filed: 11/01/2000
• Issued: 04/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Resource Consortium Limited, LLC
• Original Assignee: Digital Integrator, Inc.
• Inventors: Hahn, Chris P., Gissel, Peter V.
• Primary Examiner(s): DAS, CHAMELI
• Application Number:
  US09/702,989
• Time in Patent Office: 1,266 Days
• Field of Search: 717/100-103, 717/105-109, 717/111, 717/113, 717/116, 717/118, 717/172, 709/246, 709/203, 709/201, 709/229-230, 707/201
• US Class Current: 717/103
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99952 Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users

Abstract

A method and system for integrating plural disparate information sources into a single stream of information using middleware. Data received from real-time sources (e.g., stock quotes) is given priority for distribution over non-real-time sources (e.g., news sources). By coordinating between several servers, data can be distributed in a load-balanced fashion which also performs self-healing in the face of server errors.

Claims

1. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer storage medium and a computer program code mechanism embedded in the computer storage medium for causing a computer to integrate plural information streams, the computer program code mechanism comprising;

a first computer code device configured to receive information from plural real-time information sources;

a second computer code device configured to receive and track real-time information items of currently active windows of plural active clients;

a third computer code device configured to receive a sub-portion of non-real time information;

a fourth computer code device configured to deliver with higher priority than the sub-portion of non-real-time information only the real-time information items of currently active windows of plural active clients; and

a fifth computer code device configured to retrieve a remainder of the non-real-time information upon user request.

2. The computer program product as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plural real-time information sources comprise exchange data and commodities data.

3. The computer program product as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sub-portion of the non-real-time information comprises a headline of a news story.

4. The computer program product as claimed in claim 3, wherein the fifth computer code device comprises a sixth computer device configured to respond to a user selecting the headline.

5. The computer program product as claimed in claim 3, wherein the fifth computer code device comprises a sixth computer device configured to respond to a user clicking on the headline.

6. The computer program product as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first computer code device comprises:

a sixth computer code device configured to receive the information from the plural real-time information sources in a binary format; and

a seventh computer code device configured to expand the binary format into a streaming format.

7. The computer program product as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first computer code device comprises:

a sixth computer code device configured to receive the information from the plural real-time information sources in a binary format; and

a seventh computer code device configured to expand the binary format into a streaming format.

8. The computer program product as claimed in claim 7, wherein the streaming format comprises a streaming XML format.

9. A computer system utilizing a middleware layer, the middleware layer comprising:

means for receiving information from plural real-time information sources;

means for receiving and tracking real-time information items of currently active windows of plural active clients;

means for receiving a sub-portion of non-real-time information;

means for delivering with higher priority than the sub-portion of non-real-time information only the real-time information items of currently active windows of plural active clients; and

means for retrieving a remainder of the non-real-time information upon user request.

10. The computer system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the plural real-time information sources comprise exchange data and commodities data.

11. The computer system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the sub-portion of the non-real-time information comprises a headline of a news story.

12. The computer system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the means for receiving information comprises:

means for receiving the information from the plural real-time information sources in a binary format; and

means for expanding the binary format into a streaming format.

13. The computer system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the means for receiving information comprises means for receiving the information from the plural real-time information sources in a streaming XML format.

14. A computer-implemented method for processing information in a middleware layer, the method comprising:

receiving information from plural real-time information sources;

receiving and tracking real-time information items of currently active windows of plural active clients;

receiving a sub-portion of non-real-time information;

delivering with higher priority than the sub-portion of non-real-time information only the real-time information items of currently active windows of plural active clients; and

retrieving a remainder of the non-real-time information upon user request.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the plural real-time information sources comprise exchange data and commodities data.

16. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the sub-portion of the non-real-time information comprises a headline of a news story.

17. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the step of receiving information comprises:

receiving the information from the plural real-time information sources in a binary format; and

expanding the binary format into a streaming format.

18. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the step of receiving information comprises receiving the information from the plural real-time information sources in a streaming XML format.