Systems and methods for data retrieval, manipulation, and delivery

• US 7,185,002 B1
• Filed: 10/24/2002
• Issued: 02/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Rakuten Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wright, Robert H., Allen, Rick A., Weitlauf, Willard
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong; Don
• Assistant Examiner(s): DANG, THANH HA T
• Application Number:
  US10/279,563
• Time in Patent Office: 1,587 Days
• Field of Search: 707/3, 707/4, 707/2, 707/10, 707/5, 709/206
• US Class Current: 707/779
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed that include a user interface that enables a user to request a pre-defined report. The user may specify either or both of an electronic mail delivery address for the report and an interval at which the report is to be updated. Such systems and methods enable a particular report to be produced and formatted only once, and then provided to multiple users, thereby eliminating the production and formatting of redundant reports.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for data retrieval, the method comprising:

providing a user interface to a server that enables a user to enter a request to generate a report, the request including an electronic mail delivery address associated with the requested report and an interval at which the requested report is to be updated, wherein the interface also includes a system administrator link which enables the user to request an additional report not included in a group of available reports;

retrieving a pre-defined set of queries associated with a requested report by the server to generate the report upon the occurrence of the each interval, wherein the requested report is one of the group of available reports;

generating the requested report by submitting the pre-defined set of inquiries upon each occurrence of the interval by submitting the pre-defined set of queries to a database;

receiving a result based in part in the pre-defined set of inquiries from the database by the server, wherein the server formats the report;

prior to the server attempting to send the report to the electronic mail delivery address of the user upon the occurrence of each of the intervals specified in the request, determining whether the electronic mail delivery address of the user is valid by the server contacting a mail server associated with the electronic mail delivery address;

if the electronic mail delivery address is determined to be not valid, then not attempting to send the report by the server for this occurrence of the interval; and

if the electronic mail delivery address is determined to be valid, then sending the requested report by the server to the electronic mail delivery address for the occurrence of the interval.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein providing the user interface comprises providing a user interface that enables the user to select the requested report from a group of available reports.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the pre-defined set of queries.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

formatting the requested report.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein formatting the requested report comprises importing the requested report into an electronic spreadsheet.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the providing a user interface to a server that enables a user to enter a request to generate a report includes providing a plurality of electronic mail delivery addresses associated with the requested report, and wherein sending the requested report by the server to the electronic mail delivery address includes sending the requested report substantially simultaneously by the server to the plurality of electronic mail delivery addresses for the occurrence of the interval.

7. A computer-implemented method for data retrieval, the method comprising:

receiving a plurality of pre-defined query sets resident on a server, each said query set being associated with a respective report, the respective reports forming a group of available reports;

providing a user interface that enables a user to submit a request to the server to generate a report selected from the group of available reports, the request comprising an electronic mail delivery address associated with the report, wherein further the user interface comprises an update drop down menu for displaying an available interval at which the requested report is to be updated, a report drop down menu for displaying the reports in the group of available reports, a system administrator link which enables the user to request an additional report not included in the group of available reports from the system administrator;

prior to the server sending the requested report upon an occurrence of the interval, determining whether the electronic mail delivery address is valid;

if the electronic mail delivery address is net determined to be not valid, then not sending the report; and

if the electronic mail delivery address is determined to be valid, then sending the requested report to the electronic mail delivery address upon the occurrence of the interval, the requested report being generated upon each occurrence of the interval by submitting to a database the pre-defined query set that is associated with the requested report.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, further comprising:

storing the pre-defined sets of queries.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, further comprising:

terminating delivery of the requested report in response to a termination request.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, further comprising:

formatting a set of query results corresponding to the pre-defined query set.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein formatting the set of query result comprises formatting the set of query results into an electronic spreadsheet.

12. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions for performing a method comprising:

providing a user interface that enables a user to enter a request to generate a report, the request comprising at least one electronic mail delivery address associated with the requested report, and wherein the request further comprises an interval at which the requested report is to be updated, wherein further the interface enables the user to request an additional report not included in the group of available reports from a system administrator by providing a system administrator link;

retrieving a pre-defined set of queries associated with a requested report from a server, wherein the requested report is one of a group of available reports;

prior to sending the requested report by the server upon an occurrence of the interval, determining by the server whether the electronic mail delivery address is valid;

if the electronic mail delivery address is determined to be not valid, then not sending the report; and

if the electronic mail delivery address is determined to be valid, then sending the requested report to the electronic mail delivery address, the requested report being generated upon each occurrence of the interval by submitting the pre-defined set of queries to a database.

13. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions for performing a method comprising:

providing a user interface with a server that enables a user to submit a request to generate a report selected from the group of available reports, the request comprising at least an electronic mail delivery address associated with the report and an interval at which the requested report is to be updated, wherein the interface also includes a system administrator link which enables the user to request an additional report not included in the group of available resorts;

generating the requested report by submitting the pre-defined set of inquiries upon each occurrence of the interval by submitting the pre-defined set of queries to a database;

receiving a result based in part in the pre-defined set of inquiries from the database by the server, wherein the server formats the report;

prior to sending the requested report from the server, determining whether the electronic mail delivery address is valid by the server contacting a mail server associated with the electronic mail delivery address;

if the electronic mail delivery address is determined to be not valid, then not sending of the report; and

if the electronic mail delivery address is determined to be valid, then sending the requested report from the server to the electronic mail delivery address upon the occurrence of the interval.