Providing notifications to an individual in a multi-dimensional personal information network

• US 8,185,597 B1
• Filed: 06/14/2011
• Issued: 05/22/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Resource Consortium Limited, LLC
• Original Assignee: Resource Consortium Limited
• Inventors: Cumberbatch, Bradlee, Igoe, Patrick T., Eldering, Charles A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Wing
• Assistant Examiner(s): WOO, ANDREW M
• Application Number:
  US13/159,807
• Time in Patent Office: 343 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/06 Asset management; Financial planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks

Abstract

A method for providing notifications to an individual within a multi-dimensional personal information network includes obtaining itinerary information corresponding to a first individual within a multi-dimensional personal information network. A second individual that is included in a projection of the multi-dimensional personal information network that also includes the first individual is identified. Itinerary information corresponding to the second individual is obtained. One or notifications based on the itinerary information corresponding to the first individual and the itinerary information corresponding to the second individual are provided to the first individual.

Claims

1. A method of identifying overlapping events in event information corresponding to a plurality of individuals, the method comprising:

receiving one or more messages previously sent to a first individual, wherein the first individual is associated with a first geographic area;

determining first event information corresponding to the first individual based on the received messages;

automatically determining a second geographic area based on the first event information, wherein the second geographic area is different from the first geographic area;

identifying one or more second individuals within a multi-dimensional personal information network and associated with the second geographic area, wherein the first individual and the one or more second individuals are directly connected by a predetermined maximum degree of separation along one or more dimensions in the multi-dimensional personal information network based on authorization from the first individual and each of the respective one or more second individuals;

receiving second event information corresponding to at least one of the second individuals, the second event information being generated by computer calendar software and associated with the second geographic area; and

identifying at least one overlapping event relating to the second geographic area based, at least in part, on the first event information and the second event information.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a notification of the at least one overlapping event to at least one of the first individual and the one or more second individuals.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the receiving second event information further comprises receiving explicit authorization from the one or more second individuals to provide the notification of the overlapping event to the first individual.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more messages comprise an electronic mail message sent to the first individual.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one overlapping event comprises a calendar event occurring at a scheduled time in both the first event information and the second event information.

6. A system for identifying overlapping events in event information corresponding to a plurality of individuals, the system comprising:

a receiver configured for receiving one or more messages previously sent to a first individual, wherein the first individual is associated with a first geographic area; and

a processor coupled to a memory, the processor configured to

determine first event information corresponding to the first individual based on the received messages,

automatically determining a second geographic area based on the first event information, wherein the second geographic area is different from the first geographic area,

identify one or more second individuals within a multi-dimensional personal information network and associated with the second geographic area, wherein the first individual and the one or more second individuals are directly connected by a predetermined maximum degrees of separation along one or more dimensions within the multi-dimensional personal information network based on authorization from the first individual and each of the respective one or more second individuals,

receive event information corresponding to at least one of the second individuals, the event information being generated by computer calendar software and associated with the second geographic area, and

identify at least one overlapping event relating to the second geographic area based, at least in part, on the first event information and the second event information.

7. The system of claim 6, the processor further configured to provide a notification of the at least one overlapping event to at least one of the first individual and the one or more second individuals.

8. The system of claim 7, the processor further configured to receive explicit authorization from the one or more second individuals to provide the notification of the overlapping event to the first individual.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the one or more messages comprise an electronic mail message sent to the first individual.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the multi-dimensional personal information network further comprises a peer-to-peer network.

11. An article of manufacture for identifying overlapping events in event information corresponding to a plurality of individuals, the article of manufacture comprising a computer-readable, non-transitory medium holding computer-executable instructions for performing the method comprising:

receiving one or more messages previously sent to a first individual, wherein the first individual is associated with a first geographic area;

determining first event information corresponding to the first individual based on the received messages;

automatically determining a second geographic area based on the first event information, wherein the second geographic area is different from the first geographic area;

identifying one or more second individuals within a multi-dimensional personal information network and associated with the second geographic area, wherein the first individual and the one or more second individuals are directly connected by a predetermined maximum degree of separation along one or more dimensions in the multi-dimensional personal information network based on authorization from the first individual and each of the respective one or more second individuals;

receiving second event information corresponding to at least one of the second individuals, the second event information being generated by computer calendar software and associated with the second geographic area; and

identifying at least one overlapping event relating to the second geographic area based, at least in part, on the first event information and the second event information.

12. The article of manufacture of claim 11, further comprising:

providing a notification of the at least one overlapping event to at least one of the first individual and the one or more second individuals.

13. The article of manufacture of claim 12, wherein the receiving second event information further comprises receiving explicit authorization from the one or more second individuals to provide the notification of the overlapping event to the first individual.

14. The article of manufacture of claim 11, wherein the one or more messages comprise an electronic mail message sent to the first individual.