Electronic commerce infrastructure system

• US 7,287,089 B1
• Filed: 10/25/2000
• Issued: 10/23/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Refinitiv US Organization, LLC (Refinitiv US Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Financial Limited (The Woodbridge Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Lamoureux, Bob, Kuntz, Matthew, Shea, Edward, Jaminet, Paul, Kopikis, Alexis, Constantine, John Boland Jr., Bremner, Todd
• Primary Examiner(s): Zeender; F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BUCHANAN, CHRISTOPHER R
• Application Number:
  US09/697,024
• Time in Patent Office: 2,554 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 709/238, 705/26
• US Class Current: 709/238
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

A networked commercial interaction management method assembles information into bundles that include a data element reference and meta data describing the data element. The method distributes the meta data and the data element reference from the bundles through the network, and distributes copies of the data elements in the bundles from the network node of their respective data owners to the network nodes of accessors using the meta data and the data element reference distributed through the network. In at least one embodiment, the method periodically issues bundle version identifying signals to different nodes of the network. The bundle version identifying signals indicate changes to the data elements to the network nodes of accessors.

Claims

1. A networked commercial interaction management method, comprising the steps of:

assembling information into bundles, wherein each bundle comprises a data element, a data element reference and meta data describing the data element, wherein each data element remains resident on a node of a data owner in a network, wherein there is a plurality of versions of at least one of the bundles and wherein each of the plurality of versions is identified by a bundle version identifying signal,

periodically issuing bundle version identifying signals to the different nodes of the network, the bundle version identifying signals indicating changes to the data elements to the network nodes of accessors,

distributing the meta data and the data element reference from the bundles through the network, and

distributing copies of the data elements in the bundles assembled in the step of assembling from the network node of their respective data owners to the network nodes of accessors following selection of the data elements by the accessors using the meta data and the data element reference distributed through the network.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein each bundle includes security information identifying entitled accessors of the data, and wherein the step of distributing only distributes the bundle to the entitled accessors.

3. The method of claim 2 further including the step of negotiating trusted relationships between owners and accessors to define the security information.

4. The method of claim 2 further including the step of selecting networked users to receive bundles from, from a directory of authorized networked users before the steps of distributing.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein a format for the security information allows for organization identifiers to be included in the security information.

6. The method of claim 1 further including the step of defining one of the meta data elements in response to owner input.

7. The method of claim 1 further including the step of recording the distribution of data element copies to accessors and associated information concerning the transaction.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the meta data includes ticker symbol identification fields.

9. The method of claim 1 further including the stop of nesting at least some of the bundles in superbundles that include additional information.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein each bundle includes security information identifying entitled accessors of the data, and wherein only accessors with entitlements to both a bundle and its superbundle can see both the bundle and the superbundle.

11. The method of claim 9 further including the step of presenting alternative content to recipients who lack entitlement to both the bundle and the superbundle.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein the bundle and the superbundle have different owners at different nodes and wherein the step of distributing distributes the bundle and the superbundle from the different nodes.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the bundles include attachment references to one or more files of different types.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the types include audio files, video files, graphical image files, and formatted document files.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein at least some of the bundles include references to other bundles.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the references to other bundles include a replied-to reference.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of distributing the meta data further distributes updates to the meta data, and wherein said method further includes the step of requesting copies of the updates from at least one of the nodes in response to the identifying signals.

18. The method of claim 1 further including the step of filtering the bundles based on portions of the meta data.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of distributing copies includes a peer-to-peer transfer of the data elements, and peer-to-peer access to the data elements referenced in the bundles.

20. The method of claim 1 further including the step of alerting a user in response to detection of conditions in the meta data.

21. The method of claim 1 further including a step of blending content based on detection of conditions in the meta data.