Information management technique

• US 6,789,081 B1
• Filed: 05/12/2000
• Issued: 09/07/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nokia Solutions and Networks US LLC (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Vänskä, Marko
• Primary Examiner(s): KINDRED, ALFORD W
• Application Number:
  US09/570,036
• Time in Patent Office: 1,579 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1-5, 707/9-10, 707/100, 707/205, 709/201, 709/207
• US Class Current: 709/207
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

An information management technique includes gathering and storing data from a plurality of sources of data. The gathered and stored data is then filtered and prioritized. The filtered and prioritized data is then packaged and delivered to an end user. The data is filtered and prioritized in a plurality of layers arranged sequentially, a first layer having a broadest categorization of data and each subsequent lower layer having a narrower categorization of data than its adjacent higher layer. The plurality of data sources may include external sources of data such as sources of data accessible on the Internet and internal sources of data such as sources of data accessible on a corporate Intranet. When the data is prioritized as a “high” priority, then the data may be immediately delivered to the end user while if the data is prioritized as a “low” priority, a signal may be sent to the end user and the data delivered only upon a request by the end user.

Claims

1. An information management method comprising:

gathering and storing data from a plurality of data sources;

filtering and prioritizing the gathered and stored data;

packaging the filtered and prioritized data; and

delivering the packaged data to an end user;

wherein data is filtered and prioritized in a plurality of layers arranged sequentially, a first layer having a broadest categorization of data and each subsequent lower layer having a narrower categorization of data than its adjacent higher layer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of data sources comprise external sources of data and internal sources of data.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the external sources of data comprise sources of data accessible on the Internet.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the internal sources of data comprise sources of data accessible on a corporate Intranet.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the internal sources of data comprise at least one of stored documents, stored databases and personal computers.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein when the data is prioritized as a “

high”

priority, then the data is immediately delivered to the end user while if the data is prioritized as a “

low”

priority, a signal is sent to the end user and the data is delivered upon a request by the end user.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of layers comprises the first layer comprising a corporate layer, a second layer comprising a department layer, a third layer comprising a group layer and a fourth layer comprising a personal layer;

and

wherein the personal layer corresponds to the interests of the end user, the group layer corresponds to the interests of a plurality of end users including the end user, the department layer corresponds to the interests of a plurality of groups including the plurality of end users and the corporate layer corresponds to the interests of a plurality of departments.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the gathered and stored data is filtered based on stored personalized information of the end user.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the data is pushed to the end user if it has been prioritized as a “

high”

priority.

8. An information management apparatus comprising:

a means for gathering and storing data from a plurality of data sources;

a means for filtering and prioritizing the gathered and stored data;

a means for packaging the filtered and prioritized data; and

a means for delivering the packaged data to an end user;

wherein data is filtered and prioritized by said means for filtering and prioritizing in a plurality of layers arranged sequentially, a first layer having a broadest categorization of data and each subsequent lower layer having a narrower categorization of data than its adjacent higher layer.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the plurality of sources of data comprise external sources of data and internal sources of data.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the external sources of data comprise sources of data accessible on the Internet.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the internal sources of data comprise sources of data accessible on a corporate Intranet.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the internal sources of data comprise at least one of stored documents, stored databases and personal computers.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein when the data is prioritized as a “

high”

priority by the means for filtering and prioritizing, then the data is immediately delivered to the end user by the means for delivering while if the data is prioritized as a “

low”

priority by the means for filtering and prioritizing, a signal is sent to the end user and the data is delivered upon a request by the end user by the means for delivering.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the plurality of layers comprises:

the first layer comprising a corporate layer, a second layer comprising a department layer, a third layer comprising a group layer and a fourth layer comprising a personal layer; and

wherein the personal layer corresponds to the interests of the end user, the group layer corresponds to the interests of a plurality of end users including the end user, the department layer corresponds to the interests of a plurality of groups including the plurality of end users and the corporate layer corresponds to the interests of a plurality of departments.

24. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising a means for filtering the gathered and stored data based on stored personalized information of the end user.

25. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising a means for pushing the data to the end user if it has been prioritized as a “

high”

priority.

15. A computer program of instructions, executable by a machine and embodied in a tangible medium, performing method steps comprising:

gathering and storing data from a plurality of data sources;

filtering and prioritizing the gathered and stored data;

packaging the filtered and prioritized data; and

delivering the packaged data to an end user;

wherein data is filtered and prioritized in a plurality of layers arranged sequentially, a first layer having a broadest categorization of data and each subsequent lower layer having a narrower categorization of data than its adjacent higher layer.

16. The program of claim 15, wherein the plurality of data sources comprise external sources of data and internal sources of data.

17. The program of claim 16, wherein the external sources of data comprise sources of data accessible on the Internet.

18. The program of claim 16, wherein the internal sources of data comprise sources of data accessible on a corporate Intranet.

19. The program of claim 16, wherein the internal sources of data comprise at least one of stored documents, stored databases and personal computers.

20. The program of claim 15, wherein when the data is prioritized as a “

high”

priority, then the data is immediately delivered to the end user while if the data is prioritized as a “

low”

priority, a signal is sent to the end user and the data is delivered upon a request by the end user.

21. The program of claim 15, wherein the plurality of layers comprises the first layer comprising a corporate layer, a second layer comprising a department layer, a third layer comprising a group layer and a fourth layer comprising a personal layer;

and

wherein the personal layer corresponds to the interests of the end user, the group layer corresponds to the interests of a plurality of end users including the end user, the department layer corresponds to the interests of a plurality of groups including the plurality of end users and the corporate layer corresponds to the interests of a plurality of departments.

26. The program of claim 16, wherein the gathered and stored data is filtered based on stored personalized information of the end user.

27. The program of claim 16, wherein the data is pushed to the end user if it has been prioritized as a “

high”

priority.