Patent ID: 6157924
Filing Date: 2000-12-05
Classification: H04L,Y10S

Abstract:
A method for delivering information to a user comprising the following steps that are performed in a data processing system:storing a user profile indicating a user preferred delivery medium including e-mail, html, fax, printed copy, and mail;in response to a user request for information, determining from the stored user profile a preferred delivery medium for delivering the requested information to the user, wherein the user preferred delivery medium is determined from the stored user profile independent of a format associated with the user request;in response to the user request for information, retrieving the requested information;if the preferred delivery medium indicated in the stored user profile is e-mail, formatting the retrieved information as an e-mail message and delivering the e-mail message from the data processing system to a user data processing system in communication with the data processing system;if the preferred delivery medium indicated in the stored user profile is HTML, formatting the retrieved information as an HTML document and delivering the HTML document from the data processing system to a user data processing system in communication with the data processing system;if the preferred delivery medium indicated in the stored user profile is fax, formatting the retrieved information as a fax document and delivering the fax document from the data processing system to a user facsimile machine in communication with the data processing system;if the preferred delivery medium indicated in the stored user profile is printed copy, formatting the retrieved information as a printed document and delivering the printed copy from the data processing system to a user printer in communication with the data processing system; andif the preferred delivery medium indicated in the stored user profile is mail, formatting the retrieved information as a paper document and mailing the paper document to the user.