Patent ID: 9124447
Filing Date: 2015-09-01
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method for initiating an electronic conversation with a cooperating community of users, the method comprising the steps of: receiving a subscription from at least one user of a community of users at a pub/sub service, the received subscription to a channel of said pub/sub service, the channel having a topic of interest to said community of users, each non-publishing user of said community of users being unidentified to other users in said community of users during the electronic conversation, said user being authenticated by said pub/sub service as being willing to receive questions about said topic of said channel; receiving at said pub/sub service a first message to be published from a first user to said community of users, said first message having a first user address of said first user and a text portion including a question related to the topic of interest, retrieving by said pub/sub service a list of authenticated users in said community of users for receiving said first message; and publishing said first message by way of said pub/sub service to each user in said community of users as determined by said retrieved list, according to a predetermined plan, such that a second user in said community of users, by filtering said text portion of said first message at said second user for a specific topic of interest, is enabled to send an answer to a question in said first message of said specific topic of interest by a second message from said second user to said first user using said first user address, said filtering at said second user allowing messages of said specific interest of interest to the second user to be received by said second user while blocking other messages.