Patent ID: 7321860
Filing Date: 2008-01-22
Classification: G06Q,G16H

Abstract:
1. A method for an information service to provide information to requestors at a later designated time comprising the steps of: receiving a request for information from a remotely located information requestor, the request associated with information controlled by an information controller and specifying a designated purpose thereby providing the requested information, the designated time for providing the requested information, and a request life span for the providing access to the requested information; initiating a transaction to handle the request in accordance with the designated purpose, the designated time, and the request life span, wherein the transaction identifies at least one remotely located information recipient to receive a request result, wherein the transaction actuates a plurality of tasks to be performed by a plurality of distinct information providers, each task being performed by a corresponding information provider different from the information requestor and information controller, and wherein the transaction determines for each task a start time when the task is to be commenced and a delivery time that determines when a task result that is tailored for information privileges granted to the information recipient by the information controller in accordance with the designated purpose is to be conveyed from the corresponding information provider to the information recipient such that the information service sends the plurality of tasks to the plurality of distinct information providers which process the tasks and subsequently respond to the information service with a plurality of task results that are then conveyed to the information recipient within the start time and an end time corresponding to the request life span; generating a plurality of transaction identifiers, each transaction identifier specifying (a) a transaction type, (b) at least one of the plurality of information providers, (c) a particular task to be performed by a particular information provider, (d) a time when the particular task is to be performed, (e) a location at which a result of the particular task performed is to be conveyed, (f) a time at which a particular task result is to be returned to the information service within the request life span, and (g) a task life span during which the particular task result is valid, the particular task result being disposed of at an end of the task life span; querying a record store for information associated with the information controller and associated with the designated purpose, wherein the information requestor and the information recipient are not authorized to directly access content of the record store; generating at least one request result based at least in part upon information returned from the querying step, each request result corresponding to an information recipient and tailored for information privileges of the information recipient, wherein the information privileges are established by the information controller; and conveying the at least one request result to the information recipient proximate to the designated time for providing the requested information, wherein the conveyed request result has an associated delete time at which time the request result is deleted from a data store accessible by the information recipient.