Event notification system and method

• US 8,037,212 B2
• Filed: 12/11/2006
• Issued: 10/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: eBuddy Technologies B.V.
• Original Assignee: eBuddy Holding B.V. (Booking Holdings, Inc., fka Priceline Group Inc.)
• Inventors: Bakker, Onno, Taylor, Paulo, Rueb, Jan-Joost
• Primary Examiner(s): Hafiz; Tariq
• Assistant Examiner(s): SUN, SCOTT C
• Application Number:
  US11/637,514
• Publication Number:
  US 20070168451A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,765 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 710/22
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/043 using or handling presence information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/216 Handling conversation history, e.g. grouping of messages in sessions or threads
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for supporting real-time applications in data packet communication real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM] H04L51/04; selective video distribution H04N21/00
• 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 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1044 Group management mechanisms management of multicast group membership H04L12/185; reconfiguring of node membership in a computing system to eliminate errors G06F11/1425
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/493 Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals

Abstract

A technique for user notification involves modifying a title associated with a process to include information about an event that calls for user notification. A method according to the technique may include running a process, processing an event, generating a string of characters that includes information associated with the event, and displaying the string of characters as a title associated with the process. A system constructed according to the technique may include a client, a title array, an event processing engine, and a title provisioning engine.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a title array, embodied in a computer readable medium, that includes a plurality of character strings for provisioning for display in a titlebar or taskbar on a display device;

an interface for receiving an event and for sending a display associated with the event to the display device;

an event processing engine, embodied in a computer-readable medium and coupled to the interface, for processing the event;

a title provisioning engine, embodied in a computer-readable medium and coupled to the event processing engine, for maintaining the title array and controlling which character string of the plurality of character strings to provide for display in the titlebar or taskbar on the display device, wherein at least one of the plurality of character strings serves as a notification of the event.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the event is received at the interface through a network from an event server.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the event is received at the interface from an input device.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising an output device, including the display device, to which a display is sent from the interface, wherein a title associated with at least a portion of the display includes at least a portion of the character string of the plurality of characters strings.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a title generator that generates a title for the display device according to state of a client, wherein the title provisioning engine controls the title generator to allow for the character string of the plurality of character strings to be used instead of the title generated according to the state of the client.