Notification services within a unified communications service

• US 7,143,417 B2
• Filed: 01/10/2002
• Issued: 11/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Myers, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Thomson, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, VAN H
• Application Number:
  US10/041,570
• Publication Number:
  US 20030131143A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,783 Days
• Field of Search: 719/318, 719/310, 719/312, 709/202, 709/213, 707/1, 707/104.1, 710/260
• US Class Current: 719/318
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/544 Remote
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications

Abstract

A system and method for providing notification of significant events such as received or disposed of messages in a unified communication services network. Notifications are event based and may be filtered according to predetermined criteria. One or more event managers may, among other things, manage the receipt and dispersal of event notifications and pass the notifications to one or more notification handlers for dispersal of the notifications to subscribers.

Claims

1. A system for providing notification of events in a unified communications services network the system comprising:

a network that provides unified communications services to users that enable the users to share information, the unified communications services comprising application processes;

an event filter in communication with an event generating application process, wherein the event filter performs a first level filtering of notification of an event generated by the event generating application process;

an event manager that receives the notification of the event from the event filter over the network, and disperses the event over the network; and

a notification handler that receives the notification of the event over the network and disposes of the event,

wherein the notification handler performs a second level filtering of notification of the event, and

wherein the notification handler performs the second level filtering of notification of the event by determining whether contents of the event meet second level filtering criteria established by a user, and communicating the event to the user if the contents of the event meet the second level filtering criteria associated with the user.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the first level filtering is performed based on an event type of the event.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the first level filtering is performed based on a priority level for the event.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of event generating application processes and a plurality of notification handlers, and the event manager further comprises:

a registration manager that manages registration of the plurality of notification handlers, and provides awareness of registered notification handlers to at least one of the plurality of event generating application processes.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the registration manager maintains a list of currently registered notification handlers in a shared memory and wherein the plurality of event generating application processes may query the list of currently registered notification handlers.

6. A method for providing notification of events in a unified communications services network the method comprising:

providing unified communications services to users that enable the users to share information over a network, the unified communications services comprising application processes;

enabling an event filter, in communication with an event generating application process, to perform a first level filtering of notification of an event generated by the event generating application process;

passing the notification of the event over the network from the event filter to an event manager that receives and disperses the event over the network;

passing the notification of the event over the network to a notification handler that receives the notification of the event and disposes of the event, and

enabling the notification handler to perform a second level filtering of notification,

wherein performing the second level filtering of notification of the event includes determining whether contents of the event meet second level filtering criteria established by a user, and communicating the event to the user if the contents of the event meet the second level filtering criteria associated with the user.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the first level filtering is performed based on an event type of the event.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the first level filtering is performed based on a priority level for the event.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein the unified communications services network further comprises a plurality of event generating application processes and a plurality of notification handlers, and the method further comprises:

enabling the event manager to manage registration of the plurality of notification handlers, and provide awareness of registered notification handlers to at least one of the plurality of event generating application processes.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

maintaining a list of currently registered notification handlers in a shared memory and wherein the plurality of event generating application processes may query the list of currently registered notification handlers.

11. A system for providing notification of events in a unified communications services network the system comprising:

a network that provides unified communications services to users that enable the users to share information over the network, the unified communications services comprising application processes;

event filter means for communicating with an event generating application process, wherein the event filter means performs a first level filtering of notification of an event generated by the event generating application process;

event manager means for receiving the notification of the event over the network from the event filter means, and dispersing the event over the network; and

notification handler means for receiving the notification of the event over the network and disposing of the event,

wherein the notification handler means performs a second level filtering of notification of the event, and

wherein the notification handler means performs the second level filtering of notification of the event by determining whether contents of the event meet second level filtering criteria established by a user, and communicating the event to the user if the contents of the event meet the second level filtering criteria associated with the user.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the first level filtering is performed based on an event type of the event.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein the first level filtering is performed based on a priority level for the event.

14. The system of claim 11 further comprising a plurality of event generating application processes and a plurality of notification handler means, and the event manager means further comprises:

registration manager means for managing registration of the plurality of notification handler means, and provides awareness of registered notification handler means to at least one of the plurality of event generating application processes.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the registration manager means maintains a list of currently registered notification handler means in a shared memory and wherein the plurality of event generating application processes may query the list of currently registered notification handler means.

16. A processor readable medium having process readable code embodied therein for enabling a processor to provide notification of events in a unified communications services network the processor readable medium comprising;

processor readable code for providing unified communications services to users that enable the users to share information over a network, the unified communications services comprising application processes;

processor readable code for enabling an event filter, in communication with an event generating application process, to perform a first level filtering of notification of an event generated by the event generating application process;

processor readable code for passing the notification of the event over the network from the event filter to an event manager that receives and disperses the event over the network;

processor readable code for passing the notification of the event over the network to a notification handler that receives the notification of the event and disposes of the event; and

processor readable code for enabling the notification handler to perform a second level filtering of notification of the event,

wherein performing the second level filtering of notification of the event includes determining whether contents of the event meet second level filtering criteria established by a user, and communicating the event to the user if the contents of the event meet the second level filtering criteria associated with the user.

17. The processor readable medium of claim 16 wherein the first level filtering is performed based on an event type of the event.

18. The processor readable medium of claim 16 wherein the first level filtering is performed based on a priority level for the event.

19. The processor readable medium of claim 16 wherein the unified communications services network further comprises a plurality of event generating application processes and a plurality of notification handlers, the processor readable medium further comprises:

processor readable code for enabling the event manager to manage registration of the plurality of notification handlers, and provide awareness of registered notification handlers to at least one of the plurality of event generating application processes.

20. The processor readable medium of claim 19 further comprising:

processor readable code for maintaining a list of currently registered notification handlers in a shared memory and wherein the plurality of event generating application processes may query the list of currently registered notification handlers.