Event notification system and method

• US RE46,328 E1
• Filed: 09/19/2014
• Issued: 02/28/2017
• 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: Taylor, Paulo, Rueb, Jan-Joost C., Bakker, Onno
• Primary Examiner(s): Banankhah, Majid A
• Application Number:
  US14/491,895
• Time in Patent Office: 893 Days
• Field of Search: 710/30, 710/15, 710/2, 710/5, 710/8
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 17/3089 Web site content organization and management, e.g. publishing, automatic linking or maintaining pages
• 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 51/16 including conversation history, e.g. threads
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/22 Mailbox-related details computer aided management of electronic mail G06Q10/10
• 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 67/2814 for data redirection load balancing of replicated servers H04L67/1002; access network selection H04L12/5691; routing or path finding of packets H04L45/00; content or context based routing H04L67/327; network addressing or naming provisions H04L61/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/2823 for conversion or adaptation of application content or format message adaptation based on network or terminal capabilities H04L51/06; media manipulation, adaptation or conversion in real-time communications H04L65/601; protocol conversion H04L69/08; optimising visualization of content for web browsing G06F16/9577
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72547 with interactive input/output means for internally managing multimedia messages mail systems for messages comprising audio and non-audio components H04M3/5307; message switching systems H04L51/00
• 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 method comprising:

receiving information related to an event that calls for user notification;

processing an the event that calls for user notification;

providing a script into a portion of an application associated with the event;

generatinginterpreting the script to generate an event notification for the event;

storing the event notification in an array;

providing the event notification from the array to a process executed by a processor;

using the event notification as first information in a user interface element related to a title in association with the process;

providing an alternative title from the array to the process;

using the alternative title as a second information in the user interface element related to the title in association with the process.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating the alternative title, wherein the alternative title is associated with the event;

storing the alternative title in the array.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the event is a first event and the alternative title is a second event notification, further comprising:

processing a second event that calls for user notification;

generating the second event notification for the second event;

storing the second event notification in the array.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating the alternative title as a NULL string.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising alternating using the event notification as a title in association with the process with a variation of the event notification.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating the alternative title as a variation of the event notification.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving affirmation that user notification was successful;

clearing the array.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising repetitively using the event notification as a title in association with the process.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

using the event notification as a title in association with the process one or more times;

removing the event notification from the array.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface element comprises a titlebar or a taskbar related to the title.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the first information and the second information comprises text related to the user interface element.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the one or more of the first information and the second information further comprises an image related to the user interface element.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein the first information and the second information is configured to be visible when the user interface element is not visible to a user.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein the first information and the second information is configured to alternate between one another.

26. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is implemented using one or more of:

an AJAX technology, and a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) technology.

27. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is implemented using one or more of:

an open socket technology, and a manual refresh technology.

28. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is implemented using automatic refreshes in a hidden frame.

4. The method of claim L further comprising alternating using the event notification as a title in association with the process with using a NULL string.

11. A system comprising:

a means for processing an event that calls for user notification;

a means for generating an event notification for the event;

a means for storing the event notification in an array;

a means for providing the event notification from the array to a process;

a means for using the event notification as a title in association with the process;

a means for providing an alternative title from the array to the process;

a means for using the alternative title as a title in association with the process.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

generating the alternative title, wherein the alternative title is associated with the event;

storing the alternative title in the array.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the event is a first event and the alternative title is a second event notification, further comprising:

a means for processing a second event that calls for user notification;

a means for generating the second event notification for the second event;

a means for storing the second event notification in the array.

14. The system of claim 11, further comprising a means for alternating using the event notification as a title in association with the process with using a NULL string.

15. The system of claim 11, further comprising a means for generating the alternative title as a NULL string.

16. The system of claim 11, further comprising a means for alternating using the event notification as a title in association with the process with a variation of the event notification.

17. The system of claim 11, further comprising a means for generating the alternative title as a variation of the event notification.

18. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

a means for receiving affirmation that user notification was successful;

a means for clearing the array.

19. The system of claim 11, further comprising a means for repetitively using the event notification as a title in association with the process.

20. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

a means for using the event notification as a title in association with the process one or more times;

a means for removing the event notification from the array.