Method and apparatus for insuring delivery of electronic documents in a network data processing system

• US 7,426,477 B2
• Filed: 07/26/2001
• Issued: 09/16/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dutta, Rabindranath, Banerjee, Dwip N., Patel, Kamal Chandrakant
• Primary Examiner(s): KRAMER, JAMES A
• Assistant Examiner(s): KRAMER, JAMES A
• Application Number:
  US09/915,436
• Publication Number:
  US 20030023521A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,609 Days
• Field of Search: 705/400, 705/4
• US Class Current: 705/4
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting

Abstract

A method, apparatus, and computer implementable instructions for insuring delivery of an electronic document in a data processing system. A request is received from a requestor to insure delivery of the electronic document. In response to receiving the request, a payment amount to insure delivery is identified based on network characteristics of a network in which the electronic document is to be transmitted. An acknowledgment of the electronic document is sent to the requestor, wherein the acknowledgment includes the payment amount. The electronic document is delivered in response to receiving a reply to the acknowledgment from the requestor accepting the identification of the payment amount. The requestor is notified of a successful delivery of the electronic document in response to receiving an acknowledgment from the recipient.

Claims

1. A method in a data processing system for insuring delivery of an electronic document, the method comprising:

receiving a request from a requestor to insure delivery of the electronic document;

responsive to receiving the request, identifying a payment amount to insure delivery based on network characteristics of a network in which the electronic document is to be transmitted to form an identified payment amount;

sending an acknowledgment of the electronic document to the requestor, wherein the acknowledgment includes the identified payment amount; and

delivering the electronic document in response to receiving a reply to the acknowledgment from the requestor accepting the identified payment amount.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

billing the requestor in response to receiving a reply to the acknowledgment accepting the identified payment amount.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the payment amount is received in a form of electronic cash, a credit card charge, or a debit to an account.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying step includes taking into account a value of the electronic document in addition to the network characteristics.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein an identified value of the electronic document is received from the requestor.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the network characteristics includes at least one of congestion on a network, reliability of the network, and transmissions statistics for the network, wherein the network characteristics are maintained in a network database which is queried in response to identifying a delivery location for the electronic document such that the identified payment amount is based on actual network characteristics of the network in which the electronic document is to be transmitted.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

responsive to an inability to deliver the electronic document within a time guaranteed, sending a payment to requestor.

8. A method in a data processing system for insuring delivery of an electronic document, the method comprising:

receiving a request from a requestor to insure delivery of the electronic document;

analyzing the electronic document to identify an estimated amount of time in which the electronic document can be delivered, wherein the estimated amount of time is identified using a network database that maintains network characteristics of a network to be used in the delivery of the electronic document;

receiving a delivery status of the electronic document;

determining from the delivery status if the electronic document has been timely delivered based on the estimated amount of time; and

if the electronic document has not been timely delivered, compensating the requestor.

9. A method in a data processing system for insuring delivery of an electronic document, the method comprising the data processing system implemented steps of:

providing an insurance cost and an estimated time for timely delivery for the electronic document;

receiving an indication of a payment for insurance for the timely delivery of the electronic document using a network; and

providing insurance in response to the indication, wherein the payment is based on at least a number of times a party to whom insurance is being provided has been paid insurance proceeds for untimely delivery of electronic documents.

10. A data processing system comprising:

a bus system;

a communications unit connected to the bus system;

a memory connected to the bus system, wherein the memory includes a set of instructions; and

a processing unit connected to the bus system, wherein the processing unit executes the set of instructions to receive a request from a requestor to insure delivery of the electronic document;

identify a payment amount to insure delivery based on network characteristics of a network in which the electronic document is to be transmitted to from an identified payment amount in response to receiving the request;

send an acknowledgment of the electronic document to the requestor, wherein the acknowledgment includes the identified payment amount; and

deliver the electronic document in response to receiving a reply to the acknowledgment from the requestor accepting the identified payment amount.

11. A data processing system for insuring delivery of an electronic document, the data processing system comprising:

receiving means for receiving a request from a requestor to insure delivery of the electronic document;

identifying means, responsive to receiving the request, for identifying a payment amount to insure delivery based on network characteristics of a network in which the electronic document is to be transmitted to form an identified payment amount;

sending means for sending an acknowledgment of the electronic document to the requestor, wherein the acknowledgment includes the identified payment amount; and

delivering means for delivering the electronic document in response to receiving a reply to the acknowledgment from the requestor accepting the identified payment amount.

12. The data processing system of claim 11 further comprising:

billing means for billing the requestor in response to receiving a reply to the acknowledgment accepting the identified payment amount.

13. The data processing system of claim 11, wherein the payment amount is received in a form of electronic cash, a credit card charge, or a debit to an account.

14. The data processing system of claim 11, wherein identifying means includes taking into account a value of the electronic document in addition to the network characteristics.

15. The data processing system of claim 14, wherein an identified value of the electronic document is received from the requestor.

16. The data processing system of claim 11, wherein the network characteristics includes at least one of congestion on a network, reliability of the network, and transmissions statistics for the network, wherein the network characteristics are maintained in a network database which is queried in response to identifying a delivery location for the electronic document such that the identified payment amount is based on actual network characteristics of the network in which the electronic document is to be transmitted.

17. The data processing system of claim 11, wherein the sending means is a first sending means and further comprising:

second sending means, responsive to an inability to deliver the electronic document within a time guaranteed, for sending a payment to requestor.

18. A computer program product in a computer readable medium for insuring delivery of an electronic document, the computer program product comprising:

first instructions for receiving a request from a requester to insure delivery of the electronic document;

second instructions, responsive to receiving the request, for identifying a payment amount to insure delivery based on network characteristics of a network in which the electronic document is to be transmitted to form an identified payment amount;

third instructions for sending an acknowledgment of the electronic document to the requestor, wherein the acknowledgment includes the identified payment amount; and

fourth instructions for delivering the electronic document in response to receiving a reply to the acknowledgment from the requestor accepting the identified payment amount.