FR2848693A1 - Transmission system for Internet network, has server to select users from directory in accordance with their data characteristics for each of lists and extracting unit to formulate users list from creating and managing unit - Google Patents

Abstract

The system has a storage unit (8) for storing directory of user (9) containing user coordinates as well as data characteristic of users. A creating and managing unit manages lists (12) of the users. A server selects users from the directory in accordance with their data characteristics for each of the lists. The extracting unit formulates the users list from the creating and managing unit.

Description

I

  The present invention relates to an automatic information transmission system of the type comprising means for storing a directory of users containing at least user coordinates and data characteristic of the users, which directory is accessible for a server 5 of transmission of information which comprises means for creating and managing user lists and automatic means for transmitting information to all the users of the same list.

  Such systems are today common on information transfer networks such as the Internet or so-called Intranet networks, and include systems designated by the expressions "mailing list or even mailing robot".

  These systems conventionally comprise at least one information transmitter station intended for the transmission server for the automatic transmission of information to all the users of at least one selected list.

  In such systems, a predetermined user, commonly designated "administrator", accesses the directory to manually extract user coordinates and form user lists on the central information transmission server.

  Other users then have the possibility of sending information, for example in the form of electronic messages, to the transmission server for their retransmission to all the users of the lists.

  In these systems, the modifications of the directory must be listed and reported manually by the administrator in the lists of users, so that the updating of the lists with respect to the directory, is not carried out or is carried out at a significant cost.

  The object of the invention is to remedy these problems by defining an automatic information transmission system allowing the automatic modification of user lists.

  The subject of the invention is therefore an automatic information transmission system comprising means for storing a directory of users containing at least contact details of users as well as data characteristic of the users, and comprising means for storing lists of users selected from said directory, said directory and said lists being accessible for an information transmission server comprising means for creating and managing said user lists, and automatic means for transmitting information to all users of the same list, said system further comprising at least one terminal for transmitting information to said server for their automatic transmission to all users of at least one selected list, said server comprising means for defining , for each of said lists, of criteria for selecting users of said directory according to of their characteristic data and automatic means of extracting from said directory of contact details of the users whose characteristic data correspond to said criteria for controlling said means for creating and managing lists and automatically forming said lists of users.

  According to other characteristics: - said server also comprises means for identifying the users of the terminal or terminals accessing said server to authorize or prohibit them from using the system; - it also includes means for managing user rights in order to grant variable rights to each of said identified users; said rights include a right to transmit information on behalf of a proxy user different from said identified user, said automatic information transmission means being adapted to designate said proxy user as the transmitter of said information; - Said means for extracting coordinates from users are adapted to be implemented periodically; - Said means for extracting coordinates of the users are adapted to be implemented at each request for transmission of information to a list of users; - Said server is connected to a digital information transfer network and all or part of said information is transmitted in the form of electronic messages; - Said server is connected to a telephone network and that all or part of said information is transmitted in the form of short written messages and / or fax messages; - It further comprises means for converting the information transmitted by said server to said users of the lists between different formats for the conversion between formats suitable for transmission over a digital information transfer network and formats suitable for transmission over a telephone network.

  The invention will be better understood on reading the description which follows, given solely by way of example and made with reference to the appended drawing which schematically represents a system according to the invention.

  This system comprises an information transfer network 2 such as an internal computer network, or intranet, to which are connected a plurality of remote user terminals 41 to 4n, an administrator terminal 6, a central database. 8 and an automatic information transmission server 10.

  The user terminals 41 to 4n as well as the administrator terminal 6, are for example conventional microcomputers equipped with means of navigation on information transfer networks such as current Internet navigation software.

  The database 8 comprises a directory 9 of users organized, in the described embodiment, in a tree-like form as a function in particular of hierarchical links.

  This directory 9 includes contact details of users, such as e-mail addresses or telephone or fax numbers, as well as a set of data characteristic of the users.

  These characteristic data include for example the geographical location of the user, his hierarchical position, his function, the hierarchical links with other users or any other necessary parameter.

  Such directories exist today and are common in the area of corporate internal computer networks.

  The system also includes lists 12 of selected users 30 born in said directory 9, stored in the transmission server 10 as shown with reference to FIG. 1 or in any other suitable element of the system such as, for example, the database 8.

  Conventionally, the information transmission server 10 includes means 14 for creating and managing lists 12 and means 16 for automatically transmitting information to all the users of the same list. Advantageously, the server 10 also includes means 18 for identifying users associated with means 20 for managing user access rights 5. The means 18 can thus identify a user accessing the server 10 from a remote terminal 4j using, for example, a pair formed by a user identifier associated with a password and, thanks to means 20, can apply for each identified user, variable rights of use of the system.

  In the embodiment described, the server 10 also includes means 22 forming a log and adapted to record all the events and all the actions carried out by the server 10.

  According to the invention, the server 10 also comprises means 24 for defining, for each list 12, criteria for selecting users referenced 15 in the directory 9 as a function of their characteristic data as well as means 26 for automatic extraction of contact details of users whose data correspond to the criteria defined above.

  In addition, in the embodiment described, the server 10 is also connected to a telephone network 30, such as the switched telephone network 20 or a mobile telephone network such as for example the so-called "GSM" network, to which are connected various telephony equipment such as a fax machine 32 or a mobile phone 34, by means of information conversion means 36.

  These means 36 are commonly designated by the term "gateway" 25 and are adapted to be able to convert information between formats suitable for transmission over the information transfer network 2 and formats suitable for transmission over the telephone network 30 .

  In operation, the system administrator has the possibility of accessing the server 10, from the terminal 6, in order to conventionally define the 30 identities of the users having access to the system as well as their respective rights.

  According to the invention, the administrator also accesses the means 24 for defining user selection criteria by which he defines for each list of users 12, a set of criteria such as for example a geographic location, a function, a hierarchical level or any other criterion or combination of criteria.

  The extraction means 26 then access the directory 9 and extract from it the contact details of the users whose characteristic data meet the criteria defined above using the means 24.

  The coordinates thus extracted are then used by the means 14 for managing and creating the user lists to automatically form the lists 12.

  Advantageously, the extraction means 26 are implemented periodically or even at each request for transmission of information to a list.

  Thus, the administrator defines for each list 12 criteria allowing the selection of users in the directory 9. These criteria are used for an automatic extraction of the coordinates of the users in the directory 9 15 so as to automatically update the existing lists or to automatically create new lists.

  For example, the characteristics extracted are e-mail addresses, or even cell phone or fax numbers.

  Subsequently, the users have the possibility of connecting to the server 10 from a terminal such as the terminals 41 to 4, and, after having been identified by the identification means 18 and according to their rights defined by the means rights management 20, these users can access all or part of the lists 12 and transmit information, for example in the form of electronic messages 25 to the server 10 so that they are retransmitted to all the users of one or more selected lists.

  Optionally, the server 10 can also be adapted to serve as an information transmission terminal by directly sending information to the users of the lists.

  Advantageously, the rights of a user allow him to transmit information on behalf of another user called "proxy user".

  For this, the sender user has the possibility of modifying the identification of the sender of the information, so that only the agent user will appear as sender of information for the users receiving this information.

  This modification is made by the authorized user sending the information and is taken into account by the automatic means 16 for transmitting information.

  The information transmission means 16 automatically transmit the information received to all the users of the list or lists conventionally selected. For example, this transmission is made directly in the form of electronic messages to one or more remote terminals 10, such as computer terminals connected to the information transfer network 2 or to another remote network.

  As a variant, after a conversion carried out by the conversion means 36, this transmission is made in the form of fax messages to a fax machine such as the fax machine 32 or short written messages known as "SMS" messages intended for mobile telephones such as telephone 34.

  Advantageously, the information transmitted is partly automatically modified according to the recipient user.

  For this, the means 26 also extract from the directory 9 data relating to each user of a list, such as their first and last name or their function, and the information transmitted by the automatic transmission means 16 includes a modified field. dynamically for each user in order to display this specific data.

  In addition, a transmission report message is sent to the transmitter of the information taking up parameters of the transmission of information, such as: time, date, transmitter, recipient, information transmitted, etc.

  Advantageously, in the case where the message is sent by a mandated user, a report is sent to the mandated user as well as to the mandated user.

  Conventionally, the means 22 forming the log are adapted to record all the requests made by the users of the terminals 41 to 4n and all the occurrences on the server 10.

  Finally, the means 22 forming the log are adapted to record in a conventional manner, all the requests made by the users of the terminals 41 to 4n and all the occurrences on the server 10.

  It therefore appears that in the system of the invention, modifications 5 made to the directory 9 corresponding for example to modifications of the characteristic data of function or location of the users referenced in this directory are automatically recorded in the lists 12 thanks to the selection of the users of the lists according to their characteristic data and the automatic extraction of the coordinates to form the lists 12.

  It therefore appears that the system of the invention makes it possible to automatically form user lists from a directory and to automatically pass on modifications made in the directory to these lists without requiring human intervention.

  Of course, other embodiments can be envisaged by distributing the elements forming the system described differently or by introducing other elements with similar functions.

Claims (9)

  1. Automatic information transmission system comprising means (8) for storing a directory of users (9) containing at least contact details of users as well as data characteristic of the users, and comprising means (10 ) for storing lists (12) of users selected from said directory (9), said directory (9) and said lists being accessible for a server (10) for transmitting information comprising means (14) for creating and management of said user lists (12), and automatic means (16) of transmitting information to all the users 10 of the same list (12), said system further comprising at least one terminal (41 to 4n) transmitting information to said server (10) for their automatic transmission to all users of at least one selected list (12), characterized in that said server (10) comprises means (24) for defining, for each of said lists (12), of selection criteria for users 15 of said directory (9) according to their characteristic data and of the automatic means (26) of extraction from said directory (9) of contact details of the users whose characteristic data correspond to said criteria for controlling said means (14) for creating and managing lists and for automatically forming said lists (12) of users.   2. System according to claim 1, characterized in that said server (10) further comprises means (18) for identifying users of the terminal or terminals (41 to 4n) accessing said server (10) to authorize them or prohibit them from using the system.   3. System according to claim 2, characterized in that it further comprises means (20) for managing user rights in order to grant variable rights to each of said identified users.   4. System according to claim 3, characterized in that said rights include a right to transmit information on behalf of a proxy user different from said identified user, said automatic means (16) for transmitting information being adapted to designate said proxy user as the issuer of said information.   5. System according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that said means (26) for extracting coordinates of the users are adapted to be implemented periodically.   6. System according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that said means (26) for extracting coordinates of the users are adapted to be implemented at each request for transmission of information to a list of users (12).   7. System according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that said server (10) is connected to a digital information transfer network (2) and in that all or part of said information is transmitted under the form of electronic messages.   8. System according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that said server (10) is connected to a telephone network (30) and in that all or part of said information is transmitted in the form of messages. short writings and / or fax messages.   9. System according to claims 7 and 8, characterized in that it further comprises means (36) for converting the information transmitted by said server (10) to said users of the lists between different formats for the conversion between formats adapted for transmission over a digital information transfer network (2) and formats suitable for transmission over a telephony network (30).