Replication and synchronization of syndication content at an email server

• US 7,734,586 B2
• Filed: 04/12/2006
• Issued: 06/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sitrion Incorporated (Limeade, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Sitrion Incorporated (Limeade, Inc.)
• Inventors: Mohler, Lane Richard, Reinacker, Gregory A.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, CAM LINH T
• Application Number:
  US11/403,176
• Publication Number:
  US 20070244901A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,518 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/3, 707/10, 707/100, 707/104.1, 709/206
• US Class Current: 707/628
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1859 adapted to provide push services, e.g. data channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

A system and method for providing content to an enterprise is described. One embodiment includes receiving, from each of a plurality of users within an enterprise, subscription information, which indicates content feeds that each corresponding user desires to receive content from and retrieving content items from a plurality of feeds. The content items are stored in a first data store and at least a portion of the content items are replicated in a second data store that is utilized by an email message system of the enterprise so as to enable each of the plurality of users to view content items via the email message system.

Claims

1. A method for providing syndicated content to an enterprise comprising:

receiving, from each of a plurality of users within an enterprise, subscription information, wherein the subscription information for each user indicates content feeds that each corresponding user desires to receive content from;

retrieving content items from a plurality of feeds;

storing the content items in a first data store;

replicating at least a portion of the content items in a second data store that is utilized by an email message system of the enterprise so as to enable each of the plurality of users to view content items via the email message system;

assigning a status indicator to each of the content items replicated in the second data store; and

synchronizing the first and second data stores so that each of the content items in each of the data stores is associated with the status indicator;

wherein content items received from users via email are stored in the first data store in a manner that renders them accessible to other users in the enterprise in the same manner as the content items retrieved from the plurality of feeds.

2. The method of claim 1 including:

determining whether each of the content items is a new content item relative to previously received content items; and

assigning an indicator to each new content item that indicates each new content item is an unread content item.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the indicator is selected from the group consisting of a read indicator, a deleted indicator and a flag.

4. The method of claim 1 including:

storing at both the first and second data stores, for each of the plurality of users, hierarchy information that is unique to each user, wherein the hierarchy information includes information defining a hierarchy of folders for storing content items; and

synchronizing the hierarchy information at the first and second data stores so that a change in hierarchy information at one of the first and second data stores is also made at the other data store.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the retrieving includes retrieving content items generated within the enterprise.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the content feeds are content feeds selected from the group consisting of Atom feeds, RDF feeds and RSS feeds.

7. A system for providing content items to users within an enterprise comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor;

a content service stored in the memory configured to retrieve content items from a plurality of feeds;

a data store configured to store the content items;

a web page server configured to serve web pages including;

a subscription web page, which enables each of the users to enter subscription information, wherein the subscription information for each of the users indicates the content feeds that each of the users desires to receive content from;

an administrator subscription web page for defining user group subscription information for each of the users, wherein the user group subscription information is associated with at least one user group of each user, the user group subscription information being uneditable by the users; and

a presentation web page, which enables each of the users to view content items from the data store and to alter a status of a content item; and

a sync agent configured to cause the processor to replicate and send at least a portion of the content items to an email message system of the enterprise so as to enable each of the users to view content items via a second data store of the email message system; and

an alert agent configured to;

receive an indication that a user has altered a status indicator of a content item; and

enter a request, in a queue for the sync agent, to update the second data store with the altered status indicator;

wherein the sync agent is configured to take the request off the queue and communicate the alteration of the status indicator via the email message system of the enterprise so as to synchronize the status indicator of the content item, relative to the user, at the first and second data stores.

8. The system of claim 7, including:

a sync listener configured to;

receive an alert from the email message system, wherein the alert indicates a change in a status of a content item; and

enter a request, in a queue for the sync agent, to update the first data store with the altered status;

wherein the sync agent is configured to take the request off the queue and effectuate the change in status of the content item in the first data store so as to synchronize the status of the content item, relative to the user, at the first and second data stores.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the web page server is configured to serve a web page that enables each user to create a collection of folders for storing content items.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the sync agent is configured to synchronize the collection of folders in the first data store with a second collection folder in the second data store.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the content feeds are content feeds selected from the group consisting of Atom feeds, RDF feeds and RSS feeds.

12. A system for providing syndicated content items to users within an enterprise comprising:

an enterprise email server configured to provide email messaging services to a plurality of users in the enterprise;

a messaging server data store coupled to the enterprise email server, wherein the messaging server data store is configured to store content items for each of the plurality of users; and

a content aggregator disposed behind a firewall of the enterprise and coupled to the enterprise email server, wherein the content aggregator is configured to;

retrieve, into an aggregator data store, content items from a plurality of content feeds outside of the firewall and replicate the retrieved content items in the messaging service data store so as to enable each of the plurality of users to view content items via the email message system;

assign a status indicator to each of the content items; and

synchronize the messaging server data store and the aggregator data store so that the particular content item at each of the data stores is associated with the status indicator;

wherein content items received from users via email are stored in the aggregator data store in a manner that renders them accessible to other users in the enterprise in the same manner as the content items retrieved from the plurality of content feeds.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the indicator is selected from the group consisting of a read indicator, a deleted indicator and a flag.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the content aggregator is configured to enable each of the plurality of users to generate a hierarchy of folders for storing the content items and to synchronize the hierarchy of folders between the aggregator data store and the messaging server data store.

15. The system of claim 12 wherein the content aggregator is communicatively coupled to the plurality of users in the enterprise, and wherein the content aggregator is configured to enable each of the plurality of users to subscribe to particular ones of the plurality of content feeds.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the content feeds are content feeds selected from the group consisting of Atom feeds, RDF feeds and RSS feeds.