GB2352940A

GB2352940A - Multi-dimensional communications using database linking

Info

Publication number: GB2352940A
Application number: GB9915895A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Gordon Ross
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1999-07-08
Filing date: 1999-07-08
Publication date: 2001-02-07
Also published as: GB9915895D0

Abstract

Family ties, local groups and geographic proximity are important factors in patterns of communication and are sometimes neglected or under-represented in electronic addressing schemes. The present invention links electronic addresses with other information to support more effective communication via electronic infrastructures/networks, e.g. the Internet. In an example, a multidimensional database associates or groups electronic addresses with geographic location. This permits more effective delivery and retrieval of information of local relevance, for example weather, local entertainment and advertisements. An illustration is provided by way of a "multi-level cube" (figures 1-4).

Description

2352940 Title Multi-dimensional Computer Supported Communications Using

Database Linking and a Visual Language Interface.

Background

With the explosion of electronic communication there has been a fragmentation in the naming conventions for electronic communication within an overall loose framework. There are a multitude of addressing schemes with little or no correspondence between electronic location and physical location making delivery and retrieval of geographically and other locally focused segmented services difficult. Administration of such services is also becoming an increasingly high overhead.

Problem As electronic communication increases the load on communications infrastructure also increases. Yet much information is still local. Many computer addressing algorithms neglect this geographic proximity factor, giving rise to unnecessary computing power to tie information and users and users and users together. Using a more advanced addressing schema with distinctive multiple public address domains co-ordinated and loosely coupled these problems are overcome. The method has other advantages in terms of information delivery, communications and transactions.

Essential Features This method depends on a structured and random or non-random alphanumeric identifier being tied to an existing publicly available communications addressing schema to provide new addresses that can be identified by geographic or family or other classificatory cues. In this application I provide an illustration using a cube as a multidimensional Visual Language Interface, although other shapes are equally possible. A cube address, at the micro level, is generated randomly as an alpha and/or numeric sequence. At the outset it is tied to a structured public numeric sequence to provide geographic location cues. These two database elements, the cube address and the structured numeric address are both public address information. The two are linked in additional databases to deliver geographic locator cues to cube addresses when users interactively request such information. Because of the random generation of the cube address, adjacent cube addresses are unlikely to be geographically close. This preserves a degree of anonymity.

This addressing scheme permits different individuals at the same physical location, as defted by the numeric stream, to use the same cube address and add different names to that cube address for electronic mail and other applications including electronic commerce. Because of the random generation of addresses different people with the same name are differentiated by different cube address, thereby enabling them to keep their name and using the cube or other address as a differentiator. This is analogous to the use of names and postcodes in the UK to locate families and individuals for delivery of physical mail.

This cube addressing scheme has relevance to internet names and addressing as it permits easy registration of groups of people whilst still preserving information about geographic locations, without showing this in the cube address.

This method makes it possible to tie people and local communities more closely together using the underlying features of the database. Geographic proximity can figure more easily in provision of information and the support of communications. Electronic registration techniques against a predetermined public database mean it is possible to tie together people at the same location even if they register at different times. The Metaframework permits streamlined registration and online identification when using electronic interpersonal mail or other electronic transactions including electronic commerce.

Introduction to the Drawings

Figure One shows one specific example of a multilevel cubes, with three levels although there could be more than the three levels indicated here. Level one is the global addressing schema, covering the world and beyond if necessary. Level two is the "local" addressing schema where greater of lesser degrees of geographic proximity play a part. Level three here is the particular addressing schema covering a group of people at one time at a common physical location. This would include a nuclear or extended family, giving a family a single cube address, with privacy protection for individual members contained within the cube structure.

2 Co-ordination of iterative database representation elements facilitates geographically and other forms of proximate electronic communications, person to person, person to group and group to group, whilst preserving anonymity where needed. This can be linked to a Standardised User Interface using a Visual Language Interface if required.

Figure Two shows how different communities can be defined at each of the levels.

Figure Three shows how an individual can communicate with others physically close to them (Micro Level), and with others sharing similar characteristics (Mid Level), and with others at a global level (Marco Level).

Figure 4 illustrates what a structured next generation Web infrastructure would look like, with greater degrees of structure and co-ordination possible than with the Web of today.

Examples

Interactive human - computer activity to extent information of local relevance e.g. Weather. Local entertainment. Local News. Friendship clubs. Classified ads forjobs, cars, second hand goods and so on. Local shopping, including delivery of goods ordered electronically.

3 4- Multi-dimensional Computer Supported Communications Using Database Linicing and a Visual Language Interface.

Claims

Claims

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by patent is as follows:

I. A system and method and process for information transfer and communications with simple single-media or compound multimedia formatted exchanges to one or more other parties through and across computer systems, fixed and wireless networks, and voice and information transmissions devices to other individuals and groups at other locations in a structured manner, such structure being based on multi-dimensional representations where geographic location as determined by publicly available information classification systems as one of a number of facets of the overall multi-dimensional database structure and identification convention, such system and method and process comprising the some or all of the elements described here and below.
2. Methods for the allocation of random alpha and/or numeric and/or symbolic identifier to one or more individuals, based on their colocation within a geographic or other category space including family ties, with distinct identifiers to those within a particular location or space, such that members of the overall space can communicate with other individuals or groups via communications networks of a variety of types using the alpha and/or numeric and/or symbolic identifying tags together with other cues including geography if required.
3. Methods for electronic communications and transactions between individuals, groups and organisations within this electronic space, and to and from other electronic spaces, such that information exchange and transactions takes place effectively with a minimum of unnecessary long distance traffic generated when communications does not exceed defined geographic or device boundaries.
4. Methods for interpersonal, person to group, inter-group and information provider to information recipient communications across a range of diverse information appliances, the same base communications structures being able to cope with the information characteristics of the sending and receiving information appliances, and the structured delivery of all or some subset of the information according to the inherent document content structure of the transmitted document, as modified according to the source and delivery point capabilities, including the inclusion or exclusion of other material of an informative, educational, and/or sales and/or marketing related nature.
5. Methods for easy communications between members of a home multidimensional structure, where "home" refers to all the individuals within a designated structure or location, or family or other group.
6. Methods for easy multi-person delivery of structured information to those individuals and groups within defined geographic and other boundaries, whether these overlap or not, from information providers who seek to communicate with audiences on an occasional or regular basis, using a variety of interactive and noninteractive information appliances to inform them of information, entertainment, events, opportimities and other activities.
7. Based on the inherent structure of the communications databases methods for the identification of communities of interest of individuals and groups based on overt or inferred cues, or evolved from self- selection processes, with the sharing of information and communication on a simultaneous or successive basis within and between such communities of interest, as well as the delivery of relevant or irrelevant other information of an informative, educational or sales related nature.
8. Methods for monitoring of communications and interactive behaviour, including volumes and other characteristics for billing, and revenue sharing agreements established by agreement with various parties of the electronic space, including the sharing of revenue from advertising, electronic commerce and other forms of revenue-generating opportunities.
9. Methods for establishing groupings of users as within an iterative cube or other multi-dimensional database and addressing structure, coordinated with other existing public addressing schemas, which permits the establishment of individual, family and group units, simplifying electronic communication within and between groups, as well as improving the delivery of localised information.
10. 1 claim having an addressing structure that is both anonymous and at the same time identified as within a particular geographic region facilitates the provision of local information to groups of people, thereby saving on computer processing power, reducing networking overheads, and making access to geographically local information, from any location, easier.
11. Multi-dimensional computer-supported communications using database linking and a visual language interface substantially as described herein with reference to Figures I - 4 of the accompanying drawing.