Programming model for subscription services

• US 7,177,859 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2002
• Issued: 02/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Knight, Holly, Pather, Shyamalan, Seshadri, Praveen, Blanch, Robert F., Garrett, Phil, Dievendorff, Dick, Curley, Vince H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gaffin; Jeffrey
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mahmoudi; Hassan
• Application Number:
  US10/180,662
• Publication Number:
  US 20040002972A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,693 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/3, 707/200, 705/1, 705/10, 705/14, 709/206, 709/207, 709/217, 709/224, 713/201, 714/39, 719/318
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/544 Remote
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access

Abstract

The present invention relates to a subscription modeling system and methodology. A query processor receives subscription query and subscriber information and transforms the query and subscriber information into data. An index component propagates at least one database with the transformed data; and a matching component that associates the transformed data with event data to generate a database of notification data that can be delivered to subscribers. The invention provides for abstracting subscription and subscriber information (as well as event information if desired) to high-level classes (e.g., data fields)—thus the invention provides for modeling such notification related information as data. Subscription applications can thus be developed at high levels wherein complex subscription queries and subscriber information can be defined as data fields for example. Databases in accordance with the data fields can be propagated with subscription/subscriber specific information. The present invention takes advantages of the processing power associated with database engines (e.g., SQL server) to generate notifications via performing a join operation on the databases (e.g., subscription database(s), subscriber database(s) and event database(s)). Accordingly, notifications are generated en masse as compared to per subscription per subscriber. Thus the present invention provides for a highly scalable and efficient notification system.

Claims

1. A subscription modeling system, comprising:

a query processor that receives subscription query and subscriber information and transforms the query and subscriber information into data, the query processor employs subscription templates based at least in part upon common structures associated with subsets of queries, and subscribers propagate parameters to customize a respective template;

an index component that propagates at least one database with the transformed data;

a matching component that associates the transformed data with event data to generate a database of notification data, wherein the notification data is delivered to subscribers; and

a programming model that builds subscription applications, the subscription applications utilize an SQL server to do subscription and event matching, the SQL server performs a data join operation in connection with generation of the notification data.

2. The system of claim 1, the matching component employing a set of match rules to associate the transformed data.

3. The system of claim 1, the query processor parsing the information and abstracting at least portions of the parsed information into data fields.

4. The system of claim 3, the data fields being propagated with subscriber or event specific data.

5. The system of claim 1, the matching component comprising an inference engine that facilitates inferring how data should be joined pursuant to subscriber preferences.

6. A computer implemented application definition file (ADF) for employment in connection with subscription services, comprising the following computer executable component:

a set of schemas that describe subscriptions and subscribers; and

a subscription logic component that defines how subscriptions are evaluated, the subscription logic component is parameterized so that individual subscriptions personalize the subscription logic component, subscription templates are employed based at least in part upon common structures associated with subsets of subscriptions and subscribers propagate parameters to customize a respective template;

wherein once the subscription logic component is personalized, notifications are delivered based on the individual subscriptions.

7. The ADF of claim 6 further comprising event definitions that specify structure of at least one of:

event data, event providers that collect data, and structure event chronicles used by a notification subscription application.

8. The ADF of claim 6 further comprising notification definitions that specify structure of at least one of:

structure of raw notification data, formatting for messages that will be sent to subscribers, and delivery protocols used to send the messages.

9. The ADF of claim 6 further comprising subscription schema that defines structure of subscription parameters and when subscriptions are to be evaluated.

10. The ADF of claim 9, the subscription schema defining structure of subscription parameters.

11. The ADF of claim 6 further comprising execution settings that facilitate an application developer to enhance behavior and performance of an application when executed by notification services.

12. A method that facilitates providing notifications of information to recipients comprising:

storing subscription queries as data;

employing subscription templates based at least in part upon common structures associated with subsets of queries;

propagating parameters to customize a respective template;

storing event information as data;

upon a notification event occurring performing a join operation on the subscription query data and the event data to produce a first set of notification data;

propagating a notification database with the first set of notification data;

generating a second set of notification data based at least in part on the first set of notification data, wherein the second set of notification data is delivered to subscribers; and

building subscription applications, the subscription applications utilizing an SQL server to perform the join operation on the subscription query data and the event data.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising formatting the first and second sets of notification data and delivering the formatted notification data.

14. The method of claim 13, the formatted notification data being delivered via a delivery channel, the delivery channel being an intermediary between a notification services application and a delivery service.

15. The method of claim 13, the formatted notification data being delivered via a digest delivery protocol.

16. The method of claim 12 further comprising employing match rules to effect the join operation.

17. The method of claim 12, the first and second sets of notification data being delivered via a multicasting protocol.

18. A computer implemented subscription modeling methodology, comprising the following computer executable acts:

providing an interface for an application developer to create an application definition file (ADF) in connection with modeling a subscription application;

defining metadata nodes via an application developer;

writing a subscription management application, the application is written via the application developer to allow users to subscribe to a subscription service and receive notifications

storing subscription queries as data;

employing subscription templates based at least in part upon common structures associated with subsets of queries; and

propagating parameters to customize a respective template.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising specifying one or more event classes in the application definition file, the event class(es) corresponding to particular event types accepted by the application.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising specifying one or more notification classes in the application definition file, the notification class(es) corresponding to one particular kind of notification generated by the application.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising specifying one or more subscription classes in the application definition file, the subscription class(es) corresponding to one particular kind of subscription accepted by the application.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein specifying the subscription class(es) includes writing rules, which are Transact-SQL statements that either generate notifications, or update chronicle tables.

23. The method of claim 22, the rules being invoked when an event provider submits a new batch of events on a scheduled basis.

24. The method of claim 18, the subscription management application accepts and validates information about a subscriber, target devices that the subscriber is using for notification delivery, and subscriptions that specify information that the subscriber would like to receive.

25. The method of claim 18, further comprising defining an event provider that monitors an external entity and generates an event upon an action occurring.

26. A computer readable medium having stored thereon a data structure comprising:

a first set of data fields containing data representing subscription information, wherein subscription templates are utilized based at least in part upon common structures associated with subsets of queries to parameterize the data and subscribers propagate parameters to customize a respective template;

a second set of data fields containing data representing subscriber information;

a third set of data fields containing data representing event information; and

a fourth set of data fields containing notification data derived from performing a join operation on subsets of the first, second and third sets of data fields, wherein an SQL server performs the join operation on subsets of the first, second and third sets of data fields.