Electronic content management systems and methods

• US 20070043846A1
• Filed: 08/17/2006
• Published: 02/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canada Post Corporation (Government of Canada)
• Original Assignee: Canada Post Corporation (Government of Canada)
• Inventors: Tomlin, Warren, Grayson, Timothy
• Granted Patent: US 8,060,555 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/30 Managing network names, e.g. use of aliases or nicknames name-to-address mapping H04L61/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/35 involving non-standard use of addresses for implementing network functionalities, e.g. coding subscription information within the address or functional addressing, i.e. assigning an address to a function
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4555 Directories for electronic mail or instant messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/107 wherein the security policies are location-dependent, e.g. entities privileges depend on current location or allowing specific operations only from locally connected terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display

Abstract

Electronic content management systems and methods are disclosed. Geographic locator addresses such as mailing addresses are associated with respective, unique, geo-specific electronic addresses. For example, unique electronic addresses may be generated based on information specifying geographic locator addresses. The electronic address associated with a geographic locator address, to which information is to be distributed, may then be determined, and electronic content which includes the information to be distributed can be made available through the electronic address. The geo-specific nature of the electronic addresses may also be used to make electronic content that has local significance available through an electronic address. A user system may determine a type of the electronic content obtained through an electronic address and process the electronic content according to the determined type.

Claims

1. A system for managing electronic content, the system comprising:

an interface operable to receive information that is to be distributed to a geographic locator address; and

an electronic content distribution module operatively coupled to the interface and operable to determine an electronic address that is uniquely associated with the geographic locator address, and to make electronic content, which comprises the received information, available through the determined electronic address.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the electronic content distribution module is operable to determine the electronic address by accessing an address store in which the geographic locator address is uniquely mapped to the electronic address.

3. The system of claim 2, further comprising:

an address converter operable to convert geographic locator addresses into respective uniquely associated electronic addresses, and to store the electronic addresses in the address store.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the address converter is operable to convert geographic locator addresses into respective uniquely associated electronic addresses by applying an address schema to the geographic locator addresses.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the address converter is further operable to determine whether the geographic locator address to which the received information is to be distributed has an associated electronic address in the address store, and to convert the geographic locator address into the associated electronic address where the geographic locator address does not have an associated electronic address in the address store.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the electronic address comprises a Uniform Resource Locator (URL), and wherein the electronic content distribution module makes the electronic content available through the electronic address by posting the electronic content to the URL.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a secure host system for hosting the electronic address, the secure host system controlling access to the electronic content through the electronic address in accordance with a security policy.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the security policy requires at least one stage of user authentication.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the electronic content distribution module is further operable to process the electronic content according to a content schema, and to make the electronic content available by making the processed electronic content available through the electronic address.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the interface is further operable to receive geographic locator address information identifying the geographic locator address.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the received geographic locator address information identifies a plurality of geographic locator addresses, including the geographic locator address, to which the received information is to be distributed, and wherein the electronic content distribution module is further operable to determine respective electronic addresses uniquely associated with the plurality of identified geographic locator addresses, and to make the electronic content available through each of the determined electronic addresses.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the electronic content distribution module is further operable to determine whether the received geographic locator address information comprises partial information for identifying a plurality of geographic locator addresses including the geographic locator address, and, where the received geographic locator address information comprises partial information, to determine respective electronic addresses uniquely associated with the plurality of geographic locator addresses and to make the electronic content available through each of the determined electronic addresses.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the electronic content distribution module is further operable to determine whether the received information satisfies a preference configured for the geographic locator address, and to make the electronic content available only if the received information satisfies the preference.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the electronic content distribution module is further operable to determine a type of the received information, and to process the received information according to the determined type.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the received information comprises a tag indicating its type, and wherein the electronic content distribution module is operable to determine the type of the information based on the tag.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the received information further comprises respective tags indicating at least one of:

an action to be triggered by the electronic content, software application activity to be triggered by the electronic content, whether a response to the electronic content is required, whether the electronic content comprises a transactional element, and if so, a kind of the transactional element.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the electronic content distribution module is further operable to convert the received information into the electronic content.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the electronic content distribution module is operable to convert the received information by determining a delivery preference for the received information and converting the received information into the electronic content where the delivery preference is electronic delivery.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the electronic content distribution module is further operable to identify as the geographic locator address to which the received information is to be distributed a geographic locator address for which the electronic content has local significance.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the interface is further operable to receive a request for the electronic content from the electronic address, and wherein the electronic content distribution module is operable to make the electronic content available responsive to the received request.

21. A method of managing electronic content, the method comprising:

receiving information that is to be distributed to a geographic locator address;

determining an electronic address that is uniquely associated with the geographic locator address; and

making electronic content, which comprises the received information, available through the electronic address.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein determining comprises accessing an address store in which the geographic locator address is uniquely mapped to the associated electronic address, the method further comprising:

converting geographic locator addresses into respective unique associated electronic addresses; and

populating the address store using the geographic locator addresses and the unique associated electronic addresses.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein determining comprises determining whether the geographic locator address to which the received information is to be distributed has an associated electronic address in the address store, and converting the geographic locator address into the unique associated electronic address where the geographic locator address does not have an associated electronic address in the address store.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the electronic address comprises a Uniform Resource Locator (URL), and wherein making the electronic content available comprises posting the electronic content to the URL.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein receiving further comprises receiving information identifying the geographic locator address.

26. The method of claim 21, wherein the electronic content is to be distributed to a plurality of geographic locator addresses including the geographic locator address, wherein determining comprises determining respective electronic addresses including the electronic address uniquely associated with the plurality of geographic locator addresses, and wherein making the electronic content available comprises making the electronic content available through each of the determined electronic addresses.

27. The method of claim 21, wherein making the electronic content available comprises determining whether the received information satisfies a preference configured for the geographic locator address, and making the electronic content available only if the received information satisfies the preference.

28. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

determining a type of the received information; and

performing type-specific processing of the received information according to the determined type.

29. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

converting the received information into the electronic content.

30. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

identifying as the geographic locator address to which the received information is to be distributed a geographic locator address for which the received information has local significance.

31. A computer-readable medium storing instructions which when executed perform the method of claim 21.

32. A method comprising:

generating unique electronic addresses based on respective geographic locator addresses; and

uniquely mapping each generated electronic address with the respective one of the geographic locator addresses based upon which the electronic address was generated, to thereby allow the electronic address corresponding to any of the geographic locator addresses to be identified for distribution of electronic content that includes information destined for the geographic locator addresses.

33. A computer-readable medium storing instructions which when executed perform the method of claim 32.

34. A Graphical User Interface (GUI) comprising:

an address graphical element displaying an indication of an electronic address for accessing the GUI, the electronic address being uniquely associated with a geographical locator address; and

a content graphical element displaying electronic content including information that was destined for the geographical locator address and distributed to the electronic address.

35. A computer-readable medium storing a data structure, the data structure comprising:

a geographic locator address;

an electronic address generated on the basis of the geographic locator address; and

an indication of a unique association between the geographic locator address and the electronic address, the association enabling the electronic address to be identified for distribution of electronic content that includes information destined for the geographic locator address.

36. The medium of claim 35, wherein the data structure further comprises:

an indication of a preference in accordance with which distribution of electronic content to the electronic address is controlled.