Electronic commerce infrastructure system
View Patent ↗A networked commercial interaction management method assembles information into bundles that include a data element reference and meta data describing the data element. The method distributes the meta data and the data element reference from the bundles through the network, and distributes copies of the data elements in the bundles from the network node of their respective data owners to the network nodes of accessors using the meta data and the data element reference distributed through the network. In at least one embodiment, the method periodically issues bundle version identifying signals to different nodes of the network. The bundle version identifying signals indicate changes to the data elements to the network nodes of accessors.
1. A networked computer system for managing commercial interactions, comprising:
a network;
at least one data source; and
at least one server operatively coupled to the network and the at least one data source, the server including a processor and memory storing instructions that, in response to receiving a request for access to a service, cause the processor to:
assemble information into bundles, wherein each bundle comprises a data element, a data element reference and meta data describing the data element, wherein each data element remains resident on a node of associated with a data owner in the network,
issue periodically bundle version identifying signals to the different nodes of the network indicating changes to the data elements,
distribute the meta data and the data element reference from the bundles through the network, and
distribute copies of the data elements in the bundles from the network node of their respective data owners to the network nodes of accessors, following selection of the data elements by the accessors using the meta data and the data element reference distributed through the network.
2. The system of claim 1 wherein each bundle includes security information identifying entitled accessors of the data, and wherein the distributing only distributes the bundle to the entitled accessors.
3. The system of claim 2 wherein the processor is further caused to negotiate trusted relationships between owners and accessors to define the security infoimation.
4. The system of claim 2 wherein the processor is further caused to select networked users to receive bundles from, from a directory of authorized networked users before the steps of distributing.
5. The system of claim 2 wherein a format for the security information allows for organization identifiers to be included in the security information.
6. The system of claim 1 wherein the processor is further caused to define one of the meta data elements in response to owner input.
7. The system of claim 1 wherein the processor is further caused to record the distribution of data element copies to accessors and associated information concerning the transaction.
8. The system of claim 1 wherein the meta data includes ticker symbol identification fields.
9. The system of claim 1 wherein the processor is further caused to nest at least some of the bundles in superbundles that include additional information.
10. The system of claim 9 wherein each bundle includes security information identifying entitled accessors of the data, and wherein only accessors with entitlements to both a bundle and its superbundle can see both the bundle and the superbundle.
11. The system of claim 9 wherein the processor is further caused to present alternative content to recipients who lack entitlement to both the bundle and the superbundle.
12. The system of claim 9 wherein the bundle and the superbundle have different owners at different nodes and wherein the distributing distributes the bundle and the superbundle from the different nodes.
13. The system of claim 1 wherein the bundles include attachment references to one or more files of different types.
14. The system of claim 13 wherein the types include audio files, video files, graphical image files, and formatted document files.
15. The system of claim 1 wherein at least some of the bundles include references to other bundles.
16. The system of claim 15 wherein the references to other bundles include a replied-to reference.
17. The system of claim 1 wherein the distributing the meta data further distributes updates to the meta data, and wherein the processor is further caused to request copies of the updates from at least one of the nodes in response to the identifying signals.
18. The system of claim 1 wherein the processor is further caused to filter the bundles based on portions of the meta data.
19. The system of claim 1 wherein the distributing copies includes a peer-to-peer transfer of the data elements, and peer-to-peer access to the data elements referenced in the bundles.
20. The system of claim 1 wherein the processor is further caused to alert a user in response to detection of conditions in the meta data.
21. The system of claim 1 wherein the processor is further caused to blend additional content into at least one of the bundles based on detection of conditions in the meta data.