Status change notification system for use in chat system channel

• US 6,735,615 B1
• Filed: 01/31/2000
• Issued: 05/11/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Matsui, Kazuki, Sasaki, Kenichi, Matsumoto, Tatsuro, Ito, Hidenobu, Yamauchi, Hitoshi, Iwayama, Noboru
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim, Krisna
• Application Number:
  US09/494,539
• Time in Patent Office: 1,562 Days
• Field of Search: 707/500, 707/201, 709/213, 709/200, 709/204, 709/206, 709/207, 709/205, 370/263
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning

Abstract

A notification is sent to a group of information terminals that conduct simultaneous communication by participating in a channel. The status change notification system includes a database DB and monitoring means 1. The DB is disposed outside the channel. The monitoring means 1 monitors an occurrence of a status change in the DB, and generates a notification of a status change when a status change occurs. At least one of the group of information terminals includes notifying means 3. The notifying means 3 receives a notification of status change from the monitoring means 1. The notifying means sends the notification to other of the group of information terminals to notify of the status change in a broadcasting manner.

Claims

1. A status change notification system comprising:

groups of information terminals that are adapted to conduct communication via a chat system channel;

storing means disposed outside the chat system channel for storing information therein; and

monitoring means for monitoring a status change in said storing means, and being adapted to generate a notification when a status change occurs,

at least one of the information terminals having notifying means for receiving the notification of the status change from said monitoring means and sending the notification to the chat system channel to notify other information terminals in the chat system channel of the status change in a broadcasting manner, wherein

said monitoring means further includes a first correlation table which correlates said storing means, said monitoring means, and said notifying means; and

said monitoring means determines based on said first correlation table which of a plurality of said notifying means should be notified of the status change.

2. A status change notification system comprising:

groups of information terminals that are adapted to conduct communication via a chat system channel;

storing means disposed outside the chat system channel for storing information therein; and

monitoring means for monitoring a status change in said storing means, and being adapted to generate a notification when a status change occurs,

at least one of the information terminals having notifying means for receiving the notification of the status change from said monitoring means and sending the notification to the chat system channel to notify other information terminals in the chat system channel of the status change in a broadcasting manner, wherein

said notifying means further includes a second correlation table which correlates a group of chat system channels and said notifying means; and

said notifying means determines based on said second correlation table to which chat system channel the notification should be sent.

3. A status change notification system comprising:

groups of information terminals that are adapted to conduct communication via a chat system channel;

storing means disposed outside the chat system channel for storing information therein; and

monitoring means for monitoring a status change in said storing means, and being adapted to generate a notification when a status change occurs,

at least one of the information terminals having notifying means for receiving the notification of the status change from said monitoring means and sending the notification to the chat system channel to notify other information terminals in the chat system channel of the status change in a broadcasting manner, wherein

said notifying means controls timing the status change notification sent to the chat system channel based on a predetermined condition.

4. A status change notification system as set forth in claim 3, wherein:

said storing means is a mail DB that stores electronic mails;

said monitoring means notifies said notifying means that an electronic mail has been posted, the electronic mail being sent to a predesignated address; and

said notifying means sends the notification of posting of the electronic mail to the chat system channel shared by said group of information terminals.

5. A status change notification system as set forth in claim 3, wherein:

said information terminal includes an electronic mail distributing device and a list of predetermined groups of information terminals as well as said notifying means, said electronic mail distributing device adapted to distribute electronic mails; and

said notifying means includes mail receiver determination means for determining mail receivers based on said list and the information terminals that communicate over the chat system channel to which the status change notification is sent, said electronic mail distributing device sending the status change notification to the mail receivers; and

mail sending means for sending the status change notification to the mail receivers through said electronic mail distributing device.

6. A status change notification system comprising:

groups of information terminals that are adapted to conduct communication via a chat system channel;

storing means disposed outside the chat system channel for storing information therein; and

monitoring means for monitoring a status change in said storing means, and being adapted to generate a notification when a status change occurs,

at least one of the information terminals having notifying means for receiving the notification of the status change from said monitoring means and sending the notification to the chat system channel to notify other information terminals in the chat system channel of the status change in a broadcasting manner, wherein

said notifying means includes;

queuing means for queuing the status change notification sent from said monitoring means;

controlling means for determining a timing at which the status change notification should be sent, and directing the notification to be sent according to the decision; and

transmitting means for sending the status change notification from said queuing means to the chat system channel according to the direction from said controlling means.

7. A status change notification system as set forth in claim 6, wherein:

said notifying means further includes conversion means for converting the status change notification sent from said monitoring means in a predetermined format; and

said information terminal further includes display means for extracting the status change notification from communication data within the chat system channel, and displaying the status change notification which has been converted in the predetermined format, said information terminal receiving the status change notification via the chat system channel.

8. A status change notification system as set forth in claim 6, wherein

said controlling means determines based on status of the chat system channel a timing at which the status change notification should be sent.

9. A status change notification system as set forth in claim 6, wherein

said controlling means determines based on time information of the status change notification timing at which the status change notification should be sent, if the status change notification from said monitoring means includes the time information.

10. A status change notification system as set forth in claim 6, wherein said notifying means further includes conversion means for converting the status change notification sent from said monitoring means in a predetermined format.

11. A notifying device disposed on at least one of a group of information terminals that are adapted to conduct communication via a chat system channel, said notifying device receiving from outside the chat system channel a notification of a status change and sending the status change notification to the chat system channel at a predetermined time such that the status change is notified to other information terminals in the chat system channel in a broadcasting manner, the status change occurring in an external database having information stored therein,

wherein said notifying device comprises:

a queuing device for queuing the status change notification;

a controlling device for determining a time at which the status change notification should be sent, and directing the notification to be sent according to the decision; and

a transmitting device for sending the status change notification from said queuing device to the chat system channel according to the direction from said controlling device.

12. A monitoring device adapted to be used with a controlling device that controls an external database having information stored therein, said monitoring device monitoring a status change of the database, and notifying one of the group of information terminals of the status change such that the status change is notified to the group of information terminals in a broadcasting manner, the group of information terminals conducting communication via a chat system channel,

at least one of the groups of information terminals having notifying means for receiving the notification of the status change from said monitoring means and sending the notification to the chat system channel to notify other information terminals in the chat system channel of the status change in a broadcasting manner,

wherein said monitoring means further includes a first correlation table which correlates said storing means, said monitoring means, and said notifying means, and

wherein said monitoring means determines based on said first correlation table which of a plurality of said notifying means should be notified of the status change.

13. A notifying device disposed on at least one of a group of information terminals that are adapted to conduct communication via a chat system channel, said notifying device receiving from outside the chat system channel a notification of a status change and sending the status change notification to the chat system channel at a predetermined time such that the status change is notified to other information terminals in the chat system channel in a broadcasting manner, the status change occurring in an external database having information stored therein,

wherein said notifying device controls timing the status change notification sent to the chat system channel based on a predetermined condition.

14. A status change display device disposed on information terminals that are adapted to conduct communication via a chat system channel, said display device extracting a status change notification that notifies of a status change of an external database, and displaying the status change notification visually, the database having information stored therein, the status change notification being in a predetermined format,

wherein the status change display device operates with a notifying device disposed on at least one of a group of information terminals that are adapted to conduct communication via the chat system channel, said notifying device receiving from outside the chat system channel a notification of a status change and sending the status change notification to the chat system channel at a predetermined time such that the status change is notified to other information terminals in the chat system channel in a broadcasting manner, the status change occurring in an external database having information stored therein,

wherein said notifying device comprises:

a queuing device for queuing the status change notification;

a controlling device for determining a time at which the status change notification should be sent, and directing the notification to be sent according to the decision; and

a transmitting device for sending the status change notification from said queuing device to the chat system channel according to the direction from said controlling device.

15. A computer-readable recording medium having a monitor-notification program therein, the monitor-notification program being for use in a control device that controls an external database having information stored therein, said monitor-notification program adapted to execute operations comprising:

monitoring a status change in the database; and

transmitting a notification in response to a status change thereby notifying a predetermined one of a group of information terminals such that the status change is thereafter transmitted to other information terminals in a chat system channel in a broadcasting manner, the group of information terminals conducting communication via the chat system channel,

at least one of the groups of information terminals having notifying means for receiving the notification of the status change and sending the notification to the chat system channel to notify other information terminals in the chat system channel of the status change in a broadcasting manner,

wherein a first correlation table correlates the monitoring and the notifying,

further comprising;

determining based on said first correlation table which of a plurality of said notifying means should be notified of the status change.

16. A computer-readable recording medium having a broadcasting notification program therein, said broadcasting notification program being for use in at least one of a group of information terminals that conduct communication via a chat system channel, said broadcasting notification program adapted to execute operations comprising:

receiving from outside the chat system channel a notification that notifies of a status change in an external database having information stored therein; and

sending the notification to the chat system channel at a predetermined time such that the status change is notified to other information terminals in the chat system channel in a broadcasting manner,

wherein the notification of the status change is sent to the chat system channel based on a predetermined condition.

17. A computer-readable recording device having a status display program therein, said status display program being for use in information terminals that conduct communication via a chat system channel, said status display program adapted to execute operations comprising:

extracting a notification from communication data within the chat system channel, the notification being in a predetermined format and notifying of a status change of an external database that has information stored therein;

outputting the extracted notification visually;

conducting communication via the chat system channel;

receiving from outside the chat system channel a notification of a status change;

sending the status change notification to the chat system channel at a predetermined time such that the status change is notified to other information terminals in the chat system channel in a broadcasting manner, the status change occurring in an external database having information stored therein;

queuing the status change notification;

determining a time at which the status change notification should be sent, and directing the notification to be sent according to the decision; and

sending the status change notification to the chat system channel according to the determining.

18. A status change notification method comprising:

adapting groups of information terminals to conduct communication via a chat system channel;

storing information outside the chat system channel in a storing means;

monitoring a status change in the storing means, and generating a notification when a status change occurs;

receiving the notification of the status change from the monitoring means in at least one of the groups of information terminals;

sending the notification to the chat system channel to notify other information terminals in the chat system channel of the status change in a broadcasting manner; and

controlling timing the status change notification sent to the chat system channel based on a predetermined condition.

19. A notifying device disposed on at least one of a group of information terminals that are adapted to conduct communication via a chat system channel, said notifying device receiving from outside the chat system channel a notification of a status change and sending the status change notification to the chat system channel at a predetermined time such that the status change is notified to other information terminals in the chat system channel in a broadcasting manner, the status change occurring in an external database having information stored therein,

wherein said notifying device further includes a correlation table which correlates a group of chat system channels and said notifying device, and

wherein said notifying device determines based on said correlation table to which chat system channel the notification should be sent.

20. A mail notification device for use in an electronic mail distributing device that is adapted to send an electronic mail addressed to groups of information terminals, the electronic mail being sent to each information terminal of a group of information terminals, the groups of information terminals conducting communication via a chat system channel, said mail notification device comprising:

detecting means for detecting an electronic mail addressed to any of the groups of information terminals and determining the address to which the electronic mail should be sent, said detecting means being included in the groups of information terminals;

a table for correlating the groups of information terminals and a plurality of chat system channels;

determining means for determining based on said table the chat system channel that corresponds to the group of information terminals to which the electronic mail is addressed; and

notifying means for sending the notification of posting of the electronic mail to the determined chat system channel,

wherein said notifying means controls timing the status change notification sent to the chat system channel based on a predetermined condition.