State change alerts mechanism

• US 7,624,172 B1
• Filed: 07/24/2000
• Issued: 11/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AOL LLC (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Austin-Lane, Christopher Emery
• Primary Examiner(s): Zia; Syed A.
• Application Number:
  US09/624,192
• Time in Patent Office: 3,410 Days
• Field of Search: 709/318, 709/206
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/046 Interoperability with other network applications or services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/226 Delivery according to priorities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A communications system including one or more alert gates and an alert controller. Each alert gate is configured to detect a different type of alert feed corresponding to a particular kind of alert. The alert controller is connected to the alert gates and operable to receive detected alerts from the alert gates and to deliver the detected alerts to a user of the communications system.

Claims

1. A communications system, comprising:

multiple alert gates, each alert gate being configured to detect a different type of alert feed corresponding to a particular type of alert; and

an alert multiplexer connected to the alert gates and operable to receive detected alerts from the alert gates and to deliver the detected alerts over an open TCP connection to a client system associated with a user of the communications system.

2. The communications system of claim 1, wherein the alert multiplexer is configured to maintain a record of alert types registered for by the user of the communications system.

3. The communications system of claim 1, wherein the user comprises a subscriber of an instant messaging system, and the alert multiplexer delivers one or more detected alerts to the subscriber through the instant messaging system.

4. The communications system of claim 1, wherein the user comprises a subscriber of an online service provider, and the alert multiplexer delivers one or more detected alerts to the subscriber through the online service provider.

5. The communications system of claim 1, further comprising multiple alert multiplexers, wherein the alert multiplexer is assigned to a user according to a hashing technique.

6. The communications system of claim 1, further comprising:

an instant messaging server connected to the alert multiplexer, the instant messaging server and the alert multiplexer being assigned to the user of the communications system.

7. The communications system of claim 6, wherein the instant messaging server is assigned to the user according to a hashing technique.

8. The communications system of claim 6, wherein the instant messaging server is connected to the alert multiplexer through a routing gateway.

9. The communications system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the alert gates detects an alert feed from a remote server.

10. The communications system of claim 9, wherein the at least one alert gate sends a status inquiry to the remote server.

11. The communications system of claim 9, wherein the remote server comprises a mail server.

12. The communications system of claim 9, wherein the remote server comprises a stock server.

13. The communications system of claim 9, wherein the remote server is a third party server.

14. The communications system of claim 9, wherein the remote server comprises a weather server.

15. The communications system of claim 9, wherein the remote server comprises a news server.

16. The communications system of claim 9, wherein the remote server comprises a calendar server.

17. The communications system of claim 1 further comprising an alert multiplexer network having multiple alert multiplexers including the alert multiplexer and the alert multiplexer being configured to communicate with all alert multiplexers in the alert multiplexer network.

18. The communications system of claim 1, wherein at least one type of alert feed contains information related to a group and the alert multiplexer is dedicated to receiving information related to certain members of the group.

19. The communications system of claim 18, wherein the group comprises a group of users.

20. The communications system of claim 18, wherein the group comprises a group of stocks.

21. The communications system of claim 18, wherein the group comprises a group of third parties.

22. The communications system of claim 18, wherein the group comprises a group of cities.

41. The communications system of claim 1, wherein the open TCP connection is established using an encrypted key.

47. The instant messaging system of claim 1, further comprising multiple alert multiplexers configured to communicate with the instant messaging server.

53. The communications system of claim 1, wherein the open TCP connection is used to establish a one-to-one connection with the client system.

54. The communications system of claim 1, wherein the alert multiplexer is further configured to deliver the detected alerts over a one-to-one connection to a second client system, the one-to-one connection being established using another open TCP connection.

23. A communications system, comprising:

an alert gate configured to detect an alert feed corresponding to a particular type of alert;

an alert multiplexer connected to the alert gate and operable to receive detected alerts from the alert gate and to deliver the detected alerts to a user of the communication system; and

an instant messaging server connected to the alert multiplexer, the instant messaging server and the alert multiplexer being assigned to the user of the communications system.

24. The communications system of claim 23, wherein the alert multiplexer is configured to maintain a record of alert types for which the user of the communications system has registered.

25. The communications system of claim 23, wherein the instant messaging server is assigned for use by certain users according to a hashing technique.

26. The communications system of claim 23, wherein the alert multiplexer is assigned for use by certain users according to a hashing technique.

27. The communications system of claim 23, wherein the instant messaging server is connected through a routing gateway to the alert multiplexer.

28. The communications system of claim 23, further comprising:

an instant messaging server network having multiple instant messaging servers including the instant messaging server; and

an alert multiplexer network having multiple alert multiplexers including the alert multiplexer,

wherein at least one instant messaging server and at least one alert multiplexer are configured to communicate with all instant messaging servers in the instant messaging server network and all alert multiplexers in the alert multiplexer network.

29. The communications system of claim 23, wherein at least one type of alert feed contains information related to a group and the alert multiplexer is dedicated to receiving information related to certain members of the group.

30. The communications system of claim 29, wherein the group comprises a group of users.

31. The communications system of claim 29, wherein the group comprises a group of stocks.

32. The communications system of claim 29, wherein the group comprises a group of cities.

33. The communications system of claim 23, wherein the alert gate detects the alert feed from a remote server.

34. The communications system of claim 33, wherein the alert gate sends a status inquiry to the remote server.

35. The communications system of claim 33, wherein the remote server comprises a mail server.

36. The communications system of claim 33, wherein the remote server comprises a stock server.

37. The communications system of claim 33, wherein the remote server comprises a weather server.

38. The communications system of claim 33, wherein the remote server comprises a news server.

39. The communications system of claim 33, wherein the remote server comprises a calendar server.

42. The communications system of claim 23, wherein the alert multiplexer is configured to deliver the detected alerts over an open TCP connection to a client system associated with the user.

43. The communications system of claim 42, wherein the open TCP connection is established using an encrypted key.

40. A communications method comprising:

detecting, at an alert gate, an alert feed corresponding to an alert indicative of a change in state at a remote server;

receiving, at an alert multiplexer, a detected alert from the alert gate; and

delivering, by at least one computer, the detected alert over an open TCP connection to a client system associated with a user of the communication system who has requested to receive the alert.

55. The communications method of claim 40, wherein the open TCP connection is used to establish a one-to-one connection with the client system.

56. The communications method of claim 40, further comprising delivering the detected alert over a one-to-one connection to a second client system, the one-to-one connection being established using another open TCP connection.

44. An instant messaging system with alert capabilities, the instant messaging system comprising:

an alert gate configured to detect an alert feed corresponding to a particular type of alert;

an instant messaging server in communication with an alert multiplexer, the instant messaging server configured to enable a client system associated with a user of the communications system to establish an open TCP connection with the alert multiplexer; and

the alert multiplexer connected to the alert gate and operable to receive a detected alert from the alert gate and send over the open TCP connection a message to the client system based on the detected alert.

45. The instant messaging system of claim 44, wherein the instant messaging server is also configured to establish an open TCP connection with the client system and provide instant messaging services over the open TCP connection.

46. The instant messaging system of claim 44, wherein the open TCP connection is established using an encrypted key.

48. The instant messaging system of claim 44, wherein the multiple alert multiplexers are configured to communicate with the instant messaging server through a routing gateway.

49. The instant messaging system of claim 44, wherein each of the multiple alert multiplexers are configured to store information about a particular set of alerts.

50. The instant messaging system of claim 44, wherein each of the multiple alert multiplexers is configured to store user information for a subset of the users of the instant messaging system.

51. The instant messaging system of claim 44, further comprising multiple instant messaging servers configured to communicate with the multiple alert multiplexers.

52. The instant messaging system of claim 51, wherein the multiple instant messaging servers are configured to communicate with the multiple alert multiplexers through one or more routing gateways.

57. The instant messaging system of claim 44, wherein the open TCP connection is used to establish a one-to-one connection with the client system.

58. The instant messaging system of claim 44, wherein the alert multiplexer is further configured to send the message over a one-to-one connection to a second client system, the one-to-one connection being established using another open TCP connection.