Patent ID: 6772229
Filing Date: 2004-08-03
Classification: G06Q,H04L

Abstract:
A system for communicating information among participants in a distributed application comprising:for each participant, a peripheral device capable of transmitting and receiving information; and a central agent comprising: two-way links to the peripheral devices capable of receiving and transmitting information, a notice generator, a notice sender, and a central storage medium able to store information inputs from participants, the central storage medium storing a first information input from an inputting participant directed to at least one receiving participant; the notice generator, responsive to said first information input, being able to generate a notice selectively for the at least one receiving participant and to push the notice to the notice sender, the notice comprising a channel to a memory location of said first information input in the central storage medium; and the notice sender, responsive to the notice pushed from the notice generator, being able to send the notice selectively to the peripheral devices of the receiving participant; whereby the receiving participant can access said first information input directly using the channel in the pushed notice; the central storage medium being further able to store a second information input from a participant in response to said first information input and to associate it with said first information input while subsequently retaining said first information input or modifying or deleting said first information input in accordance with said second information input; the notice generator, responsive to said second information input, being able to generate a second notice selectively directed to at least one other participant in said distributed application, which at least one other participant may or may not include said inputting participant, the second notice comprising a channel to a memory location of said second information input in the central storage medium, and said second notice being pushed to said notice sender; said notice sender, responsive to said second notice being pushed, being capable of sending said second notice to the peripheral devices of the at least one participant to whom the second notice is selectively directed; and the central storage medium being further able to store a third information input from a participant in response to said second information input and associate it with said first and second information inputs while subsequently retaining said first and second information inputs or modifying or deleting one or both of said first and second information inputs in accordance with said third information input.