Method and system for contextual messaging as utilized for decision support

• US 8,438,230 B2
• Filed: 10/13/2008
• Issued: 05/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Attainia, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Attainia, Inc.
• Inventors: McVicker, Wayne
• Primary Examiner(s): Park, Jeong S
• Application Number:
  US12/250,439
• Publication Number:
  US 20090100140A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,667 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 715/733, 715/738
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

A method and system for contextual messaging as utilized for decision support is disclosed. According to one embodiment, a computer-implemented method, comprises receiving and storing information from an administrative client that establishes memberships of a plurality of clients to a common contextual messaging system. Nomenclature information is received from the administrative client that establishes a nomenclature for the common contextual messaging system. A first client of the plurality of clients is permitted to accessing a contextual messaging host server via a web browser associated with the first client. A message is received from the first client. A message context is determined for the message using the nomenclature information. Messages are clustered based on the message context in a message database.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving and storing information from an administrative client that establishes memberships of a plurality of clients to a common contextual messaging system;

receiving and storing nomenclature information from the administrative client that establishes a nomenclature for the common contextual messaging system;

receiving a plurality of messages from one or more of the plurality of clients;

determining a message context for each message using the nomenclature information;

clustering the messages based on the message context in a message database;

determining a current context associated with each request to access the plurality of messages from a plurality of users;

determining a message view for each request based on a correlation of the current context of the request with the message context of each message;

providing to a first device a first message view associated with the plurality of messages based on a first current context associated with a first request from a first user, the first request being from the first device; and

providing to the first device a second message view associated with the plurality of messages based on a second current context associated with a second request from the first user, the second request being from the first device, the first message view being different from the second message view.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein message context comprises category, supplier, and product.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein authorization to create messages is determined by administratively controlled user permissions;

and determining if the first client has adequate permission to create a message.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein messages are delivered based on a set of message delivery rules.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein messages are read-only or read-write.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein messages may be edited or deleted by a message author.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein messages may be deleted by a user other than a message author.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein message views contain programmatic actions.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the plurality of messages includes a first message;

the first message view includes a first subset of information from the first message; and

the second message view includes a second subset of information from the first message, the first subset of information being different than the second subset of information.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the plurality of messages includes a first message and a second message;

the first message view includes information from the first message but not the second message; and

the second message view includes information from the second message but not the first message.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the first request is from a first application at the first device; and

the second request is from the first application at the first device.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon a plurality of instructions, said plurality of instructions when executed by a computer, cause said computer to perform:

receiving and storing information from an administrative client that establishes memberships of a plurality of clients to a common contextual messaging system;

receiving and storing nomenclature information from the administrative client that establishes a nomenclature for the common contextual messaging system;

receiving a plurality of messages from one or more of the plurality of clients;

determining a message context for each message using the nomenclature information;

clustering the messages based on the message context in a message database;

determining a current context associated with each request to access the plurality of messages from a plurality of users;

determining a message view for each request based on a correlation of the current context of the request with the message context of each message;

providing to a first device a first message view associated with the plurality of messages based on a first current context associated with a first request from a first user, the first request being from the first device; and

providing to the first device a second message view associated with the plurality of messages based on a second current context associated with a second request from the first user, the second request being from the first device, the first message view being different from the second message view.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein message context comprises category, supplier, and product.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein authorization to create messages is determined by administratively controlled user permissions;

and wherein the plurality of instructions cause the computer to perform determining if the first client has adequate permission to create a message.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein:

determining a current context includes, for each request, determining a current context of a workflow for the user issuing the request;

providing the first message view includes filtering the plurality of messages to provide a subset of the plurality of messages based on the first current context; and

providing the second message view includes filtering the plurality of messages to provide a second subset of the plurality of messages based on the second current context, the first and second subsets being different.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 12, wherein:

the first request is from a first application at the first device; and

the second request is from the first application at the first device.

17. A system, comprising:

a contextual messaging host server;

a database that stores nomenclature, product and messaging information in communication with the contextual messaging host server; and

an administrative client in communication with the contextual messaging host server that establishes memberships of a plurality of clients to the common contextual messaging host server;

wherein the administrative client establishes a nomenclature for the common contextual messaging system; and

wherein the contextual messaging host server receives a plurality of messages from one or more of the plurality of clients, determines a message context for each message using the nomenclature information, clusters the messages based on the message context in a message database, determines a current context associated with each request to access the plurality of messages from a plurality of users, determines a message view for each request based on a correlation of the current context of the request with the message context of each message, provides a first message view associated with the plurality of messages based on a first current context associated with a first request from a first user and provides a second message view associated with the plurality of messages based on a second current context associated with a second request from the first user, the first message view being different from the second message view, the first request and the second request being from a first application at a first device.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein message contexts include category, supplier, and product.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein authorization to create messages is determined by administratively controlled user permissions.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein messages are delivered based on a set of message delivery rules.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein message views contain programmatic actions.