System, method and article of manufacture for advanced information gathering for targetted activities

• US 20040143573A1
• Filed: 12/29/2003
• Published: 07/22/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Knapp Investment Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Chad Burkey, Denise Ho
• Inventors: Burkey, Chad, Ho, Denise
• Granted Patent: US 7,149,741 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/335 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles filtering in web context G06F16/9535, G06F16/9536
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/95 Retrieval from the web
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/959 Network
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

An agent based system assists in preparing an individual for an upcoming meeting by helping him/her retrieve relevant information about the meeting from various sources based on preexisting information in the system. The system obtains input text in character form indicative of the target meeting from a calendar program that includes the time of the meeting. As the time of the meeting approaches, the calendar program is queried to obtain the text of the target event and that information is utilized as input to the agent system. Then, the agent system parses the input meeting text to extract its various components such as title, body, participants, location, time etc. The system also performs pattern matching to identify particular meeting fields in a meeting text. This information is utilized to query various sources of information on the web and obtain relevant stories about the current meeting to send back to the calendaring system. For example, if an individual has a meeting with Netscape and Microsoft to talk about their disputes, the system obtains this initial information from the calendaring system. It will then parse out the text to realize that the companies in the meeting are “Netscape” and “Microsoft” and the topic is “disputes”. It will then surf the web for relevant information concerning the topic. Thus, in accordance with an objective of the invention, the system updates the calendaring system and eventually the user with the best information it can gather to prepare for the target meeting. In accordance with a preferred embodiment, the information is stored in a file that is obtained via selection from a link imbedded in the calendar system.

Claims

1. A method for creating an information summary, comprising the steps of:

(a) retrieving a plurality of terms descriptive of an upcoming event;

(b) creating a query based on the terms;

(c) querying a network of information utilizing the query; and

(d) updating the information associated with the upcoming event with information from the query.

2. A method for creating an information summary as recited in claim 1, including the step of parsing the terms based on predefined criteria to create the query.

3. A method for creating an information summary as recited in claim 1, including the step of providing constants that are utilized by the system for dynamically configuring the system based on current user inputs.

4. A method for creating an information summary as recited in claim 1, including the step of ranking the results based on relevance to meeting criteria.

5. A method for creating an information summary as recited in claim 1, including the step of utilizing proximity to a meeting date as a filtering device for the information summary.

6. A method for creating an information summary as recited in claim 1, including the step of pattern recognition to enhance the location of pertinent information.

7. A method for creating an information summary as recited in claim 1, including support for querying the Internet to obtain pertinent information.

8. A method for creating an information summary as recited in claim 1, including optimizing the query for a particular search engine.

9. A method for creating an information summary as recited in claim 1, including the step of responding to updates of the meeting information to obtain additional summary information pertinent to the updates.

10. An apparatus that creates an information summary, comprising;

(a) a processor;

(b) a memory that stores information under the control of the processor;

(c) logic that retrieves a plurality of terms descriptive of an upcoming event;

(d) logic that creates a query based on the terms;

(e) logic that queries a network of information utilizing the query; and

(f) logic that updates the information associated with the upcoming event with information from the query.

11. A computer program embodied on a computer-readable medium that creates an information summary, comprising:

(a) a code segment that retrieves a plurality of terms descriptive of an upcoming event;

(b) a code segment that creates a query based on the terms;

(c) a code segment that queries a network of information utilizing the query; and

(d) a code segment that updates the information associated with the upcoming event with information from the query.

12. A computer program embodied on a computer-readable medium that creates an information summary as recited in claim 11, including logic that parses the terms based on predefined criteria to create the query.

13. A computer program embodied on a computer-readable medium that creates an information summary as recited in claim 11, including logic that modifies constants that are utilized by the system for dynamically configuring the system based on current user inputs.

14. A computer program embodied on a computer-readable medium that creates an information summary as recited in claim 11, including logic that ranks the results based on relevance to meeting criteria.

15. A computer program embodied on a computer-readable medium that creates an information summary as recited in claim 11, including logic that utilizes proximity to a meeting date as a filtering device for the information summary.

16. A computer program embodied on a computer-readable medium that creates an information summary as recited in claim 11, including logic that recognizes patterns to enhance the location of pertinent information.

17. A computer program embodied on a computer-readable medium that creates an information summary as recited in claim 11, including logic that queries the Internet to obtain pertinent information.

18. A computer program embodied on a computer-readable medium that creates an information summary as recited in claim 11, including logic that optimizes the query for a particular search engine.

19. A computer program embodied on a computer-readable medium that creates an information summary as recited in claim 11, including logic that responds to updates of the meeting information to obtain additional summary information pertinent to the updates.