Information distribution system

• US 20040064429A1
• Filed: 09/27/2002
• Published: 04/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Walgreen Co. (Walgreens Boots Alliance Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Walgreen Co. (Walgreens Boots Alliance Incorporated)
• Inventors: Hayden, Curt, Hirstius, Charles, Diatte, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 7,349,921 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/40 Arrangements for broadcast specially adapted for accumulation-type receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

An information distribution system may be used to communicate information from a central server to a number of repository systems, which may store and further distribute the information to clients. Users may make requests for the central server to distribute particular information to repository systems and further to clients. The central server may batch requests for redundant information over a time period and may and distribute the requested information at off-peak communication traffic times. The repository systems, as well as the clients, may provide to a user a central catalog listing information that is both local and available from the central server upon request. The central catalog may include categorizations organized to provide users with an easily readable interface. For example, the central catalog may include seasonal, employee, corporate news and advertising categories into which informational content may be organized.

Claims

1. A content delivery system, comprising:

a storage component storing a first portion of information;

a database storing a list of information stored in the storage component; and

a server adapted to receive from a first entity a request for the first portion of information and to hold said request for the first portion of information for a period of time while waiting to receive subsequent requests from other entities for the first portion of information, the server, at the expiration of the period of time, accessing the storage component to read the first portion of information, the server further adapted to simultaneously transmit the first portion of information to the first entity and any other entities that requested the first portion of information.

2. The content delivery system of claim 1, wherein the first entity comprises an information repository comprising local content.

3. The content delivery system of claim 2, wherein the first entity comprises a menu system comprising menu entries representative of the local content of the information repository and menu entries representative of information stored in the storage component.

4. The content delivery system of claim 3, wherein the menu system enables a user to indicate a desire to view information stored in the storage component.

5. The content delivery system of claim 3, wherein the menu entries representative of the local content and the menu entries representative of information stored in the storage component are organized by categories in the menu system.

6. The content delivery system of claim 5, wherein the categories in the menu system comprise categories selected from the group consisting of seasonal information, employee orientation, corporate news and advertising.

7. The content delivery system of claim 1, wherein the server is adapted to multicast the first portion of information to the first entity and any other entities that requested the first portion of information.

8. The content delivery system of claim 1, wherein the storage component stores a second portion of information and the server is adapted to receive requests for the second portion of information and wherein the server first delivers one of the first and second portions of information first based on a number of requests received for one of the first and second portions of information.

9. A method of delivering information from a first location comprising a storage component storing a first portion of information, a database storing a list of information stored in the storage component and a server, the method comprising:

receiving at the first location from a first entity a request for the first portion of information;

holding said request for the first portion of information for a period of time while waiting to receive subsequent requests at the first location from other entities for the first portion of information;

reading, at the expiration of the period of time, the first portion of information;

simultaneously transmitting the first portion of information from the first location to the first entity and any other entities that requested the first portion of information.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first entity comprises an information repository comprising local content.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising presenting at the first entity a menu comprising menu entries representative of the local content of the information repository and menu entries representative of information stored in the storage component.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising enabling a user to indicate a desire to view information stored in the storage component.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising presenting the menu entries representative of the local content and the menu entries representative of information stored in the storage in a manner organized by categories.

14. The menu of claim 13, wherein the categories in the categories are selected from the group consisting of seasonal information, employee orientation, corporate news and advertising.

15. The menu of claim 9, wherein simultaneously transmitting the first portion of information from the first location to the first entity and any other entities that requested the first portion of information comprises multicasting the first portion of information to the first entity and any other entities that requested the first portion of information.

16. A content delivery system, comprising:

a storage component storing a first portion of information;

a database storing a list of information stored in the storage component; and

a server adapted to receive from a first entity a request for a first portion of information and to hold said request for the first portion of information until a predetermined time while waiting to receive subsequent requests from other entities for the first portion of information, the server, at the predetermined time, accessing the storage component to read the first portion of information, the server further adapted to simultaneously transmit the first portion of information to the first entity and any other entities that requested the first portion of information.

17. The content delivery system of claim 16, wherein the first entity comprises an information repository comprising local content.

18. The content delivery system of claim 17, wherein the first entity comprises a menu system comprising menu entries representative of the local content of the information repository and menu entries representative of information stored in the storage component.

19. The content delivery system of claim 18, wherein the menu system enables a user to indicate a desire to view information stored in the storage component.

20. The content delivery system of claim 18, wherein the menu entries representative of the local content and the menu entries representative of information stored in the storage component are organized by categories in the menu system.

21. The content delivery system of claim 20, wherein the categories in the menu system comprise categories selected from the group consisting of seasonal information, employee orientation, corporate news and advertising.

22. The content delivery system of claim 16, wherein the server is adapted to multicast the first portion of information to the first entity and any other entities that requested the first portion of information.

23. The content delivery system of claim 16, wherein the predetermined time is a time at which network congestion is low.

24. The content delivery system of claim 16, wherein the predetermined time is a time at which an expense of transmitting information is reduced.

25. A method of delivering information from a first location comprising a storage component storing a first portion of information, a database storing a list of information stored in the storage component and a server, the method comprising:

receiving at the first location from a first entity a request for the first portion of information;

holding said request until a predetermined time while waiting to receive subsequent requests at the first location from other entities for the first portion of information;

reading, at the expiration of the period of time, the first portion of information;

simultaneously transmitting the first portion of information from the first location to the first entity and any other entities that requested the first portion of information.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the first entity comprises an information repository comprising local content.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising presenting at the first entity a menu comprising menu entries representative of the local content of the information repository and menu entries representative of information stored in the storage component.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising enabling a user to indicate a desire to view information stored in the storage component.

29. The method of claim 27, further comprising presenting the menu entries representative of the local content and the menu entries representative of information stored in the storage in a manner organized by categories.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the categories in the categories are selected from the group consisting of seasonal information, employee orientation, corporate news and advertising.

31. The method of claim 25, wherein simultaneously transmitting the first portion of information from the first location to the first entity and any other entities that requested the first portion of information comprises multicasting the first portion of information to the first entity and any other entities that requested the first portion of information.

32. The method of claim 25, wherein the predetermined time is a time at which network congestion is low.

33. The method of claim 25, wherein the predetermined time is a time at which an expense of transmitting information is reduced.