System and method for conditional delivery of messages

• US 8,799,371 B2
• Filed: 09/24/2008
• Issued: 08/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: R2 Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Davis, Marc Eliot, Boerries, Marco, Higgins, Christopher William, O'Sullivan, Joseph James, Martinez, Ronald, Trout, Robert Carter
• Primary Examiner(s): Lazaro, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): KOROBOV, VITALI A
• Application Number:
  US12/236,668
• Publication Number:
  US 20090150501A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,141 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/207
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

The disclosure describes systems and methods delivering communications associated with deliver 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 from a sender, at a computing device, a request to deliver a first message to a recipient, the request identifying at least one delivery condition and identifying a range of distances;

retrieving, via the computing device, W4 COMN data associated with each of two real-world entities (RWEs), the W4 COMN data comprising social data, spatial data, temporal data and logical data for each RWE;

periodically determining, via the computing device, from the W4 COMN data, a current location of each of the two RWEs;

calculating, via the computing device, at least one actual distance between the two RWEs based on their current locations;

monitoring, via the computing device, the W4 COMN data for information indicating that the at least one delivery condition is met, said indication identifying that the at least one delivery condition corresponds to the social data, spatial data, temporal data and logical data for each RWE; and

delivering, over a network, the first message when the at least one delivery condition is met and when the actual distance is within the range of distances.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each RWE is one of a person, device, or location.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the delivery condition identifies a specified state of an RWE and the method further comprises:

periodically determining, from the W4 COMN data, a current state of the RWE; and

delivering the first message upon determination that the current state of the RWE matches the specified state identified by the delivery condition.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the delivery condition is a temporal condition identifying a specified time relative to an event time and the method further comprises:

retrieving an IO identifying the event time;

monitoring a current time; and

delivering the first message upon determination that the current time is the specified time relative to the event time.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the delivery condition identifies a specified state of an RWE and a temporal condition and the method further comprises:

periodically determining, from the W4 COMN data, a current state for each of the RWEs and a current time; and

delivering the first message upon determination that the current state of the RWE matches the specified state identified by the delivery condition and the temporal condition is met.