Automated system for messaging based on chains of relationships

• US 6,829,333 B1
• Filed: 01/31/2000
• Issued: 12/07/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Frazier Spaeth LLC
• Original Assignee: Frazier Spaeth LLC
• Inventors: Frazier, Timothy M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chow, Ming
• Application Number:
  US09/495,403
• Time in Patent Office: 1,772 Days
• Field of Search: 364/403, 235/441, 707/514, 379/83, 379/88.11, 379/88.25, 379/88.17
• US Class Current: 379/88.17
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/18 Comparators
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42068 where the identifier is used to access a profile
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4872 Non-interactive information services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53366 Message disposing or creating aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53375 Message broadcasting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

A computer system for automatically generating and sending messages to individuals, entities, processes, or locations (objects) in response to events when specified conditions are met. The automated messaging system is capable of delivering generated messages via a plurality of message delivery mechanisms (e.g. e-mail, FAX, voice mail, textual page). The automated messaging system provides the ability to link objects in chains of relationships and to use these chains to determine which messages to generate, which objects are the recipient of generated messages, and via which message delivery mechanism generated messages are sent. The automated messaging system is useful in a variety of environments including asset management, electronic-commerce, and Internet-based securities trading, as well as other applications.

Claims

1. A method in a messaging system of generating messages for delivery to recipients in response to events when specified conditions are met, comprising:

recording a plurality of message objects;

recording a plurality of message recipients;

accepting message registrations into a message criteria database, wherein each message registration defines a set of one or more message objects that are to be considered in response to a future event when the future event meets a message criteria associated with the message registration;

detecting message events;

for each detected message event, querying the message criteria database to identify at least one message registration with a message criteria satisfied by the detected message event, resulting in a message registration query result;

for each detected message event, querying a relationship database, wherein the querying of the relationship database uses the message registration query result and a relationship database query result is usable to identify, using content from the relationship database including at least parent object and at least one child object, a chain of relationships from at least one message object or at least one message recipient in the message registration query result to a set of one or more message recipients comprising a message recipient set; and

sending a message to each of the message recipients in the message recipient set following detection of the message events.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the sent message is an e-mail message, a page, a voice-synthesized telephone message or a facsimile message.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the contents of the sent message are a function of the message event and the chain of relationships.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step of deciding whether or not to send a message based on an attribute of a message event where the message event is a change of state or location of a tracked asset.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein each tracked asset is associated with at least one of another asset, a person or entity.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising a step of deciding whether or not to send a message based on an attribute of a message event where the message event is a change of an attribute of a tracked asset.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the attribute is one of an asset location or an asset responsibility.

8. A method of tracking assets using a computer, comprising:

recording a plurality of message objects;

recording a plurality of message recipients;

accepting message registrations into a message criteria database, wherein each message registration defines a set of one or more message objects that are to be considered in response to a future event when the future event relating to one or more tracked assets meets a message criteria associated with the message registration;

detecting message events based on changes to a database of tracked assets;

for each detected message event, querying the message criteria database to identify at least one message registration with a message criteria satisfied by the detected message event, resulting in a message registration query result;

for each detected message event, querying a relationship database, wherein the querying of the relationship database uses the message registration query result and a relationship database query result is usable to identify a chain of relationships from at least one message object or at least one message recipient in the message registration query result to a set of one or more message recipients comprising a message recipient set; and

sending a message to each of the message recipients in the message recipient set following detection of the message events.

9. A method for generating one or more messages in response to an event, the method comprising:

creating an instance in an event database based upon said event, said instance identifying an associated object;

accessing a relationship database, the content of which defines relationships between objects including said associated object;

traversing a chain of object relationships formed prior to the event by the relationship database starting with content in the relationship database corresponding to said associated object, each instance in said relationship database being associated with an object database that defines object type;

identifying one or more message recipients based upon message criteria defined prior to the event, said criteria being compared with information from said event database, relationship database and object database; and

generating said one or more messages to said one or more message recipients.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said relationship database defines relationship types between select child objects and parent objects, the chain being constructed from a series of child to parent relationships.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein said message criteria is disposed in a message criteria database.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein said message criteria database in combination with said relationship database enable messages to be selectively generated for one or more objects along said chain of object relationships.

13. A method in a messaging system of generating messages for delivery to recipients in response to events when specified conditions are met, comprising:

recording a plurality of message objects;

recording a plurality of message recipients;

accepting message registrations into a message criteria database, wherein each message registration defines a set of one or more message objects that are to be considered in response to a future event when the future event meets a message criteria associated with the message registration;

detecting message events;

for each detected message event, querying the message criteria database to identify at least one message registration with a message criteria satisfied by the detected message event, resulting in a message registration query result;

for each detected message event, generating a message recipient set from the message recipient query result and a chain of relationships, wherein the chain of relationships is a query result of querying a relationship database and includes at least one parent object and at least one child object; and

sending a message to each of the message recipients in the message recipient set following detection of the message events.

14. A method of tracking assets using a computer, comprising:

recording a plurality of message objects;

recording a plurality of message recipients;

accepting message registrations into a message criteria database, wherein each message registration defines a set of one or more message entities objects that are to receive a message of be considered in response to a future event when the future event relating to one or more tracked assets meets a message criteria associated with the message registration;

detecting message events based on changes to a database of tracked assets;

for each detected message event, querying the message criteria database to identify at least one message registration with a message criteria satisfied by the detected message event, resulting in a message registration query result;

for each detected message event, generating a message recipient set from the message recipient query result and a chain of relationships, wherein the chain of relationships is a query result of querying a relationship database and includes at least one parent object and at least one child object; and

sending a message to each of the message recipients in the message recipient set following detection of the message events.