Content bank for objects

• US 7,979,355 B2
• Filed: 06/10/2008
• Issued: 07/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Shah, Baiju, Horner, Ryan
• Primary Examiner(s): CHEUNG, MARY DA ZHI WANG
• Application Number:
  US12/136,468
• Publication Number:
  US 20080243873A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,127 Days
• Field of Search: 705 50- 56, 709201-203, 709223-229, 707/609, 707/689, 707/705, 707/821
• 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. A computer-implemented content bank system for use in processing object-related information regarding at least one object, comprising:

at least one identity module that, when invoked, provides a digital identity instance corresponding to and acting as a proxy for an object, wherein the at least one identity module comprises a service registry module that lists available services for the object; and

at least one content module that, when invoked by the digital identity instance, processes object-related information associated with the object.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one identity module comprises a profile module that administers information descriptive of the object.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one identity module comprises a usage module that administers information regarding usage of the object.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one identity module comprises a maintenance module that administers information regarding maintenance operations performed on the object.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one identity module comprises a health module that administers information regarding condition of the object.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one identity module comprises a location module that administers information regarding a location of the object.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one identity module comprises a schedule module that administers information regarding future assignments of the object.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one identity module comprises a family module that administers information regarding relationships between the object and other objects.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one identity module comprises a security module that administers information regarding any of:

data sharing rules, user rules and access rights.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one identity module comprises an alerts module that administers communication between modules of the at least one identity module.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the alerts module administers communications between the digital identity instance and third parties external to the content bank system.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one content module comprises a translation module for converting the object-related information to a common representation format.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one content module comprises a rendering module for determining a format for sending the object-related information to a third party.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one content module comprises a transformation module for adding contextual information to the object-related information.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one content module comprises an aggregation module that aggregates the object-related information with other object-related information corresponding to other objects.