System for automating event scheduling and subscription using an HTTP based event publish server

• US 6,823,357 B1
• Filed: 06/27/2000
• Issued: 11/23/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Du, John, Choudhary, Rajiv
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Viet D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hu, Jinsong
• Application Number:
  US09/604,160
• Time in Patent Office: 1,610 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/206, 345/853, 345/854, 345/963
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting

Abstract

A system and method of publicizing a schedule of upcoming events over the Internet. Visitors to an events website are able to browse various schedules of upcoming events, called events pages, publicize by the entities that are sponsoring the events. Furthermore, such visitors may become a subscriber of one or more events pages that he/she has an interested in. Once the visitor becomes a subscriber, he/she may receive automatic notification via e-mail when the events page(s) that he/she has subscribed to is/are updated or changed. Additionally, if the subscriber has a commercially available Internet-linked calendar or obtains a subscriber calendar, this invention allows such subscribers to automatically update their Internet-linked calendar or subscriber calendar to comprise the events contained in the events page(s) they have subscribed to.

Claims

1. A system for automatically updating a predetermined personal calendar linked to a network, comprising:

a first server linked to the network;

a second server linked to the first server, to store an events page;

a third server, linked to the first server and the second server to edit the events page;

a fourth server linked to the network, the fourth server being configured to receive update data from the third server and locate the predetermined personal calendar; and

a fifth server linked to the network and to the predetermined personal calendar, wherein the fifth server receives the update data from the fourth server, and the fifth server automatically updates the predetermined personal calendar in accordance with the update data.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the update data includes an updated events page.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the network is the Internet.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the fourth server and the fifth server are linked to the network via at least one of a telephone line, a dedicated computer connection, a satellite connection and a cellular telephone network connection.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the third server and the second server are linked to the first server via a Hyper Text Transfer Protocol link or a Transport Control Protocol link.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the predetermined personal calendar is stored in a sixth server which is linked to the fifth server.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the predetermined personal calendar is a commercially available Internet linked calendar.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the update data is converted to correspond to the commercially available Internet linked calendar.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the fourth server comprises an e-mail interface, the e-mail interface forwards a message via e-mail that the predetermined personal calendar has been automatically updated in accordance with the update data.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the fourth server comprises an e-mail interface, the e-mail interface forwards a message via e-mail that the events page has been edited.

11. A method of automatically updating a predetermined personal calendar linked to a network, comprising:

forwarding update data to a locator, wherein the locator is linked to the network;

locating the predetermined personal calendar using subscriber data stored in the locator;

forwarding the update data from the locator to a first server, wherein the first server is linked to the network and linked to the predetermined personal calendar; and

using the update data to automatically update the predetermined personal calendar corresponding to the subscriber data.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising forwarding an Automatic Subscriber message or a Non-Automatic Subscriber message to subscribers through the network.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the network is the Internet.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the predetermined personal calendar is stored in a second server which is linked to the first server.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the predetermined personal calendar is a commercially available Internet linked calendar.

16. A computer-readable medium encoded with a plurality of processor executable instruction sequences for:

forwarding update data to a locator, wherein the locator is linked to the network;

locating the predetermined personal calendar using subscriber data stored in the locator;

forwarding the update data from the locator to a first server, wherein the first server is linked to the network and linked to the predetermined personal calendar; and

using the update data to automatically update the predetermined personal calendar corresponding to the subscriber data.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the network is the Internet.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the predetermined personal calendar is stored in a second server which is linked to the first server.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the predetermined personal calendar is a commercially available Internet linked calendar.

20. A system for automatically updating a predetermined subscriber personal calendar linked to a network, comprising:

a first server linked to the network to control and operate a publisher calendar website including a link to an events page created by an event publisher;

a second server linked to the first server, to store the events pages;

a third server, linked to the first server and the second server to edit the events page;

a fourth server linked to the network, the fourth server being configured to receive update data related to the events page from the third server and locate the predetermined subscriber personal calendar; and

a fifth server linked to the network and to the predetermined subscriber personal calendar, wherein a subscriber subscribes to receive services from the event publisher, the event publisher instructs the fourth server to transmit the update data to the fifth server if the event publisher determines that the update data is of interest to the subscriber based on an analysis of the personal preferences of the subscriber, the fifth server receives the update data from the fourth server, and the fifth server automatically updates the predetermined subscriber personal calendar in accordance with the update data.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the update data includes an updated events page.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein the network is the Internet.

23. The system of claim 20, wherein the fourth and the fifth server are linked to the network via at least one of a telephone line, a dedicated computer connection, a satellite connection and a cellular telephone network connection.

24. The system of claim 20, wherein the third server and the second server are linked to the first server via a Hyper Text Transfer Protocol link or a Transport Control Protocol link.

25. The system of claim 20, wherein the predetermined subscriber personal calendar is stored in a sixth server which is linked to the fifth server.

26. The system of claim 20, wherein the predetermined subscriber personal calendar is a commercially available Internet linked calendar.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the update data is converted to correspond to the commercially available Internet linked calendar.

28. The system of claim 20, wherein the fourth server comprises an e-mail interface, the e-mail interface forwards a message via e-mail that the predetermined subscriber personal calendar has been automatically updated in accordance with the update data.

29. The system of claim 20, wherein the fourth comprises an e-mail interface, the e-mail interface forwards a message via e-mail that the events page has been edited.

30. A method of automatically updating a predetermined subscriber personal calendar linked to a network, comprising:

forwarding update data to a locator, wherein the locator is linked to the network;

locating the predetermined subscriber personal calendar using subscriber data stored in the locator;

forwarding the update data from the locator to a first server, wherein the first server is linked to the network and linked to the predetermined subscriber personal calendar; and

using the update data to update the predetermined subscriber personal calendar corresponding to the subscriber data, wherein a subscriber subscribes to receive services from an event publisher, the event publisher instructs the locator to transmit the update data to the first server if the event publisher determines that the update data is of interest to the subscriber based on an analysis of the personal preferences of the subscriber.

31. The method of claim 30, further comprising forwarding an Automatic Subscriber message or a Non-Automatic Subscriber message to subscribers through the network.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein the network is the Internet.

33. The method of claim 30, wherein the predetermined subscriber personal calendar is stored in a second server which is linked to the first server.

34. The method of claim 30, wherein the predetermined subscriber personal calendar is a commercially available Internet linked calendar.

35. A computer-readable medium encoded with a plurality of processor executable instruction sequences which when executed cause a processor to:

forward update data to a locator, wherein the locator is linked to the network;

locate the predetermined subscriber personal calendar using subscriber data stored in the locator;

forward the update data from the locator to a first server, wherein the first server is linked to the network and linked to the predetermined subscriber personal calendar; and

use the update data to update the predetermined subscriber personal calendar corresponding to the subscriber data, wherein a subscriber subscribes to receive services from an event publisher, the event publisher instructs the locator to transmit the update data to the first server if the event publisher determines that the update data is of interest to the subscriber based on an analysis of the personal preferences of the subscriber.

36. The computer-readable medium of claim 35, wherein the network is the Internet.

37. The computer-readable medium of claim 35, wherein the predetermined subscriber personal calendar is stored in a second server which is linked to the first server.

38. The computer-readable medium of claim 35, wherein the predetermined subscriber personal calendar is a commercially available Internet linked calendar.