EP1334421A4 - Systeme de commerce electronique - Google Patents

Systeme de commerce electronique

Info

Publication number
EP1334421A4
EP1334421A4 EP01990827A EP01990827A EP1334421A4 EP 1334421 A4 EP1334421 A4 EP 1334421A4 EP 01990827 A EP01990827 A EP 01990827A EP 01990827 A EP01990827 A EP 01990827A EP 1334421 A4 EP1334421 A4 EP 1334421A4
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
information
bundles
bundle
data
users
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP01990827A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Other versions
EP1334421A2 (fr
Inventor
Todd Bremner
John Boland Constantine Jr
Paul Jaminet
Alexis Kopikis
Matthew Kuntz
Bob Lamoureux
Zenobia Moochhala
Edward Shea
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Thomcorp Holdings Inc
Original Assignee
Thomson Financial Inc
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from US09/697,024 external-priority patent/US7287089B1/en
Priority claimed from US09/696,765 external-priority patent/US7305360B1/en
Priority claimed from US09/696,754 external-priority patent/US7330830B1/en
Application filed by Thomson Financial Inc filed Critical Thomson Financial Inc
Priority to EP08166292A priority Critical patent/EP2056248A1/fr
Publication of EP1334421A2 publication Critical patent/EP1334421A2/fr
Publication of EP1334421A4 publication Critical patent/EP1334421A4/fr
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G06Q30/00—Commerce
    • G06Q30/02—Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G06Q10/00—Administration; Management
    • G06Q10/06—Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G06Q10/00—Administration; Management
    • G06Q10/10—Office automation; Time management
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G06Q30/00—Commerce
    • G06Q30/06—Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Definitions

  • the invention is directed to methods and apparatus for managing information relating to the subject matter of commercial transactions.
  • the invention features a networked system for managing commercial interactions that includes a network service providing network paths between computers at a plurality of remote locations and providing network software interfaces at these locations.
  • Bundle processing logic is provided between the computers at the plurality of locations, and this logic is responsive to a set of instructions to detect predetermined conditions in content attribute descriptors in the bundles and to perform operations in response to the detection of the predetermined conditions in the content attribute descriptors.
  • a programming interface for the bundle processing logic that is accessible from each of the locations and is operative to define at least part of the set of instructions for the bundle processing logic.
  • the bundle processing logic can include logic to detect conditions in at least one of both a plurality of required content fields and a plurality of user- defined fields.
  • the system can further include an application component having an interface to a stand-alone software application and an interface to the programming interface of the bundle processing logic.
  • the system can further include peer-to-peer transfer logic to enable peer-to- peer access to data elements referenced in the bundles.
  • the system can further include alerting logic responsive to the bundle processing logic.
  • the system can further include content blending logic responsive to the bundle processing logic.
  • the system can further include security logic between the computers at the plurality of locations and responsive to security information in the bundles to restrict distribution of the bundles.
  • the bundle processing logic can be operative to nest at least some of the bundles in superbundles that include additional information.
  • Each bundle can include security information identifying entitled accessors of the data, with only accessors with entitlements to both a bundle and its superbundle being able to see both the bundle and the superbundle.
  • the invention features networked commercial interaction management method that includes receiving programming commands from locations on a network, distributing data bundles through the network, and performing operations in response to the detection of the predetermined conditions in the content attribute descriptors for the bundles.
  • the invention features a networked system for managing commercial interactions, comprising means for receiving programming commands from locations on a network, means for distributing data bundles through the network, and means for performing operations in response to the detection of the predetermined conditions in the content attribute descriptors for the bundles.
  • the invention features a networked commercial interaction management method that includes assembling information into bundles, with each bundle consisting of a data element reference and meta data describing the data element, and each data element remaining resident on a node of a data owner in a network.
  • the method also includes distributing the meta data from the bundles through the network, and distributing copies of the data elements in the bundles assembled in the step of assembling from the network node of their respective data owners to the network nodes of accessors, following selection of the data elements by the accessors.
  • each bundle can include security information identifying entitled accessors of the data, with the step of distributing only distributing the bundle to the entitled accessors.
  • the system can further include the step of negotiating trusted relationships between owners and accessors to define the security information.
  • the system can further include the step of selecting networked users to receive bundles from, from a directory of authorized networked users before the steps of distributing.
  • a format for the security information can allow for organization identifiers to be included in the security information.
  • the system can further include step of defining one of the meta data elements in response to owner input.
  • the system can further include the step of recording the distribution of data element copies to accessors and associated information concerning the transaction.
  • the meta data can include ticker symbol identification fields.
  • the system can further include the step of nesting at least some of the bundles in superbundles that include additional information.
  • Each bundle can include security information identifying entitled accessors of the data, and with only accessors with entitlements to both a bundle and its superbundle being able to see both the bundle and the superbundle.
  • the system can further include the step of presenting alternative content to recipients who lack entitlement to both the bundle and the superbundle.
  • the bundle and the superbundle can have different owners at different nodes with the step of distributing distributing the bundle and the superbundle from the different nodes.
  • the bundles can include attachment references to one or more files of different types.
  • the types can include audio files, video files, graphical image files, and formatted document files. At least some of the bundles can include references to other bundles.
  • the references to other bundles can include a replied-to reference.
  • the system can further include periodically issuing bundle version identifying signals to the different nodes of the network.
  • the step of distributing meta data can distribute updates and the system can further include the step of requesting copies of the updates from at least one of the nodes in response to the identifying signals.
  • the system can further include the step of filtering the bundles based on portions of the meta data.
  • the step of distributing copies can include a peer-to-peer transfer.
  • the system can further include the step of alerting a user in response to the detection of conditions in the meta data.
  • the system can further include a step of blending content based on the detection of conditions in the meta data.
  • the invention features a networked system for managing commercial interactions that includes a plurality of bundle distribution servers distributed across the network and being operative to distribute meta data from a plurality of bundles, and retrieval logic to retrieve copies of data elements referenced in the bundles from the network node of their respective data owners to the network nodes of accessors.
  • the invention features a networked commercial interaction management system that includes means for assembling information into bundles, with each bundle consisting of a data element reference and meta data describing the data element, and with each data element remaining resident on a node of a data owner in a network.
  • the system further includes means for distributing the meta data from the bundles through the network, and means for distributing copies of the data elements in the bundles assembled by the means for assembling from the network node of their respective data owners to the network nodes of accessors, following selection of the data elements by the accessors.
  • the invention features a networked commercial interaction management method that includes receiving a data bundle including a plurality of content attribute descriptors and at least one content descriptor, checking for predetermined conditions in the content attribute descriptors, and modifying the bundle when the predetermined conditions are detected.
  • the system can further include the step of forwarding information from the bundle to a service provider, with the step of modifying being performed in response to operations performed by the service provider.
  • the invention features a networked system for managing commercial interactions that includes a bundle-passing interface between a plurality of users, a content modification service interface for the bundle-passing interface, and bundle modification logic, wherein the bundle modification logic is responsive bundles passing through the interface based on instructions provided to the content modification service.
  • the invention features a networked system for managing commercial interactions that includes means for receiving a data bundle including a plurality of content attribute descriptors and at least one content descriptor, means for checking for predetermined conditions in the content attribute descriptors, and means for modifying the bundle when the predetermined conditions are detected.
  • the invention features a data memory for storing data for access by a computer application program being executed on a first node of a network in a data processing system, comprising a data bundle that includes a network routing field, a plurality of meta data field descriptors, a plurality of meta data field values, and a reference to a content element, including information identifying the location of the content element on the network.
  • the meta data fields can include both fixed and variable numbers of fields.
  • the meta data fields can include an ownership field.
  • the meta data fields can include a version field for the bundle.
  • the invention features a networked commercial interaction management method that includes distributing information bundles from different ones of a first plurality of different networked users to different ones of a second plurality of different network users according to a machine-readable format that includes values for a plurality of content attribute descriptors, and deriving traffic statistics for the step of distributing based on values for the content attribute descriptors.
  • the system can further include the step of converting the traffic statistics into billing amounts.
  • the step of converting can convert traffic to different destinations to different billing amounts.
  • the step of converting can convert traffic to billing amounts for events requested by programmed bundle processing logic between the different users.
  • the step of converting can convert traffic to billing amounts for operations that are independent of human interaction.
  • the step of deriving can derive statistics about the presentation of offer bundles and acceptance rates for these offer bundles.
  • the step of deriving can derive statistics about the types of bundles transferred and information profiles for users involved in the transfers.
  • the system can further include the step of transferring the statistics to buy-side users.
  • the step of deriving can operate substantially continuously in near-real time.
  • the bundles distributed in the step of distributing can include a data element reference and meta data describing the data element, with each data element remaining resident on a node of a data owner in a network.
  • the step of deriving can derive statistics about transfers between pairs of users that are authorized to communicate with each other, but where communication between the pairs is not permitted.
  • the step of deriving can derive statistics about a ticker symbol field.
  • the invention features a networked system for managing commercial interactions that includes a bundle-passing interface between a plurality of networked users and including distribution logic including a distribution control input responsive to machine-readable information in the bundles, and a statistics collection engine including a control input responsive to machine-readable information in the bundles.
  • the invention features a networked system for managing commercial interactions that includes means for distributing information bundles from different ones of a first plurality of different networked users to different ones of a second plurality of different network users according to a machine-readable format that includes values for a plurality of content attribute descriptors, and means for deriving traffic statistics for the step of distributing based on values for the content attribute descriptors.
  • the invention features a networked commercial interaction management method that includes negotiating different levels of trusted relationships between different ones of a first plurality of different networked users and different ones of a second plurality of different network users, and distributing information bundles from the different ones of the first plurality of different networked users to the different ones of the second plurality of different network users according to the different levels of trusted relationships.
  • the system can further include the step of looking up one of the second plurality of users by one of the first plurality of users using a directory look-up utility.
  • the step of negotiating can include the exchange of electronic business cards.
  • the step of distributing can distribute different versions of a first bundle to different users based on their different levels of trusted relationships with a sender of the first bundle.
  • the step of distributing can involve different levels of alerting of recipients of the bundles, with selection of the different levels of alerting being based on the recipients' different levels of trusted relationships with senders of the first bundle.
  • the system can further include a step of providing feedback information to senders of particular bundles from recipients of the particular bundles about the particular bundles received, with amounts of the feedback information depending on the levels of trusted relationships between the sender and recipients.
  • the system can further include the step of distributing marketing messages between the networked users before the step of negotiating.
  • the marketing messages can include machine-readable transaction-type information expressing the types of transactions a sending user is capable of providing.
  • the machine readable transaction-type information can include market sector information.
  • the system can further include the step of publishing profiles accessible over the network that include machine-readable transaction-type information expressing the types of transactions a publishing user is capable of providing.
  • the machine readable transaction-type information can include market sector information.
  • the invention features a networked system for managing commercial interactions that includes an invitation passing interface operative to transmit invitations to a plurality of networked users, relationship status storage for storing the status of a relationship between users and responsive to a relationship status event to access the storage, and a bundle passing interface operative to transmitting bundles to a plurality of the networked users and having an input responsive to the relationship status storage.
  • the invention features a networked system for managing commercial interactions that includes means for negotiating different levels of trusted relationships between different ones of a first plurality of different networked users and different ones of a second plurality of different network users, and means for distributing information bundles from the different ones of the first plurality of different networked users to the different ones of the second plurality of different network users according to the different levels of trusted relationships.
  • the invention features a networked commercial interaction management method that includes exchanging machine-readable identifying information between a plurality of different networked users, and selecting information bundles to receive based on the machine readable identifying information communicated in the step of communicating, from different ones of the users in a same machine-readable format, wherein the machine-readable format includes values for a plurality of information fields.
  • the step of communicating machine-readable identifying information can include the step of exchanging electronic business cards that each include identifying information.
  • the step of selecting bundles can include the step of evaluating security information to determine whether a bundle can be selected.
  • the machine-readable format can include a traded security identifier field, an annotation field, and a sender identification field as the information fields.
  • the machine-readable format can include an organizational affiliation identification field, an annotation field, and a sender identification field as the information fields.
  • the information bundles can include textual information bundles, graphical information bundles, and audio information bundles.
  • the system can further include the step of notifying a potential accessor of the availability of data based at least in part on the machine-readable identification information.
  • the step of notifying can include selecting a remote notification method.
  • the step of selecting can select bundles in near-real time.
  • the system can further include the step of establishing communication with a sender of a first of the bundles received in the step of receiving relating to the content of the first of the bundles.
  • the step of responding can take place in response to user actuation of a control associated with the first bundle.
  • the step of responding can take place in response to user actuation of a control proximate a display area for the first bundle.
  • the step of responding can include near-real-time, two-way communication.
  • the step of responding can include requesting peer-to-peer transfer of an item referenced in the first bundle.
  • the step of communicating machine-readable identifying information can include the step of publishing a profile including values for the plurality of information fields.
  • the profile can include a set of decision-making rules that contain the accessor's criteria for notification, relevance, download, and routing of bundle data.
  • the step of communicating a profile can be responsive to a step of defining a limited distribution record specifying the extent of distribution of some or all of the profile.
  • the system can further include the step of selecting a user to communicate with, from a directory of authorized users.
  • the invention features a networked system for managing commercial interactions that includes an invitation-passing interface between a plurality of networked users, for passing invitations between users that include machine-readable identifying information including values for a plurality of information fields, a bundle-passing interface operative to transmitting bundles to the plurality of networked users, and filtering logic responsive to the invitation-passing interface and to the bundle passing-interface and operative to select information bundles to receive from the bundle-passing interface based on the machine readable identifying information received from the invitation-passing interface from different ones of the users in a same machine-readable format.
  • the invention features a networked system for managing commercial interactions that includes means for exchanging machine-readable identifying information between a plurality of different networked users, and means for selecting information bundles to receive based on the machine readable identifying information communicated by the means for communicating, from different ones of the users in a same machine-readable format, wherein the machine-readable format includes values for a plurality of information fields.
  • the invention features a networked system for managing commercial interactions that includes a network service for distributing information bundles between nodes of a network, data stores at the nodes of the network, wherein the data stores include areas for data bundles and security information identifying entitled accessors associated with each of the data bundles, and a security enforcement system, operative to access the security information and permit only authorized accessors to access data bundles from other nodes based on the security information.
  • the system can further include application component having an interface to a stand-alone software application and an interface to the programming interface of the bundle processing logic.
  • the system can further include peer-to-peer transfer logic to enable peer-to-peer access to data elements referenced in the bundles.
  • the system can further include invitation reception logic for receiving invitations and relationship establishment logic to establish relationships between owners and accessors.
  • the system can further include a directory logic responsive to a list of networked users.
  • a format for the security information can allow for organization identifiers to be included in the security information.
  • the system can further include nesting logic to nest at least some of the bundles in superbundles that include additional information, with each bundle including security information identifying entitled accessors of the data, and with only accessors with entitlements to both a bundle and its superbundle being able to see both the bundle and the superbundle.
  • the bundle and the superbundle can have different owners at different nodes and wherein the network service distributes the bundle and the superbundle from the different nodes.
  • the system can further include a version identifying signals generator operative to issue version identifying signals to the different nodes of the network.
  • the invention features a networked system for managing commercial interactions that includes means for distributing information bundles between nodes of a network, means for storing data bundles and security information identifying entitled accessors associated with each of the data bundles data stores at the nodes of the network, and means for accessing the security information and permitting only authorized accessors to access data bundles from other nodes based on the security information.
  • the invention features a networked commercial interaction management method that includes distributing information bundles between nodes of a network, storing data bundles and security information identifying entitled accessors associated with each of the data bundles data stores at the nodes of the network, and accessing the security information and permitting only authorized accessors to access data bundles from other nodes based on the security information.
  • the invention features a networked commercial interaction management method that includes defining a personal profile including a set of values for a plurality of information fields, receiving information bundles from different networked users in a same machine-readable format, wherein the machine-readable format includes values for the plurality of information fields, and presenting at least parts of the information bundles from the different users based on the values for the plurality of fields for the information and the values for the fields for the bundles.
  • the step of presenting can present the parts of the information bundles in a single list view.
  • the step of presenting can present the parts of the information bundles in a customizable view.
  • the step of presenting can present the parts of the information bundles in an outline view.
  • the machine-readable format can include a traded security identifier field, an annotation field, and a sender identification field as the information fields.
  • the machine-readable format can include an organizational affiliation identification field, an annotation field, and a sender identification field as the information fields.
  • the machine- readable format can includes a traded security identifier field, a content field, an annotation field, and a sender identification field as the information fields.
  • the information bundles can include textual information bundles, graphical information bundles, and audio information bundles.
  • the system can further include the step of defining an alert based at least in part on values for the information fields.
  • the step of defining an alert can include selecting a remote notification method.
  • the system can further include the step of establishing communication with a sender a first of the bundles received in the step of receiving relating to the content of the first of the bundles.
  • the step of responding can take place in response to user actuation of a control associated with the first bundle.
  • the step of responding can take place in response to user actuation of a control proximate a display area for the first bundle.
  • the step of responding can include near-real-time, two-way communication.
  • the step of responding can include near-realtime, two-way textual communication.
  • the system can further include the step of making the profile available to other users of the network.
  • the step of making the profile available can be responsive to a step of defining a limited distribution record specifying the extent of distribution of the profile.
  • the step of making the profile available can be responsive to a step of defining a partial distribution record specifying the amount of the profile to be distributed.
  • the system can further include communicating machine-readable identifying information with a plurality of different users, and selecting the information bundles to receive based on the machine readable identifying information communicated in the step of communicating.
  • the step of communicating machine-readable identifying information can include the step of exchanging electronic business cards that each include identifying information.
  • the step of communicating machine-readable identifying information can be performed over a secure channel.
  • the system can further include the step of selecting a user to communicate with from a directory of authorized users.
  • the system can further include the step of automatically adjusting at least one value of the plurality of fields based on a message from a software application and independent of user input.
  • the system can further include the steps of defining an additional personal profile including an additional set of values for a plurality of information fields, and further presenting at least parts of the information bundles from the different users based on the additional values for the plurality of fields for the information and the values for the fields for the bundles.
  • the step of presenting can present at least the parts of the information bundles to a plurality of different users based on the same set of values for the plurality of fields for the information and the values for the fields for the bundles.
  • the step of presenting can be responsive to a step of evaluating performed by bundle processing logic between the different users.
  • the invention features a networked system for managing commercial interactions that includes personal profile storage including storage for a set of values for a plurality of information fields, a bundle interface responsive to a network and operative to receive information bundles from different networked users in a same machine- readable format, wherein the machine-readable format includes values for the plurality of information fields, and a filter responsive to the bundle interface and to the personal profile storage and operative to presenting at least parts of the information bundles from the different users based on the values for the plurality of fields for the information and the values for the fields for the bundles.
  • the invention features a networked system for managing commercial interactions that includes means for defining a personal profile including a set of values for a plurality of information fields, means for receiving information bundles from different networked users in a same machine-readable format, wherein the machine-readable format includes values for the plurality of information fields, and means for presenting at least parts of the information bundles from the different users based on the values for the plurality of fields for the information and the values for the fields for the bundles.
  • the invention features a networked commercial interaction management method that includes defining a profile including values for a plurality of information fields for information bundles, receiving information bundles relating to the values in the information fields, and automatically modifying the profile based on information contained in the bundles received in the step of receiving.
  • the information fields can included a plurality of securities identifiers and wherein the step of receiving receives information about a particular security.
  • the invention features a networked system for managing commercial interactions that includes profile storage including storage for values for a plurality of information fields for information bundles, a bundle interface responsive to a network and operative to receive information bundles from networked users that include values for the plurality of information fields, and profile modification logic responsive to the bundle interface and in communication with the profile, for modifying a profile based on information contained in the bundles received by the bundle interface.
  • the invention features a networked system for managing commercial interactions that includes means for defining a profile including values for a plurality of information fields for information bundles, means for receiving information bundles relating to the values in the information fields, and means for automatically modifying the profile based on information contained in the bundles received by the means for receiving.
  • Systems according to the invention are beneficial in that they can provide access to actual data, rather than static "pictures" of data, as do a variety of current World Wide Web representations, such as those that employ hypertext markup language (HTML).
  • systems according to the invention can enable intelligent software systems at the receiving as well as the publishing end of a connection. Because the actual data is available and can be manipulated and transformed by the receiving system, the system enables arbitrary transactions between users — both human users and software system users. These transactions can include any exchange, distribution, purchase, or sale of information, or group of such transactions. And systems according to the invention can even provide support for unanticipated interactions, with users negotiating the character of their relationships, and the software accommodating the resulting arrangement.
  • Systems according to the invention also benefit from their distributed but unified nature. Rather than dealing with the separately designed web sites of a number of different institutions, the user can deal with a single, unified interface for interactions with each of them. This can save a substantial amount of time and effort involved in understanding and using the different custom interfaces presented by the different institutions. And because information is distributed throughout the system, each firm and user can retain control of its information.
  • Systems according to the invention can also help to optimize the tradeoff between protection of the privacy of buyers and the benefits of the feedback that they provide to sellers, in an unobtrusive and straightforward way. This can result in increased usage of the system by users who might otherwise be uncomfortable divulging substantial amounts of personal or proprietary information to a variety of individual providers.
  • Systems according to the invention can also allow for the movement of information to a central system for processing, when appropriate, or the movement of processing to the site of the information, when information security is more important. And by collecting statistics and billing information from the system as a whole, systems according to the invention can provide important feedback to its users and enable commerce in information.
  • Systems according to the invention can also provide the advantage of simplifying interaction across corporate firewalls. Once a system according to the invention is installed, it can allow for secure but feature-rich communication with a variety of parties. Unlike conventional security systems such as firewalls, which secure data geographically into an open inside and a closed outside, systems according to the invention can secure individual data- elements, associating with each data-element a set of authorized recipients and providing secure authenticated delivery. This level of secure, feature-rich interaction has often been unavailable or highly expensive because of the complexity and difficulty of setting up such systems between even a single pair of users.
  • Fig. 1 is a high-level block diagram for a sales system according to the invention
  • Fig. 2 is a software interaction diagram for the system of Fig. 1
  • Fig. 3 is a high-level block diagram of a bundle for the system of Fig. 1
  • Fig. 4 is a more detailed block diagram for portions of the system of Fig. 1
  • Fig. 5 is an illustrative class diagram that details a potential framework for Distributed Business Objects for the system of Fig. 1;
  • Fig. 6 is a block diagram that illustrates how an object is physically persisted to database in the system of Fig. 1;
  • Fig. 7 is a block diagram illustrating the process by which changes are transmitted from one aggregation server to another in the system of Fig. 1;
  • Fig. 8 is a block diagram that illustrates a scenario in which object change information is received out of sequence in the system of Fig. 1;
  • Fig. 9 is a high-level state diagram for the sales system of Fig. 1;
  • Fig. 10 is a screen view of a new bundle alert window for the system of Fig. 1;
  • Fig. 11 is a screen view of a toolbar and system taskbar for the system of Fig. 1;
  • Fig. 12 is a screen view of an inbox window for the system of Fig. 1;
  • Fig. 13 is a screen view of the inbox window of Fig. 5 in group mode
  • Fig. 14 is a screen view of an outbox window for the system of Fig. 1;
  • Fig. 15 is a screen view of a bundle details window for the system of Fig. 1;
  • Fig. 16 is a screen view of a bundle creation window for the system of Fig. 1 ;
  • Fig. 17 is a screen view of an invitations received window for the system of Fig. 1;
  • Fig. 18 is a screen view of an invitations sent window for the system of Fig. 1;
  • Fig. 19 is a screen view of a create invitation window for the system of Fig. 1;
  • Fig. 20 is a screen view of an address book window for the system of Fig. 1;
  • Fig. 21 is a screen view of a people finder window for the system of Fig. 1;
  • Fig. 22 is a screen view of a business card details window for the system of Fig. 1;
  • Fig. 23 is a screen view of an interests details window for the system of Fig. 1; and Fig. 24 is a screen view of a most active statistics window for the system of Fig. 1.
  • an illustrative system 10 interconnects a series of sell-side user terminals al, a2 ... an; ... nl, n2 ... nn belonging to one or more sell-side firms a ... n with a series of buy-side user terminals Al, A2 ... An; ... Nl, N2 ... NN belonging to one or more buy-side firms A ... N via one or more networks 12.
  • a series of networked aggregation servers (AGS) si ... sn; ... SI ... SN preferably provide a system interface to one or more applications layers appl ... appn; APP1 ...
  • APPN run by the users. These servers each correspond to one of the firms and are located at firm-controlled sites in the embodiment presented, but they can also be distributed in other ways. Large firms might use multiple aggregation servers, but most firms would probably use only one. Small firms can share aggregation servers.
  • the aggregation servers interact with an administrative organization 14 through one or more administrative servers 16, which provide value-added services to the community.
  • administrative servers 16 which provide value-added services to the community.
  • some of the functions of the administrative server could also be located within one or more of the aggregation servers.
  • the system 10 is implemented using personal computers as user terminals. These terminals are networked through the firm's local area network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN) or across an external network (Extranet or Internet) with application servers, which themselves link to the aggregation servers. These various servers may reside together or separately on one or more server-class machines.
  • the aggregation servers may be located within the firm's wide area network (WAN), or outside the corporate network in an installation shared with other firms.
  • Servers can be interconnected via one or more, preferably private, networks, such as a value-added network (VAN), or a virtual private network (VPN) operating through the Internet, or over the public Internet.
  • VAN value-added network
  • VPN virtual private network
  • the system provides an infrastructure with a single electronic channel for all message types, including voicemail messages, text, and rich formatted electronic documents that can include subdocuments of varying types ⁇ e.g. a text-based HTML file, an Adobe pdf file, a graphical chart, an audio file, and a movie.
  • Each message is called a "bundle.”
  • a bundle is categorized by a rich and user-extensible set of meta data, describing the bundle's content and specifying who is authorized to receive it. Tools can be provided by the administrative organization to construct arbitrary bundles.
  • bundles include two major parts, a bundle header and contents.
  • the header includes routing data and meta data.
  • the routing data specifies a destination address for the bundle that allows the aggregation servers to deliver it.
  • the meta data include a series of item descriptors and values for the items. Some of the meta data items are required, and others can be customized.
  • the contents can include different types of documents, or a reference to these documents within the network.
  • Bundles can be implemented using a language that permits the users and/or application developers to define their own data types, such as extensible Markup Language (XML).
  • XML extensible Markup Language
  • the XML Data Type Definition (DTD) for a bundle might include a Root Element called “Bundle”. It would have further Elements called “Targets,” to specify who is authorized to read the bundle, and "BLDs,” to specify the descriptive metadata of the bundle.
  • Attributes of the bundle Element might include items such as ID, author ID, headline, and creation date.
  • Attributes of the Targets Element might include information such as a recipient ID, a recipient name, and a recipient firm ID, etc.
  • Attributes of the BLD Element might include keys and values.
  • XIA extensible integration architecture
  • This architecture provides a number of integration points and event channels that facilitate information sharing.
  • the applications that interface with XIA can be provided by the same organization that administers the aggregation servers, by personnel of the firm that uses the server, or by third party consultants.
  • API Application Programming Interface
  • the second connection point is the XIA alerts, which are asynchronous messages are published via TIBCO Rendezvous to distribute alert-style messages. These can be user-focused, such as the notification of bundles to a wireless device, or Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) type messages sent to an admin console.
  • the third connection point includes XIA triggers. These are events that may cause cascading processes to take place on a aggregation server. XIA triggers can connect to other systems and applications synchronously or asynchronously to perform their defined set of tasks.
  • XIA's event tables dictate the internal process flows of any sort of XIA activity.
  • Event tables can preferably be defined at extremely fine grained levels based on a combination of things such as bundle type, destination address, author, user role or even user definable properties.
  • Each event table provides a sequence of activities with priorities, dependencies, execution methods and requirements for any action on any object managed by a aggregation server.
  • Content blending is an example of how an XIA event table is put to use at both endpoints of the system.
  • an XIA event table is located for the specific bundle type and destination address and executed like a job sequence.
  • the table may define that synchronously, a local COM call must be to a compliance system to allow publication of this material.
  • an asynchronous call may be made to a research system on a separate server to request the latest research on this topic.
  • the meta data When the meta data reach a recipient's aggregation server, it can cause an XIA table to be triggered that sends out an XIA alert via Rendezvous to a notification system that passes the meta data on to a wireless device using WAP (see Table 1).
  • a recipient When a recipient requests a bundle, their workflow application can call the XIA API fetchBundlemethod. This can cause a local XIA table to be executed that may replace or augment core filtering services, such as requesting information from a local compliance server to determine if a buy idea on ACME would not be possible based on the prospectus definition of the funds being managed by the user - therefore preventing the user from even seeing the idea. Additional content blending can also be driven by an XIA table based on author and bundle type causing asynchronous requests for system statistics on the topic and the top five news headlines on the topic from a local news feed.
  • Security and user authentication is another example of how local XIA functions can be completely substituted via customization of XIA tables.
  • the standard sequence for an XIA login request can be entirely removed and replaced with a client-specific authentication sequence that validates a user. This process results in the generation of a token that can be passed to a aggregation server, which will match it with a server side token to validate the user.
  • This requires customization of the properties of the user object to store the appropriate token information, and, therefore, system net objects have extensible properties that can be augmented for different integration projects. Unless both client and server side security definitions are in synchronicity, user validation is not complete and will not be allowed.
  • the XIA can be configured to operate in either of two modes.
  • the first mode is called synchronous mode. In this mode, the XIA passes control of the document to the external system to perform the necessary operation. Control and processing does not resume until the external system calls back into the aggregation server and modifies the document status. At this point, control is transfe ⁇ ed back to the XIA engine.
  • the second mode is called asynchronous mode. In this mode, the external system is notified that a document is passing through the system and that the external system can start some parallel processing if desired or if necessary.
  • the XIA continues to process the document, and the external system has limited access to the document as it "passes by".
  • XIA also permits existing desktop applications to be adapted to interact with other users in the community by embedding custom components. This can allow many users seamless access to the collaboration power of the infrastructure, without having to leave their workflow.
  • sell-side traders might use a standard trading terminal, such as a Reuters® XTRA terminal, that has been enhanced with an embedded component that can interact with XIA; salespersons might use a standard contact management application, such as Microsoft Outlook, enhanced in the same way. Using such an application, these users can create and receive system bundles as they would any other type of data within the standard environment.
  • XIA is more than an application programming interface (API) set.
  • API application programming interface
  • the external system passes a set of parameters and a function name to the core system and the core system executes the function on behalf of the external system.
  • control can be relinquished to the external system to implement the function in whatever manner it chooses.
  • the embodiment supports interactions between external systems and aggregation servers through XIA via three standard communications protocols.
  • Other technologies that could be supported include Sun Microsystems 's Remote Method Invocation (RMI) and Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA). These technologies are well defined in a variety of publicly available documents readily understood to one of ordinary skill in the art.
  • XIA enables various functions and events to occur at the interface between aggregation servers and applications.
  • Systems that interact with XIA are generally of two types, 1) those that replace, augment, and/or modify functionality of the aggregation server, such as sell-side compliance engines and content blending, and (2) applications that create a user interface for users, enabling them to create and receive bundles.
  • XIA processes enable external systems to add value to the information as it passes by (called content blending), enable modification of the functionality of the aggregation server, and can provide notification of events to appropriate external systems.
  • the system can allow users or user firms to blend additional content into a bundle at different points in the system, including the creator's firm aggregation server, the system's core infrastructure, and/or the recipient's firm aggregation server.
  • User applications can also allow for blending at the sender's and/or the recipient's desktop.
  • the added content can be from any compatible data source and can be added on as a layer to the bundle. It can be added as a snapshot of the content at creation of the document, or as a reference to the content, such as an hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) reference. Content blending can also be user-specific, with entitlements being stored in the aggregation servers. The addition of content can be performed by building a super bundle around the existing bundle or by transforming the bundle.
  • HTTP hypertext transfer protocol
  • a salesperson at a sell-side brokerage firm prepares an investment bundle about an upcoming conference in San Francisco on the "Tech" sector for a portfolio manger at a buy-side firm. From within his internal research system, he then adds the latest industry report and model to the bundle, and sends it.
  • the sell-side firm In a first level of content blending, the sell-side firm automatically tags the bundle with its legal disclaimer as it passes through its aggregation server.
  • a second level of content blending occurs when the bundle arrives at the system's core infrastructure and it detects that the sell-side firm has requested the addition of a weather forecast to the bundle, and determines that the buy-side firm is a subscriber of a particular weather content service.
  • This detection causes a weather forecast for San Francisco from this service for the given dates to be added to the investment bundle.
  • a final content blending level occurs when the bundle arrives at the buy-side firm's aggregation server, but before it reaches the recipient's terminal.
  • the firm's aggregation server detects that the bundle is tagged with the Tech sector, and adds the latest Tech sector report from the buy-side firm's analyst from one of their internal systems.
  • a salesperson at a sell-side firm creates a bundle for a buy-side firm about online auction sites. She tags the bundle with five equities and indicates that the most recent estimate and recommendation for those equities should be displayed in the bundle. Because the sell-side firm has plugged their research database into their aggregation server through XIA, simply opening the bundle will provide access within the bundle to estimate and recommendation information from the research database.
  • a firm has subscribed to a news service offered by the administrative organization. Any bundle received by this firm will contain the latest five reports on the tagged equities.
  • a buy-side firm does not want its portfolio managers wasting time on bundles tagged with equities that their analysts have a 'sell' recommendation on.
  • they can program their aggregation server to display their internal analyst recommendation for every equity a bundle is tagged with.
  • Functions that applications provide to XIA can also allow the aggregation server to perform notification tasks.
  • a condition specified in a function is detected, such when a bundle is detected as relating to a particularly volatile security, XIA can initiate a notification process associated with the function. These processes can range from requesting that a destination terminal issue a more noticeable alert window to the initiation of a pager message.
  • an aggregation server can include six separate functional modules, including authentication & access control, collaboration protocol adapters, notification services, telephony services, content distribution & retrieval services, collaboration services, and data distribution services.
  • the function and structure of these modules can also be broken down in different ways than those shown in figures, however, with logic elements being combined, separated, or recast as appropriate.
  • Collaboration Services is a collection of business logic and persistence application services for managing collaboration objects and documents. It includes objects like Users, Business Cards, Relationships, Firms, Groups, Bundles and Inboxes, and provides standard XML DTD's for these objects. Each service fulfills a specific task or a set of tasks that work with other services in an interoperable manner to carry out their part of a complex workflow or a business transaction.
  • Collaboration Services provide the core functionality of an Aggregation Server (AGS).
  • AGS Aggregation Server
  • XIA provides the toolkit for integrating client applications with the Collaboration Services.
  • XIA Service API's provide a HTTP/SOAP interface to Collaboration Services.
  • XIA client applications use these interfaces (e.g. API's) to request data and to perform transactions. It can reside on or off an AGS.
  • XIA Triggers allow customized notifications and actions to be performed when data changes on an AGS.
  • An XIA Trigger use case would be support for a compliance module which checks every outgoing bundle for restricted securities and block the bundle from being distributed.
  • XIA Triggers are implemented in through Java class instantiation and method invocation. Specific trigger implementations can then use Java directly or use COM, Tibco Rendezvous, VBA /NBS scripts or another protocols/toolsets that can be invoked from Java.
  • Typical clients will be COM/DCOM/RMI/CORBA/SOAP components/services and Rendezvous server processes. Triggers can be developed and configured differently on each AGS to meet specific customer requirements.
  • XIA Alerts provide asynchronous delivery of changes to specific Collaboration Services business objects. Tibco Rendezvous messages are used to deliver the changes, which are bundled as XML documents. An XIA Alert use case would be support for delivering an Inbox notification to a user's PDA.
  • Custom XIA Alert clients can subscribe to specific alerts and process the data as needed.
  • XIA client applications use the Services API's or the COM API's to receive XIA Alerts.
  • XIA COM API's provide a COM interface to Collaboration Services. It resides off an AGS and communicates with the AGS via the XIA Service API's. Clients are typlically client desktop applications (i.e. Notes, Outlook, Reuters). XIA client desktop applications also require notification of events/alerts. Lightweight (e.g. no rvd) client-side Rendezvous is used to deliver XIA Alerts to the XIA COM API's. Alerts are then delivered as COM Events to clients through the XIA COM API's.
  • Lightweight e.g. no rvd
  • Data Distribution Service allows content to be retrieved from a remote AGS and blends in data added through the XIA Triggers.
  • Data Distribution Service keeps many distributed data stores synchronized. It supports the concept of data objects "living" in multiple places throughout the Net. DDS distributes and guarantees latent consistency of objects throughout the entire Net.
  • Data Compatibility Services provide data adaptors and XML DTD's for transforming Net XML data from one revision to another. It resides on every AGS. Telephony Services provides allows voice mail messages to be attached to Bundles. Billing and Statistics is a set of information services residing on the Net Backbone.
  • Collaboration Documents e.g., business objects represented as valid XML documents
  • the Net as Rendezvous message it listens for these messages and updates its billing and statistics data accordingly.
  • Billing data is processed through an accounting module.
  • a collaboration protocol adapter is provided to interface with external applications in a modular way.
  • fetch can be used in any distributed computing environment for data distribution.
  • the system is designed with groups of aggregation servers distributed throughout the globe all functioning as members of a larger community. Each aggregation group, and each server within each group serves as both an independent entity and a member of the larger community.
  • AGSs aggregation servers
  • Grouped meta-data i.e., bundle meta-data
  • Fetch is wholly concerned with the content itself and is the framework for the storage and distribution of that data in a timely, secure fashion.
  • Fetch stores data, manages its storage space, and allows pluggable sources of content.
  • pluggable it is meant that an interface is defined for a data-source. Third parties can thus implement that interface and act as a source of content for the system's community through fetch.
  • Fetch generates a storage descriptor, which is an identifier that corresponds to a particular content segment stored by a Fetch service. This descriptor is globally unique. Fetch on any AGS can service requests for content identified by a storage descriptor generated by a different fetch service, which may be on another AGS.
  • Fetch is designed to be fault tolerant and scalable. Service times for requests are minimized to the extent practical. Fetch can handle many responses to a single request. Downstream caching can be incorporated. Fetch can also coordinate between fetch services on different AGSs but within an aggregation group. This will allow for one Fetch service to take over for another when they share a data source, and it is required for providing locking on data that can be modified so concurrent modification can be avoided.
  • Fetch has the ability to instantly retract content that was previously available. All content served is the most up to date version of that content if it has been modified. Content can be cached on foreign aggregation servers to improve performance. In addition, any AGS may specify that caching of its content is not allowed. Encryption of data in the foreign cache is incorporated so that even if physical access is gained, the data can not be deciphered, where performance allows. Fetch can store content but not distribute it to other fetch services. Information about content fetch is storing is available within the AGS and a subset of that information available outside the AGS. The operating properties of fetch can be modified without a restart, and can provide information on its performance and activities.
  • Designing fetch based solely on performance considerations would result in the content being sent out by its owner once, with every recipient aggregation server caching and serving it on demand until the package it is associated with is deleted. This would result in the owner losing his ultimate control, his instant retraction capability. If the owner's AGS is functioning, but loses its network connection, it is possible for the owner to retract the package containing the content, but have the package content still available. This is unacceptable.
  • fetch uses intelligent caching and optimistic distribution with the use of release certificates.
  • Content for which instant retraction is required may be marked as requiring a release certificate.
  • fetch will not serve the cached copy until it obtains a release certificate from the owner of the data source that content came from.
  • Any fetch service can be configured so that the content it distributes to other fetch services is marked as uncachable. This allows for an easily accommodated change in the business rules of an individual AGS regarding caching.
  • Some individual content segments may also be marked as uncachable. This is provided because it may be that the data source for a particular content segment is constantly modifying the content and therefore caching on foreign servers makes no sense. An updated copy will always be needed, so using cache space on the content is wasteful.
  • Content can be distributed in two ways:
  • IOCD Intelligent Optimistic Content Distribution
  • IOCD doesn't provide just on and off states, but rather can be configured to optimistically distribute certain content based on a set of rules. These rules are configurable on the fly and any property of content can be used in the rules. An example of rule syntax would be Distribute optimistically if:
  • aggregation groups which is a collection of aggregation servers acting both collectively and as individuals. Fetch accesses data in these groups through its data source concept. Allowing these data sources to be shared between aggregation servers gives us redundant access to the data.
  • a client of a Fetch service wants to edit the properties of some content. Locking is provided.
  • Locking in the first case and all servers (within the aggregation group) having access to release certificates issued are accomplished using a core fault tolerance service framework, which utilizes Tibco 's Rendezvous fault tolerance concepts.
  • This Service framework With this Service framework, all method calls are turned into RV messages and broadcast to anyone else on the subnet running that service. Only the active service sends a response to the method call, but all instances of the service can opt to have their method called. This allows all services to remain in a consistent state.
  • the default installation of the system provides a default data source that uses a file system. In most cases this file system will be in the form of Network Attached Storage (NAS) and will be shared amongst all aggregation servers in the group.
  • NAS Network Attached Storage
  • DDS Data Distribution Service
  • the Database Schema consists of table definitions and attributes to serialize in memory objects to physical storage.
  • the schema also includes database code in the form of Microsoft SQL Server stored procedures and triggers to support anticipated and ad-hoc queries.
  • the diagram below illustrates the relationship between the collaboration services objects and the database schema.
  • the DDS engine which is responsible for the publication and digestion of object activity such as the creation of new objects, changes to existing objects or the deletion of objects altogether. This consists of two parts, outbound service manager and inbound service manager, responsible for publication and digestion, respectively.
  • the Synchronization service ensures that all Aggregation servers receive and process object activities in the correct sequence. Consisting of schema related data, such as GUIDs and NIDs, and managers, such as the Retransmission Service as well as capabilities within the Inbound Service Manager, this guarantees that all information is processed in sequence.
  • the illustrative DDS framework presented here has been designed to meet a number of business and technical requirements. As with the other aspects of this system, there is room for a variety of changes in these requirements, given different business objectives for the system and technical constraints outside of the scope of the invention.
  • the requirements in the present embodiment fall into three categories, requirements within an aggregation server, requirements within an aggregation group, and requirements between aggregation groups.
  • An aggregation group must be able to scale to an arbitrary number of users, and span an arbitrarily large geographical region. It must be possible for users to have shared modification access to objects owned by the group. It must be possible for these users to be on separate machines, and, potentially, in separate geographical locations. When two users make concurrent modifications to an object on separate servers, there must be a deterministic decision made as to who's modification is accepted. All servers must agree on this determination.
  • the servers within a group should operate independently.
  • One server should not be a bottleneck for transactions occurring on other servers. It may be necessary to save an object in a state which should be published to the group, but not seen by the network.
  • an aggregation server must be able to maintain consistency with data owned by remote aggregation groups.
  • An aggregation server should only be able to modify data that it's group owns. When synchronization is lost, a best effort should be made to avoid network "floods" in the resynchronization phase. It should be possible to synchronize some data across a local aggregation group without exposing the data to any other aggregation groups.
  • Business objects in DDS should be represented as XML documents. These documents may be used outside of DDS. The XML formats used or a given type of object may change over time. It must be possible to have different aggregation groups running different versions of the software. Conversions between the old and new XML formats must be automatically handled.
  • a user inserts an object through XIA as an XML CD.
  • a distributed object is instantiated from the CD.
  • the object is sent through the notification engine where custom actions are performed. These custom actions may either veto the save or modify the object.
  • the object is then saved to the database (possibly spanning multiple tables).
  • the originator is automatically set to the local originator, a new GUTD is automatically generated, and a new version identifier (VID) is retrieved from the VID service.
  • VID version identifier
  • the synchronizer service receives a CD in a TIBRV message.
  • a distributed object is instantiated based on the XML data.
  • the notification engine can not modify it or veto the change.
  • the object is not published, since it belongs to a remote home.
  • a CD into the synchronizer service from an aggregation server running an older version of the software.
  • the synchronizer service generates a class name based on the object type and the remote and local type version numbers. This class is loaded from WorldStreet and used to translate the XML from the old format to the new format. If the class is unavailable, it is assumed that the format is unchanged. Saving then proceeds as the previous use case
  • a CD arrives into the synchronizer service with a higher than expected VID. Instead of saving the object, the synchronizer service sends a resync request to the remote server requesting all objects with VIDs higher than the last VID it received.
  • An local object is deleted.
  • the delete is broadcast as a TIBRV message, and a reference to the deleted object is added to a _deleted_objects table with a new VID so that resyncs will hear about the deletion.
  • a CD arrives into the synchronizer service which represents a local object.
  • the object is already in the database, so it is ignored.
  • the local install is upgraded.
  • the server sends out a special resync request asking for all remote objects which were created by versions newer than the previous local version.
  • the local versions of these objects may not contain all of the data from the remote objects, since they had to go through a translation process before they were saved.
  • the database schema needs to be specially set up to support DDS.
  • the first requirement is that every table in the database must have the following three columns: originator guid vid
  • Each guid/vid pair is unique to a particular object. If the object is spread out over multiple tables (and even multiple rows in some of the tables), the same guid/vid will be in every row associated with that object.
  • a sequence of VIDs is maintained. Every time an object is modified, updated or deleted, a new VID is assigned from the sequence. These VIDs allow the synchronizer to detect missed updates and to retrieve the missing data. Because the sequence of VIDs must be shared between the application logic and ad-hoc queries, new VIDs must be retrieved from a separate VID service. (The VIDs could also be maintained by a stored procedure, but this would add extra database queries in the application logic.)
  • a table must be maintained which lists the local originator(s). This will be used by the application logic, the synchronizer service, and ad-hoc queries to determine whether objects are local or remote.
  • triggers are needed on every table. (Except for the worker tables supporting DDS, such as _deleted_objects) These triggers need to make sure that when a table is modified through an ad- hoc query, a new VID is assigned and propagated to all related rows in related tables. It also needs to ensure that when an object is completely deleted (the entry in it's primary table is deleted) a row is added to the deleted objects table with a new VID.
  • An outline of the functionality of such a trigger follows:
  • each application process calls a stored procedure that enters its spid into a table which the trigger can validate against, or 2) the trigger can check the DBLIB_NAME of the process and check against some agreed upon string Get VID from trigger's inserted table. If new VID is already in _triggers table, then return immediately because the presence of the VID signals the fact that this table is being updated as part of another table's trigger
  • this trigger was a delete AND the delete removed the "master" object (meaning the object no longer exists in the db) then this object must be added to the _deleted_objects table with a new VID.
  • the DDS engine provides an API for publishing and receiving TIBCO messages containing DDS content. It defines several types of messages (insert, update, delete, resync, version sync, and heartbeat) and interfaces and objects for publishing and receiving these messages. It does not define what actions are to be taken when a message is received, or where the content of published messages comes from. This is defined by the clients of the DDS Engine.
  • originator is used to specify the "home" of the object.
  • guid is used to uniquely identify the object across all servers on the Net.
  • the vid is a version number for the object which is used to keep databases in sync. There is more information about these fields in the "Database Schema & Triggers" section.
  • New distributed objects must automatically generate GUIDs and automatically set the originator. They must also get their unique VID from the VID service.
  • Each type of distributed object must contain a unique type name (by default, the class name) and a type version number. Any time the XML schema for the object changes, this version number must be incremented. This type version number will allow us to detect version mismatches and automatically discover version translators. This process should happen automatically if the converters are available on the network and the type version numbers are correctly defined.
  • the distributed business object must communicate with the Notification Engine before/after saving and before/after publishing.
  • the Notification Engine must be able to veto changes to local objects, and make modifications to local objects. These notification actions could potentially be registered locally with the distributed business object's class to avoid the network overhead of talking to a standalone notification engine.
  • An important aspect of the distributed community defined by the system is that it operates on a peer-to-peer basis, each storing and serving the collaboration services objects of the system.
  • Infrastructure services provide mechanisms for ensuring these objects are distributed securely and efficiently within the community.
  • the system can include inbound and outbound bundle services that operate as managers for directing the internal traffic of WorldStreet Net objects and requests to the Infrastructure Services.
  • Each infrastructure service provides a set of services that can be applied to nearly any system object, such as bundles, users, profiles, or directory.
  • These infrastructure services are: • • Object Replication and Synchronization services ensure that all of the servers operating within a specific group are kept up to date with the correct set of objects they require.
  • an aggregation server may own a set of users within the directory. As changes are made locally, they are replication to all other servers who should have access to this information.
  • Bundle Location and Retrieval services are responsible for optimally fetching bundles when needed. Location services determine where a bundle can be found, externally or within a local cache, and then provide the proper security steps to ensure only entitled services are given access to the bundle contents - which may be handled by on-demand conversations with the publisher or based an a time-to-live access period.
  • Route Optimization ensures the best network path is taken to access the resources required.
  • Each aggregation server maintains dynamic network path tables containing network heuristics derived from hops, ping counts and physical connection types. Administrators can explicitly define preferred paths, allowing for traffic of specific types to only flow over private networks, for example.
  • Content Blending services interact with the Bundle Location and Retrieval services to create custom content collections based on bundle type, author, recipients, destination device or other criteria.
  • Content blending can encompass things such as custom templates for varied presentations, specific content requests from external services or even the deletion or replacement of content within the original bundle.
  • Content blending' s goal is to build out context to ideas to deliver the recipient all information necessary to make instantaneous decisions.
  • Data Compatibility and Transformation services provide the ability for multiple versions of the system to interact with differing sets of DTD's present.
  • XSL transformations XML documents, which all Bundles and Meta-data are, can be translated into the dialect necessary for the version of services running on this Aggregation server. Additionally, these services can be used for extending the DTD's for use within a firm, so that a company may be able to include proprietary information for internal consumption, but drop it for external publication.
  • Telephony and Media services are a collection of third party software, such as Microsoft Media Server and Envox, and hardware, such as Dialogic telephony cards, that provide integrated voice messaging and streaming media services to bundle content. These are woven into bundles via specific tags embedded within the bundle XML.
  • Statistic Engine also provides billing services data to external accounting systems.
  • the statistics engine tracks Bundle activity via the passing of the meta data through the Inbound and Outbound Bundle services detecting when users publish bundles, and when they request bundles. This information is then aggregated within a statistics database, and this data is shared with hosted services for billing purposes.
  • Fig. 6 illustrates how an object is physically persisted to database. It is important to note the creation of a Globally Unique Identifier (GUID) and Version Identifer (VID) are performed within the database as a part of the overall transaction, ensuring no VIDs are wasted. Once the record is successfully written to the database, a message is sent out to the system community announcing the changes.
  • GUID Globally Unique Identifier
  • VIP Version Identifer
  • Fig. 7 illustrates the process by which these changes are transmitted to another aggregation server. This is typical case example where everything occurs as expected and no information is out of sequence. Objects that publish changes to objects become the owner of that object, as such object ownership is a permission that can either be granted or revoked, preventing unauthorized edits to proprietary information.
  • Fig. 8 illustrates a scenario where object change information is received out of sequence. This may be the result of a server going offline or being disconnected for a period from the rest of the community. When messages are received out of sequence, this causes the recipient's retransmission service to kick in and request all changes it may not have received.
  • the publishing server has technology within its retransmission service to queue up the retransmission of messages temporarily so that it will not flood the network if many servers all request the same retransmission sequence.
  • system operation can include two overall phases, an untrusted phase 20 followed by a trusted phase 22.
  • buy-side users can send invitations (step 24) to sell-side users to encourage them to enter into a trusted relationship with them.
  • sell-side users can use network directory tools to seek sell-side providers on the network (step 26). The buy-side and sell-side users can then enter into the trusted relationship (step 28).
  • sell-side users prepare and send bundles to one or more buy- side users (step 30). If these bundles conform to settings in a user's profile, he or she will receive them (step 32). He or she can then review information associated with the bundles and respond to this information, either through the system or though another channel.
  • Trust In the trusted phase, users gain access to the functionality of the infrastructure. Even within this phase, there can be levels of trust, so that only limited functionality is available to certain relationships. Trust can be limited at the option of either party.
  • users exchange information through invitations For example, a salesperson might send an invitation to all of his buy side contacts at a particular firm. He can do this by setting up and sending a business card to all of the individuals he interacts with at the firm.
  • the initiator of the relationship has the ability to link one or more already existing bundles to the invitation as a sample of the quality of his/her bundles.
  • Recipients can accept the invitations and can award the resulting relationships different relationship levels. These levels can affect the amount of information and the type of notification used for bundles received during the relationship.
  • a recipient accepts a relationship with the sender of an invitation. The recipient does not want to receive irrelevant information from the sender, however, so she accepts the relationship but does not give him or her 'premier contact' privileges.
  • the system can also have a directory look-up utility that allows all users to browse through information about all other users at every firm in the directory.
  • the first is known as the ultimate rejection. Issuing a rejection in this way prevents the initiator from ever sending an invitation to the recipient again, but the rejector may initiate a relationship when desired. A less permanent type of rejection prevents the initiator from sending invitations for a predetermined period. The recipient can also terminate the relationship at a later time, after he or she has had a chance to evaluate it.
  • FIG. 10 an illustrative user interface application that can be implemented using the extensible architecture framework provided by the system 10 will be discussed. While this user interface application is optimized for the financial services industry, many other systems can be developed for other types of groups, such as other industries, government entities, or non-profit organizations. For example, it is contemplated that such systems could be developed for supply chain management, where providers of raw materials and sub-assemblies can interact with manufacturers interested in their products. Although the organization, feature sets, and user interfaces of such other systems may differ from the one presented in a variety of ways that are consistent with their intended use, such systems will still benefit from the principles presented in this application.
  • the user interface is provided by an application that runs on his or her terminal and interacts with XIA provided by the firm's application server. Because XIA presents a well-defined programming interface, different user interface applications can be readily designed for different types of systems, different firms, or different personnel functions. In addition, more than one application can interact with XIA at any particular time, allowing for different or more feature-rich interactions with the system.
  • the user interface application is supplied and maintained by the administrative organization. When a buy-side user (e.g., Al) receives a new bundle, the user interface application causes his or her terminal to show a new bundle alert window 40 for a short interval (e.g., 10 seconds), if the bundle passes the user's filters.
  • the user interface application displays this window in response to a notification from XIA, which can include the following information: Bundle ID, Bundle type, Firm name, Firm ID, Date and time received, Tickers, Headline, whether there is a non-voicemail attachment, The voicemail ID for a voicemail (if there is one), and whether the bundle passes the user's filters.
  • a notification from XIA can include the following information: Bundle ID, Bundle type, Firm name, Firm ID, Date and time received, Tickers, Headline, whether there is a non-voicemail attachment, The voicemail ID for a voicemail (if there is one), and whether the bundle passes the user's filters.
  • the new bundle window presents a time area 42, a sender identification area 44, a headline area 46, a voice mail icon 48, and a ticker area 50. If the user clicks on the headline area, the system opens the bundle. If the user clicks on the voice mail icon in this embodiment, the system opens the bundle and plays the voice mail, but it is not possible to directly open attachments without opening the bundle.
  • the new bundle window is not configurable, is always on, and is always triggered according to the same criteria. Note that an invitation is not considered a kind of a bundle, and that the new bundle alerter window is not brought up when an invitation is received.
  • the user can invoke different parts of the user interface application by right-clicking on an icon in the system tray 52, or by left-clicking on controls 54 in a tool bar 56.
  • the different parts include windows for the following functions: Inbox, Outbox, Create bundle, Find bundle, invitations (Received, Sent), Create invitation, Net, directory (Browse users, Find user), My profile, Create contact list, Statistics, and Admin.
  • a latest bundle window 58 in the taskbar shows the time (or date if not today), tickers, and headline for the latest bundle received that passes the user's filters. If the user left- clicks this entry, then the co ⁇ esponding bundle is opened. The user can also click on the icon to open a window that shows the latest ten bundles received that pass the user's filters. In this window, the user can also see a voicemail indicator icon and the author for each bundle. Clicking on the voicemail icon causes the user interface application to open the bundle and play the voicemail immediately. For the purposes of the latest bundles window, an invitation is not considered a kind of a bundle, and the latest bundles window is not updated when the user receives an invitation.
  • the user interface application needs to be notified when a new bundle is received, and whether it passes the user's filters. If there is a change, or on startup, the user interface application needs to be able to get details about the ten most recent bundles that passed the user's filters. These details can include Bundle ID, Headline, Ticker symbols, when the bundle was received, the voicemail ED of any voicemail associated with the bundle, the Author name, and the Author ED.
  • a create control 62 includes a delete control 64, a find control 66, a grouping control 68, and a filters control 70.
  • the options for the create control are create bundle and create invitation, which cause the system to present a create bundle window (see Fig. 16) and a create invitation window (see Fig. 19), respectively.
  • the options for the grouping control allow the inbox to be grouped in a collapsible outline view according to a number of options, including: No Grouping, Group by Author, Group by Firm, Group by Sector, Group by Ticker (see Fig. 13), and Group by Type.
  • the filters control allows the user to turn filtering on and off.
  • the find ticker control can expand to a find selection box, where the options are Find Author, Find Firm, Find Sector, or Find Ticker. When a new bundle arrives, or a bundle is retracted, the inbox should be automatically refreshed if possible.
  • the columns are click-sortable, but nothing happens when the user clicks on the header for the ticker column, the attachment icon column, the voicemail icon column, or the delete checkbox column.
  • the user interface application If the filters are on, the user interface application only shows bundles that match an interest list or bundles that were sent by premier authors, or bundles that were replies. For each bundle shown in the inbox, the user interface application displays the time received, the type, the co ⁇ esponding ticker symbols, a non-voicemail attachment icon, a voicemail icon, a headline, an author name, and a firm name.
  • Left-clicking once on a bundle type causes the user interface application to display an inbox group by bundle type window.
  • Left-clicking once on the ticker symbols causes the user interface application to display a popup menu that lets the user choose a specific ticker symbol, and when he or she chooses one, the user interface application presents an inbox find ticker result page for that ticker symbol.
  • Left-clicking once on a voicemail icon causes the system to open the bundle and play the voice mail message immediately.
  • Left-clicking on a headline opens the bundle details window (see Fig. 15).
  • Left clicking once on an author name causes the system to present an inbox find author result window for that author, and left-clicking once on a firm name causes the system to present an inbox find firm result window for that firm.
  • Grouping by contact list, sector, or tickers requires that there be a special group for bundles that are not tagged with any sectors, and bundles that are not tagged with any tickers, respectively. Grouping by sectors results in only one level of grouping, even though there are both major sectors and minor sectors. Minor groups are separated within major groups with descriptive headings, such as "Computers (Hardware)." Grouping by author causes the author column to disappear, grouping by firm causes the firm column to disappear, and grouping by bundle type causes the bundle type to disappear, but grouping by ticker does not cause the ticker column to disappear. For some views, a bundle can appear more than once. These are: group by ticker, group by interest, group by contact list, group by firm, and group by sector. Grouping is handled in this embodiment by the user interface application, instead of XIA.
  • the find box is empty, there is no grouping, and the filters are on. If the find box is empty, and the user changes the "group by" selection, the filter does not change, and the view is immediately updated. Similarly, if the find box is empty, and the user changes the "filter by" selection, the group by does not change, and the view is immediately updated.
  • the "firm finder,” “sector fmder,” “people finder,” or “ticker fmder” force the user to specify exactly one firm, sector, author, or ticker before the search string is sent to XIA.
  • the group is set to by bundle type, and the filters are left on. The user can then change the grouping, and turn the filters off.
  • the number of bundles is displayed in the lower left corner of the inbox. But when grouping by ticker, for example, a bundle can appear more than once. The distinct number of bundles is displayed in such instances.
  • inboxWithoutFilters(user ⁇ D) ungrouped dump of all bundles without filters on.
  • inbox WithFilters(userED) ungrouped dump of all bundles matching filters.
  • findAllBundlesForAuthor(userED, targetUser) ungrouped dump of all bundles that match the author name.
  • findAllBundlesForFirm(userID, firm) ungrouped dump of all bundles that match the firm name.
  • findAllBundlesForSector(userED, sector) ungrouped dump of all bundles that match the sector.
  • findAHBundlesForTicker(userED, ticker) ungrouped dump of all bundles that match the ticker symbol.
  • findFilteredBundlesForFirm(userED, firm) ungrouped dump of filtered bundles that match the firm name.
  • f ⁇ ndFilteredBundlesForSector(userID, sector) ungrouped dump of filtered bundles that match the sector.
  • findFilteredBundlesForTicker(userED, ticker) ungrouped dump of filtered bundles that match the ticker symbol.
  • the outbox window 76 is in many ways similar to the inbox window, except that bundles cannot be deleted from the outbox, but can instead be retracted.
  • the system shows the (single) author, but in the outbox, it shows the (many) recipients.
  • the inbox shows received dates while the outbox shows sent dates.
  • the system shows a status indication for bundles in the outbox, and in the firm view, the outbox groups by the recipient's firm instead of by the firm of the author of the bundle.
  • a modal warning dialog is displayed when the user tries to retract a bundle.
  • the outbox window can be updated if it is open, but the application should be able to do this without notification from XIA, since the user will presumably request retraction from the user interface application.
  • the following information is received from XIA for each bundle: Bundle ED, Bundle type, Headline, Date Sent, Recipient List (names and ED's), List of ID's for recipients' firms, List of short names for recipients' firms, Ticker List, Sectors, List of voice mail ED's, List of non-voice mail attachment ID's, and Status.
  • a function called outbox(userED) can request the return of an ungrouped dump of all bundles sent.
  • a function called retractBundle(userED, bundleEDList) can request retraction of a collection of bundles.
  • the bundle detail window 80 includes a branded business card area 82, a date received area 84, a ticker symbol area 86, and a sector area 88. Also included are a bundle type identifier 90, a text area 92, a network location area 94, a regions area 96, and a countries area 98.
  • An attachments area 100 is provided for voicemail and non-voicemail attachments, and reply and forward buttons 102, 104 are provided as well.
  • the user has to explicitly open the bundle being forwarded from the details window if he or she wants to see it. This is so that retrieval of the forwarded bundle will be a separate billable event.
  • the user interface application will display an icon in the attachments area that the user can click on to open the bundle being forwarded. If the bundle for which the details window is being displayed is a reply to a bundle the user sent, the user can get to the original bundle as well, but he or she has to explicitly open it from the attachments section.
  • the bundle details window displays a created date, but not an expiration date or a sent date. If the bundle is unforwardable, then the "forward" button can be grayed out. Clicking on the business card area causes the user interface application to display the business card details window for the author (see Fig. 22). Clicking on an attachment or voicemail will cause the user interface application to launch it with an appropriate associated program. In this embodiment, there is no delete button in this window, and the names of other recipients of the bundle are not displayed.
  • the create bundle window includes an attachment section at the bottom that will have one icon on the left that represents either a bundle that is being forwarded or a bundle that is being replied to, as well as one icon for each attachment (both voicemail and document).
  • the user can delete a voicemail attachment or a document attachment by selecting it and pressing "delete.”
  • the user can click on the heading for the countries, regions, and sectors text boxes to bring up an appropriate picker window. He or she can also "lookup" tickers. The user also has a choice to use either the people picker or the people finder to address the recipient list. The people picker and people finder can be set up to only enable the user to select people he has a relationship with, however. Buttons allow users to add attachments and voicemail, and a textbox allows the user to type in a URL.
  • regions, countries, sectors, and tickers are inherited from the original message, and they can't be edited. The user can't edit the recipient list - only the originator can get the reply.
  • the headline can't be edited - it has to be "Re:” plus the original headline. Only the body and add attachments can be edited. (The reply message does not inherit the original message's attachments - the recipient of the reply will be able to get at them by opening the original message.)
  • the user can edit anything, except an icon representing the bundle being forwarded, and the "FWD:" prefix on the headline. However, the regions, countries, sectors, tickers, and headline will be initialized to the values from the bundle being forwarded. If the bundle is a reply to a mail, then the original mail appears as an icon in the attachment section. Similarly, if the bundle is being forwarded, the original document being forwarded, appears as an icon at the bottom left corner. In either case, this icon can not be deleted.
  • an invitations received window lists invitations received. It can include a "create” menu that expands to "create invitation” and “create bundle,” and a “view received” menu that expands to "view received” and “view sent.” Accept and decline buttons allow the user to accept and decline invitations. An "accept premier” button may also be provided to create premier relationships.
  • an invitations sent window is also provided. It includes controls allowing the user to create invitations, revoke them, and view replies. This window can automatically update itself as the user creates and revokes invitations.
  • a create invitation window can allow the user to address an invitation to many people, but the system will create one separate invitation for each recipient.
  • the user can use the people picker or the people fmder to add people to the invitation.
  • the people picker and fmder can be set to force the user to choose people that the user does not have a relationship with.
  • selecting a directory entry on the toolbar allows the user to choose either a "find” or a "browse” control. Choosing "browse,” will cause the system to bring up the address book (Fig. 20). Choosing find will cause the system to bring up the people finder (Fig. 21). This window allows the user to type in part of a name, choose somebody from the search results, and go to the user details page for that person.
  • FIG. 1 There are four views on the address book window. These include directory filtered views for the following sets of users: system-wide, my relationships, my contact lists, and non- relationships.
  • the system displays a tree. The highest level of this tree will be the list of all firms. The firms will be alphabetized, except the user's firm will be on top. The firms will be expandable, into groups with the firm, and then the groups can be expanded to show groups within each group. Users do not appear in this tree. A user can, however, select a firm or a group from this tree. Upon selecting a group, all of the users in that group appear on the right side. Selecting a firm will cause all of the users that are in that firm that have not been assigned to any group at all to appear on the right side.
  • the "my relationships" view can be the same as the system directory view, except the system only shows people that have a relationship with the user, it only shows groups that contain people that have a relationship with the user or that have subgroups that have to be shown, and it only shows firms that have a person that has a relationship with the user.
  • the "non-relationships" view can be the same as the system directory view, except that the system only shows people that do have a relationship with the user, it only shows groups that contain people that do not have a relationship with the user or that have subgroups that it has to show, and it only shows firms that have a person that does not have a relationship with the user.
  • the "my contact lists” view has a flat list of the names of the user's contact lists on the left side. If the user highlights a contact list, then the people on that contact list appear on the right side.
  • All views can be color coded by people, group, and the firm.
  • a person will be color- coded green if the user has a relationship with that person, and red if the user does not.
  • a group will be color-coded green if it contains any green subgroups or green users, and red otherwise.
  • a firm will be color-coded green if the user has a relationship with any member of that firm, and red otherwise.
  • a contact list will be color-coded green if the user has a relationship with any member of that contact list.
  • the user can highlight multiple people on the right side. If nobody is highlighted, or if anybody that is highlighted has a relationship with the user, then the "invite” button can be grayed out. If nobody is highlighted, or multiple people are highlighted, then the "details” button can be grayed out.
  • the people picker employs a similar interface to the address book.
  • a business card window can be provided for each user.
  • This window provides an identification of the firm with which the user is associated (e.g., a logo), and information about the individual. Controls may also be provided to establish filters to accept or deny bundles from the user, and relationship initiation and termination controls may also be provided. For example, if a user has a relationship with the user identified in a business card details view, an "end relationship" button could be displayed. If no relationship existed, an "invite” button could be displayed, and this button could lead the user to the "create invitation" window, with the recipient box prepopulated.
  • an interests window is reachable from the business card view. This window includes a series of interest category values that can be used for searches and filtering.
  • This window therefore allows a user to divulge a safe amount of information about him or her interests to a targeted group of users.
  • a most active screen presents most active entities for different metrics.
  • these include top tickers, top sectors, top authors, and top firms.
  • the statistics displayed in this type of window are based on statistics gathered by the aggregation servers on the numbers of transactions that take place in the system. Similar views can be presented for publication and coverage gap statistics. Publication statistics provide information about amounts of use of the system, and coverage gap statistics provide information comparing service levels between firms.
  • a full-featured user interface application can also include a number of additional windows, allowing users and administrators to input information, select values, set preferences, and otherwise control and interact with the system.
  • additional windows allowing users and administrators to input information, select values, set preferences, and otherwise control and interact with the system.
  • the exact configuration of these windows can be changed without substantial impact on features available to the invention.
  • additional windows can relate to the following topics: Interests, Contact Lists, Bundles, My Profile, Business Card Editor and Change Password, Interest Lists Manager, Summary, General, Tickers, Sectors, Regions, countries, Contact Lists Manager, Statistics, Most Active, Publication, Coverage Gap, Admin (Administer User), Firm Directory, Add/Edit User (General), Add/Edit User (Permissions), Add/Edit User (Groups), Add/Edit User (Interests), Admin (Administer Firm), Group Directory, Bundle Expiration, Admin (Administer Bundles), Administer Bundles, Reference Data Finders and Pickers, Ticker Picker, Sector Picker, Region Picker, Country Picker, User Role Selector, and Bundle Type Selector.
  • profiles are provided to XIA from the user interface applications, these can be updated automatically before being provided to the aggregation servers.
  • a portfolio management system could be tied directly into the profiling systems of the aggregation server, for example.
  • Such a system would allow profiles to be automatically updated and as positions are established and liquidated, ensuring that information flow is always relevant, and eliminating time-consuming profile maintenance.
  • the profile for the fund is automatically updated. So when the fund sells all of its stock in the ACME corporation, the profile no longer includes an entry for ACME.
  • the system's user interface is based on software-based graphical user interface elements, it could also be implemented in other ways, such as using physically actuated controls or auditory prompts.
  • the function and structure of the user interface elements can also be broken down in different ways than those shown in figures, with elements being combined, separated, or recast as appropriate. And while the system's user interface elements are presented as displayed in windows, one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that they could also be displayed in other types of display regions, such as screens, cards, or pages.
  • the system addresses these issues through its Distributed Database Service.
  • Distributed data is managed through this software layer.
  • Every shared data object has an "originating server” or "home” that is its owner. Ownership can be transfe ⁇ ed among servers, but there is never more than one owner. Only the owner can edit the object. His or her server has a "locking" mechanism assuring that only one application or user can edit the object at a time. As a result, there can never be conflicts from simultaneous edits.
  • Every data object has a unique 128-bit identifier. This identifier includes not only the identity of the data object, but also the version of the data object.
  • every server maintains, for different types of data object, a version identifier. This identifier is unique to the server and to the version of all data that falls within its data type. Whenever a data object is edited, added, or deleted, the server's data object version identifier increments.
  • server data object version identifiers are broadcast on the network on regular heartbeats, typically every five seconds.
  • Other servers on the network maintain a record of the version updates they have successfully received from every server for every data object type, and can tell from the version identifiers if they have missed any changes to shared data objects. If they have, they communicate to the home server the version identifier of the last successful update. They then receive all missing updates from the home server.
  • Updates are typically communicated only as edits (indicating what has changed), not as complete retransmissions of the whole object, in order to conserve network bandwidth. As a result, updates are always implemented in the co ⁇ ect order, to assure that the object is co ⁇ ectly preserved.
  • Data can be restricted in its distribution to local groups of aggregation servers, or to any intermediate association of aggregation servers. For instance, for scalability, performance, minimization of global network traffic, or other reasons, a single firm may wish to have multiple aggregation servers. In such cases, the Distributed Database Service would be used to synchronize proprietary data within the firm's aggregation servers.
  • An example of proprietary data that might be synchronized across a subset of the Exchange aggregation servers includes Profiles and Watch Lists, so that a user could access the Exchange through any of a firm's aggregation servers.
  • Systems according to the invention can employ standard meta data tags, or Business Language Definitions (BLDs).
  • BLDs are a particular keyword which can have certain values, including multiple values.
  • the values that can be attached to the keywords may be standardized through community agreement.
  • BLDs defined to serve the securities industry include Sector, Ticker, Region, and Country.
  • RICs Reuters Instrument Codes
  • the a statistics engine begins to gather statistics on the use of this keyword and the values associated with it, as well as the behavior of users in response to bundles containing this keyword and particular values.
  • the statistics engine may gather data on the usage of these non-standard keywords, but the ability to analyze the use of the keywords will be limited.
  • Key BLD's for all industries include Author, Firm, and Bundle Type. Statistics based on these keywords allow clients to track the activity and success of different publishing individuals and firms.
  • Key BLD's for the securities industry are Ticker, Sector, Region, and Country.
  • Usage data is gathered continuously, whenever applications create, modify, or download bundles.
  • the statistics engine gathers usage data in near-real-time, and creates statistical "slices" or summaries of activity. This activity is then distributed to community members according to an appropriate algorithm. For example, some members may have purchased subscriptions to all statistics, others to limited statistics, others to time-delayed or summary statistics.
  • Real-time statistics provide a snapshot of activity now (that is, over the last hour, or the last day, or the last ten minutes). They may be updated periodically, say every ten minutes.
  • Examples of statistical slices include the most often published values for each BLD (keyword), and the most often downloaded values for each BLD. E.g., if the BLD was Ticker, MSFT might be the most published, and IBM the most downloaded.
  • Historical statistics present how the statistics have varied over time. They can be presented in terms of percentage changes day over day, or in the form of charts presenting trends over time. Examples of statistical slices include: top movers (biggest percentage increase in activity, biggest percentage decrease) for each BLD, ratio of BLD-value activity to overall incidence of all values for that BLD over the last year.
  • statistics can be used to evaluate employees. For instance, a Wall Street firm might evaluate salespeople by frequency of publication, or might link statistics on employee production to revenue and identify the most effective salespeople. The same firm might evaluate analysts by the frequency with which their publications are downloaded.
  • Firms may also use statistics to evaluate the market as a whole. These may reveal what all portfolio managers are looking at, for example. This information can help firms redirect resources to the most profitable opportunities, and to learn of an emerging opportunity in near- real-time.
  • a Wall Street firm might also look for stocks that have received an increase in portfolio manager interest, but which its analysts haven't published any research on. Time lags also represent useful information. The system may reveal how long it takes, on average, between publication and readership, for a firm and its competitors.

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Abstract

Systèmes et procédés concernant le partage versatile d'informations entre des utilisateurs sur un réseau et le cadre technique rendant ces opérations possibles. Selon un aspect général de l'invention, l'invention concerne un système réseauté pour la gestion d'interactions commerciales comprenant un service de réseau fournissant des chemins de réseau entre des ordinateurs situés à des emplacement éloignés et de fourniture d'interfaces logicielles auxdits emplacements. Un circuit logique de traitement de groupes est prévu entre les ordinateurs situés à des emplacements éloignés et réagit à un ensemble d'instructions pour détecter des conditions prédéterminées dans les descripteurs d'attributs de contenu des groupes et pour assurer des opérations en réponse à la détection des conditions prédéterminées dans les descripteurs d'attributs de contenu. Une interface de programmation est également prévue, pour le circuit logique de traitement de groupes, accessible depuis chaque emplacement et conçue pour définir au moins une partie de l'ensemble d'instructions pour le circuit logique de traitement de groupes.
EP01990827A 2000-10-25 2001-10-25 Systeme de commerce electronique Withdrawn EP1334421A4 (fr)

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EP08166292A EP2056248A1 (fr) 2000-10-25 2001-10-25 Systeme de Commerce Electronique

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US696754 1996-08-14
US09/697,024 US7287089B1 (en) 2000-10-25 2000-10-25 Electronic commerce infrastructure system
US09/696,765 US7305360B1 (en) 2000-10-25 2000-10-25 Electronic sales system
US09/696,754 US7330830B1 (en) 2000-10-25 2000-10-25 Distributed commerce system
US696765 2000-10-25
US697024 2000-10-25
PCT/US2001/046422 WO2002042880A2 (fr) 2000-10-25 2001-10-25 Systeme de commerce electronique

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