System and method for generating and using a transaction enable report

• US 7,574,376 B1
• Filed: 06/12/2001
• Issued: 08/11/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microstrategy Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Microstrategy Incorporated
• Inventors: Yu, Hu, Lazebnikov, Vladlslav, Baskine, Illa, Berman, Terry
• Primary Examiner(s): Pond; Robert M.
• Application Number:
  US09/878,371
• Time in Patent Office: 2,982 Days
• Field of Search: 705 26- 27
• US Class Current: 705/26.41
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

A system and method for a enabling transactions based on provided informational and transactional data. Data distribution servers provide e-mail and other messages of topical interest to a subset of the subscribers. The content may be generated by an OLAP based channel database system, and the output may also be communicated to individuals via spreadsheet programs data, pager, telephone, mobile phone, fax, personal digital assistants, HTML e-mail and other formats, including a workbook file attachment. Reports generated may enable a subscriber to perform one or more transactions is response to the content, thereby permitting interaction with the report.

Claims

1. A process for providing a transaction enabled decision support system report to a subscriber, where the subscriber is able to perform a transaction based at least in part on information contained within the report, the process comprising the steps of:

aggregating, via a transaction module, content from multiple data sources and services;

selecting, via the transaction module, at least one element of information from the aggregated content;

generating, via an analytical engine, a report, wherein the report contains the at least one element of information and at least one activatable option for performing at least one transaction relative to the at least one element of information;

providing, via broadcast engine module, the report to the subscriber over a network;

receiving, via a transaction engine, an activation of the at least one activatable option for performing the at least one transaction, wherein the at least one transaction involves an exchange of value; and

facilitating, via a driver module, the performance of the transaction.

2. The process according to claim 1, wherein the at least one transaction comprises forwarding at least a portion of the at least one element of information to a third party.

3. The process according to claim 1, wherein the at least one transaction comprises purchasing an item based on the at least one element of information, and wherein the received activation includes an instruction to purchase the item.

4. The process according to claim 3, where the step of facilitating the at least one transaction further comprises:

a) identifying a third party associated with selling the item;

b) forwarding the received instruction to the third party;

c) receiving an indication from the third party regarding the purchase of the item; and

d) forwarding the received indication to the subscriber.

5. The process according to claim 1, wherein the step of generating a report further comprises:

a) accessing information from at least one information source;

b) selecting at least a portion of the accessed information;

c) determining a format for the report; and

d) selecting at least one link for enabling the subscriber to perform the at least one transaction based on the selected at least one element of information within the report.

6. The process according to claim 1, wherein the step of providing the report comprises transmitting the report to the subscriber.

7. The process according to claim 1, wherein the step of facilitating a transaction comprises a step of generating a second report.

8. The process according to claim 1, further comprising the step of presenting the report again to the subscriber after facilitating the transaction.

9. A system for providing a transaction enabled decision support system report to a subscriber, where the subscriber is able to perform a transaction based at least in part on information contained within the report, the system comprising:

content gathering means for gathering content from multiple data sources and services;

report generation means for generating a report, wherein the report comprises at least one element of information selected from the gathered content in the report;

transaction enabling means for transaction enabling the at least one element of information in the report through associating at least one activatable option for performing at least one transaction relative to the at least one element of information;

report providing means for providing the report to the subscriber over a network;

option selection receiving means for receiving selection of the at least one activatable option for performing the at least one transaction, wherein the at least one transaction involves an exchange of value; and

transaction facilitation means for facilitating the performance of the transaction.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one transaction comprises forwarding at least a portion of the at least one element of information to a third party.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one transaction comprises purchasing an item based on the at least one element of information, and wherein the received activation includes an instruction to purchase the item.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the transaction facilitating means identifies a third party associated with selling the item, forwards the received instruction to the third party, receives an indication from the third party regarding the purchase of the item, and forwards the received indication to the subscriber.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the report generation means accesses information from at least one information source;

and

wherein the transaction enabling means enables selection of at least a portion of the accessed information and provision of at least one link for enabling the subscriber to perform the at least one transaction based on the selected at least one element of information within the report.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the transaction facilitation means initiates an execution of a second report that is then transmitted to the subscriber.

15. The system of claim 9 wherein the report provision means provides the report again to the subscriber after facilitating the at least one transaction.

16. A medium storing code for causing a processor to enable a system user to transaction enable a decision support system report to be sent a subscriber, where the subscriber is able to perform a transaction based at least in part on information contained within the report, the medium comprising:

code for causing a processor to aggregate content from multiple data sources and services;

code for causing a processor to select at least one element of information from the aggregated content;

code for causing a processor to generate a report, wherein the report contains the at least one element of information and at least one activatable option for performing at least one transaction relative to the at least one element of information;

code for causing a processor to provide the report to the subscriber over a network;

code for causing a processor to receive an activation of the at least one activatable option for performing the at least one transaction, wherein the at least one transaction involves an exchange of value; and

code for causing a processor to facilitate the performance of the at least one transaction.

17. The medium of claim 16, further comprising code for causing a processor to:

a) identify a third party associated with selling an item;

b) forward received instruction to the third party;

c) receive an indication from the third party regarding a purchase of the item; and

d) forward the received indication to the subscriber.

18. The medium of claim 16, further comprising code for causing a processor to:

a) access information from at least one information source;

b) select at least a portion of the accessed information;

c) determine a format for the report; and

d) select at least one link for enabling the subscriber to perform the at least one transaction based on the selected at least one element of information within the report.

19. The medium of claim 16 further comprising code for causing a processor to generate a second report after the activation of the at least one activatable option.

20. The medium of claim 16 further comprising code for causing a processor to present the report again to the subscriber after facilitating the at least one transaction.