Content bank for objects

• US 7,401,054 B1
• Filed: 03/04/2002
• Issued: 07/15/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture GmbH (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Shah, Baiju, Horner, Ryan C.
• Primary Examiner(s): CHEUNG, MARY DA ZHI WANG
• Application Number:
  US10/090,550
• Time in Patent Office: 2,325 Days
• Field of Search: 705 50- 56, 709201-203, 709223-229, 707 1- 10, 707100-104
• US Class Current: 705/51
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/289 Object oriented databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6227 where protection concerns the structure of data, e.g. records, types, queries
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure

Abstract

A content bank for objects hosts all information regarding an object and serves as a proxy for that object. The content bank comprises at least one instance of a digital identity corresponding the object. Object identity modules or services are available through the digital identity instance. Via the content bank system, the digital identity instance receives object-related information from a source and targeted to a specific service. Conversely, the digital identity instance also serves to determine when object-related information should be provided to a third party by a given service, or when object-related information needs to be manipulated by one or more services. A multi-mode interface is available for third parties to communicate with the digital identity instance. In this manner, third parties are not only able to access data regarding an object, but are actually able to communicate with an object via the digital identity instance.

Claims

1. In a content bank system comprising at least one digital identity instance representative of at least one object, a method for adding object-related information regarding an object of the at least one object to the content bank system, the method comprising:

receiving, from a source by a digital identity instance corresponding to the object, the object-related information targeted to a service, the digital identity instance acting as proxy for the object and defined by instantiations of at least one service module associated with the digital identity instance;

determining, via a services registry associated with the digital identity instance, whether the service targeted by the object-related information exists, wherein the services registry lists available services for the object based on the at least one service module associated with the digital identity instance;

when the service targeted by the object-related information exists, sending the object-related information to the service; and

processing the object-related information by the service such that the object-related information is subsequently available via the content bank system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the object-related information is received via at least one access mode of a multi-mode interface available to the digital identity instance.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one access mode comprises any of:

a Simple Object Access Protocol-based access mode, a voice-based mode, a text-based access mode, and an Instant Messaging-based access mode.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, via the services registry, location information regarding the service; and

sending the object-related information to the service based on the location information.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the location information corresponds to another content bank system.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the source of the object-related information is any of:

the object, another content bank system, another object, a manufacturer of the object, an owner of the object, and a provider of service to the object.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

verifying access rights of the source to provide the object-related information associated with the object to the content bank system.

8. In a content bank system comprising at least one digital identity instance representative of at least one object, a method for providing object-related information regarding an object of the at least one object to a third party, the method comprising:

determining, by a digital identity instance corresponding to the object, the object-related information should be provided to the third party, the digital identity instance acting as proxy for the object and defined by instantiations of at least one service module associated with the digital identity instance;

determining, via a services registry associated with the digital identity instance, whether a service associated with the object-related information exists, wherein the services registry lists available services for the object based on the at least one service module associated with the digital identity instance;

when the service associated with the object-related information exists, accessing the object-related information via the service; and

sending, by the service, the object-related information to the third party.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein determining the need to provide the object-related information to the third party further comprises receiving a request for the object-related information from the third party, wherein the request specifies the third party as the destination for the object-related information.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the third party is any of:

the object, another content bank system, another object, a manufacturer of the object, an owner of the object, and a provider of service to the object.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the request is received from the third party via at least one access mode of a multi-mode interface available to the digital identity instance.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the wherein the at least one access mode comprises any of:

a Simple Object Access Protocol-based access mode, a voice-based mode, a text-based access mode, and an Instant Messaging-based access mode.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein determining the need to provide the object-related information to the third party further comprises receiving a request for the object-related information from another third party, wherein the request specifies the third party as the destination for the object-related information.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the third party or the other third party is any of:

the object, another content bank system, another object, a manufacturer of the object, an owner of the object, and a provider of service to the object.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the request is received from the other third party via at least one access mode of a multi-mode interface available to the digital identity instance.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the wherein the at least one access mode comprises any of:

a Simple Object Access Protocol-based access mode, a voice-based mode, a text-based access mode, and an Instant Messaging-based access mode.

17. The method of claim 8, wherein determining the need to provide the object-related information to the third party further comprises detecting a condition requiring the object-related information to be pushed to the third party.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

receiving, by the digital identity instance from the third party, a subscription request for the object-related information,

wherein the object-related information is pushed to only those third parties that have submitted a subscription request.

19. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining, via the services registry, location information regarding the service; and

accessing the object-related information via the service based on the location information.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the location information corresponds to another content bank system.

21. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

verifying access rights of the third party to the object-related information; and

sending the additional object-related information to the third party when the third party possesses access rights to the object-related information.

22. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

prior to sending the object-related information to the third party, processing the object-related information into a form suitable for sending the object-related information to the third party.

23. The method of claim 8, wherein the object-related information comprises a pointer to additional object-related information.

24. A content bank system comprising at least one digital identity instance representative of at least one object device, the system comprising:

at least one processor; and

memory, coupled to the at least one processor, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

receive, from a source by a digital identity instance corresponding to an object, object-related information targeted to a service, the digital identity instance acting as proxy for the object and defined by instantiations of at least one service module associated with the digital identity instance;

determine, via a services registry associated with the digital identity instance, whether the service targeted by the object-related information exists, wherein the services registry lists available services for the object based on the at least one service module associated with the digital identity instance;

send the object-related information to the service when the service targeted by the object-related information exists; and

process the object-related information by the service such that the object-related information is subsequently available via the content bank system.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the memory further comprises computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:

determine, via the services registry, location information regarding the service; and

send the object-related information to the service based on the location information.

26. The system of claim 24, wherein the memory further comprises computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:

verify access rights of the source to provide the object-related information associated with the object to the content bank system.

27. A content bank system comprising at least one digital identity instance representative of at least one object device, the system comprising:

at least one processor; and

memory, coupled to the at least one processor, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

determine, by a digital identity instance corresponding to the object, the need to provide the object-related information to the third party, the digital identity instance acting as proxy for the object and defined by instantiations of at least one service module associated with the digital identity instance;

determine, via a services registry associated with the digital identity instance, whether a service associated with the object-related information exists, wherein the services registry lists available services for the object based on the at least one service module associated with the digital identity instance;

when the service associated with the object-related information exists, access the object-related information via the service; and

send, by the service, the object-related information to the third party.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the memory further comprises computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:

receive a request for the object-related information from the third party, wherein the request specifies the third party as the destination for the object-related information.

29. The system of claim 27, wherein the memory further comprises computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:

receive a request for the object-related information from another third party, wherein the request specifies the third party as the destination for the object-related information.

30. The system of claim 27, wherein the memory further comprises computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:

detect a condition requiring the object-related information to be pushed to the third party.

31. The system of claim 27, wherein the memory further comprises computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:

determine, via the services registry, location information regarding the service; and

access the object-related information via the service based on the location information.

32. The system of claim 27, wherein the memory further comprises computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:

verify access rights of the third party to the object-related information; and

send the additional object-related information to the third party when the third party possesses access rights to the object-related information.