System and method for delivery of augmented messages

• US 7,925,708 B2
• Filed: 06/02/2008
• Issued: 04/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: R2 Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: O'Sullivan, Joseph James, Callan, Paul, Wroblewski, Luke, Saft, Keith David, Hayashi, Nathanael Joe, Davis, Marc Eliot, Higgins, Christopher William, Boerries, Marco
• Primary Examiner(s): Nawaz; Asad M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Biagini; Christopher D
• Application Number:
  US12/131,447
• Publication Number:
  US 20090177745A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,044 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications

Abstract

The disclosure describes systems and methods delivering communications associated with delivery conditions in which the occurrence of the delivery condition is determined by monitoring information received from a plurality of sources via multiple communication channels. The message delivery systems allow messages to be delivered to any “Who, What, When, Where” from any “Who, What, When, Where” upon the detection of an occurrence of one or more “Who, What, When, Where” delivery conditions. A message (which may be any data object including text-based messages, audio-based message such as voicemail or other audio such as music or video-based prerecorded messages) is delivered in accordance with delivery conditions based on any available data, including topical, spatial, temporal, and/or social data. Furthermore, because the systems coordinate delivery of messages via multiple communication channels and through multiple devices, the communication channel for delivery of a message may be dynamically determined based on the delivery conditions.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at computing device, a message from a sender for delivery on a network, the message comprising message content and an identity of an intended recipient;

analyzing, via the computing device, the message content and extracting logical data based on logical data objects of the message content;

collecting recipient data available to the network by searching, via the computing device, for social data, spatial data, temporal data and topical data relating to the intended recipient of the message and the extracted logical data;

correlating, via the computing device, the collected recipient data to refine the collected data into correlated data relevant to the extracted logical data;

collecting, via the computing device, content available to the network that is related to the correlated data;

determining if a delivery condition relating to the message has been met, such that upon a determination that the delivery condition has not been met, the collecting recipient data, correlating, and collecting content steps are automatically repeated;

determining, via the computing device, which of the collected content is to be inserted into the message;

inserting, via the computing device, the determined collected content into the message to form an enhanced message;

communicating, over the network, the enhanced message to the intended recipient in accordance with the delivery condition being met; and

determining if a status of the intended recipient has changed since the enhanced message was communicated to the intended recipient, such that upon a determination that the status has changed, the analyzing, collecting recipient data, correlating, collecting content, determining if a delivery condition has been met, determining which of the collected content is to be inserted into the message, inserting, and communicating steps of the method are automatically repeated.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

analyzing a status of the intended recipient and using the status as a factor in the determining of the collected content.

3. The method of claim 2, such that the status of the intended recipient is a location of the intended recipient at a time of intended receipt of the enhanced message.

4. The method of claim 2, such that the status of the intended recipient corresponds to a type of device in use by the intended recipient at a time of intended receipt of the enhanced message.

5. The method of claim 2, such that the status of the intended recipient is an activity the intended recipient is engaged upon at a time of intended receipt of the enhanced message.

6. The method of claim 1, such that the delivery condition corresponds to time of delivery for the enhanced message.

7. The method of claim 1, such that the delivery condition corresponds to the intended recipient being at a place of delivery for the enhanced message.

8. The method of claim 1, such that the delivery condition corresponds to a type of device being used by the intended recipient.

9. The method of claim 1, such that upon a determination that the delivery condition is not met, feeding back the message to the sender for further data.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

collecting sender data available to the network by searching for social data, spatial data, temporal data and topical data pertaining to the sender, such that the step of correlating the collected recipient data further comprises correlating the collected sender data with the collected recipient data and the extracted logical data.

11. The method of claim 1, such that the collecting content step further comprises collecting third party content for input into the enhanced message in exchange for payment to the third party.

12. A computer-readable non-transitory storage medium tangibly encoded with instructions, said instructions, when executed by a computer perform a method, comprising:

receiving a message from a sender associated with a computing device for delivery on a network, the message comprising message content and an identity of an intended recipient;

analyzing the message content and extracting logical data based on logical data objects of the message content and logical data objects of the intended recipient;

collecting recipient data available to the network by searching for social data, spatial data, temporal data and topical data relating to the intended recipient of the message and the extracted logical data;

correlating the collected recipient data to refine the collected data into correlated data relevant to the extracted logical data;

collecting content available to the network that is related to the correlated data;

determining if a delivery condition relating to the message has been met, such that upon a determination that the delivery condition has not been met, the collecting recipient data, correlating, and collecting content steps are automatically repeated;

determining which of the collected content is to be inserted into the message;

inserting the determined collected content into the message to form an enhanced message;

communicating the enhanced message to the intended recipient in accordance with the delivery condition being met; and

determining if a status of the intended recipient has changed since the enhanced message was communicated to the intended recipient, such that upon a determination that the status has changed, the analyzing the message content, collecting recipient data, correlating, collecting content, determining if a delivery condition has been met, determining which of the collected content is to be inserted into the message, inserting, and communicating steps of the method are automatically repeated.

13. The computer-readable non-transitory storage medium of claim 12 further comprising:

analyzing a status of the intended recipient and using the status as a factor in the determining of the collected content.

14. The computer-readable non-transitory storage medium of claim 12 further comprising:

communicating the enhanced message to the intended recipient in accordance with the delivery condition being met.

15. The computer-readable non-transitory storage medium of claim 12 further comprising:

collecting sender data available to the network by searching for social data, spatial data, temporal data and topical data pertaining to the sender, such that the step of correlating the collected recipient data further comprises correlating the collected sender data with the collected recipient data and the extracted logical data, and

collecting third party content for input into the enhanced message in exchange for payment to the third party in association with said collecting of content.

16. A computer system comprising:

a hardware processor;

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for tangibly storing thereon program logic that when executed by the hardware processor causes the hardware processor to perform a method comprising;

receiving a message from a sender for delivery on a network, the message comprising message content and an identity of an intended recipient;

analyzing the message content and extracting logical data based on logical data objects of the message content;

collecting recipient data available to the network by searching for social data, spatial data, temporal data and topical data relating to the intended recipient of the message and the extracted logical data

correlating the collected recipient data to refine the collected data into correlated data relevant to the extracted logical data;

collecting content available to the network that is related to the correlated data

determining if a delivery condition relating to the message has been met, such that upon a determination that the delivery condition has not been met, the collecting recipient data, correlating, and collecting content steps are automatically repeated;

determining which of the collected content is to be inserted into the message;

inserting the determined collected content into the message to form an enhanced message;

communicating, over the network, the enhanced message to the intended recipient in accordance with the delivery condition being met; and

determining if a status of the intended recipient has changed since the enhanced message was communicated to the intended recipient, such that upon a determination that the status has changed, the analyzing, collecting recipient data, correlating, collecting content, determining if a delivery condition has been met, determining which of the collected content is to be inserted into the message, inserting, and communicating steps of the method are automatically repeated.

17. The system of claim 16 further comprising:

a content server implemented on a third party processor for producing additional content for input into the message, such that the additional content is embedded in the message in exchange for payment to the third party, such that the content server interacts directly with the hardware processor during the inserting of the determined collected content.