Systems and methods for analyzing, integrating and updating media contact and content data

• US 8,296,324 B2
• Filed: 10/26/2009
• Issued: 10/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Engage121, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Engage121, Inc.
• Inventors: Strumpf, Kurt, Victor, Jon
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Hung Q
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cheung, Hubert
• Application Number:
  US12/605,998
• Publication Number:
  US 20100106702A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,093 Days
• Field of Search: 707/790, 707/772
• US Class Current: 707/790
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/20 of structured data, e.g. relational data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce

Abstract

A computer implemented system for integrating and searching media related databases comprising a first server for receiving digital content from at least one of a plurality of sources, a second server for receiving queries from at least one of a plurality of user computing devices, and a database access layer being utilized by the first and second servers to read and write to a plurality of databases. The plurality of databases comprise a content database and a media database. The content database receives at least one article of digital content from the first server via the database access layer and stores the at least one article. The media database contains at least one journalist data and media outlet data. A mapping module matches journalist data and media outlet data to at least one journalist data and media outlet data contained in the media database.

Claims

1. A computer implemented system for integrating and searching media related databases comprising:

a first server for receiving digital content from at least one of a plurality of sources;

a second server for receiving at least one query from at least one user operating at least one of a plurality of user computing devices, wherein the received at least one query from the at least one user comprising a target document, and wherein the target document is one of a document file or a textual content;

a database access layer being utilized by the first server and the second server to read and write to a plurality of databases,

wherein the plurality of databases includes a content database and a media database, the content database receiving at least one article of the received digital content from the first server via the database access layer and storing the at least one article, and the media database containing at least one author data and at least one media outlet data;

a mapping module for matching author data and media outlet data from the received digital content to the at least one author data and the at least one media outlet data contained in the media database; and

wherein, responsive to the receiving the at least one query from the at least one user comprising the target document, the second server is configured to;

determine a subject of the target document;

determine the at least one article of the received digital content stored in the content database that is relevant to the determined subject of the target document;

for the determined at least one article of the received digital content, determine at least one author data and at least one media outlet data from the matched author data and the matched media outlet data that are mapped to the determined at least one article of the received digital content; and

provide to the at least one user computing device operated by the at least one user, a list of user-selectable links, wherein at least one of the list of user-selectable links corresponds to the determined at least one article of the received digital content and to the determined at least one author data and the determined at least one media outlet data that are mapped to the determined at least one article of the received digital content.

2. The computer implemented system of claim 1, further comprising a mapping database for storing mapping data between byline data and source outlet data of the at least one article of the received digital content in the content database and the at least one author data and the at least one media outlet data in the media database and for updating the media database.

3. The computer implemented system of claim 2, wherein the first server includes a pre-parser for receiving the digital content including a plurality of articles and parsing out a plurality of data elements from each of the plurality of articles in the digital content.

4. The computer implemented system of claim 3, wherein the parsed plurality of data elements from each of the plurality of articles in the digital content includes at least one of a headline, a byline, a date, a media outlet source, a content body, and a section where a broadcast or a print edition of the article was found.

5. The computer implemented system of claim 3, wherein the pre-parser forwards the parsed plurality of data elements from each of the plurality of articles in the digital content to the mapping module for comparison to the mapping data stored in the mapping database;

wherein the parsed plurality of data elements from each of the plurality of articles in the digital content are stored in a matched content database for articles that are matched to authors or stored in an unmatched content database for articles that could not be matched to the authors.

6. The computer implemented system of claim 5, wherein the first server further includes an exceptions processor for pulling unmatched digital content data from the unmatched content database and formatting a call down project to telemarketers to update the unmatched digital content data and forward the updated unmatched digital content data to the content database via the mapping module.

7. The computer implemented system of claim 6, wherein the pre-parser generates a normalized Extensible Markup Language (XML) file of the updated unmatched digital content data for processing by the indexing database.

8. The computer implemented system of claim 2, wherein the first server forwards the received digital content to the mapping module for comparison to the mapping data stored in the mapping database and storing the received digital content in a matched content database for articles that are matched to authors or an unmatched content database for articles that could not be matched to the authors.

9. The computer implemented system of claim 8, wherein the second server includes a simple search engine for providing at least one web page to the at least one of the plurality of user computing devices for the at least one user to enter various search criteria.

10. The computer implemented system of claim 9, wherein the various search criteria includes at least one of an author name, a media outlet name or a keyword.

11. The computer implemented system of claim 10, wherein the simple search engine receives search criteria from the at least one of the plurality of user computing devices and the simple search engine creates a query and compares query data to data in the matched content database for articles.

12. The computer implemented system of claim 11, wherein the simple search engine receives query results including the stored mapping data of the at least one article of the received digital content and identifiers of the matched media outlet data and the matched author data with the at least one article of the received digital content.

13. The computer implemented system of claim 12, wherein the simple search engine queries the media database for media contact data about the matched media outlet data and the matched author data and then provides the results of the query to the at least one of the plurality of user computing devices as a formatted web page with links to more detailed information.

14. The computer implemented system of claim 9, wherein the simple search engine receives an uploaded press release document or a cut and paste content of a press release document at the at least one web page from the at least one of the plurality of user computing devices.

15. The computer implemented system of claim 1, further comprising a report database for storing user report requests.

16. The computer implemented system of claim 1, further comprising an indexing database for receiving the digital content from the first server and maintaining an index of the digital content.

17. The computer implemented system of claim 16, further comprising an archiver for receiving the digital content from the indexing database and for managing the indexing database and storing the digital content.

18. The computer implemented system of claim 17, wherein the archiver further includes a full archive for storing a complete text of the digital content for a predetermined period of days and a summary archive for storing a summary of the digital content after the predetermined period of days.

19. The computer implemented system of claim 1, wherein the second server is further configured to:

responsive to a selection by the at least one user of at least one of the list of user-selectable links, provide to the at least one of the plurality of user computing devices operated by the at least one user, information relating to an author identified by the at least one author data and information relating to a media outlet identified by the at least one media outlet data.

20. A method for integrating, searching, and updating media related databases comprising the steps of:

receiving digital content from at least one of a plurality of sources at a first server;

receiving at least one article of digital content from the first server and storing the at least one article of digital content in a content database;

receiving at least one author and at least one media outlet data of the received digital content from the first server and storing the at least one author and the at least one media outlet data in a media database;

storing mapping data between a byline and source outlet data of articles of digital content in the content database and author data and media outlet data in the media database in a mapping database to update the media database;

receiving, at a second server, a query comprising a target document from a user, wherein the target document is one of a document file or a textual content; and

responsive to receiving, at the second server, the query comprising the target document from the user;

determining a subject of the target document;

determining the at least one article of digital content stored in the content database that is relevant to the determined subject of the target document;

for the determined at least one article of digital content, determining at least one author data and at least one media outlet data from the stored mapping data that are mapped to the determined at least one article of digital content; and

providing to at least one user computing device operated by the user, a list of user-selectable links, wherein at least one of the list of user-selectable links corresponds to the determined at least one article of digital content and to the determined at least one author data and the determined at least one media outlet data that are mapped to the determined at least one article of digital content.

21. A method for integrating, searching, and updating media related databases comprising the steps of:

receiving digital content from at least one of a plurality of sources at a first server that includes a pre-parser;

storing the received digital content in a content database;

parsing out a plurality of data elements from each of a plurality of articles in the received digital content using the pre-parser, wherein the plurality of data elements includes at least one of a headline, a byline, a date, a media outlet source, a content body, and a section where a broadcast or a print edition of the article was found;

forwarding the parsed plurality of data elements from each of the plurality of articles in the received digital content to a mapping module for comparison to mapping data stored in a mapping database, wherein the mapping data includes mapping data between a byline and source outlet data of articles in the content database and author data and media outlet data in a media database;

storing the parsed plurality of data elements of from each of the plurality of articles in the received digital content in a matched content database for articles that are matched to authors;

storing the parsed plurality of data elements from each of the plurality of articles in the received digital content in an unmatched content database for articles that could not be matched to the authors;

pulling unmatched digital content data from the unmatched content database at an exceptions processor of the first server and formatting a call down project to telemarketers to update the unmatched digital content data;

forwarding the updated unmatched digital content data to a the content database via the mapping module;

receiving, at a second server, a query comprising a target document from a user, wherein the target document is one of a document file or a textual content; and

responsive to receiving, at the second server, a the query comprising the target document from the user;

determining a subject of the target document;

determining at least one article of the received digital content stored in the content database that is relevant to the determined subject of the target document;

for the determined at least one article of the received digital content, determining at least one author data and at least one media outlet data from the stored mapping data that are mapped to the determined at least one article of the received digital content; and

providing to at least one user computing device operated by the user, a list of user-selectable links, wherein at least one of the list of user-selectable links corresponds to the determined at least one article of the received digital content and to the determined at least one author data and the determined at least one media outlet data that are mapped to the determined at least one article of the received digital content.