Automated system for messaging based on chains of relationships

Abstract

A computer system for automatically generating and sending messages to individuals, entities, processes, or locations (objects) in response to events when specified conditions are met. The automated messaging system is capable of delivering generated messages via a plurality of message delivery mechanisms (e.g. e-mail, FAX, voice mail, textual page). The automated messaging system provides the ability to link objects in chains of relationships and to use these chains to determine which messages to generate, which objects are the recipient of generated messages, and via which message delivery mechanism generated messages are sent. The automated messaging system is useful in a variety of environments including asset management, electronic-commerce, and Internet-based securities trading, as well as other applications.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a computer system for automatically generating and sending messages to recipients in response to events when specified conditions are met. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION People working in organizations often need to know and / or track events relevant to their specific duties and responsibilities within their organizations. In addition, people often need or desire to know and / or track events relevant to their personal lives. Therefore, the need to automatically generate and deliver messages in response to events that meet a prescribed set of conditions is well known. Current methods for automatically generating messages require a simple (i.e., direct) relationship between the event and the recipient of the message. For example, an investor can instruct an online trading system to send a page or an e-mail “when the stock price of XYZ reaches 50”. As another example, a mainframe supervisory operator can instruct an automated paging...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

One advantage of some embodiments of an automated messaging system according to the present invention is that messages generated in response to events can be sent to recipients (e.g., individuals, entities, processes, locations) based on chains of relationships that links the events to the recipients.

Problems solved by technology

It is not straightforward, however, for an automated process to generate messages where a complex or indirect relationship exists, such as an instruction to “tell me when the stock price of any company that is owned by a company in which my brother has stock reaches 50”, or “page me if a mainframe computer in a building managed by Jones goes down”, or “e-mail me when a sweater in one of my children's sizes is in stock”.

However, this can add considerable overhead to the process of managing assets, since an asset manager would need to be called in and take some action for each acquisition, disposal, or movement of an asset from one location to another.

An individual desiring to move an asset from one end of a building to another might find it difficult to identify the correct asset manager to inform of the move.

While decentralization does make some administrative processes easier, it can make asset management and reporting more difficult from the perspective of the overall organization.

Consequently, decentralization might not be acceptable to some organizations that require strict control over their assets.

However, these systems are not capable of generating a message when an indirect relationship exists between the event and the message recipient.

These systems are also not typically capable of generating messages for a plurality of delivery mechanisms, i.e., they generate messages for delivery by e-mail only.

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